| Second grade students have a busy and fun year ahead of them! |  | Following is an overview of the Second Grade Curriculum.
These are some of the thematic units we will be studying this year:
Community Faces & Places
We
will be learning about our classroom and school community as well as
the broader community in which we live. This unit will include the
study of maps, community workers, and some history of the St. Paul
community. We will have a field trip to the Minnesota Children's Museum.
Air & Weather
We will be conducting scientific observations of the weather, learning
vocabulary words, introducing the water cycle, and using tools to
measure temperature and wind. Second graders will also learn about the
properties of air and conduct experiments.
Maps Take Us Places
This
will be part of a residency with musician and folk dancer Ross Sutter.
The children will learn story songs, dances, and read and retell folk
tales as a way of mapping stories. Second graders will be mapping their
lives through a time line project. We will further the study of
geographic maps to include continents, land forms, and bodies of water.
Plants
This
is a study of how new plants are propagated. We will do experiments to
see how new plants grow and write observations of what we see. We will
take an all-day field trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in the
spring.
All the thematic units are integrated into the
academics and arts. The books we read and the projects we do focus on
our central theme.
Please read on to learn about our other academic routines.
Guided Reading
This
is small group reading instruction time to suit your child's individual
needs. Mrs. Lund, Mrs. Hanson, Ms. Rooney, Mrs. Mulligan, and Ms.
Burrel will each work with a group of about 4-8 children for a 45
minute period every day.
Math
We are using Everyday Math.
We have math every afternoon. Look for Homelinks and family information
letters in your child's take-home folder. Please keep all math family
letters in your Family Folder for future reference. They come in handy
when trying to help your child understand a difficult concept. We are
also using Every Day Counts Calendar Math. This is an interactive math
program that reinforces basic skills.
Writing Workshop
We
will have Writing Workshop each day of the week. This is a time for
your child to develop his or her writing skills. We will also be using
a handwriting program called "Handwriting Without Tears" to improve
penmanship.
Spelling and Word Work
Your child's spelling
will be tailored to their needs. Second graders are learning word
patterns and sight words. We have a word wall in our class to which we
will add 5 new words each week. The word wall words are very important
to their readng and writing and are considered "must-know" words.
Physical Education
Your
child will have gym class once a week (unless the gym is being used for
other purposes or there is no school on our scheduled gym day). During
second grade gym class your child will learn to play coopertative
games, ball handling skills, and good sportsmanship. The current theme
of study will be infused into gym lessons as much as possible.
Social Studies
Our social studies text includes hands-on, interactive projects and is
based in literature. We will be integrating social studies content
throughout all other areas of study by using music, dance, drama and
visual art.
Science
Our science curriculum includes 2
Foss kits (Weather and Plants). The kits are wonderful, hands-on
learning experiences for your child. We also teach science content in
all other areas of study using music, dance, drama and visual art.
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