Second Grade Teachers

The second grade year is devoted to refining and expanding the basic skills of reading and math. It is an accelerated curriculum with all core subjects on a third grade level. Learning experiences that are exciting, appropriate, and challenging take place in a warm, nurturing environment. The teaching of values and high character standards is integrated into the curriculum with an emphasis on the school’s core values or respect, responsibility, honesty, and kindness. Through classroom activities and discussions, the goal is to develop a positive classroom community by developing socially responsible individuals.

Reading

The third grade level SRA Imagine It! is the result of 45 years of research and field study. It contains all the elements recommended by the National Reading Panel: instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness, explicit phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. The authors, who are researchers themselves, continue to update the program as new studies are published revealing the latest findings on effective instructional methods.

Imagine It! is a truly comprehensive literacy tool. It includes a strong Inquiry strand with built-in tools in every unit that promote curiosity, investigation and higher order thinking. The program also includes the strongest assessment component available.

The children participate in the Accelerated Reader program to provide individualized practice in comprehension. Their comprehension is checked and tracked by computer. Several novels are read and studied across the curriculum during the year. The SRA Reading Lab program as well as the Barnell-Loft Multiple Skill series is used to further develop comprehension skills.

English

The Shurley Method teaches the solid foundation of grammar in a new and exciting way. Students use rhythm and a set of specific questions to classify sentences orally, identifying each sentence part as well as the overall sentence structure. They learn how all sentence parts fit together to make sense and express an idea. They learn how to expand, improve and edit their writing. The students then learn how to express their own ideas through formal and creative writing. Due to extensive classroom work, the individual homework load is significantly reduced.

The program teaches a solid foundation in grammar and creative writing. Students learn to identify:

• Subject nouns
• Verbs, adverbs and adjectives
• Prepositions and object of prepositions
• Common/proper
• Capitalization
• Punctuation
• Possessives
• Plurals
• Compound words
• Synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms
• Combine sentences
• Use a dictionary
• Table of contents
• Index and glossary
• Research skills such as taking notes, use of an encyclopedia and how to summarize

In creative writing, they learn how to write paragraphs, personal narratives, descriptive, explanatory, comparative, and expository stories. They learn editing skills. The Zaner-Bloser Handwriting 2C program helps students make the transition from manuscript to cursive writing.

Math

The second grade Singapore Math program is used to teach math. Manipulatives and games are used to reinforce skills. Mad Minutes are used to reinforce math facts. Concepts taught this year are:

• Numbers to 1,000
• Addition and subtraction
• Length
• Weight
• Multiplication and division
• Money
• Fractions
• Time
• Capacity
• Graph
• Geometry
• Area

Social Studies

The Harcourt-Brace: Making a Difference Second Grade Social Studies program teaches students about the world in which they live. Students are introduced to important historical events as well as current events. Students are introduced to:

• Beginning Economics
• Goods and services
• Rules and laws
• Producers and consumers
• Wants and needs
• Supply and demand
• Classification skills
• Map reading
• Globe use
• Use of the encyclopedia
• Native Americans
• Farm Life at the turn of the century (1900)

Community Service

The community service program has been developed for the purpose of providing students opportunities to define their role in the life and welfare of school and community. In the second grade, the students work with the Child Advocacy Center as their community service project.

Field Trips

• Phillips Center for the Performing Arts/Character Education/Compassion
• Shands/UF Dental School
• Morningside Nature Park/Farm Life in 1900

Special Area Classes

Art: Observation is challenged more as students make closer, more in-depth studies of art and artists. More complicated folding, paper cutting and 3-D techniques are explored.

Computers: Students will begin the year with a typing program, Read, Write and Type where they will use correct keyboarding technique and start the process of Touch Typing. They will learn to log on to the server and log off when their class is completed. Students will be made aware of the safe and proper use of computer equipment. They will begin to work with the Internet for subject appropriate information and begin research skills. These students will also use software to enhance the second grade curriculum. Each class is equipped with a complete computer system.

Library: Students work with call numbers of fiction, non-fiction, and biographies and begin basic book searches on the library’s automated catalog. The students study and utilize parts of a book such as title, author, copyright, publisher, table of contents and index for research purposes. Skills for using the dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia are also taught as part of the students’ library experience.

Music: Students meet with the music specialist twice a week. They engage in dance and movement activities, sing, play rhythm instruments, xylophones and keyboards. They also participate in a musical production and perform for assembly programs.

Physical Education: Students develop leadership skills as they become squad leaders and fitness directors. Our program gives children the chance to learn skills needed for lead up sports, practice apparatus skills and work on total body fitness. Students learn self-discipline as they learn to rotate through activity stations. We continue to work on ball-handling skills.

Science: Science is taught in the science lab to all second grade students. A hands-on approach is used while following the Harcourt Science curriculum and using the interactive Smart Board. Investigations are performed in physical, Earth and life sciences using the scientific method. Students observe, measure, classify, infer and predict as they explore the various areas of science. A cooperative unit between science and reading is conducted on inventors and inventions. Children design, build, and present their original inventions during an Invention Convention.

Spanish: Each second grade class has Spanish twice a week. The children will develop listening skills and Spanish comprehension through an immersion experience in which the majority of the class is conducted in Spanish. Age-appropriate reading, songs, games, and hands-on activities are used to reinforce each unit. The children will learn greetings, colors, numbers 1 - 20, body parts, the alphabet and letter sounds, animals, classroom objects, adjectives and a number of commands. They will be introduced to the concepts of number and gender agreement of nouns and pronouns with articles and modifiers.