2nd Grade Curriculum Information

2nd grade is a huge year of change and growth in children,

and we are so excited to be a part of that! Here is an overview
of what we will be teaching your children this year:
Reading
In the second grade your child will be reading various trade books and
textbooks. Our focus in reading will be comprehension, vocabulary, and
fluency. Your childs Reading grade will reflect his or her fluency,
comprehension and use of vocabulary. We will focus on how readers grow and
develop into better readers and practice the reading strategies that help us.
This year we are continuing our reading block structure called The Daily
Five. If you would like more information on this, please contact your childs
teacher.
Part of our homework focus in 2nd grade is reading. We want each
student to find a special place at home to enjoy reading a variety of books
and magazines, either on his/her own or with a family member. It will be
his/her responsibility to log all reading in their daily folders.

Writing
Every day in 2nd grade, we will have Writers Workshop, during which
students will learn the strategies and tools to become writers. We will learn
from the example of published authors, and we will publish our own writing.
Each student has a Writers Notebook that he/she will write in daily. It is
amazing to see the difference from the beginning to the end of the year!

Word Work
Spelling patterns and rules will be introduced to your child in class.
Students will do daily Word Work in class to gain more exposure to the each
pattern. Research shows that this approach to spelling leads to more
accurate spelling of words when students are composing their pieces of
writing.
There are also specific words in the English language that are
commonly found in texts and are used regularly in students writing. We call
these HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS, or WORDS TO KNOW. Students are
expected to just know how to spell these, so we will be practicing these in
class as well.

A handout will be sent home at the beginning of each week with our
focus and 5 Words to Learn. Please help your child review and practice
these throughout the week. We will have an assessment over the patterns
and Words to Learn each Friday.

Social Studies
Our Social Studies lessons will largely focus on learning important
events in our countrys history, national and state symbols, and people who
have shaped our country. We will also study geography, timelines, and
environmental issues throughout the year.

Science
This year in Science the students will be learning that they are
Scientists. All the information the students collect will be kept in their
science journals. These journals will be a great tool for them to refer back
to information when needed.

Math
In second grade we will be focusing on a variety of math skills.
Addition and subtraction fluency is an important skill for second graders. If
you need any fun new ideas for practicing at home, please let your childs
teacher know. Students will be working to recall facts within three
seconds. An option for nightly second grade homework includes spending
some time practicing math facts and skills each night.
In class students will use a math journal to document strategies that
they use to solve math problems. The students will cover concepts such as
patterns, place value, measurement/weight, fractions, money, and probability
and statistics. The students will also use these concepts to develop their
formal and informal language and relate them to real world situations. The
majority of these experiences will be logged in their math journal but some
papers will be going home in folders.

Technology
This year, students will have an increased amount of technology use.
We will be using the headphones your child provided at the beginning of the
school year. If your child has not brought them, please send some as soon as
possible, or contact your childs teacher for other options.
At home, students are encouraged to use technology through various
websites linked on the Chandler Second Grade Website and other media
tools such as iPhones or iPads. Be sure to also look in our weekly newsletter
for App of the Month.

Cheetah Challenge
In an effort to provide opportunities for every student to maximize
his or her potential, second graders will participate in Cheetah Challenge.
Cheetah Challenge is a daily, 45 minute time period set aside for students
to receive instructional support and enrichment to develop and build
academic skills. Our grade level will be working as a team, along with other
skilled teachers in our building to provide for the needs of all of our
students. We are looking forward to the great things our students will
accomplish this year!

Report Cards
Second grade report cards will have numerical grades for reading,
oral/written language, math, science, and social studies. The students will
also be evaluated on handwriting and behavior with a letter grade. Between
each report card students will receive a progress report for these areas.
Both the report card and the progress report will need to be signed and
returned to school. Report cards will be going home each nine week grading
period.

Conferences
We understand that your time is valuable. We would like to make our
communication efficient and effective. Please give us your preferred method
and time of contact before leaving this evening. Signup sheets will be located
outside in the hall.

Thank you for your continued support as we work together

to ensure that each child has the opportunity to learn!

Daily Five
The Daily Five is a way of structuring the reading block so every student is
independently engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. These research based tasks are ones
that will have the biggest impact on student reading and writing achievement, as well as
help foster children who love to read and write. Students receive explicit whole group
instruction and then are given independent practice time to read and write independently
while the teacher provides focused, intense instruction to individuals and small groups of
students.
When it is up and running smoothly, students will be engaged in the Daily Five,
which are comprised of:
Read to Self
Work on Writing
Read to Someone
Listen to Reading
Word Work
There are very specific behavior expectations that go with each Daily 5
component. We will spend our first weeks working intensely on building our reading and
writing stamina, learning the behaviors of the Daily 5 and fostering our classroom
community. We will also spend time learning about your childs strengths and greatest
needs as a reader in order to best plan for each students instruction.
One thing youll notice that may be a change for you is a direct decrease in the
number of worksheets your child brings home. Your child will be taught to select Good
Fit Books or books they can read, understand and are interested in. During Daily 5 time,
students will spend their time actually reading, which research supports as the number
one way to improve reading. We anticipate the motivation and enjoyment of reading will
skyrocket when this gift of choosing their own books is accompanied by extended
practice and specific reading instruction for each individual child.
Please think of our classrooms as you visit garage sales or clean your own childs
bookcase. It is our goal to make our classroom libraries as appealing as your favorite
bookstore for browsing.
As you can see, we are excited about giving your child the opportunity to be
involved in a structure that will have a positive effect on their education!
Sincerely,
2nd Grade Teachers
Ms. Weissman, Mrs. Betterton, Ms. Uhrin, & Ms. Covington