Meet Ms. Lanton
Meet Ms. Lanton
I am very excited to be teaching 2nd grade here at St. Claire/St. Paul School! I have taught in classrooms at both the primary and middle school levels. I earned my MS in Elementary Education from the University of Scranton, and also hold middle level certifications for both English Language Arts and Mathematics. I especially enjoy teaching ELA, so I am thrilled to be able to share my love of reading with my students.
Class Overview
The second grade curriculum focuses on building foundational skills in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. I teach ELA for both second grade classrooms. Students will learn to read fluently, understand text, and write simple sentences and short stories. They explore grammar basics like nouns, verbs, and punctuation. The curriculum also emphasizes creativity and critical thinking through arts, music, STREAM, physical education, and social-emotional learning.
Religious Education
Second grade students deepen their understanding of their faith through key lessons on prayer, the sacraments, and basic Catholic teachings. A major focus is preparing for the sacraments of First Reconciliation (Penance) and First Holy Communion. Students learn about the importance of forgiveness, God's love, and the significance of the Eucharist. They also explore Bible stories, the life of Jesus, and how to live according to Catholic values, including kindness, respect, and service to others. Daily prayers, including the Our Father, Hail Mary, and other simple prayers, are practiced to build a strong foundation in Catholic worship and spirituality.
The Wilson Fundations curriculum for second grade is a structured, systematic program designed to support students in developing strong foundational skills in reading, spelling, and handwriting. It is based on the principles of phonics and phonemic awareness, emphasizing direct instruction in letter-sound relationships, word patterns, and the rules of spelling.
The McGraw-Hill Wonders reading curriculum for second grade is a comprehensive, interactive program designed to build foundational reading and literacy skills. It focuses on key areas such as vocabulary development, comprehension, fluency, and writing, while also encouraging critical thinking and a love of reading.
The curriculum is organized around thematic units that explore a range of fiction and nonfiction texts, including stories, poems, and informational articles. Each unit has a central theme that ties the reading selections together and builds on students’ knowledge of language arts. The program emphasizes the development of comprehension skills, such as identifying main ideas, making inferences, and understanding story structure.