Second Grade School Program

A comprehensive, literature-based reading series is used that is one year above grade level. The textbook series offers selections written by award winning authors allowing students to apply their skills and strategies to rich, authentic texts.  The series provides for the systematic development of vocabulary, comprehension, decoding, critical thinking, and knowledge of the elements of good literature.  The reading program also includes enrichment activities such as novel studies, poetry, and a structured motivational program for encouraging and monitoring extracurricular reading. Phonics skills are furthered including a focus on diphthongs, diagraphs, and homonyms. Students complete quarterly book reports and projects on fiction chapter books.

Students learn many grammatical and word recognition components including nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and contractions. Creative writing, letter writing, spelling, dictionary skills, and word usage are also included. In the second half of the year, students will begin the transition from manuscript to cursive writing.

Second grade skills emphasize basic addition and subtraction facts with a focus on speed. The topics of regrouping, place value, money, time, measurement, graphing, geometry, fractions, problem solving, and multiplication/division concepts are covered.

Social studies units include the study of our neighborhoods, country and world, community laws and workers, holidays and their cultural variations, government, and the marketplace.  Map skills and geography skills are taught with a weekly geography focus.  Some of the units in both science and social studies are coordinated with field trips.  Students learn about themselves and their family heritage with special projects.  In addition, current events, global awareness, and citizenship are taught with Scholastic News weekly readers.

Science units include properties of matter and changing matter, Earth’s water and land, living things, and habitats.  Students engage in the engineering design process with hands-on labs and explorations and participate in interactive lessons in the school garden.

The art curriculum integrates the four disciplines of art education: art history and culture, aesthetic perception, creative expression, and art criticism. Each lesson exposes students to works of fine art, history and culture, creative art production activities, and critical thinking. Artists from a range of cultures and historical art movements are introduced with picture books. These skills are built upon annually with a greater degree of difficulty as students advance through the upper grades.

In music, students will extensively utilize xylophones and small percussion instruments throughout the course of the year. Circle dances, rhythmic activities, and singing in rounds while playing percussion instruments are introduced. Note values and listening skills are emphasized.

In physical education, physical fitness is introduced with large and small muscle motor coordination skills along with creative, rhythmic, and perceptual movements. Students participate in team and individual sports and relay activities, in addition to learning various exercises and ball skills. Health units are taught throughout the year. Cooperation, skill building, teamwork, participation, and sportsmanship are emphasized.

In the elementary computer course, students will become familiar with basic knowledge of how computers work, hardware, software, terminology, and related technology efficiency. Emphasis will be on developing keyboarding skills and creating Microsoft Office Suite projects. Students will utilize the Scratch Jr. platform to learn basic coding skills necessary for computer programming. Age-appropriate discussions of online safety and proper computer etiquette will be covered.

Elementary Spanish focuses on a variety of themes which will be reintroduced and expanded upon in successive years. These themes build vocabulary, communicative competence, and comprehension. The themes include: greetings, family, pets, numbers (0-50), community, school life, food, body parts, seasons, weather, calendar, and colors. Cultural lessons are taught through stories, games, songs, and videos.

The library curriculum is based on information access and problem-solving skills. Students learn the process of using the library by identifying desired books in the catalog, writing the call number, then finding the book on the shelf. These resources are then applied to classroom research projects. Literature appreciation is also emphasized through class discussions. Students can choose from over 28,000 titles on our library shelves and in our e-book collection from the digital Sora library.