Grade 2

Integrated Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Health

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Integrated Language Arts

Second graders are encouraged to engage in a greater variety of reading and writing. Their ability to attend to read alouds and to read silently grows, and they become more effective listeners. They continue to learn the most important phonetic generalizations and vocabulary in the content of the books they are reading. Direct teaching modeling and guided practice continue to be used until students independently use such strategies as self-monitoring, predicting, using prior knowledge and retelling as they read. After reading basals or trade books, children respond by discussing the overall text; interpreting various elements in the selection; connecting the text to a personal experience; or by analyzing the author's craft.

Writing experiences may include Writer's Workshop, reading responses, maintaining journals or letter writing. Resources such as Word Walls, Quick Words, and dictionaries will be used according to needs of the students and practices of the teacher. As students demonstrate a working knowledge of spelling and language conventions, they are expected to use them in their oral or written responses. Spelling patterns are introduced when children demonstrate a readiness for this activity.

Essential Unit Outcomes

Some second grade children may still be working toward independence on emergent level outcomes (see Grade 1) at the beginning of the year. Most students will be working on transitional level outcomes by the end of second grade. These students will:

1. Attempt varied kinds of reading and writing.

2. Try modeled techniques in reading and writing.

3. Attend during oral reading, maintain on-task behavior and listen effectively.

4. Transfer vocabulary.

5. Use resources to locate specific information.

6. Recognize story elements.

7. Use book conventions.

8. Identify purposes for reading.

9. Use prior knowledge and prediction to construct meaning in reading.

10. Use cuing systems.

11. Self monitor for sense and use fix-up strategies (ex. Making sensible mistakes, reading on, rereading).

12. Demonstrate global understanding.

13. Develop interpretation.

14. Discuss author's craft.

15. Give personal responses.

16. Identify purposes and topics for writing.

17. Express ideas in writing.

18. Use simple conventions of language and spelling when communicating.

19. Engage in process writing through prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.

20. Focus on a particular topic when speaking.

21. Speak expressively.

22. Engage in conversation.

23. Use the dictionary.

24. Use the encyclopedia.

25. Use the audio/visual equipment.

26. Use the computer.

Helpful Parent Tips:

Read to and with your child every night. THIS SHOULD BE FUN! Read a variety of materials.
Visit the public library so your child can choose all types of books, read-along tapes, and magazines, and check them out on his/her own library card.
Let your child see you read. Talk with your child about what you have read.
Write to relatives and friends: letters, thank you notes, and postcards. Practice writing return address.
Make lists: job lists, shopping lists, holiday, and birthday lists.
Write stories on the computer.
Begin a diary or journal. Let your child write his/her own ideas. You may wish to respond to his/her ideas in writing to model adult spelling and conventions.
Read and follow directions to complete a project: cooking, sewing, and models.

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Mathematics

Mathematics Website

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Science

The hands-on approach in science continues in second grade. The curriculum emphasizes the development of the processes of science as a means of problem solving. These processes include observing, classifying, measuring, recording, inferring, and predicting.

Second grade emphasizes classification skills through the study of insects, buoyancy, measurement, and weather. Students construct nets to collect insects, bring specimens back to the classroom and study them over a period of days. Children raise butterflies and mealworms to observe the life cycle of insects. In the sink and float unit, students construct a boat and observe and alter the boat. They then try to make it hold as much cargo as possible. In the measurement unit, students work with mass, length, and time in ways that closely relate to the work they do in math. During the weather unit, students will observe and record the weather using rain gauges, a windsock, and thermometers. They will observe and identify types of clouds.

Essential Unit Outcomes

The second grade student will:

1. Express, record, and interpret their attitudes about insects.

2. Recognize and label the essential characteristics of insects.

3. Construct insect collectors and insect models. 4. Collect, observe, classify, and record insects and other small animals according to characteristics and habitat.

5. Observe and record the developmental stages of insects.

6. Demonstrate creative thinking through writing,speaking, and constructing models in each unit.

7. Summarize and present results in written and/or oral form.

8. Estimate and measure objects using nonstandard units of measure, centimeters, and meters to determine length, height, and width.

