Grade 2 Curriculum

Click here for a description of the curriculum in general.
Click here for the detailed list of 1st term topics.
Click here for the detailed list of 2nd term topics.
Click here for the detailed list of 3rd term topics.
Click here for the detailed list of 4th term topics.

General Curriculum Description

Language Arts

Storytown, an integrated Language Arts program, uses six themes in the Second Grade to present a wide variety of skills and strategies. There are major strands in each theme of this reading series, which include fluency, robust vocabulary, comprehension, phonics and spelling, high frequency words, grammar, and focus skills. Fiction stories are paired with nonfiction for comparison. This series allows for Differentiated Instruction, with leveled readers ranging from decodables to below level, on level, above level, and challenge levels.

The six themes for this series are:

• Count on Me
• Doing Our Best
• Changing Times
• Dream Big
• Better Together
• Seek and Find.

Writing skills continue to develop through the use of the Rebecca Sitton Spelling Program and the John Collins Writing Program as well as the “Writing Companion” from the reading series. These programs encourage the students to use skills and concepts acquired throughout the year and from previous years. Computers and technology are used to reinforce skills, encourage writing, and research projects

Mathematics

One of the goals of the Math Curriculum is to make math motivating and accessible to each child. Children work in pairs, cooperative groups, and as individuals, to actively investigate and make connections to prior knowledge. Through engaging hands-on activities and manipulatives, the curriculum makes the students active participants in their own learning. Studens share strategies and solutions, as well as build an ongoing mathematical vocabulary. Standards as defined by the NCTM and Houghton Mifflin text include::

• Number and Operations
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Measurement
• Data Analysis and Probability
• Reasoning and Proof
• Communication
• Representation

Religion, Science and Social Studies are constantly integrated into the curriculum throughout the year. Through literature, hands-on activities, real-life experiences, and research, the children are encouraged to actively participate in their own learning.

Religion

Emphasis shifts to the study of the sacraments as the children review Baptism, and prepare for the reception of both Eucharist and Reconciliation. Understanding of the Trinity grows as they see God presented as a loving and forgiving father, Jesus as one who gives the gift of himself, and the Holy Spirit as one who calls us to serve others. Children learn about making good choices. Gospel readings show them to care for others. The concept of the Church community expands as the children continue to develop their commitment to Service Learning. Second graders will deepen their understanding of the following:

• Jesus Christ is always with us
• Jesus calls us to penance and reconciliation
• Jesus gives Himself in the Eucharist
• We live our Catholic faith

Science

Our Science curriculum focuses on the following Science topics as guided by the National Science Education Standards and Scott Foresman Science. Each topic includes essential questions and science process skills. The four science units and topics are:

Life Science

• Plants
• Animals
• Fossils

Physical Science

• Matter
• Sound, Heat, and Light
• Force, Magnets, and Electricity

Earth Science

• The Earth
• Weather and Seasons
• The Solar System

Human Body

• How Your Body Works
• Nutrition
• Keeping Healthy

Social Studies

Our Social Studies program is organized around eight strands: History, Geography, Government, Citizenship, Culture, Science Technology and Society, Social Studies Skills. These strands correlate with the National Council for the Social Studies and the National Standards for Social Studies Teachers. Content is built around a “Big Idea” research to develop and instructional approach that focuses student learning by asking essential questions to focus content learning. Essential questions to answer are:

• What is a community?
• How does geography help me?
• How do I learn about history?
• Why do people work?
• How does our government work?
• Why do we celebrate holidays?

1st Term - Detailed Curriculum Topics

Reading

Blocks: Literature Based Guided Reading, Leveled Reading, Independent Reading

Comprehension/Critical Thinking

• Activating Prior Knowledge
• Making Predictions
• Set Purpose for Reading
• Define vocabulary words through context clues
• Draw Conclusions
• Cause-Effect
• Predicting Outcomes
• Compare/Contrast
• Sequencing
• Classify/Categorize
• Fantasy vs Reality

Author’s Craft

• Dialogue
• Sensory Language
• Point of View
• Figurative Language

Story Structure

• Characters/Setting
• Ordering
• Retelling in Sequential Order

Reading Strategies

• Sound Words
• Context Clues
• Syntax Clues
• Pictures
• Self-Correcting

Independent Reading

• Choosing appropriate reading level
• Reading with Fluency and Expression

Writing and Spelling

• Descriptive Writing
• Complete Sentences
• Statements and Questions
• Noun: Proper and Common
• Forms of One or More Than One
• Pronouns
• Names and Titles
• Spelling Words Transferred to Daily Use
• Self-editing for FCA’s
• Writing throughout the subject area

