Second graders begin the year developing good reading habits, including choosing “just right” books and finding books that interest them. They learn and reinforce both word-solving strategies, which focus on figuring out longer, multisyllabic words, and comprehension strategies, which include making connections and predictions, asking questions, clarifying, visualizing, and summarizing. Second graders also practice reading fluently, which involves reading smoothly and at a good pace, and adding expression to capture the mood of the characters and the story. Building reading stamina is another area of focus for students. The 2nd-grade reading curriculum introduces a more sophisticated study of fiction, initially based on character development, and then on story elements. In small reading groups, students share their thoughts through discussion and writing. Students also explore nonfiction books as they learn to organize facts and information for individual and group study. Students end the year with partner reading to practice the skills and strategies learned throughout the year.

Exploring their abilities as developing storytellers, 2nd-grade writers begin the year writing personal narratives. Students learn the writing process by gathering ideas, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing their stories. They study the work of published authors and learn from examples written by their peers. Writing Workshop continues with units on nonfiction, poetry, and historical fiction. The 2nd-grade spelling curriculum is based on Wilson Fundations, a multisensory and systematic program through which students practice the six syllable types that form the basic spelling rules of English.

Second graders use a variety of mathematical materials to explore our number system through inquiry-based activities and multiple experiences that guide them through concrete concepts to increasingly abstract ones. As the students explore the base-10 place-value system, they begin to understand larger numbers to 1,000 and use multiple mediums to express large numbers. They continue to develop automaticity of single-digit math facts through experiential activities and classroom discussions of their successful strategies. Students practice a wide variety of techniques for adding and subtracting large numbers, using mental math and on-paper computation. They also investigate the algorithmic method for addition and subtraction, and see how place value helps them regroup between columns. In addition, 2nd graders explore measurement, learning both the metric and imperial systems. Throughout the year, math topics, such as number theory, graphs, fractions, time and money, are integrated.

In science, 2nd graders embark on a plant and tree study, which follows the journey from small seed to blooming tree. The students are challenged to use their observational skills to develop their own hypotheses about how the parts of a plant work together. Classes learn about germination, photosynthesis, pollination, and explore the complex relationships of Earth's life. They consider the effects of human involvement on Earth’s systems and how people might best nurture them.

Grade 2 social studies explores individual family histories and different New York City neighborhoods—to study changes over time and immigration, both past and present. The class explores important questions such as: How do you establish community? What is similar and different about our lives today, as opposed to long ago? What is immigration, and how do we experience it in New York City?

The 2nd-grade Spanish curriculum begins with a review of vocabulary and phrases that reinforce students' overall foundation in the language. The students use the textbook Submarino 1, integrating language with every unit and various activities from the accompanying workbook. Within each unit, words and expressions are divided into vocabulary items and functional expressions, usually in the form of questions and answers. Continued emphasis is on listening comprehension and spoken language/oral communication, with a structured emphasis on simple reading and writing. Units focus on the alphabet, greetings, farewells, introductions, classroom objects, people, colors, days of the week, numbers, as well as some cultural holidays and special events. The students do a thematic study of the Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos), which includes many hands-on activities, such as making culturally inspired skeleton masks and playing different games to remember new vocabulary.

The 2nd-grade PE curriculum aims to further develop students’ knowledge of movement concepts and physical skills. Students engage in a variety of games and activities that allow them to practice the individual and team sports skills taught in class. They participate in individual, small-group, and large-group activities, including a modified version of soccer, newcomb, kickball, gymnastics/ tumbling, bowling, basketball, floor hockey, and track and field. These learning situations give students the opportunity not only to further develop determination, perseverance, courage, and self-confidence, but also to focus on teamwork and sportsmanship.

The 2nd-grade music program continues to utilize and expand upon the musical concepts that were introduced in previous years. This includes exploring various rhythmic and drumming traditions from around the world, as well as melodic patterns using various kinds of rhythmic notation. Singing games, stories, and songs from different cultures and time periods are presented to help expand musical literacy skills. Second graders begin to read pitch via the western standard musical notation staff, working toward reading while playing an instrument. Second graders sing, play, and notate music based on the pentatonic scale, and collaborate to create songs, dances, and simple notated musical compositions.

By 2nd grade, students have become familiar with art studio routines and continue to practice and build upon fundamental skills. We focus on strengthening skills as we begin to explore different visual strategies for composition development with 2D materials. We address increasingly complex 3D building materials and appropriate attachment strategies. Students meet for 45 minutes twice per week. Lessons include drawing with a variety of materials, collage, painting with tempera and acrylic, papier-maché, and sculpting with a variety of materials.

In 2nd grade, students build on their sequencing skills through digital resources, such as Kodable. Students continue to practice directional programming for physical and digital robots through practice loops and conditional statement logic. Students are introduced to more advanced debugging techniques as their coding explorations get longer. As students also begin to learn about the sun and stars, they explore the ways technology has allowed us to research space through telescopes, rockets, and rovers. Students then build their own models of these machines, which are displayed and presented.