Second Grade Curriculum Guide Ms. Parmigiani Sunset Ridge School 2010-2011
Attributes of Second Graders At seven and eight, students begin to: Worry, become critical of themselves, and may express lack of confidence Reason and concentrate Demand more of their teacher s time Dislike being singled out, and at times, even for praise SECOND GRADE BASIC SKILLS Second grade offers the opportunity for plenty of review so that students truly master and build upon the skills presented in first grade. Students will also learn to recognize familiar words more rapidly, read new words, add and subtract faster, compose sentences that are more complex, spell many new words, and increase their reading and speaking vocabularies. In second, a typical student will: Apply more complex phonics skills in his/her reading Automatically read and spell the 200 most commonly used words Write sentences using correct punctuation and capitalization Recognize and use nouns and action verbs in a sentence Add and subtract a 2-digit number Handle place value concepts for 3-digit whole numbers Identify time to include half-hour and five minute intervals Identify the value of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollars, and dollars HOW PARENTS CAN HELP SECOND GRADERS In second grade, teachers are helping students grow socially, as well as academically. At this age, a child is continuing to learn about him/her and others. Parents can help by encouraging their children as they: Develop a concept of him/herself Begin to understand others Gain respect for others Build relationships with others Develop a sense of responsibility
10 Tips To Encourage Literacy For Parents of School-Age Children 1. Read aloud with and to your child every day Experts recommend 30 minutes a day Pick books that are too long or difficult for your child to read on his own Choose genres that your child prefers 2. Create a print rich home environment Include both books (and books on tape) and writing materials Include newspapers and child-oriented versions of popular magazines (e.g., Time for Kids, National Geographic for Kids) Set aside a special reading area in your home and make sure everyone uses it 3. Model reading and writing Make use of the family reading area on your own Let your child see you reading for work or to learn something Let your child see you reading for pleasure 4. Read and write with your children in your home language Let your child see you reading and writing in the language(s) which are most comfortable to you Stock your home library with books in English and books in your home language Let your child read at home for fun in whichever language she prefers 5. Cook with your child to develop literacy Read recipes together Read the labels on ingredients together Make a family cookbook of favorite recipes 6. Explore books together Ask your child questions Point out new vocabulary and ideas Explore the characters motivations and relate them to your family s life
7. Tell stories together Talk together about your family history and perhaps, do a genealogy chart Look at old vacation photos and discuss your memories of the trip Tape your storytelling 8. Write with your child Provide lots of writing materials and papers Encourage your child to draw and write on her own Encourage your child to write thank you notes to grandparents, make to do lists and signs 9. Communicate regularly with your child s teacher about his literacy development Find out what is happening at school Ask questions about your child and what you can do to support her Volunteer and/or observe in your child s classroom 10. Visit the library often Encourage your child to get her own library card Take advantage of library programs such as family book clubs Find out who are your child s favorite authors and genres and go with him to the library in search of interesting books Taken from Reading Is Fundamental Original Url: http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/tip.mspx?view=66
Reading Fostering a love of reading through good books and quality literature is one of my main goals for your child. When children are excited about reading, their reading and comprehension skills can rapidly improve. Reading instruction will be conducted in three sessions, totaling 90 minutes, to best meet the needs of each individual child. During the first block, the focus will be on reading comprehension skills--those strategies that help readers make sense out of the print on the page. This will be done in a whole group setting as guided reading. We will also be working on our reading fluency--the smoothness with which we read text. This block begins with a whole class mini lesson focusing on a comprehension skill or strategy, and then is followed by a reading of the text. After the lesson, the children are placed into flexible groups, within the classroom, and given a purpose for reading for their own selfselected literature. They either work in small groups with the guidance of the teacher, or alone reading and analyzing their selection. The last block is flexible skill grouping. These groups focus on specific skills such as: fluency, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, or comprehension. By giving frequent assessments, the children will change groups. This insures that each student s academic needs are being met.
Writing Write From the Beginning is a developmental writing program for students in Kindergarten through 5 th grade. Sunset Ridge implemented this writing program this year. The focus of the program is on early training in those criteria that are necessary for successful writing achievement beyond the primary years. Teachers within a school develop a common, targeted focus and shared accountability for school wide writing performance. The purpose for implementing Write From the Beginning is to give both students and teachers knowledge and skills necessary for age-appropriate writing instruction and achievement. Teachers are instructed in writing expectations for their particular grade levels as well as for the total continuum. As teachers build upon and extend the instruction of the previous grade level by using Improvement Rubrics and focused mini-lessons, students are establishing a solid foundation in the writing process and high writing achievement becomes the expectation. Write From the Beginning incorporates Thinking Maps: Tools for Learning, which our school adopted last year. Thinking Maps assist children in organizing their thoughts and ideas utilizing the various graphic organizers. Success in writing achievement is determined at the individual student level through the use of an Improvement Rubric to evaluate overall student progress. The Improvement Rubrics use a 20 point scale to assess both skill of conventions and content proficiency. The goal is for students to score a minimum of 16 points.
