OVERVIEW
Second grade math builds on the foundational skills of first grade, helping students to become strong mathematical thinkers and problem-solvers. This year, students will develop a deep understanding of place value up to 1,000, learning to read, write, and compare three-digit numbers. They will master addition and subtraction with two- and three-digit numbers, using a variety of efficient strategies and mental math. Students will also learn to tell time to the nearest five minutes and count money. We'll explore the world of geometry, identifying, drawing, and partitioning shapes into equal parts. We'll end the year by learning to collect, organize, and interpret data using different types of graphs.
Unit 1: Math Is
Students will make sense of problems and use math to model real-world situations.
Students will explain their thinking and respectfully respond to the ideas of classmates.
Students will learn to choose efficient strategies and appropriate tools to solve problems.
Students will notice patterns and make generalizations about them.
Students will reflect on their own strengths and growth as a learner of mathematics.
What does it mean to be a problem solver in math?
How can we use math to describe the world around us?
How can we work together to solve a problem?
Tell me about a time you used math today.
How did you figure out the answer to that problem?
What is one new thing you learned about math today?
What is your math story?
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds: This book encourages creativity and making a mark, which is a great metaphor for exploring and expressing mathematical ideas.
Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg: This book shows how mistakes can lead to something beautiful, helping children embrace productive struggle and a growth mindset in math.
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith: A humorous book that shows how math is all around us in unexpected places.
Unit 2: Place Value to 1,000
Students will use base-ten blocks to represent 3-digit numbers.
Students will read and write numbers up to 1,000 in standard form, expanded form, and word form.
Students will decompose (break apart) 3-digit numbers in different ways.
Students will compare two 3-digit numbers using the symbols > (greater than), < (less than), and = (equal to).
How can we show a number in different ways?
What do the digits in a 3-digit number mean?
How can we compare two large numbers to see which is bigger or smaller?
Can you read this number: 582? How would you write it in expanded form?
What does the number 3 in 325 mean? What about the 2 and the 5?
Let's look at two house numbers, like 187 and 178. Which is greater? How do you know?
How can you show the number 243 using groups of hundreds, tens, and ones?
How Much Is a Million? by David M. Schwartz: This book gives children a sense of the scale of large numbers, which helps them understand place value beyond the hundreds.
Zero the Hero by Joan Holub: A fun story that highlights the importance of the number zero in place value, especially in creating numbers like 10, 100, and 1,000.
Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens by Cindy Neuschwander: This book explains the concept of place value and grouping numbers in a medieval story.
Unit 3: Patterns within Numbers
Students will skip count by 5s, 10s, and 100s, both from a starting number and within a sequence.
Students will identify a number as even or odd by pairing objects or by skip counting by 2s.
Students will use repeated addition to represent the total number of objects in an array.
Students will learn to find and describe patterns on a number chart.
How can we find patterns when counting?
What makes a number even or odd?
How can we use addition to find the total number of objects in an array?
Can you count by 10s starting at 50?
Let's look at all the socks in the laundry pile. Do we have an even or odd number? How do you know?
Can you find an array in our home, like a set of windows on a building or a carton of eggs? How many rows and columns does it have?
What is a pattern you notice in our calendar?
Two of Everything by Lily Toy Hong: A folktale about a magic pot that doubles anything put inside, a great way to talk about patterns of two and even numbers.
One Grain of Rice by Demi: This book beautifully illustrates the power of doubling and exponential growth, a perfect introduction to repeated addition and patterns.
Anno's Magic Seeds by Mitsumasa Anno: A story that subtly introduces repeated addition and patterns as a man plants and harvests magic seeds.
Unit 4: Meanings of Addition and Subtraction
Students will use a bar diagram or drawing to visualize and solve word problems.
Students will write an equation to represent a word problem with an unknown.
Students will solve one- and two-step problems involving adding to, taking from, putting together, and taking apart.
Students will solve word problems to compare two quantities to find how many more or fewer one group has.
How can we use addition and subtraction to solve different kinds of word problems?
How can a drawing or diagram help us understand a problem?
How do we figure out a missing number in an equation?
Can you tell me a story about a problem you solved in math today?
We have 15 cookies. If you eat 3 and then I eat 4, how many are left?
If you have 8 toys and I have 5, how many more toys do you have than me?
What is the difference between an addition problem and a subtraction problem?
The subtracting of Madeline by Brian P. Cleary: This book uses fun rhymes and illustrations to introduce subtraction vocabulary and concepts in a memorable way.
Elevator Magic by Stuart J. Murphy: This book uses a trip in an elevator to show how people get on and off, which helps children visualize the concepts of adding and subtracting.
