SECOND GRADE OVERVIEW

LANGUAGE ARTS

The Second Grade’s Reading and Language Arts curriculum incorporates “The No Child Left Behind” legislation and is supported by the Reading First initiative. These areas focus on the various aspects of communication: reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar skills, and handwriting. It involves daily experiences that help students to develop impressions of quality literature, a chance to interact with the material through discussion, drama, music, art and writing, and finally the opportunity of self expression during which time children will apply their above experience into a new creation such as a pattern book or a rewrite of a story. These activities are done in both small group, center time and the use of Individualized Reading Contracts matched to the level on which the student reads.

Reading instruction combines read alouds of exemplary children’s literature, and whole group instruction through the Macmillan/McGraw reading series, adopted this year. Supplemental novels will be read throughout the year in addition to the reading series “Treasures.” This book is based on the most recent research and is built on the elements of reading as prescribed by the National reading Panel. The program also gives teachers best-practice approaches for effective, differentiated instruction, enabling educators to meet the needs of all students at all reading levels. Treasures also ensures progress by setting expectations for all students, and providing materials to challenge gifted students as well as intervention materials for struggling readers. To learn more about Treasures, visit http://www.macmillanmh.com/reading/treasures.html. The program also teaches the genres of literatures including realistic fiction, fables, folktales, fantasy, poetry, non-fiction and biographies.  During the winter months Martin Luther King, Jr., Ben Franklin, Helen Keller and a host of other historical figures come alive in our classroom as we read biographies and study their lives and accomplishments in depth.

MATH

This year, students will be using the Houghton-Mifflin series.

Various lessons include activities that involve fractions, measurement, geometry, probability data analysis, and numeration. These are sometimes set in the context of themes and help link math to the real world. Insight lessons provide daily experiences with multiplication and division. Children will work to develop the ability to make estimates, chose appropriate operations, and to solve problems.

Your children will also keep a math journal to demonstrate understanding of process skills of math operations.

SCIENCE

We will be teaching module units this year using the SRA Science series that cover such topics as plant and animal habitats; using natural resources, recycling; rocks and minerals; earth and moon phases; friction and magnets, and dental health and nutrition. Science includes a lot of hands-on participation and involvement using the scientific method of predicting, observing, drawing conclusions, and communicating.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We will be using the Harcourt Brace series Making a Difference. The themes and ideas in this series allow students to integrate major understandings and skills with their own experiences. Students will study various topics and develop skills that will help them exist in a changing, interdependent world. Such topics include geography, history, civics and government, economics and culture. Such skills include map and globe skills, chart and graph skills, reading and research skills and critical thinking skills. There will also be in-class projects to enrich and enhance understanding of these very broad topics.

RELIGION

Second Grade is a very profound and beautiful journey towards a deeper understanding of our Catholic beliefs. We will begin working with our Joy Joy the Mass book. This book takes us through the various parts of the Mass, and the significance of each part, in sequence. Our second book, We Celebrate the Eucharist, helps prepare children for their First Eucharist and to appreciate it as a celebration of thanks.

As stated in my opening letter, your children will not be celebrating their First Reconciliation until fourth grade, although some of the doctrine will be taught in the context of forgiveness and peacebuilder activities.

One of my goals this year is to allow children the opportunity to experience prayer on a more casual or personal level. I want to let the children know that even though this year is full of big, wonderful and formal celebrations of their faith, they can also celebrate their faith on a daily basis in a more personal way with short, simple prayers and reflections in their prayer journals. These journals will allow them to express their love for God through writings and illustrations.

We will also celebrate feast days, learn the beatitudes, read from the children’s Bible, and celebrate liturgical seasons.

GRADING

As you know, Second Grade students begin to receive letter grades.  The grading scale is as follows:

Grades are determined using daily work, homework and tests to determine a final grade.  The weights are as follows: 
Classwork and homework are each weighted at 25%;
tests and projects are weighted at 50%.

Final grades in each area are combined, weighted, and a percentage grade is determined. Report cards will be distributed three times over the course of the year. Additionally, you will receive a progress report at each conference period letting you know how your child is progressing.

Please look over daily work and all work that comes home. This will give you an opportunity to help your child in areas of difficulty, and to monitor progress overall.

COMMUNICATION

As I mentioned earlier, I believe positive communication between parents and teachers is crucial for the success of a child. Our goal is to help these young people become the best that they can be. In order to do this successfully, we need to keep the lines of communication open. If you need to meet with me to discuss any issue, you can leave a message on my voice mail, and I will get back with you as soon as I can. Perhaps for a quicker response, I urge you to use my e-mail. The address is This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . My computer is always on and is checked periodically throughout the day.

If there is a change in transportation, please send in a note to alert me to any changes. This note will be posted in a visible place in the classroom to remind the child at dismissal. Also, if your child is to be picked up early, please send a note in. These will be sent to the office, and your child will be sent down at the appropriate time.

Another tool of communication is the Noteworthy News, my weekly newsletter. These will be posted on the website either Friday or Monday. Please read it carefully, as it may contain important information about upcoming projects, events or sacrament meetings, field trip information, and supplies your child may need for special projects.

HOMEWORK

Homework is an important part of your child’s learning, and one that we take very seriously. It is meant to be a learning and reinforcement tool. Homework will be graded using the same scale used for in-class daily work. This year, your child will be using a Planner to write daily homework assignments, upcoming tests, and reminders for the week. Please check it each night and sign it. Your child will receive one ticket to be used towards the treasure chest every two weeks. Homework will be given on Monday through Thursday evenings. Your child must turn in his or her homework upon arrival in the classroom. If homework is not turned in, and my assistant and I have to retrieve it, the result will be a loss of three tickets. Incomplete or homework not done will result in staying in at recess to complete the assignments.

DISCIPLINE

Being in Second Grade imposes higher behavioral and organizational expectations. This year, students will receive tickets for good behavior. These can be used to make “purchases” from the class Treasure Chest every other Friday. Tickets can also be taken away for inappropriate behavior. Your child has started the school year with 10 tickets. This year, students will sign a Discipline Book. If a student breaks a rule or acts in a disruptive manner, he or she will be asked to sign the Discipline Book. You will receive a note explaining why the book was signed. Please sign and return to school the next day. Your child will receive a warning for a particular behavior before being asked to sign the Discipline Book.

Each time the Discipline Book is signed, your child will lose 3 tickets. If your child signs the book three times in one day, he or she will lose an entire recess period on the next school day. If your child signs the book five times in one week, he or she will lose the privilege of visiting the Treasure Chest the next time the class is permitted to go. The Discipline Book could be signed for the following reasons:

1. Talking at inappropriate times or disruptive behavior in class.
2. Running in the halls or in the cafeteria.
3. Misuse of books or classroom supplies.
4. Failure to be attentive in class.
5. Misuse of playground equipment or inappropriate playground behavior.
6. Disrespectful behavior toward fellow classmates and adults throughout the building.

Please be aware that some behaviors such as fighting, theft, inappropriate language, or inappropriate behavior during Mass could result in signing the book without prior warning.

STAR STUDENT

Each week a student will be featured as the “Star Student.” All students have a turn being the Star Student. The Friday before, you will receive a letter from me notifying you that your child is the upcoming week’s Star Student. Take a few minutes to select three or four pictures of your child enjoying an activity. These pictures will be displayed on the Bulletin Board during the week. I will also ask that you write a brief letter to your child telling him/her why he or she is so special. On Friday, the class will make a book for and about your STAR STUDENT. Your child will also receive a Star Student Bear.

BIRTHDAY TREATS