9. Create and demonstrate the use of a thermometer as a measuring tool to determine temperature.

10. Identify, manipulate, and record data from real instruments used to measure weather and construct models of real instruments.

11. Develop an awareness of water vapor through observing, measuring, and recording evaporation and precipitation.

12. Infer and measure the length of a minute.

13. Construct a one-minute timer water clock and test predicted one-minute activities.

14. Construct and demonstrate the use of pendulums as a measure of time.

15. Predict, observe, classify, investigate, and record buoyancy of objects.

16. Observe objects reacting differently in salt water than in tap water.

17. Design clay and aluminum objects that will float.

18. Predict, determine, compare, and weigh the amount of cargo held by clay and aluminum boats.

19. Creatively construct a boat that has the ability to float.

Helpful Parent Tips:

Subscribe to a science magazine - Ranger Rick, Zillions, The Zoo Book, Your Big Backyard, Kids Discover.
Take nature walks. Collect and/or observe insects, leaves, and clouds.
Check out science books from the library.
Observe daily weather. Look for patterns.
Set up and observe simple experiments: ice melting, water freezing, paper fading in sunlight.
Request the Summer Science Fun Packet from school and take time to complete these activities with your child.

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Social Studies

In social studies, second graders build on themes of self and family as they begin their study of neighborhoods and communities. They study maps, compare and contrast communities of the Native Americans, Australians, and the French. Students learn about rules and laws and explain where they are made and why they are needed. Children will continue to build their knowledge of wants and needs and goods and services.

Essential Unit Outcomes

The second grade student will:

1. Examine characteristics of city, town and farm communities by interpreting and constructing maps using simple grid systems, cardinal directions, relative distances and sizes, and symbols explained in a legend or key.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between goods and services, producers and consumers, and the concept of scarcity in communities.

3. Explain that people work at jobs to earn income to satisfy wants and needs and must also depend on others to help meet their wants and needs.

4. Describe the relationship between economic wants and needs in communities.

5. Describe goods and services financed through taxation in different communities.

6. Explain how income is spent on goods and services and demonstrate an understanding of the consequences of these decisions.

7. Apply geographic concepts and skills to demonstrate an understanding of the terms local, state and nation.

8. Differentiate between rules and laws used in local, state and national communities and explain where they are made and why they are needed.

9. Realize that "Indian" peoples were the first Americans, and determine how and where Native Americans lived, worked and played.

10. Compare/contrast life in Australia and/or France with life in one's own community and locate that country on a map and a globe.

11. Explain how and why personal environmental choices affect the quality of life in communities.

12. Identify current economic, geographic and social characteristics of one's community and compare and contrast them with other communities.

Helpful Parent Tips:

Draw maps of a room, your yard, or your neighborhood. Use direction words to discuss your maps.
Take your child with you to vote and explain how you make your choices.
Have a job your child is responsible for each day.
Talk about what school was like when you were young and grandparents were young.
Take day trips to the Zoo, Gettysburg, Washington D.C., Maryland Science Center, Walter's Art Gallery, B & O Railroad Museum, Baltimore Aquarium and Baltimore Museum of Art. Use floorplans and maps during your trips.
Write in your journal after a trip and do follow-up reading as a family.
Talk about your work and why it is important. Take your child to visit, if appropriate.

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Health

Second graders learn about personal growth and growing up healthy. Children learn to react in a positive manner to situations regarding safety.

Essential Unit Outcomes

The second grade student will:

1. Establish criteria for verbally expressing emotions.

2. Analyze factors and events which trigger emotional responses.

3. Suggest strategies for modifying emotional responses.

4. Avoid self-destructive behavior by choosing other forms of emotional expression.

5. Describe the relationship between personal health and physical environment.

6. Identify food groups.

Helpful Parent Tips:

Talk about safety rules in the car, on the bus, on the bicycle, and in the neighborhood.
Discuss fire safety and where to meet in case of a fire.
Talk about safe use of medicines and the importance of following label directions.
Read labels on food. Have your child help plan meals.
Talk about the importance of personal safety and cleanliness.
Help your child respect differences and see similarities of people with disabilities.