Literacy: Literacy is the foundation of all instruction. We focus on teaching students to connect more deeply to their reading through oral and written comprehension. We will focus equally on fiction and non-fiction texts and students will learn to read for meaning. We use the program EL Education for our comprehension lessons.
EL Modules:
-Schools and Community
-Fossils
-Pollinators and Pollination
-Fables
We also have a time specifically dedicated to writing instruction. During writing students will learn the writing process through guided writing mini-lessons. They will also write independently and have conferences about their writing with peers and myself. We will focus on content, structure, editing, revising, and conventions.
Writing Genres:
-Narrative
-Informational
-Opinion
Second graders are still growing as readers and continue to need phonics instruction. They will learn phonics patterns, rules, and decoding skills during whole group lessons and in small groups based on their individual needs. We will also work on increasing students’ vocabulary and ability to determine the meaning of unknown words. Students will be exposed to new vocabulary during whole group and small group instruction. We will use the program Letterland for our phonics lessons.
Math: The main goal in math is to teach children effective mathematical problem solving. We will use multiple teaching methods to engage the students and develop their problem solving. We emphasize discussion through Math Talk where students will be engaged in questioning themselves and each other about their thought processes. This allows students to create a clear understanding of math concepts and a strong foundation to build on as they grow.
Math Concepts:
-Mental math strategies
-Odd & even numbers
-Arrays
-Skip counting
-2 & 3 digit addition and subtraction
-Problem solving
-Money
-Time
-Measurement
-Shapes
-Partition shapes
Science: Science topics are best taught through inquiry-based instruction. Students will engage in hands on science activities to help them develop a stronger more meaningful understanding of the topics. They will begin by making predictions; then they will test their predictions, and finally explain the outcome of their tests.
Science Topics:
-States of Matter
-Air & Weather
-Life Cycles
-Sound
Social Studies: Social studies instruction in elementary school creates a child’s foundation in their understanding our how society functions. 2nd grade social studies topics give students a basic understanding of the past, citizenship, economics, and geography. During social studies students will be using a variety of resources to develop an understanding of societal topics. They will create projects individually and in small groups to demonstrate what they learn. I feel that part of education is teaching students how to become members of society, and this happens during social studies instruction.
Social Studies Topics:
-Development of American Culture
-Principles of Democracy in the US
-US History
-Economics
-Geography & the Environment