Welcome to 2nd Grade!

This is such a fun and educational year for the students. We have so many exciting and enriching activities planned.Your child will make tremendous growth. They truly grow as learners during their time here in second grade. Our mission is to establish and uphold high academic standards in a safe learning environment where all students reach their potential, become life-long learners, and become productive, caring citizens. This will be achieved through a partnership composed of staff, students, parents, and members of the school community working together to provide a challenging educational program while promoting respect, integrity, responsibility, and a positive attitude.

Language Arts is taught using a balanced literacy approach. Second graders will continue to work on becoming fluent readers by exploring a variety of genres. The focus will be placed on reading fluency and reading comprehension. In writing, the students will become better story writers as they learn to express themselves by writing stories, letters, and simple explanations. Second graders will expand their vocabulary by listening and speaking in classroom discussions.

Second grade mathematics instruction focuses on building students own intuitive sense of numbers. Development of the size of numbers (magnitude), multiple ways of thinking about and representing numbers, strategies and words to compare numbers, and an understanding of simple operations on numbers will be emphasized. Experiences with estimating, measuring, patterning, graphing, and developing spatial sense are included. Problem solving is integrated throughout the curriculum.

The second-grade standards continue to focus on using a broad range of science skills in understanding the natural world. Making detailed observations, drawing conclusions, and recognizing unusual or unexpected data are stressed as skills needed for using and validating information. Measurement in both English and metric units is stressed. The idea of living systems is introduced through habitats and the interdependence of living and nonliving things. The concept of change is explored in phases of matter, life cycles, weather patterns, and seasonal effects on plants and animals.

In social studies, second graders will compare and contrast the lives and contributions of the American Indians with the ancient civilizations of Egypt and China. The students will study the lives of individuals from the past who have worked to improve the lives of other Americans. Second-grade students will continue to develop map and globe skills. Students will also learn about the responsibilities of good citizenship 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 life.