Second Grade Language

Arts & Reading

Syllabus

Teacher: Miss Gudding

School Year: 20XX

Overview
Welcome to Second Grade! This year we will use a variety of texts to read, model our
writing from, and talk about in class. We will work both in groups and individually to
write and illustrate stories and present them to our peers. We will work on being able to
summarize what we learned, and form a larger vocabulary. We will familiarize ourselves
with synonyms, antonyms, and story elements. Our types of texts will include maps,
poems, and stories.
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Teacher’s Note
I look forward to welcoming your children into my classroom this year! As an educator
my main focus is to create a safe and conducive learning environment for every child.
I’m excited to immerse my students into each other's culture and background. I
encourage you to encourage your child to be themself, and to be open to learning about
other students this year in Second Grade!

Classroom Rules
1. Be respectful of everyone
2. Be kind to everyone
3. Raise your hand and be patient to speak
4. Be in your seat when the bell rings
5. Always have a pencil
6. Keep all things not being used in your desk
7. Keep your hands to yourself

Consequences
Our school focuses on a Responsible Thinking Program. If a student does something
wrong in a classroom (talking without hand raised, disrespecting another student/
teacher) they will be asked what they are doing, what they should be doing, and what
they are going to do next time. After the second time the teacher has to ask a student
these questions, they will be sent to the Responsible Thinking Room. In there is a
behavioral instructor who will guide them through writing a plan to resolve their
behavioral issue in the classroom. This plan will be presented to the teacher, discussed
and implemented. The parent will receive a copy of this plan. This process is to help
students think through right and wrong actions.
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Objectives
1. Using punctuation and spelling properly
2. Forming a larger vocabulary (with synonyms and antonyms)
3. Writing and reading a variety of texts and answering comprehension questions
4. Being able to summarize a text, what we learned, and our day-to-day experiences
5. Group skills, presentation skills, and developing higher focus
6. A wider acceptance of peers and knowledge of different backgrounds

Materials
1. Pencils
2. Notebook
3. Glue Stick
4. Scissors
5. Markers/Crayons

Verification
Steps to check for student understanding

1. We will have small “quiz” worksheets to check students understanding of

material and comprehension
2. We will send reports of students achievements, and areas of needed work home
3. We will conference with parents twice a semester, during normal parent-teacher
conferences. It’s important to be present to help us assess your student’s
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Main Assignments
★ Portrait Poetry
○ We will create “I AM” poems using an in class template as a guide
○ We will bring in a picture of us with family, friends, pets, loved ones, etc. to
include with our poem. These will be read aloud and displayed.
★ Thank you letter
○ We will pick someone who has positively impacted us to practice letter
writing skills
○ We will write them a thank you, address it, and give it to them
★ Maps
○ A map will accompany each in class text we read. The map will be of
where the author is from (country, city, or state maps) we will learn how to
properly read a map
★ Group Stories
○ We will use sight-vocabulary in groups by creating a story about an object
given to us in class. We will illustrate our books, bind them, and read them
to the class.
○ We will explore the concept of personification
★ Summaries
○ We will do comprehension activities after every in class story
○ After we answer the comprehension questions we will engage in writing a
summary of what the book was about, what we learned.
○ These will develop throughout the year to use proper punctuation, more
vocabulary, and better writing skills.

Focus Texts
★ I’m New Here and Someone New by Anne Sibley O’Brien (Map of Greenwich
Village, NY) weeks 1-4
★ Jack (Not Jackie) by Erica Silverman (Map of Manhattan, NY) weeks 4-5
★ Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal (Map of Lima, Peru)
weeks 6-7
★ Tan to Tamarind by Malathi Michelle Iyengar (Map of Raleigh, NC) weeks 8-11
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★ Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engler (Map of Los Angeles, CA) week 12-13
★ My Chinatown by Kam Mak (Map of Chinatown, Hong Kong and Chinatown, NY)
week 14-15
★ The Dream of Soji by Kimiko Hahn (Map of Japan) week 16-17
★ Quiet Please, Owen Mcphee by Trudy Ludwig (Map of New Bedford, MA) week 18-19
★ The Parakeets by Alberto Blanco (Map of Mexico City, Mexico) week 20-21
★ A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars (Map of Midland, TX) week 22-23
★ Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About A Disability by Shane Burcaw
(Map of Pennsylvania) week 24-25
★ Hidden Figures: The Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot
Lee Shatterly (Map of the Planets) week 26-28
★ The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson (Map of city teaching in) week 29-30

**weeks 31-36 adjusted to time requirements**