Our second-grade curriculum employs the use of the balanced literacy method, presenting reading, writing, and word study in focused weekly themes. This method promotes the student’s interaction with a variety of literature at multiple times throughout the day.
Reading instruction is broken down into guided and shared reading. During guided reading, students are exposed to material hand-picked for their individual reading level. They receive instruction in small groups of children who are working on similar skills. Students also develop engagement and independence as they work at classroom centers geared to encourage response and reflection.
During shared reading instruction, students are brought together whole group for additional literature studies in both fiction and non-fiction. At the second grade level, we teach a multitude of reading strategies to further develop reading comprehension beyond basic fluency. Partner, mixed-group, and whole-group discussion and activities offer further practice to our developing readers.
Students will have the opportunity to practice a wide assortment of writing skills within second grade. Basic grammar instruction is continued, with a focus on sentence structure, parts of speech, capitalization, and punctuation. A significant emphasis is placed upon developing each student as an author as we explore the creation of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction selections.
In Chesterfield County, we present word study instruction using the Words Their Way method. This instructional model teaches students to identify spelling patterns within the English language as a means to grasp the spelling of individual words. Rather than memorize a list of words each week, your student will compare and contrast patterns within their word list as they complete individual assignments. Like guided reading, this instructional time allows students with similar skill levels to work together, receiving differentiated instruction tailored to their needs.