English Language Arts

     Reading fluency is paramount in second grade. Students learn to read more complex books and respond to them orally and in written form. Students learn to use age appropriate listening and speaking strategies. These public speaking opportunities are tasks that we work up to with small steps for those who are naturally shy.      

     Students write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. They write brief personal narratives, descriptions and friendly letters. Each student has a composition book they write in every week. These priceless books are sent home at the end of the year.

     Our second graders have enjoyed the trips to the Healdsburg library. Students have the opportunity to use their library cards. 

 

Mathematics

     By the end of the year students will be able to add and subtract two-digit numbers quickly and accurately. It is important for second grade students to have the basic single digit addition and subtraction problems memorized. We will develop this skill through timed tests each week as well as engaging math games.      Students will understand the relationship between numbers, quantities and place value up to 1,000. For example, they will need to understand that the number 327 could be broken down as three hundreds, two tens and seven ones.      

     They will estimate and solve problems involving addition and subtraction and solve simple problems involving multiplication tables of 2's, 5's and 10's. Students will solve addition and subtraction problems using combinations of coins and bills.      

     Students will tell time using an analog clock to the nearest five minutes. Parents can help with this skill by having analog clocks available in the home. So many clocks are digital these days!      Students are using a program called Engage NY this year. This is a math program that numerous grades including third have been using with great success. I am eager to see the students progress with this innovative program this year. Students will also use MARS (Mathematics Assessment Resource Service) tasks. Students make sense of a given word problem and show grit in solving it independently and within a group. They reason and build critiques of the work of others.

 

Social Studies 

     Houghton Mifflin is the primary source for social studies. Students will learn to differentiate between things that happened long ago and things that happened yesterday. Students will demonstrate map skills by describing the absolute and relative locations of people, place and environments. Second graders will research a hero of their choice. They will write a report on that person, create a poster, and give a brief oral report to their big buddy. 

 

Science 

     Students will be using the Foss Science Program. There are three units of study: Insects and Plants Pebbles, Sand and Silt Balance and Motion      

     We are beginning the year with life science. Our mealworm unit is one of the class’ favorite activities. The students lean that plants and animals have predictable life cycles. They will know that organisms reproduce offspring of their own kind and that the offspring resemble their parents and one another. The students will know that flowers and fruit are associated with the reproduction in plants and that light, gravity, touch or environmental stress can affect the germination, growth and development of plants.      

     During the physical science trimester, the students will learn that the motion of objects can be observed and measured. They will understand that pushes and pulls are forces that move without being touched.      

     During the earth science trimester students will learn that earth is made of materials that have distinct properties and provide resources for humans. They will know that smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of larger rocks and that soil is made partly from weathered rock and partly from organic materials. They will learn that fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago.      

     Our science program also includes time in the West Side garden with Ms. Valentine. Students will grow and help to foster the growth of a variety of plants in the garden, benefiting from Ms. Valentine's extensive knowledge base.

 

Physical Education 

     Second grade students do not play a lot of competitive sports. Instead, the focus is on developing skills that will help them to succeed in sports in the future. Students in second grade demonstrate sills in chasing, fleeing and dodging. They will jump rope, skip, hop, gallop, jump and slide. They will be able to strike a ball repeatedly with one hand. They will demonstrate responsible personal and social behavior while participating in movement activities. The competitive sports students will play are capture the flag and medic. In both of these games the students focus on using good sportsmanship. 

 

Visual and Performing Arts 

     Students will create plays and sing songs that will assist them in learning the curriculum. Students will learn about artistic perception, creative expression, aesthetic valuing and understanding the historical and cultural importance of the visual arts. During the year they will create a play. Students will take the play from creating a script and making props to performing in Phoenix Hall.  

 

Other Programs

Handwriting Without Tears

The Toolbox Project -12 Tools for Living