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Second graders enter the year familiar with the routines and expectations of classroom life. They approach their learning with amazing energy. Much of what was introduced in first grade is expanded on or solidified in second grade. Because students like to study things in greater depth and to feel expert in their knowledge, the unit studies at this grade level (Timelines, Clocks, Trees, etc.) are very important.
The second grade student is developmentally ready to take on higher-level cognitive challenges, such as learning the multi-step algorithms for addition and subtraction with regrouping. They have the conceptual ability to understand this abstraction and the maturity to practice, master, and memorize multiple-step procedures.
|
Subject |
Topic |
Activities |
| Reading and Language Arts | Assessment |  Steiglitz
Informal Reading Inventory |
|
Reading Units (focused on comprehension and using decoding strategies) |
Reading
with Stamina and Meaning Study of Character with Emphasis on Study
of Print Readers Talk, Think and Sometimes Write about Characters Non-fiction Reading Harder Books with Fluency and Comprehension
by Using Story Elements Author Studies Reading a New Series or Genre |
|
| Reading Structure | Individual
reading with a teacher and by self Partnership
Reading Reading in groups |
|
| Writing Workshop | Methodology
of the Reading and Writing Institute at Teachers College Writing
Life Personal
Narrative Study
of the craft and conventions of writing Poetry "How
to" Books Thematic
study and possible research "Long-Ago"
stories based on personal history and research |
|
| Spelling | Word
study (word hunts, word sorts) Common/frequent patterns Less frequent patterns Sight words Commonly used
words Structural analysis |
|
| Handwriting | Review
of manuscript letters Introduction of
cursive |
|
| Math | Number Systems and Number Sense | Study
of 100 Consolidation of Number Facts (0-20) Study of Place Value Multi-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping Study
of large numbers Strategies
for solving "word problems" |
| Memorization of Math Facts (0-20) | Strategies
for memorization taught at school and practiced at home Doubles Family of Facts |
|
| Problem Solving | Throughout
the year |
|
| Data and Graphing | Polling
the class and graphing the results Looking
at data in many forms |
|
| Measurement | Pumpkin
math Timelines Clocks Metric |
|
| Geometry | Quilting
(paper) Symmetry Pattern
block study |
|
| Community Building |
|
Circle
time and class meetings for problem solving, throughout the day and
embedded in all the curriculum Outdoor
education Class plays Cooperative
learning |
| Social Studies | Personal History | Memoirs
and personal narratives |
| Family History | Oral
history of family "Long-Ago" Stories |
|
| Immigration | Immigration
in families Neighborhoods of NY as reflecting the history of immigration Maps/geography |
|
| Recording history | Books "Long-Ago" Stories |
|
| Special projects/class play | Harriet
Tubman Rainforest Wolves African
animals |
|
| Science: The Study of Life Cycles | Trees and seeds | Each
child follows one tree in Central Park throughout the year What
makes a tree a tree? How
are species of trees different from one another? How
do plants feed themselves?
What triggers germination? Interconnectedness of animals, plants,
and humans |
| World Language | Spanish (half the year) | Greetings Numbers +/-
problems Number groupings Commands Hispanic Festivals Number patterns Number patterns Animals,
plants, school, habitat Children’s literature Cooking |
| French (half the year) | Numbers
(1-30) Mardi Gras Months, seasons, telling time Double digit
+/- French
“go°ter” |
|
| Homework | Reading | Reading
with parent or alone for 30 minutes each evening |
| Spelling | List
of sight words 10 minute each evening |
|
| Language Study | Word
of the Week |
|
| Math Facts | Practice
of math facts (+/- 0-20) |
|
| Social Studies | Interviewing
relative or friend for Long Ago Book or Hyper-Studio presentation |
|
| Music | Orff process | Create
space patterns, step patterns Rhythmic speech Introduction to triple
meter Decoding rhythm patterns from speech) Beginning
melodic reading and notation Body/percussion, ostinato (rhythmic, melodic Instrumental
accompaniment: simple drone, layering melodic ostenati, playing pentatonic
melodies Form: canon, ABA, question/answer, verse/chorus |
| Art |
Emphasis on learning techniques and being independent |
Drawing
with a variety of materials Painting with tempera and watercolors Rubbings with crayons (explore more techniques) Monoprinting with tempera paint Collage and imaging
making with paper |
| Physical Education |
|
Students
engage in activities designed to provide for the development of perceptual
skills, such as Object Handling, Balance Activities, Apparatus Work,
Progressive Motor Coordination Students receive guidance in the development of
social skills and emotional expressions and control through participation
in such activities as Large Group Games, Small Group Games, Dance |