A Remainder of One by Elinor J. Pinczes: A story about a soldier ant who is always left out when the troops are arranged in lines. It's a great book for talking about even and odd numbers and remainders in a simple context.
Unit 5: Strategies to Fluently Add within 100
Students will use different strategies to add two- and three-digit numbers, including using partial sums, decomposing numbers, and using friendly numbers.
Students will add two-digit numbers on a number line.
Students will solve word problems by choosing and using an appropriate addition strategy.
Students will learn that addends can be added in any order, which can make a problem easier to solve.
What are some different strategies we can use to add numbers?
How can a number line help us add?
How can we use different strategies to solve word problems?
Can you solve 25+38? What strategy did you use?
How can you use an open number line to solve 43+26?
We have 47 crayons and 29 markers. How many do we have in all? Can you find the answer by adjusting the numbers?
Can you tell me what friendly numbers are?
The Hershey's Kisses Addition Book by Jerry Pallotta: This book uses a familiar treat to model addition and counting to 100.
Mission: Addition by Loreen Leedy: A group of animal students on a "mission" to learn about addition. This book provides a clear and fun introduction to addition and writing equations from word problems.
Pigs Will Be Pigs by Amy Axelrod: The Pig family searches their house for money to buy dinner, and they must add up their coins and bills, providing a great context for adding larger numbers.
Unit 6: Strategies to Fluently Subtract within 100
Students will use strategies like decomposing numbers to subtract.
Students will learn how to adjust numbers to make them easier to subtract.
Students will use an open number line to count on or count back to find the difference.
Students will solve one- and two-step subtraction word problems.
How can we use different strategies to solve a subtraction problem?
How can addition help us solve a subtraction problem?
How can we solve a multi-step problem?
What's a fast way to solve 50−20?
How can we find the answer to 65−28 by using friendly numbers?
There are 25 pages in our book. If we read 12 pages yesterday, how many do we have left to read?
Can you show me how to solve 34−15 on a number line?
The Subtracting of Madeline by Brian P. Cleary: This book uses fun rhymes and illustrations to introduce subtraction vocabulary and concepts in a memorable way.
Mission: Subtraction by Loreen Leedy: A group of animal students on a "mission" to learn about subtraction. This book provides a clear and fun introduction to subtraction and writing equations from word problems.
A Remainder of One by Elinor J. Pinczes: A story about a soldier ant who is always left out when the troops are arranged in lines. It's a great book for talking about even and odd numbers and remainders in a simple context.
Unit 7: Measure and Compare Lengths
Students will use a ruler, yardstick, or tape measure to measure in inches, feet, and yards.
Students will also measure in centimeters and meters.
Students will learn that it takes more of a smaller unit (like inches) to measure the same length than it does of a larger unit (like feet).
Students will solve word problems by using subtraction to find the difference between two lengths.
How do we choose the right tool to measure something?
What is the relationship between different units of measurement?
How can we use subtraction to compare lengths?
Can you find something in our home that is about one foot long? What about one centimeter long?
Let's measure this table. How long is it in inches? How long is it in centimeters? Which number is bigger? Why?
How much longer is the TV remote than the spoon?
Would you use a ruler or a meterstick to measure the length of a bed? Why?
How Tall, How Short, How Far Away? by David A. Adler: This book introduces different types of measurement and the tools used for them, from height and length to weight. It's a great introduction to the concepts in this unit.
Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni: A little inchworm avoids being eaten by measuring different animals. This book is a wonderful way to introduce the concept of length and the idea of using a non-standard unit to measure.
Me and the Measure of Things by Joan Sweeney: A fun and accessible book that introduces the concepts of inch, foot, and yard, making them easy for kids to understand.
Unit 8: Measurement (Money and Time)
Students will find the value of a collection of coins and bills by skip counting.
Students will tell time to the nearest 5 minutes on an analog clock and a digital clock.
Students will understand what a.m. and p.m. mean and when to use them.
Students will use terms like quarter past, half past, and quarter to to describe time.
How can we use skip counting to count money?
How does the position of the hands on a clock tell us the time?
What is the difference between morning time and evening time?
Can you tell me what time it is right now? What will the time be in 30 minutes?
If we have three quarters and a dime, how much money do we have?
How do you know if the time on the clock is a.m. or p.m.?
If a show starts at half past seven, what time is that?
A Dollar, a Penny, a Quarter: A Story About Money by Brian P. Cleary: This book uses fun rhymes and illustrations to introduce money concepts and the value of different coins and bills.
The Clock Struck One by Trudy Harris: This book uses a nursery rhyme to teach children how to read an analog clock by counting up to twelve.
A Second Is a Hiccup: A Child's Book of Time by Hazel-Grace: This book breaks down the concepts of time into relatable examples, helping children understand what a second, minute, and hour feel like.
