Language Arts

Second grade is one of the last critical years for instruction in the foundations of Language Arts.  We work daily in a series of programs to ensure the students enter third grade as capable readers and writers.  The entire program centers on a Scott Foresman basal reading series, which itself encompasses phonics, sight word recognition, grammar, spelling, and writing across the curriculum.

Reading is taught using the two stories supplied by the basal program for each week.  The first story is short and includes many examples of words from the phonics focus that week.  The second story is longer and usually much more interesting to the students.  This is the story we use mainly to focus on comprehension strategies and vocabulary building.  As the year progresses, these stories get more difficult, and multiple readings help students improve their fluency.  More advanced readers can find an appropriate challenge using the Accelerated Reading program.  Students choose books on their own that interest them and more closely match their individual reading level.

Although the basal program is an all-inclusive language arts program, the school also provides additional materials to strengthen the students’ knowledge of spelling, phonics, and grammar.  A list of 15 spelling words is introduced every Monday and is tested on Friday.  Every six weeks is a review list from the previous five, and these words are tested in sentences dictated to the students.  The additional phonics and grammar programs, provided by Modern Curriculum Press and Silver Burdett Ginn, are used pretty much daily.  Also, students practice their printing and are introduced to cursive twice a week.

Specifically, there is not a purchased program with which to teach writing on a daily basis, so we work from the grade level standards.  The first trimester is spent writing personal narratives, with the main focus on writing clear and complete sentences in an order that makes sense to the reader.  Students work through a five-step writing process, meeting with their peers and the teachers to improve their writing.  In addition, there are short mini-lessons provided to the entire class on a variety of writing skills.  During the second trimester, we introduce the friendly letter and continue to write more descriptive narratives.  Finally, students are introduced to writing a whole paragraph, including an introduction sentence, supporting details, and a closing.

Mathematics

Our program by Houghton Mifflin does an excellent job of covering the grade level standards, including weekly lessons in problem solving using new and reviewed skills.  It provides additional material for practice, both guided and individual, re-teaching, challenges, problem solving, assessment, and spiral review of previously covered material.

The year begins with a review of the addition and subtraction facts that had earlier been introduced.  A major focus is committing them to memory, which we test with short, timed fats tests given at least weekly.  Students keep track of their results to observe how they improve over time.  Next we study whole numbers through 1.000.  From there, students learn how to use place value to add and subtract when regrouping is necessary.  We study fractions, graphing, money, measurement, and time.

Finally, concepts of multiplication and division are introduced in the early spring.  Following second grade standards, we teach the 0, 1, 2, 5, and 10 times tables, with division, to memory.  Students continue at their own pace learning the rest of the times tables to prepare for third grade.

Social Studies

Social Studies is a very exciting topic in second grade.  Many of our field trips and special projects have root in this area of study.  We also read about many people who have made a difference in our nation and our world.  Students use a variety of sources to observe how different our lives are now from those of students many years ago.  They talk to family members about the past and create an illustrated family tree that is presented to the class.  Students also create a timeline of their own lives.

Recognizing how important knowledge of geography is, students learn the names and locations of the seven continents and oceans.  They label a map from memory, as well as a paper mache globe to take home.  North America is studied in even greater detail.  A unit on our national government concludes the year, and includes mini-projects on several landmarks, including Mt. Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty.

Science

Our year in science takes a little from the physical, life, and earth sciences.  The year begins by extending their prior knowledge of the needs of plants into a lesson on Earth’s natural resources.  We talk about and illustrate life cycles of various animals, including insects and mammals. This year we further studied the larva stage of the insect metamorphosis.  We experimented on live insects, finding whether or not they preferred light/dark, wet/dry, and quiet/noise.  After the initial experiment, we watched as they changed into their adult form during the following weeks.

The students expressed an interest in learning about air, so we have begun a series of experiments to study its properties.  We illustrated the basic structure of an atom and found that air has weight.  Next, we will see what air can do by using it to push balloon rockets across the room.  I will introduce them to Newton’s Three Laws of Motion, focusing on the third.  These activities will lead us directly to a few lessons on space.