Second Grade

Curriculum Night

Facts About Our School

& Your Child’s Curriculum

Courtesy of:
Katy Dailey
Letici a Sau cedo
Mary Ann Si des
Tammy Thom pson
Jody Wynn
 WELCOME!
Welcome to Second Grade at Zilker Elementary School. Zilker
is a very special and exemplary school.

Our goal is to provide each student the best education possible

in a warm, supportive and safe environment. We want all parents, as
well as students, to feel that “Zilker is a Great Place for Kids.”

We already have a reputation for being a community school

with a family atmosphere, and we invite parents to become actively
involved in their child’s learning. We know that your participation,
combined with our excellent faculty, will make this school year a
rewarding experience for you and your child.

Zilker’s Mission Statement

The mission of Zilker Elementary School is to develop
every student into a life-long learner as a result of a
challenging curriculum, individualized instruction, high
expectations, and a nurturing environment with parental
and community involvement.

School Mascot: Panther

School Colors: Maroon & Gold
School Slogan: “Zilker is a Great Place for Kids!”
School Motto: Diversity is Strength
Meet the Second Grade Team

Katy Dailey worked for Job Corps before becoming a teacher.

She completed her student teaching at Zilker in 2001 and has
been here ever since! She’s been married for 10 years and has a 7-
year old daughter & a 20-month old son. Ms. Dailey’s favorite activities are
reading and being on the computer.

Letic ia Sauc edo graduated from UT at Austin with a B.S. in Applied

Learning and Development and a specialization in Bilingual Special Education.
She has taught for 14 years -- 10 of them at Zilker. She has taught students
from grades K-4th, and this year she’s very excited about teaching 2nd grade
again! Leticia has a 17-year-old son named Alex who is the pride and joy of
her life! She has a rambunctious dog named Toby and a cat named Abbie (who
is named after the brain, "Abbie Normal" from the movie Young
Frankenstein).

Mar y Ann Sid es has wanted to teach since she was in Kindergarten. She
has taught for seventeen years. Mrs. Sides is a graduate of Texas State
University. She has been married for 31 years and has one son, Grant, who
attends the Khabele School. Mrs. Sides loves to read, go to Alamo
Drafthouse, and socialize.

Tammy Th ompson graduated from UT with a BS in Applied Learning and

Development with a reading specialization. She
taught in Killeen ISD for four years in a multiage K-2 classroom,
moved to Austin and taught at J. Houston for 5 years in K & 5th. Mrs.
Thompson earned her National Board Certification in Early Childhood and is
also certified in Special Education, ESL, Gifted & Talented and Early
Childhood. After teaching First Grade at Zilker for 2 years, she is now
thrilled to be a part of the Second Grade team. She is the mother of two
boys -Jake and Cooper and has a great hubby named Matt.

Jody Wynn grew up in Austin and has been teaching for thirteen years.
She has three children. She has been married for seventeen years. Mrs.
Wynn loves teaching, reading, and spending time with her family.
 Science & Social Studies Units
1st Nine Weeks
Families, All About Me
Rules & Laws
Citizenship & Communities
Hispanic Heritage
Science Safety
Observing Our World
Force, Motion Matter & Energy

2nd Nine Weeks

Halloween/Government
Family Heritage/History
Community & Cultural Celebrations
Force, Motion & Energy continued
Weather

3rd Nine Weeks

Martin Luther King, Jr. /Heroes of the Past
Black History
Women’s History
Earth

4th Nine Weeks

States/Continents/Maps
Life Science (Plants, Butterflies)
 Reading Skills
The skills listed below are practiced throughout the year
once they are introduced.

 Fluency  Identify important

 Comprehension information in text
 Reading different genres  Read AISD non negotiable
 Making Reader-Text word list
Connections  Fluency of 90 wpm
 Writing About Reading  Summarization
 Discussing Text
 Reading Critically REa
Assessments:

DRA (Devel opme ntal Re ading Assessment): In this assessment, students read from a
book selected for their reading level. The teacher follows along and records misread words from certain pages.
Then, students retell the story in their own words. Based on how many words the student has misread and skill
at retelling the story, the teacher determines whether the book is appropriate for the child. If so, the child is
given a number to represent the reading level. The score from this assessment reflects the grade level at which
the student is reading. If a student’s level is 24, they are reading at Second Grade (2), fourth month (4).
Students should be at a 28 by the end of Second Grade. They are evaluated at the beginning, middle and end of
the year. Students were expected to leave first grade on a DRA 16/18.

