Welcome to Curriculum Night Second Grade Leeds Elementary School

Second Grade Learners Second graders learn through manipulation of materials. Second graders need experiences that are “real” for them, and that they can apply to their own lives. Second graders need to make connections with materials and ideas presented to them. Second graders are social and working on social skills. Second graders are BIG thinkers!

How We Teach We follow an I.W.Y. model I DO… presenting and modeling ideas, strategies and skills. I pose questions to foster critical thinking. WE DO…guided practice, gradually giving students ownership of knowledge. YOU DO… independent practice of skills, strategies and knowledge. We use a variety of methods and materials for instruction, such as direct instruction, group work, learning centers, graphic organizers, games, and one-to-one intervention for strugglers.

Alabama State Course of Study We teach standards in each of these content areas: – Reading/Language Arts – Mathematics – Science – Social Studies

READING WORKSHOP – We will teach the following units of study in Reading: – Taking Charge of Reading – Tackling Trouble: Assessment-Based Small-Group Work – Characters Face Bigger Challenges- and So Do Readers – Reading Nonfiction, Reading the World – Series Reading and Cross-Genre Reading Clubs – Nonfiction Reading Clubs – Reading and Role Playing: Fiction, Folktales, and Fairy Tales – Readers Can Read about Science Topics to Become Experts

– Reading assessment will be based on the following expected skills and “I CAN” statements:

Best Way to Meet Reading Goals? READ!!! Reading 20 minutes a day increases fluency. Like most anything…the more you practice, the better you get. Reading every night is essential to your child’s successful reading growth. Please look for reading bags send home nightly with reading resources. Each teacher will send home a reading log as well for your child to track how much he/she reads.

WRITING WORKSHOP We will teach language arts through the following writing units of study: Launching with Nonfiction Authors as Mentors Writing and Revising Realistic Fiction Expert Projects: Informational Writing Opinion Writing: Persuasive Reviews Write Gripping Stories with Meaning and Significance. Using Nonfiction Texts as Mentors to Support Nonfiction Writing. Writing Adaptations of Familiar Fairy Tales, Folk Tales and Writing Original Fantasy Stories as Well. Informational Writing about Science Poetry

Spelling We will follow Harcourt’s scope and sequence for phonics instruction. Spelling study each week will begin with a pretest on Monday. If students show mastery of spelling patterns (score of 90%+), they will receive a “challenge” spelling list. If 90% is not attained, a standard spelling list will be sent home.

MATH We will teach math using Pearson’s enVision MATH core curriculum. We will also use games to strengthen math skills. Units of study in Math are as follows: Understanding Addition and Subtraction Addition Strategies Subtraction Strategies Working with Equal Groups Place Value to 100 Mental Addition Mental Subtraction Adding Two-Digit Numbers Subtracting Two-Digit Numbers Place Value to 1,000 Three-Digit Addition and Subtraction Geometry Counting Money Money Measuring Length Time, Graphs and Data

Science Macmillan/ McGraw – Hill is our Science curriculum. Second Grade Science Units of Study are: Habitats (pond, woodland forest, desert, rainforest, polar regions, ocean) Animals and adaptations Changes in Matter Force and Motion Life Cycle Space Number grades are not given in Science; however we do keep up with work completed and participation to determine the grade of S or U.

Social Studies We use Scott Foresman as our Social Studies curriculum. Exploring our Nation and World: People and Places Second Grade Social Studies Concepts include: – Long ago and today (comparisons) – Historical contributions of individuals – Celebrations – Goods and Services (production and distribution) – Natural and man-made resources – Use of maps to identify landforms and oceans of the world. (Geography) – Citizenship and community Number grades are not given in Social Studies; however we do keep up with work completed and participation to determine the grade of S or U.

Questions will be taken and classroom procedures will be discussed in your child’s classroom. Thank you for being here tonight!