Second Grade Curriculum

Reading: This year I am very excited to use the Fountas & Pinnell Classroom literacy program. This is a multi-text approach to literacy learning. Students will be involved in an Interactive Read Aloud story, a reading mini lesson, small group guided reading, independent reading and phonics and word study every day. The goal is to create life-long, competent readers.

Writing: Students will receive instruction in basic grammar, sentence structure and punctuation rules. They will be involved in shared writing as well as guided writing to compose a variety of types of writing. Our instruction includes friendly letters, informational paragraphs, procedural text, opinion pieces and a research report. Our goal is to help students communicate a clear written message that makes sense to their reader.

Handwriting: Students will review correct letter formation for manuscript letters. Students are expected to form letters correctly, put spaces between words, write letters on the baseline, and use capital letters appropriately. After the winter break we will begin instruction on formation of cursive letters, which is always a highlight of Second Grade.

Math: The District has adopted Ready Classroom Mathematics as our math series. The lessons instruct students on the objectives in the common core math standards. The lessons also align with online lessons provided in iReady. The emphasis is on developing deep conceptual understanding, procedural skills and fluency in order to apply this knowledge to solve problems. Students will be involved in mathematical discourse, which means they will talk about how they solved the problems. Students will have these lessons on the in-person learning days, with follow up work done during online days.

Science: Students will learn about animals, forces and motion and weather. Many hands-on experiments and inquiry are provided throughout the year. Topics will be integrated with our language arts lessons when possible. These lessons will be completed during online learning with follow up during in-person learning days.

Social Studies: Students will learn about various topics related to the social sciences. For example, the importance of rules, basic economic concepts such as earning, saving and spending money, appreciation for diverse cultures, and a basic early history of the United States. Students will learn about why we celebrate Constitution Day, Patriots Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Topics will be integrated with our language arts lessons when possible. These lessons will be completed during online learning with follow up during in-person learning days.