TPRI (Texas Primary Re ading Inve ntory): The TPRI was developed by the University of Texas and is an
assessment tool that provides a comprehensive picture of a student’s reading/language arts development. The TPRI covers ALL
five of the domains of reading required to qualify for the President’s Reading First Program (under the No Child Left Behind
Act). Students are scored as Developed or Still Developing
Phonemic Awareness-Attentiveness to the sounds of spoken language
Phonics-Figuring out unfamiliar words using knowledge of the alphabetic principle
Fluency-Grade-appropriate oral reading with appropriate speed, accuracy, and expression. (90 words per minute)
Vocabulary Development-Knowledge of word meanings to help spoken and written language communication.
Text Comprehension-Use of a variety of comprehension strategies to understand the meaning of what is read
 Writing Skills
√ Writers write for different audiences and purposes
√ Writers collect ideas from personal experiences
√ Authors share thoughts and ideas
√ Authors listen respectfully as others share their writing
√ Writing is a process that includes pre-writing, drafting, revising,
editing & publishing
√ Writers stay focused and on topic
√ Writers add details to help readers experience their stories
√ Writers use written conventions to help readers experience their story
√ Writers use complete, clear sentences
√ Writers learn from others
√ Voice and word choice make writing come alive
√ Writers personalities come out through their writing
√ Writers choose words and language with care
√ Writers try new ways of saying things
√ Writers review their own writing
 Math Skills

 Place Value (represent, compare and order numbers up to 999)

 Adding & Subtracting thorough problem solving (use and
apply facts to 18, solve problems with two digit numbers-including regrouping)

 Identify and use patterns (in the 100’s chart, in numbers to 999, in
place value, in addition/subtraction, lists of paired numbers)

 Basic Multiplication and Division (concrete models)

 Fractions (parts of a whole and a set, concrete models up to 12ths)
 Measurement (nonstandard comparisons of length, weight/mass and
capacity, standard units of time and temperature)

 Geometry (compare and contrast attributes of 2-D and 3-D figures, use the
number line)

 Organizing & Collecting Data for Interpretation (draw

conclusions from various graphs, likely/unlikely events)
 Second Grade
Classroom Expectations
The learner will exhibit the following behaviors in school:
• Respect self, others, and property
• Listen and follow directions on first request
• Participate in lessons
• “Be Responsible, Respectful and Kind”

Consequences:
• First Offense: Verbal Warning
• Second Offense: Cool Down Time
• Third Offense: Note Home
• Fourth Offense: Referral to the Office

Physical aggression will not be tolerated in any form and

will result in imm edi ate referral to the office.

Possible Management Techniques:

• Super Star Chart
• Sticker Chart
• Positive reinforcement
• Using verbal and non-verbal reminders
• Distracting to a positive model
• Anticipating trouble
• Using logical consequences
• Individual behavior plans

Rewards:
• Marble Jar: The students are rewarded with a party when the marble jar is
filled. Marbles are awarded for whole class good behavior.
• Group Points: Groups are rewarded points for classroom participation, group
activities, cleaning up, and transitions. The reward for the group or groups with
the most points is eating lunch in the classroom with the teacher on Fridays.
• Super Star Recess: The students will play games and have free choice centers in
the classroom. Each child with a referral to the office that week will have to sit
out of Super Star Recess.

*The discipline plan and practices for each teacher may differ slightly. Please check
with your child’s teacher for her individual discipline plan.
 Second Grade Homework Policy
• Second graders take home assignment sheets and
homework folders on Mondays. Homework is assigned
for Monday through Thursday (no homework on
Fridays).

• A family project is also assigned and graded each month.

Family projects are an integrated and important part of
our curriculum.

• Reading is assigned nightly for at least 15-20 minutes.

Daily reading either silently or with adults in the evening
is encouraged. Reading is to be recorded on a reading log.

• Homework from any subject area may be assigned

periodically to provide reinforcement and/or practice
basic skills.

• Consistently turning in homework late or not turning it

in at all will affect your child’s “Work/Study” grade on
his or her report card. The teachers and parents are
responsible for scheduling a conference to discuss a
consistent problem with homework responsibility.