Second Grade Curriculum Overview

Math:

The math curriculum we are using follows the N.Y.S. Common Core Standards and is available on engageny.org. The sight lists the modules (units) on the left hand side and allows you to select the unit your child may need help on. The sight shows examples of all the work we will be completing in class. There are 8 modules (units). Click here to access Engage NY math curriculum.

In Module 1, the students will continue to learn and review about adding and subtraction up to 20 in module 1 work up to sums and differences up to 100.

In Module 2, students will explore the ruler, estimate lengths while using different measurement tools, and correctly use tools to measure objects while labeling their findings. By the end of this unit students should be able to relate addition and subtraction to length, know the most appropriate tool to use for various measurements, and solve word problems that include measurement.

In module 3 students will explore place value, Counting, and Comparison of Numbers to 1,000. In this 25-day Grade 2 module, students expand their skill with and understanding of units by bundling ones, tens, and hundreds up to a thousand with straws. Unlike the length of 10 centimeters in Module 2, these bundles are discrete sets. One unit can be grabbed and counted just like a banana―1 hundred, 2 hundred, 3 hundred, etc. A number in Grade 1 generally consisted of two different units, tens and ones. Now, in Grade 2, a number generally consists of three units: hundreds, tens, and ones. The bundled units are organized by separating them largest to smallest, ordered from left to right. Over the course of the module, instruction moves from physical bundles that show the proportionality of the units to non-proportional place value disks and to numerals on the place value chart. (engageny.org)

Engage NY 2nd grade curriculum guide

Science:

SCIENCE/STEAM

Here are a few Science topics that will be taught throughout the school year:

~Structure and Properties of Matter

~Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

~Developing Solutions to Problems

~The History of our Earth

These topics along with a few more are part of the Next Generation Science Standards for grade 2. Lesson's will be taught using the 5 E's approach. (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate) We will incorporate the STEAM approach as much as possible throughout our subjects. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

Social Studies: (6 Sections)

1. Communities: Urban, Suburban, and Rural

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of their communities as a way to deepen their understandings of the importance of place in general and the similarities and differences between different kinds of communities in particular. By investigating the compelling question “How would our lives be different if we lived in a different kind of community?” students learn that locations offer a range of experiences for the people who live there and that there are advantages and disadvantages of living in each kind of community. The distinctions among urban, suburban, and rural communities, however, are not hard and fast: Although population density, buildings, and green space typically vary across these kinds of communities, it is better to look at a collection of characteristics rather than a single factor when determining how a location might be characterized.

The Essential Question for this unit is: "How would our life be different if we lived in a different kind of community?"

2. Symbols: This second-grade inquiry leads students through an investigation of symbols and representation. By investigating the compelling question “What symbol best represents the United States?” students explore what each American symbol represents, how we use these symbols, and what we, as US citizens, value. At heart, a symbol is a word, object, or action that represents something else; in this inquiry, each symbol represents a set of ideas that Americans recognize and value. The study of symbols, citizenship, and community provides the foundation for students to think critically about values that people hold dear and how those values may be expressed.

The Essential Question for this unit is: "What symbol best represents the United States?"

3. Civil Ideal and Practices: Through the compelling question “Do we have to have rules?” this annotated inquiry investigates the relationship between rules and values as well as the role that rules play in maintaining a civil society. This question acknowledges outright that many students wonder about their roles in and responsibility for rule making. It gives voice to their legitimate concerns about the source of rules, the benefits of following them, and the consequences of not doing so. This inquiry taps into a common set of ideas that students have about the authority of rules and validates their honest hesitancy to follow rules simply because they are told to do so. Students learn that there is a key relationship between what we value and the rules we develop, follow, and enforce. Rules and laws are intended to express the shared values of a community, acting as statutes to uphold and protect such principles as fairness, equality, respect, and safety.

The Essential Question for this unit is: “Do we have to have rules?”

