Curriculum

In 2nd grade, students have adjusted to the more rigorous learning environment they initially encounter in 1st grade and so they are able to further deepen and expand their skills and knowledge. In 2nd grade they become more experienced writers, readers and mathematicians as they practice these skills more and in more complex and comprehensive ways. They read longer and more complicated books, they write longer and more complex pieces and they learn more of the concepts underlying the math they do. In addition, 2nd graders begin to develop their research and critical thinking projects as they create individual and group work to share and presenting what they learn through different forms, including writing, speaking, and art.

The 2nd grade classroom is structured like most elementary school classrooms, with desks or tables for the students and usually an area for lessons and class meetings and discussions. There are often also areas or centers dedicated to different subjects of learning.  For instance, there may be an area with all of the math tools and supplies as well as a class library dedicated to reading. Technology also becomes a more important part of the 2nd grade classroom as students learn about and use it more, specifically for publishing their writing.

Second graders continue to develop their reading skills as they learn to read more complex words as well as read longer and more complex texts in a variety of genres such as fiction, non-fiction and poetry. They also develop their reading comprehension skills as they talk about what they read and use it for developing and presenting further ideas. In addition, 2nd graders continuously practice their reading skills as they read for other subjects they learn throughout the day.

In order to build reading skills, your 2nd grader:

• Reads more complex words such as two syllable words.
• Reads words with common prefixes and suffixes. For example: pre, re, un and able, ad, and er.
• Reads grade appropriate irregularly spelled words. (Consult your child’s teacher for a specific list of these words).
• Reads a variety of texts including fiction, non-fiction, fables and poetry.
• Understands the structure of a story and specifically the purpose of a beginning (introducing the text) and ending (concluding the text).
• Understands the most important details of a text: it’s main purpose and the “who”, “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how” of a text.
• Talks about characters’ responses, main events, the lessons in texts, and important ideas or concepts.
• Begins to make connections within and between texts.
• Compares at least two different versions of the same story such as, two versions of classic fairy tale.
• Reads at grade-level with correct accuracy, pace, expression and comprehension.
• Self-corrects mistakes and re-reads when necessary.

Second graders refine and expand their writing and grow as writers as they begin to write more detailed and longer texts and different types of texts. Technology is an important part of 2nd grade as students begin to use it to publish their writing. You can help support this by using technology at home with your child, in an appropriate and supervised manner. 

Similar to reading, writing occurs throughout the day as students learn a variety of subjects in addition to the specific writing lessons or times in class. For example, students may write about a math problem, explaining how they solved it or write about a topic they learned in science or social studies. All of this work makes them better writers overall.

In order to build writing skills your 2nd grader:

• Writes a variety of types of texts including:
  • Opinion Pieces: Students state their opinions and provide reasons to support it and provide a conclusion.
  • Narrative Pieces: Students write about an event, describing actions, thoughts and feelings and provide a conclusion.
  • Informative/explanatory Pieces: Students introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a conclusion.
• Revises and edits his writing in order to improve it.
• Uses digital tools (with the aid of the teacher) to publish his writing.
• Researches topics for shared, group or class-wide research and writing projects.

Second graders continue to practice their addition and subtraction skills, eventually solving problems mentally and knowing how to add some numbers from memory. In many classes, math tools and manipulatives, such as blocks, tiles, and different shapes are used to help students practice math using concrete, visible objects. They learn to explain both how they solve a problem using words and writing, as well as break down numbers to gain a better understanding. This helps students truly understand the concepts underlying the math they learn. In addition, students in 2nd grade begin to learn concepts which lay the foundation for multiplication as well as continue to gain a deeper understanding of the concepts underlying the math they learn.

In order to build math skills your 2nd grader:

• Adds and subtracts numbers from 1-20 using mental strategies and ultimately, by the end of the year, adds two 1 digit numbers from memory.
• Solves one and two-step addition and subtraction problems with numbers up to 100, using drawings and equations and explaining the process.
• Learns the difference between odd and even numbers.
• Begins learning the foundations of multiplication by adding the same number to itself, (for example, 4+4) and grouping together the same number of objects to add up to more.
• Understands and can break down a 3-digit number into groups of hundreds, tens and ones.
• Reads, writes and counts up to 1000, including being able to count by 5’s 10’s and 100’s.
• Compares 3-digit numbers, using the signs: >, < and =.
• Practices adding together up to four 2-digit numbers by skip counting and adding smaller part of the numbers together.
• Measures objects and uses different units of measurement. (For example, inches and centimeters.)
• Estimates an object’s measurement and measures how much longer one object is than another.
• Tells time using analog and digital clocks.
• Begins to solve world problems involving money.
• Creates picture and bar graphs, and answers questions about the data represented in the graphs.
• Recognizes triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes and their defining characteristics, such as the number of angles and faces.
• Breaks up shapes into halves, thirds and fourths and uses smaller shapes to create larger ones.

In 2nd grade students continue to explore the world around them but they do so in a more rigorous way as they make more detailed observations and use and collect data to support their observations. Second graders use hands-on experimentation to develop questions, hypothesis and make observations and conclusions. As in other grades, the specific topics studied in science vary according to state. However, common topics studied in 2nd grade include: earth and space; the human body; plants; the cycle of life; animals; and electricity and magnetism. Consult your child’s teacher or research your state’s science standards for more details.

In order to build science skills, your 2nd grader:

• Uses observation and experimentation to learn about her world. Asks scientific questions and finds the answers to her questions.
• Collects and uses data to support experiments and what she learns.
• Records her observations both through writing and talking and uses her observations to explain and make conclusions.
• Reads about different scientific concepts.
• Works in groups and as a class to conduct experiments and create projects.

In addition to learning about specific topics, (which vary from state to state), 2nd grade social studies focuses on helping students develop their reading, writing, research and critical thinking skills as they gain a deeper understanding of history and society and share the new knowledge they learn. Teachers may use texts, photographs, film, art class trips and visitors to help students learn about a specific topic through different types of media and from different perspectives. In 2nd grade, there is also often a strong emphasis on comparing differences between groups and appreciating these differences.

In addition, many social studies lessons and projects integrate and overlap with other subjects such as reading, writing and math so 2nd graders continue to develop those skills as well.

In order to build social studies skills, your 2nd grader:

• Learns about the history of his community and family.
• Compares his own community with others, specifically with an appreciation for valuing difference and multiculturalism.
• Gains a deeper understanding of geography and specifically that of North America, using maps to locate and identify different types of places, such as bodies of water, mountains, the equator, etc.
• Learns more about government, its roles and how its officials are chosen.
• Learns about important historical figures.
• Uses reading, writing and art to deepen his understanding of concepts and portray what he has learned.
• Learns about American holidays and important days and events.

(Info taken from http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/collection/what-to-expect-grade/guide-to-2nd-grade)