What does Second Grade look like?

In second grade, students will learn how to problem solve, become strategic thinkers, and understand the process of delving deeply into text.  Multiple instructional settings are used in the classroom to acheve these purposes, including:

-whole group instruction

-small group instruction (including guided reading, guided writing, and math workshop)

-partner work (including "think-pair-share")

-independent work.

We will utilize the second grade Common Core curriculum for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics as the core resources for these areas of instruction.

By the end of the year, you can expect your child to:

• Apply reasoning and concentration skills
• Improve his/her ability to process information
• Improve his/her focus on a specific task
• Work cooperatively with a partner or small group
• Understand the difference between right and wrong
• Make connections between concepts so he/she will be better able to compare and contrast ideas
• Expand his/her vocabulary
• Correctly use irregular verbs
• Read fluently with expression
• Ask and answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about a piece of reading
• Revise and edit a piece of writing
• Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives
• Recognize most irregularly spelled words such as because and upon
• Begin to use a dictionary
• Perform mental math for single-digit addition and subtraction problems
• Add single-, double-, and triple-digit numbers with regrouping
• Demonstrate an understanding of place value
• Tell time to the nearest five minutes, using AM and PM
• Know the basic concept of multiplication (For example, 2 x 3 is two rows of three)

Students are required to complete 15-20 minutes of sustained reading each night. Effective methods of engaging your child in reading include:

• partner reading (adult reads a page, child reads a page)

• choral reading (read at the same time)

• read aloud to child

• child reads aloud to adult

Using several methods per week and varying texts will keep your child engaged and interested in completing their nightly reading.

Students are also required to complete 5-10 minutes of math fact practice (facts within 20) on three nights out of the week. Effective methods of engaging your child in math fact practice include:

• flashcards

• timed math fact print-outs

• dice games

• websites/apps:

• sumdog.com

• ixl.com

• xtramath.com

• happynumbers.com

• multitude of addition and subtraction apps available in app store

*Look out for optional math fact practice packets that will be sent home periodically throughout the year.

Students are responsible for completing their homework log nightly. Students should be careful to fill out their log completely and accurately. This includes the title, author, number of minutes, difficulty level, and method of reading. In addition, students should include the day, number of minutes, and method they used to practice math facts. Students are expected to return their completed logs, with parent signature, on Friday mornings.

Monthly challenge projects are always a great chance for enrichment at home. Each month, the teachers will provide a topic or focus for an independent inquiry based project that is optional for students to complete. Students should work on their project throughout the month with the knowledge that they will share their learning and product with their peers at the end of the month.

www.ixl.com/math

www.coolmath.com

www.mathplayground.com

www.aaamath.com

www.funbrain.com

www.mathcats.com

www.abcya.com

Field Studies

Our field studies take place in the spring:

- Children's Museum- West Hartford, CT

This field study supports our unit about reptiles and amphibians.

- Westmoor Park- West Hartford, CT

This field study supports our unit about plants.

- Smith Museum- Springfield, MA

This field study supports our unit about Japan.