Second Grade Curriculum

Language Arts

Reading

• Apply word attack skills when reading.
• Develop skills to independently read and comprehend a given passage.
• Demonstrate comprehension of nonfiction selections.
• Demonstrate comprehension of fictional selections.
• Participate in at least 10 minutes of independent sustained reading daily or 50 minutes weekly.
• Write sentences, paragraphs, stories.
• Write a friendly letter.
• Use the writing process to write a report.
• Edit final copies for meaning, capitalization and punctuation.
• Spell words appropriate for second grade.
• Demonstrate correct structure in writing Standard English grammar and punctuation in a sample sentence.

Listening

• Listen for specific information and respond appropriately.

Speaking

• Express ideas to others.

Research/Study Skills

• Locate information in reference material….

Balanced Literacy

This approach has teachers reading and writing to and with students as well as having students read and write independently. The components of this approach include:

• Read and Write Aloud.
• Shared Reading and Writing.
• Guided Reading and Writing.
• Literature Circles, and
• Independent Reading and Writing.

Science

Sound Energy

• Describe sound waves and sound energy.
• Measure vibrations and waves.

Magnets

• Investigate the properties of magnets.
• Denote uses of magnets in applied daily living.

Rocks & Soil

• Investigate erosion via wind, ice and water.
• Explain how the Earth’s surface can change.

Life Cycle of Butterflies

• Describe how living things grow and change.
• Record and report on the life cycles of animals.
• Investigate basic requirements for life.

Health

The second grade health education curriculum focuses on:

• Friends at home & school.
• Safety first.
• Using medications safely.
• Saying “No” to drugs.
• Reduce & preventing pollution.
• The five senses.
• Understanding our eyes.
• Understanding our ears.
• Healthy foods & exercise.

Social Studies

Second grade students learn about different kinds of communities with an emphasis on our Traverse City community. They are introduced to the history, geography, government, and economics of Traverse City and its relationship to other places in Michigan, the United States and the world. Students learn how goods and services provide the needs and wants of our community and how people here earn their livings. They also compare and contrast the Traverse City community to communities of the past, as well as modern communities that are totally different from ours.

Second grade students learn what it means to be a good citizen of a community, why we have rules and laws, abnd what happens when those laws are broken. Students are introduced to local government as they learn about core democratic values.

Mathematics

Mathematical Thinking

• Students explore multiple strands of mathematics: number, data, geometry, and measurement. This initial unit is designed to assess student understanding of a wide range of mathematical concepts to create a base for effective instruction. Opportunities for students to engage in the use of models, numbers, and words to share their mathematical thinking allows for the introduction of a multitude of materials while also establishing classroom routines.

Coins, Coupons and Combinations

• Students develop a sense of numbers as whole quantities and begin to explore patterns and relationships that exist in our number system. They are introduced to various types of story problems and are encouraged to develop strategies for adding and subtracting numbers.

Does it Walk, Crawl, or Swim?

• Students are introduced to sorting classification as a way of organizing data. They investigate similarities and differences in sets of related objects, people, or information. Students create their own categories for sorting data, representing data, and comparing data sets.

Shapes, Halves, and Symmetry

• Students investigate the structure of two and three-dimensional shapes. Students explore the structure of shapes and how they can be taken apart and reconfigured to create other shapes. Students develop spatial sense as they explore specific identities, properties, and relationships in geometry.

Putting Together and Taking Apart

• Students explore the development of strategies for solving addition and subtracting problems based on an understanding of numbers, number relationships, and operations. Emphasis is placed on understanding problems, deciding which operations are needed, and selecting appropriate problem solving strategies.

How Many Pockets? How Many Teeth?

• Students are involved in collecting and representing numerical data. Students explore a variety of ways to represent data while also analyzing and explaining their representations.

Timelines and Rhythm Patterns?

• Students explore concepts of time and rhythm. They create timeline representations and develop mathematical patterns expressed rhythms.

Physical Education

Art

Music

Library