By second grade, most students have settled in and have begun to use the skills they learned in kindergarten and in first grade. The students begin to become more analytical in their thinking as they take on more complicated assignments. Friendships start to develop as second graders learn what it takes to be a friend. In second grade, students will receive their first “letter” grades on report cards, become more independent with class work, homework, and assessments and strengthen their reading and math skills.

Second graders continue to work on becoming fluent readers by exploring a variety of reading genres. Focus is placed on reading fluency and reading comprehension.
Both whole group and small group instruction is provided to give each child support in reading at his/her own instructional level. Emphasis is placed on comprehension of fiction and nonfiction, vocabulary and fluency. Parents and guardians are encouraged to have their children read to them every day. After reading the story, students should then retell the story to check for comprehension. Besides asking children the basic facts of the story, ask “why” and “what do you think will happen next” type questions. . In writing, the students become better story writers as they learn to express themselves by personal narratives, expository pieces, and opinion writing.

Students are taught using a Conceptual Math format to develop a strong number sense. Instruction is very “hands-on” with mental math strategies. Gone are the days of endless pages of problems! Students are expected to be able to explain the “why” of math as well as the “what”. Emphasis is placed on fact fluency to 20 (addition and subtraction), creating and interpreting graphs, patterns, place value to 999, creating and solving single and multi-step problems, adding and subtracting numbers with sums 99 or less, telling time, making change up to $2.00, naming and writing fractions and measurement. Parents and guardians are encouraged to have their children make up and solve word problems that reflect math skills necessary in daily living situations.

From teepees to famous Americans! Second graders get very excited when they hear they will be learning all about Native Americans, national symbols, and famous people who made our country great! These units have plenty of hands-on activities which make learning enjoyable. Students will learn about the responsibilities of good citizens and how people from diverse backgrounds participate and contribute to their communities. Finally, second graders will apply concepts of geography, civics, and economics to their everyday lives.

Second graders investigate and understand the properties of magnets, properties of matter, weather and seasonal changes, and the life cycles of plants and animals. Embedded in these topics are investigations, demonstrations, and simple experiments that aid students in the development of their scientific reasoning and logic.

Homework is assigned and sent home based on the students’ needs. In general, homework is assigned Monday through Thursday. No homework is assigned over the weekend except for special, long-term projects. We encourage second grade students to read for a minimum of 20 minutes every night.