4. Geography, Humans, and Development: This inquiry explores how communities develop and sustain themselves by examining the positive and negative impacts of development on community environments. In considering the idea that communities grow and change over time, students develop an argument with evidence that answers the compelling question “How do we shape our environment?”

The Essential Question for this unit is: “How do we shape our environment?”

5. Community History: This inquiry is an exploration into the concepts of time, continuity, and change in a community with the dual purpose of establishing students’ understandings of the passage of time and explaining why the past matters today. The inquiry taps into a common student assumption about the authority of the present and its existence independent of past events and contexts. One way to explore present circumstances is through an examination of the short- and long-term effects of the past. The constructs of cause and effect are complex, chiefly because multiple causes may be associated with one event, just as multiple effects can be tied to a single cause. Through identifying the relationship of cause and effect, students learn to recognize how continuity and change over time help us understand historical developments in our present communities.

The Essential Question for this unit is: "If We Live in the Present, Why Should We Care About the Past?"

6. Economic Interdependence: This inquiry is an initial exploration into the concept of interdependence through the lens of community economics and the idea of an economy as a diverse, mutually supportive web of needs and wants, workers and consumers, and problems and solutions. The compelling question “What makes me become we?” challenges students to consider interdependence among individuals and groups and think about how a community is not just a bunch of individual “mes” living in a shared space but also a collective “we” that interacts, grows and contracts, and tries to solve issues. This inquiry builds on students’ first-grade knowledge and challenges them to understand that through businesses, town organizations, and local governments, a community meets the needs and wants of its people, finding strength in collective efforts to address problems.

The Essential Question for this unit is: "What makes me become We?"

(engageny.org)

Writing:

LUCY CALKINS WRITING APPROACH

In second grade, children move from a focus on print to the big meaning of text. This year, the Lucy Calkins curriculum writing approach will be teaching student's how to write Opinion, Information and Narrative writing pieces. The Lucy Calkins writing approach allows children to build on their learning in each unit taught while getting all the wonderful information and ideas from students minds onto paper. Students will take ownership of their writing while using their phonic skills to figure out hard words.

There is a unit on "Lab Reports and Science Books" that will introduce how scientist write lab reports. Students will then write "like scientists" when we learn about different forces in motion and write about it. You will be seeing your child's master piece after they have edited their first draft and published their final draft.

ELA/DAILY 5

The second grade classes participate in The Daily 5 literacy approach that encourages accountability, choice, and community. Students are given the option of one of the 5 choices to complete during each session of daily 5 per day. There are two sessions each day that consist of thirty minutes each. (60 minutes total) The choices consist of the following; Read to Self; Read to Someone; Listen to Reading; Work on Writing; and Work Work. This was a big success last year and I am very excited to incorporate into our day this year!

I will have a daily read aloud everyday after lunch to build vocabulary along with comprehension skills.

Spanish will be implemented into our classroom as well this year. We will count in Spanish, say our months in Spanish, along with label items in our classroom in Spanish. Don't be surprised if you hear some Spanish words at home!

Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge. In Gold Standard PBL, Essential Project Design Elements include:

  • Key Knowledge, Understanding, and Success Skills - The project is focused on student learning goals, including standards-based content and skills such as critical thinking/problem solving, collaboration, and self-management.
  • Challenging Problem or Question - The project is framed by a meaningful problem to solve or a question to answer, at the appropriate level of challenge.
  • Sustained Inquiry - Students engage in a rigorous, extended process of asking questions, finding resources, and applying information.
  • Authenticity - The project features real-world context, tasks and tools, quality standards, or impact – or speaks to students’ personal concerns, interests, and issues in their lives.
  • Student Voice & Choice - Students make some decisions about the project, including how they work and what they create.
  • Reflection - Students and teachers reflect on learning, the effectiveness of their inquiry and project activities, the quality of student work, obstacles and how to overcome them.
  • Critique & Revision - Students give, receive, and use feedback to improve their process and products.
  • Public Product - Students make their project work public by explaining, displaying and/or presenting it to people beyond the classroom. (http://www.bie.org/about/what_pbl)