Literacy

Overview

The Farmington reading program is a comprehensive one designed to develop skills, strategies, and habits to foster life-long reading in accordance with the Science of Reading. Students read and discuss high quality texts with teacher guidance and independently read self-selected books. Students also read a variety of content texts in other curriculum areas, such as science, social studies and mathematics.

Writing is integrated into all aspects of the curriculum. Students write in a variety of forms to communicate information, express opinions, and explore personal understanding of the world. Students also engage in the process of writing by developing prewriting strategies, composing drafts, revising, editing and reflecting upon finished work. Students are also provided with opportunities to develop library, technology, and research skills.

All literacy instruction is based on the following essential understandings:

● Reading and writing require a fundamental knowledge of sounds, letters, words and the conventions of language to read, write and speak effectively;

● Reading is a thinking process used to construct meaning; and

● Writing is a thinking process used to generate, clarify and communicate ideas.

Reading

The second grade literacy program continues to strengthen and extend reading skills. Throughout the year, students work to increase word recognition skills, to become more fluent, and to acquire significant vocabulary. There is continued emphasis on monitoring and self-correcting reading errors, improving accuracy, and reading with phrasing and expression. Students engage in rich discussions about books.

A wide variety of quality literature is used in second grade. Students read poetry, folk tales, fairy tales, biographies, stories and informational texts. Skills and strategy instruction is integrated into discussion about literature selections during guided reading lessons. Second grade students are also taught to make appropriate book choices as they independently read for enjoyment and information.

Writing

In second grade, the writing program continues to focus on writing as a means of personal expression and as a way to convey meaning. Students learn to think (brainstorm for ideas and topics), plan, draft, revise, edit, and share their writing with others. Although aspects of the writing process are highlighted during classroom instruction, students come to understand how they recur and interrelate during actual composing. Second grade writers continue to learn the craft of writing: structure, development and language conventions.

Students have the opportunity to write for different audiences, for a specific purpose and in a variety of forms including narrative, opinion, and informational writing.

CT English Language Arts Standards

Literacy Units

Reading

Strategies for Reading Longer Words and Books
Studying Characters in Book Clubs
Fossils and Paleontologists
Pollinators

Writing

Narrative - Personal Narratives and Realistic Fiction
Opinion Writing - Persuasive Essays
Informational Writing - Nonfiction Essays
Integrated Fiction and Informational Writing

Ways to Support Your Child In Literacy

There are many things that families can do to encourage children to read and develop strong reading and writing skills.

Read every day: Daily reading practice is essential for growing readers. Set aside time to read as part of your daily routine. Some children like reading before bed, others are too tired at that time. You can also provide reading material in the car to get in some extra reading time.
Ask questions: Asking your child a variety of questions after reading will allow them to practice their comprehension skills. Some questions you can ask include: Can you retell all of the important parts of the story? What genre is this book? How do you know? What character traits would you use to describe the character? How did the author keep you interested throughout the book? If this book were to have a sequel, what would it be about? Why do you think the author chose to write about this topic? Why is it important?

Provide authentic opportunities: Authentic writing tasks are excellent ways for your child to practice their writing skills at home. These could include making lists, writing letters, or writing down a dream they had.
Have reading material available: Keep books in your car or bring them to places you may need to wait. Taking advantage of these extra minutes of reading can really add up.
Write daily: Encourage your child to keep a writing journal of their experiences and interests.
Provide different materials and audiences for writing: Have your child write an email to a relative. Provide special pens or paper. Create books by stapling paper together and provide a special cover for it. Have them write a note in a card for someone.
Encourage writing stories: This a great way to reinforce the writing process at home.
Share writing: When your child completes a writing piece ask them to share it with you or others. Focus your feedback on the overall message not the mistakes. Have them read their writing to work on fluency, reading with expression, and presentation skills.
Discuss their writing: Ask questions such as: Where did you include descriptive words or show instead of tell?; Can you add a personal story?; How did you elaborate?; Can you add more?; Does your writing have clear sections with sentences that relate back to the topic?;
Encourage more writing: Ask them if they have other ideas or topics for writing. Provide suggestions of good ideas when needed.
Reread for revising/editing: Reread their writing with them and look at punctuation, capitalization, dialogue, spelling. Have them read their writing out loud often helps.
Give praise: At this age their writing will not be perfect. Provide more praise than criticism and encourage them to keep writing.

By integrating these practices into daily life, parents can play a crucial role in nurturing their child's love for reading and supporting their development as confident readers.

Additional Resources