Grade 2

In second grade, fluency, comprehension, and analysis are the focus of reading instruction. Students apply their knowledge of the basic features of reading to achieve fluency in oral and silent reading. Students ask and answer clarifying questions about text (e.g., who, what, why), use the features of text (e.g., headings, bold type) to locate information in expository text, and consider the author’s purpose as they analyze informational text. Students use these strategies to better comprehend their readings in all content areas. In second grade, students learn more sophisticated strategies to analyze literature. For example, they compare and contrast different versions of the same story from different cultures.

Students write compositions by using correct English conventions. They learn to use reference materials to locate information for their written compositions and oral reports. Their written products become longer, and students pay more attention to the organization of their compositions. Students develop initial skills in editing and revising text at this grade level. Students in second grade learn to give and follow multiple-step directions, provide descriptive details when telling stories or recounting events, and structure their oral presentations in a logical sequence. Students learn new vocabulary and academic language as they read and speak about grade-level texts and topics. They learn to use dictionaries and glossaries to clarify the meaning of words and to check and correct their spelling. They use their knowledge of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words. They also use their knowledge of prefixes to determine the meaning of a new word formed when a prefix is added to a known word.

The Grade 2 Mathematics program builds on the foundational skills learnt in first grade. Students gain a deeper understanding of place value, fractions, processes, measurement, geometry and time. The focus is on independently applying these concepts and strategies in real-life math situations. To ensure the most efficient learning, students often work together in groups, engage in peer-tutoring, share their learning and participate in daily reflections.

This year students will use scientific skills of observation and investigation to learn about four big ideas in science. The big ideas include life cycles, living things, ecosystems and water and weather. Through various tactile learning experiences students will come to understand how parts of objects, plants, and animals are connected and work together. They will carry out investigations by using instruments, observing, recording, and drawing evidence-based conclusions. In grade 2, students will learn that plants and animals have life cycles and that changes in ecosystems affect living populations and the non-living elements of a defined area. They will understand that plants and animals vary from one another and their parents. During the second semester, students will also have the opportunity to participate in a science fair project using the scientific method to solve a problem.

In Grade 2 social studies, students will develop their understanding of their local community and begin to examine the global community. Students will explore our Earth, learning about people and places, and developing an understanding of how these people and places contribute to and enrich their own community and their global society. They will also study communities around the world, developing an awareness of the relationship between location, climate, physical features, and how people live in various communities. Students will use the social studies inquiry process to investigate traditions, ways of life, and relationships with the environment in local and global communities, and they will develop their ability to extract information from maps and timelines. The Grade 2 social studies expectations provide opportunities for students to explore a number of concepts connected to the citizenship including community, identity, relationships, respect, and stewardship.

Physical Education (P.E.) is an integral part of the education program for all students. P.E. teaches students how their bodies move and how to perform a variety of physical activities. Students learn health-related benefits of regular physical activity and the skills to adopt a physically active, healthy lifestyle. The discipline also provides learning experiences that meet the developmental needs of students. With high-quality physical education instruction, students become confident, independent, self-controlled, and resilient; develop positive social skills; set and strive for personal, achievable goals; learn to assume leadership; cooperate with others; accept responsibility for their own behavior; and, ultimately, improve their academic performance.

Native Speakers

In CNS Grade 2 class students build their literacy ability after the introduction of Chinese Character and Bopomofo. Students will develop their sentence structure and character recognition. We integrated student's homeroom knowledge and trained them explain in oral and literacy skills in Chinese. Students can not only learn the Chinese language skills but also get used to the bilingual transition between Chinese and English.

Foreign Learners

CFL Grade 2 is targeted at young students with no previous exposure to Mandarin. This course introduces students to Chinese language and culture in daily situations. Student-centric themes, a spiral-up approach, and motivational design encourage students to learn Chinese with enthusiasm. The 12 units build upon each other with comprehensive sentence patterns and syntax lessons.

Music

The Grade 2 music course consists of two main strands: Steps to Making Music (sequential elements, developmental skills) and Paths to Making Music (thematic explorations). Steps to Making Music (six units) provides students with a sequenced instruction in elements and skills, as well as connections to other disciplines. The music elements include expression, rhythm, form, melody, timbre and texture/harmony. Paths to Making Music explores coordinated unit themes which present a variety of performance opportunities, while building on the skills and connections found in the first six units.

Computer Science

In Computer Science G2 students will create programs with sequencing, loops, and events. They will translate their initials into binary, investigate problem-solving techniques, and develop strategies for building positive communities both online and off. By the end of the course, students will create interactive games that they can share. Each concept is taught from the beginning, graduating toward experiences that allow for growth and creativity to provide all students a rich and novel programming experience.

Visual Art

Students engage in creative play to work with the basic elements of art: line, shape, form, space, texture, pattern, and composition. Attention is given to improving eye hand brain coordination by practicing methods and examples drawn in demonstrations and learning to value art as a visual language. We begin learning the elements of visual language with ‘All About Me’ where students draw themselves and members of their family. Using lines to create shapes and turn shapes into patterns builds upon the initial experience using water-based media: inktense pencils, water soluable oil pastels and liquid watercolor. Students move between learning centers and ideas, using and combining media and ideas that are self-generated, introduced by selected artists and famous paintings they created, talking about one’s own art and the art of others, and working collaboratively. From these processes, students learn to value the work of themselves and others; discuss visual compositions; review and improve their work; identify elements of art in the natural world; discuss craftsmanship; build hand skills in drawing, painting, cutting, gluing, and mixing colors; and respectfully engage with each other in the classroom setting using the materials and processes of visual arts.

Digital Art

Technology usage has been developing rapidly over the past years. Digital Art has been one of the tools to let students explore and develop their creativity using technology. Through art, students make sense of their experiences and the world around them. Drawing, painting, collage, and modeling are open-ended and playful processes through which students engage in physical exploration, aesthetic decision-making, identity construction, and social understanding. As digital technologies become increasingly prevalent in the lives of young children, there is a pressing need to understand how digital technologies shape important experiences in their education, including art.

In this course, students will be introduced to relate their hand drawing experience with the virtual digital world by using technology drawing tools to create their desired artworks. They use digital tablets to create lines, draw and fill shapes, create backgrounds, change elements, create imaginative designs, and experience design thinking from past to present. Class sessions provide opportunities to sharpen artistic perception, develop self-expression, research design innovators and discuss cultural contexts. Students engage in digital experiments to create imaginary landscapes and personal projects. By looking at digital products from historical and cultural perspectives, students develop critical thinking, media literacy and problem-solving in a digital environment today.