Language Arts
The second grade language arts curriculum continues to build upon reading, writing, and spelling skills acquired in first grade, with a greater emphasis on comprehension strategies. In reading, students will use phonetic and structural analysis to decode unknown words, and practice using mental images and meaning clues from both pictures and print to make predictions and comprehend text. They will also read aloud familiar stories, poems, and passages with fluency and expression, learn to preview text, and determine a specific purpose for reading. Students will make, confirm and revise predictions about a text, use context clues to decode unknown words, and practice using a dictionary, glossary, and thesaurus as word reference materials. They will use skills and strategies to understand a multitude of literature genres, including folktales, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
In writing, second grade students Writer’s Workshop to challenge themselves to be the best writers they can be. Students will focus on the 6 + 1 writing traits and follow the writing process using prewriting, drafting, organizing, reviewing, editing, and publishing when planning written work. They will also evaluate their own writing and that of their peers, and learn to write for different purposes and in a variety of forms, such as stories, poems, friendly letters, informational pieces, responses to literature as well as autobiographical works.
Math
In math, students will continue to practice computational skills and broaden their understanding of number sense. They will also focus on exploration of new concepts, memorization of basic facts, application of principles in problem solving situations, and hands-on use of manipulatives to increase conceptual understanding. Through geometry, students will learn basic properties of 2 and 3 dimensional figures, understand characteristics of lines and angles, explore symmetrical and congruent shapes, and explore how geometry effects architecture. Students will learn how to organize and display data in simple bar graphs, pie charts and line graphs as well as learn to read and interpret these results. They will understand the basic measurement concepts of temperature, perimeter, area, volume, and capacity. Students will use strategies to estimate quantities and measurements, and select appropriate units of measurement. Second graders will also explore multiplication, division, and fractions, while strengthening their understanding of money and time. They will solve real-world problems involving number operations, and understand the relationship between addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Social Studies and Science
“American Discoveries” is the overall Social Studies theme for second grade. When possible, subject matter is integrated within the curriculum to make learning most meaningful for students. Students will begin the year by focusing on influential Americans who have historical significance. Through research and the reading of biographies, students will gain greater knowledge of the contributions of these important figures. Second graders will also understand the significance of certain holidays that reflect American customs, and the various symbols used to depict America.
Second grade Science themes are out of this world! Students begin the year learning about the solar system and celestial bodies as well as our place in Earth. In the second trimester the emphasis shifts to simple machines and how things work. One of the exciting highlights of this unit include an invention project during this period. Third trimester delves into an exploration of the human body and students will identify the basic structure and function of the body systems. Scientific investigation will be used following the scientific process during experiments and other hands-on activities.
Technology
Technology will be integrated throughout the curriculum. With a 1:1 student to laptop ratio, students use computers daily to increase keyboarding skills, and strengthen core curriculum concepts. They use their emails to communicate exclusively with Summit students and staff, while learning word processing skills using Google Drive. They will use the presentation feature to create slide shows. Learning to take responsibility for their their materials while navigating internet safety issues are key components to the technology curriculum.
Character Education
Character Education is integrated into daily classroom interactions throughout the school year. This reinforces a school-wide goal to build a community of learners that values and respects each individual. Integrity and perseverance are two key values emphasized during the year. Students will also participate in both classroom and school-wide community service projects.
