Below is the Second Grade Curriculum and what will be happening in each
area!
- Language Arts
- Reading
- Social Studies
- DRA
- Math
- Science
- FAIR
- STAR Math and Reading
Language Arts
This subject consists of grammar skills, spelling, and writing.
There are many grammar concepts students need to learn. The
reading workbook reviews various skills each week. We also work
on Daily Oral Language (D.O.L.) everyday. Students work on
correcting sentences, putting words in alphabetical order, using
proper words in sentences, and many other skills. Each Friday,
students are tested on the concepts taught in D.O.L. each week.
Spelling words come home each Friday in the weekly newsletter
for the students to study. Students are to follow the spelling
schedule that is provided in the spelling section of the Eagle
Binder. Spelling tests are each Thursday.
Students write daily on various topics and several times a
week in their journals. Students need to be able to write on a
specific topics and understand the difference between expository
and narrative stories. We will review this throughout the year.
Reading
There are six themes in our reading series that we read
throughout the
school year. The themes are:
~Silly Stories
~Nature Walk
~Around Town: Neighborhood and Community
~Amazing Animals
~Family Time
~Talent Show
We will be reading many other stories on numerous topics
throughout the school
year. We read together, aloud, and individually each day. It is
very
important that your child read for at least 20 minutes each
night.
Students are also expected and encouraged to take A.R.
(Accelerated Reading)
tests. Students need to read books on their level, then take a
test on the
computer that checks their comprehension for the text that has
been read.
Social Studies
There are six units in social studies that we need to complete
throughout
the year. Each unit consists of several lessons. Students also
have a
workbook that reviews each lesson within the unit. The six units
are listed
below. There is an additional section on Florida that we
introduce before we
begin the first unit.
Unit 1 Where We Live
Unit 2 Our Earth
Unit 3 Working Together
Unit 4 Our Country Today
Unit 5 Our Country Long Ago
Unit 6 People and Places in History Students can always
bring books
home to review, as
long as the books are returned the next day for class.
DRA
The DRA (Developmental Reading Ability) test checks a child's
oral reading
fluency and comprehension ability. Students are asked to read a
section
while being timed. This tells us how many words s/he reads a
minute
(fluency). Then students are asked questioned about what was read
and to
predict what else might happen in the story. Students then finish
reading
the selection and retell what they have read. Sometimes students
read
fluently, but are unable to retell or answer questions about what
is read.
We DRA students several times throughout the year and will let
you know how
they are doing. If your child is falling behind, please be sure
your child
rereads a story numerous times, retells you what was read, and
can answer
questions as s/he reads. We will also teach and review various
strategies
throughout the school year that your child can utilize to more
successful.
Most importantly, practice makes perfect.
Math
The math program that we use is called Everyday Math. We will
introduce and
review new topics daily. Students will have a homework assignment
that
reviews each lesson. Please check your child's agenda to see what
lessons we
are doing weekly. As each new unit is introduced a Family Letter
will be
sent home with suggestions for review at home and the answers to
the
homework for that unit, so you can help your child study at home.
Below are
all the units that second grade will cover this year.
Unit 1 Numbers and Routines Unit 7
Patterns and Rules
Unit 2 Addition and Subtraction Facts Unit 8
Fractions
Unit 3 Place Value, Money, and Time Unit 9
Measurement
Unit 4 Addition and Subtraction Unit 10 Decimals and
Place Value
Unit 5 3-D and 2-D Shapes Unit 11 Whole Number
Operations Revisited
Unit 6 Whole Number Operations and Unit 12 Year-End Reviews
and Extensions
Each morning students also work on Math 4 Today. This is a review
of basic
2nd grade skills your child is expected to know. There are 4 or 5
problems
each day that students work on, and I review on the board. Then
students
bring the sheet home Thursday to review for a test on Friday
Science
Second graders will be learning about many topics this year in
science. We
do not follow the science book from front to back. However, we do
cover all
the topics students will need to be successful. Below is the
order of
instruction as outlined by the district.
Introduction to Scientific Thinking
Unit B Earth Science
Chapter 5 Earth's Land, Air, and Water
Chapter 6 Earth's Weather and Seasons
Unit C Physical Science
Chapter 8 Properties of Matter
Chapter 9 Energy
Chapter 10 Forces and Motion
Chapter 11 Sound
Unit D Space and Technology
Chapter 12 Earth and Space Science
Unit A Life Science
Chapter 1 All About Plants
Chapter 2 All About Animals
Chapter 3 How Plants and Animals
Live Together
Chapter 4 How Living Things
Grow and Change
FAIR
In replacement of DIBELS students will now be evaluated using
FAIR. FAIR will help teachers determine where each student is
acadimcally in phonics, decoding, and other reading strategies.
More information will be provided on FAIR when available.
STAR Math and Reading
STAR tests, which test reading and math ability, are taken
individually on
the computer. These tests determine the reading and math level of
each
student, it measures individual and class growth, and forecast
results on
standardized tests with the accurate, reliable, and efficient
assessment.
Students can complete STAR in approximately 15 minutes. These
tests are given
each nine weeks to check on student progress and to be sure no
one is
falling behind. The reading results help tell students the
reading level of their
library books that they should be reading. These results are sent
home each nine
weeks to help you as a parent be aware of your child's progress.
You may visit this site as it answers many questions you might
have about
STAR and AR. http://www.mrwrightsclass.com/ar/index.htm