Unit 9: Strategies to Add 3-Digit Numbers
Students will use mental math to add 10 or 100 to a 3-digit number.
Students will use different strategies to add 3-digit numbers, including decomposing numbers and using partial sums.
Students will solve problems by adjusting numbers to create friendly numbers.
Students will choose the most efficient strategy for a given problem.
How can we use place value to quickly add 10 or 100 to a number?
How can breaking apart numbers make addition easier?
Why is it helpful to have more than one way to solve a problem?
What is 256+100? How did you know that so fast?
Can you show me how to solve 435+242 by breaking apart the numbers?
If we need to add 398 + 203, what's a good strategy to use? Why?
How are adding 10 and adding 100 similar? How are they different?
The King's Commissioners by Aileen Friedman: This book explains the concept of place value and grouping numbers in a medieval story, a perfect lead-in to adding hundreds.
How Much Is a Million? by David M. Schwartz: This book gives children a sense of the scale of large numbers, which helps them understand place value beyond the hundreds.
Earth Day--Hooray! by Stuart J. Murphy: As the characters collect bottles for recycling, they group them into tens and hundreds to count up to 1,000, which provides a great visual for adding 3-digit numbers.
Unit 10: Strategies to Subtract 3-Digit Numbers
Students will use an open number line to count back or count on to subtract.
Students will decompose numbers to make subtraction easier.
Students will adjust numbers to create friendly numbers for subtraction.
Students will solve for a missing number in a subtraction problem.
How can we use a number line to solve a subtraction problem?
How can we use different strategies to solve a problem with large numbers?
How can a related addition problem help us solve a subtraction problem?
Can you show me how to solve 500−250 by counting on?
How can we find the answer to 612−498 by adjusting the numbers?
We need to drive 350 miles to Grandma's house. We have already driven 125 miles. How many more miles do we have to go?
Can you tell me what it means to decompose a number?
The Subtracting of Madeline by Brian P. Cleary: This book uses fun rhymes and illustrations to introduce subtraction vocabulary and concepts in a memorable way.
Mission: Subtraction by Loreen Leedy: A group of animal students on a "mission" to learn about subtraction. This book provides a clear and fun introduction to subtraction and writing equations from word problems.
The Great Graph Gimmick by Lynne W. Taggart: While a data book, you can use it to create comparison word problems with larger numbers and then subtract to find the difference.
Unit 11: Data Analysis
Students will use tally charts to collect data.
Students will create and interpret picture graphs and bar graphs.
Students will make and analyze a line plot to show measurement data.
Students will solve problems by interpreting information presented in different graphs.
How can we show information we collect?
What is the difference between a bar graph and a picture graph?
How can a graph help us answer questions about data?
How many of each color car do we see on our street? Can you make a tally chart to show what we found?
Let's make a bar graph of our favorite fruits. Which fruit is the most popular?
What is the most common length of a toy car in your collection? How can we show that on a line plot?
Why is it helpful to use a graph to show information?
The Great Graph Gimmick by Lynne W. Taggart: A fun story that shows how to use a simple graph to organize information, from what different pets eat to how many socks are in a drawer.
Tally Cat Keeps Track by Tracy C. Edmonds: A cat uses a tally chart to keep track of different animals, which is a perfect introduction to collecting and organizing data.
Lemonade for Sale by Stuart J. Murphy: This book uses a bar graph to show how a group of kids sells lemonade. It provides a real-world example of how graphs can be used to track progress and answer questions.
Unit 12: Geometric Shapes and Equal Shares
Students will identify and draw 2-dimensional shapes such as triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, and hexagons.
Students will partition circles and rectangles into halves, thirds, and fourths.
Students will learn that dividing a shape into equal shares can be done in more than one way.
Students will partition a rectangle into rows and columns and use an addition equation to find the total number of squares.
How can we identify a shape?
How can we divide shapes into equal parts?
How can we use math to count the number of equal shares?
Can you find something in our home that is a quadrilateral? How do you know?
Let's draw a rectangle and then divide it into fourths. Can you show me a different way to do that?
How many equal shares is our window divided into?
If we cut a pizza into 4 equal shares, what is each piece called?
The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns: A triangle decides he wants more sides and transforms into different shapes. This is a great story for talking about how shapes change based on their features.
Sir Cumference and the Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander: This book uses a fun medieval story to introduce shapes and their properties, especially circles and squares.
Full House: An Invitation to Fractions by Dayle Ann Dodds: A humorous story about a woman who owns a gingerbread factory and has to divide her gingerbread into different equal parts. This is a great way to talk about equal shares and simple fractions.