Additional Writing Communication skills including grammar, speaking and written composition will be emphasized this year. In written composition there are four stages to the writing process. Pre-writing: An activity or period of time devoted to preparing the children for writing. This may include a story read aloud, a class discussion, or any kind of activity that will spark the students imagination. From this, the students will put their ideas on paper by filling out a story web, character sheet, setting sheet, etc. Composing: Children will write their first drafts. Attention is focused on CONTENT (word choice, flow of ideas, form, and structure) rather than on mechanics. Assessment: Children examine their rough drafts to delete, elaborate, revise, and correct their work. Then, revisions and corrections may be made on a one-to-one basis with the teacher or through the use of peer-response groups. Finally, a second draft is written. Evaluation/Publication: Many types of evaluation will be utilized including peer evaluation, self evaluation and teacher evaluation. Grades will be assigned for content and language mechanics (the six traits). An important thought to keep in mind: Not every piece of writing will be developed through all stages of the process. There may be papers coming home that have not been edited or revised. This does not imply that we have not seen the work and are unaware of the errors. Writing is largely experimenting with thoughts and ideas. The most important element of writing is getting thoughts down on paper. Grading, at times, may inhibit the child s desire to write.
Mathematics Our school has adopted a new research-based math curriculum this year. It is Scott Foresman- Addison Wesley envisionmath. The envisionmath program is based on scientific research on how children learn mathematics, as well as on classroom-based evidence that validates proven reliability. The envisionmath program consists of 20 topics that align with our district s benchmark assessments and the Arizona State Standards for Grade 2 Mathematics. The topics included are: Understanding addition and subtraction Addition Strategies Subtraction Strategies Place Value: Numbers to 100 Counting Money Mental Addition Mental Subtraction Adding Two-Digit Numbers Subtracting Two-Digit Numbers Using Addition and Subtraction Geometry Fractions Measurement: Length and Area Measurement: Capacity and Weight Time and Temperature Graphs and Probability Numbers and Patterns to 1,000 Three-Digit Addition and Subtraction Multiplication Concepts Division Concepts and Facts
Program highlights include: Each student has a book with tear out sheets, organized by math topics. Lessons include a work mat and recording space to support daily learning, a hands-on Interactive Learning activity, and a visual Learning Bridge that teaches math concepts stepby-step with illustrations. Lessons connect interactive learning with guided and independent skill, as well as problem solving practice. Lessons are flexible and designed to allow teachers to differentiate, based on the needs of the students in the classroom. Assessment of your child s progress is ongoing, as follows: Students will be given a placement and diagnostic test at the beginning of the year. At the start of the topic, the teacher will check for prior student knowledge. During a lesson, the teacher will check for understanding. At the end of a lesson, the teacher will do a quick check to gauge student understanding. At the end of a topic, the student will complete a topic test. Every four topics, the student will complete a cumulative test and a benchmark test. Students will complete a DVUSD benchmark math assessment each quarter. At the end of the year, the student will complete a cumulative test.
Science Our district adopted curriculum for science is FOSS. These kits are hands on exploratory units for the following themes: Life Cycle (Insects, Mammals, and Organisms) Weather (Conditions, Types of Clouds) Matter (Solids, Liquids, and Gases) The Human Body (Digestive, Respiratory, and Circulatory Systems) Other units we might explore are solar system and vertebrates. Throughout our studies, students will use the inquiry processes: questioning, planning and conducting investigations, using appropriate tools and techniques to gather data, thinking critically about relationships between evidence and explanations, and communicating results. Social Studies Our adopted Social Studies curriculum is Harcourt School Publisher s People We Know. Social Studies units taught will be: Governing The People (Government) The World Around Us (Maps) Using Our Resources (Land and Natural Resources) People Long Ago (History) A World of Many People (Culture) People In The Marketplace (Producers and Consumers) Assessment is based on state standards and will be evaluated through class exploratory projects, participation, assessments, class work, teacher observation, journaling, and group projects.
Spelling and Phonics Second graders will learn to read and spell high frequency words and the patterns that allow them to decode and spell lots of other words. Since phonics and spelling are so connected, these areas will be combined. The Spelling curriculum which is used is produced by Harcourt and aligns with the Harcourt Reading story which we read weekly. Each Monday, students will be given a list of 15 spelling words. As part of their daily homework, I urge you to help them practice the spelling of the words. Daily class time is given to an activity which helps children learn the patterns of words and how to use them to decode and spell new words in their everyday reading and writing. A few of these activities are: Guess the Covered Word Rounding Up the Rhymes Making Words Using Words You Know Reading and Writing Rhymes Students should spell other words correctly because they are taught strategies, therefore, spelling should not be a GOT YA or a memorization of words that are not used in everyday writing. Assessment- Students will be given a spelling test each Friday. There will also be two dictation sentences using the current list of words as well as words from past weeks. We will do a review on all 15 spelling words in class on Thursdays. An informal assessment of student s ability to transfer strategies taught to spell new words will be done weekly, as well.