For many kids, second grade marks the beginning of being one of the "big kids" in the primary grades (TK-2).  Routines like working independently, cooperating with others in a group, sitting quietly, listening to teacher's instructions and classmates' ideas, or reading on their own, should be familiar.  

 Second graders have grown used to their school environment and are ready to take on some serious learning.  Your child's attention span is increasing.  This means they are able to learn more difficult concepts in one setting and apply them to other situations. 

What Second Graders LEARN:

English/Language Arts: 

Key Concepts and Skills:

• Reading Fluency:  Developing automaticity in reading and reading grade-level text with accuracy. 

• Vocabulary Acquisition:  Expanding vocabulary through various strategies like using context clues, prefixes/suffixes, and dictionaries. 

• Critical Thinking:  Analyzing information, making inferences, and drawing conclusions. 

• Communication:  Expressing ideas clearly and effectively in both written and oral communication. 

• Reading:  Students learn to decode words, understand spelling-sound correspondences, and recognize grade-level irregularly spelled words. They also focus on distinguishing long and short vowels, understanding vowel teams, and decoding two-syllable words. 

• Writing:  Students develop skills in writing narrative, informative/explanatory, and opinion/persuasive texts using a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing. They also learn to construct complete and coherent sentences, and use proper punctuation and capitalization. 

• Language:  Students demonstrate command of standard English conventions, including grammar and usage. This includes using collective nouns, irregular plural nouns, reflexive pronouns, and the past tense of irregular verbs. They also learn about figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings, such as similes, metaphors, idioms, and antonyms/synonyms. 

Studies show that student readers grow MOST when they have ENORMOUS amounts of time (90 minutes a day) of actual reading.  It is crucial in 2nd grade that students gain reading fluency, strategies and skills, and comprehension.  Become a better reader by reading aloud everyday. "Eyes on print, mind on story."

EVERYDAY - read to your child, read with your child, or read by your child.

• SPEAKING and LISTENING  https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/2/

• FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RF/2/

• LITERATURE  https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/2/

• INFORMATIONAL TEXT https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RI/2/

• WRITING https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/2/

• LANGUAGE https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/L/2/

Mathematics:

Key Concepts and Skills:

• Mathematical Fluency:  Building fluency with addition and subtraction within 100. 

• Problem-Solving:  Applying mathematical concepts to solve word problems involving measurement, time, and money.

• Number and Operations in Base Ten:  Students deepen their understanding of the base-ten system, including place value and number relationships in addition and subtraction. 

• Measurement and Data:  Students measure and estimate lengths using standard units, relate addition and subtraction to length, work with time and money, and represent and interpret data. 

• Geometry:  Students classify shapes and analyze their geometric attributes. 

Math: https://www.education.com/common-core/second-grade/math/

Science

• Ecosystems/Habitats

• Plant Life/Plant Cycle

• Life Cycles

• Animals - Mammals, Repetiles, Fish, Birds, Amphibians

• Earth/Landforms

Science/NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards for California Public Schools): https://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/documents/cangssgr2-dci.pdf

History-Social Science:

• Map Skills:  Students learn to locate places on a simple letter-number grid system and understand the absolute and relative locations of places in their neighborhood or community. 

• California History:  Students learn about the story of California, its unique geography, waves of immigration, diversity, and rapid growth. 

• State and Federal Government:  Students examine California's relationship to the rest of the nation and the U.S. Constitution. 

Social Studies: https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/histsocscistnd.pdf