Math

• Identify, write, order and compare numbers 0-20
• Use of terms: more than/fewer than; greater than, less than
• Patterning
• Organizing information into graphs
• Reading graphs and interpreting data
• Addition and subtraction through 20
• Whole/part/part
• Find missing parts of an equation
• Counting on, back, up
• Doubles, plus 1, plus 2, making a ten

Problem Solving

• Look for pattern, Draw it out, Act it out
• Solve using number sentences
• Create number sentence stories

Number Facts

Goal: the memorization of number facts (addition and subtraction) without the use of fingers, number line, or manipulatives

Science

The Human Body

• How Your Body Works
• Nutrition
• Keeping Healthy

Science Process Skills

• Observing
• Communicating
• Classifying
• Predicting
• Estimating and Measuring
• Inferring
• Making Operational Definitions
• Making and Using Models
• Formulating Questions and Hypotheses
• Collecting and Interpreting Data
• Identifying and Controlling Variables
• Experimenting

Social Studies

Mapping Skills

• Reading and Using a Map
• Compass Rose Directions, Directional Arrows
• Following Directions
• Reading and Interpreting Map Key
• Constructing, Reading and Interpreting Graphs

Learning About Communities

Define, Describe, Recognize and Identify forms of communities and their characteristics

Religion

Sources:

• We Believe
• “Family Life”
• Bible

Topics:

• Jesus is the Son of God
• Jesus Christ Gives Us the Church
• We Celebrate God’s Love
• Sacraments: Baptism and Confirmation
• Daily Acts of Reconciliation
• Caring for Life
• Daily prayers and Intentions
• Gospel Readings
• Bible Stories
• Word of the Month

Social Development and Work Habits

• Growth as an independent and efficient learner
• Following multi-step directions, both oral and written
• Active listening
• Respecting everyone’s right to learn

2nd Term - Detailed Curriculum Topics

Reading Blocks:
Literature-Based Guided Reading
Leveled Reading
Independent Reading

• Activating Prior Knowledge
• Set Purpose For Reading
• Infer word meanings from the context
• Use knowledge of story structure to summarize story events
• Paraphrase important ideas from the text
• Draw conclusions about events and characteristics in the story
• Choose the most appropriate meaning of a multiple-meaning word
• Identify the narrator or point of view of a story
• Distinguish reality from fantasy
• Increased use of a variety of decoding skills: context clues, syntax clues
• Comprehension – literal through application
• Reading a variety of genres

Reading levels continues to increase –fluency is being mastered. Expression is being emphasized now. Reading quickly does not mean reading well. In fact, many uncorrected errors are made due to speed. Pacing the reading is important – do the words flow together naturally?

Listening to literature allows the students to hear reading both with fluency and expression. Clues and strategies focus on how to determine character traits, plot, setting, events, problems and solutions to the stories. Good listening habits enrich the literature experience of each student.

Active participation both in Literature Seminars and in daily reading as well as preparation for discussion ensures all students experience and enjoy classic stories.

Language Arts

Spelling tests continue to be a minor part of the spelling grade. Dictation, journal writing, and “other work” spelling is evaluated not only for spelling words but for accuracy of copying words found not only “around the room”, but on the paper itself. Daily work includes all areas of the curriculum.

In writing students are evaluated on how well they edit their own work, and also on how well they correct sentences with errors in capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. We focus on having each student become responsible for his or her own work. Do the students consistently write in complete sentences? Do they edit their work for spelling, grammar, sentence structure? The students follow the FCA’s required for all writing. Written reports focus on the organization, the grouping together of similar ideas and topics. Increased use of details is being emphasized.

Mathematics

• Place value through 100
• Tens and Ones – expanded notation
• Comparing using >, <, and =.
• Ordering numbers
• Odd, even
• Ordinal vs. cardinal numbers
• Skip-counting
• Recognizing patterns
• Time and money
• Elapsed time
• Using a calendar
• Problem solving strategies now include Act It Out, Draw It, Logical Reasoning, Making a List, Look for a Pattern, Make a Table

At this time, addition and subtraction facts should be memorized: knowledge of facts without use of manipulatives such as number lines and/or fingers enables each student to concentrate on the operations instead of the facts.

Science
Earth Science

• The Earth
  • Features
  • Changes in Rocks and Soil
  • Volcanoes and Earthquakes
  • Resources
  • Protecting the Earth
• Science Process Skills
  • Observing
  • Communicating
  • Predicting
  • Estimating and Measuring
  • Inferring
  • Making Operational Models
  • Experimenting

Social Studies

• Immigration
• Holiday Traditions and Customs
• Investigating Family Tree
• Family Rules, Rights and Responsibilities
• Mapping Skills
• Land and Water
• Earth’s Resources
• People Change the Earth
• Protecting Earth

Religion

• Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation
• Basic vocabulary
• Daily Prayers and Intentions
• Bible Stories – Old and New Testament
• Family Life

Social Skills

• Listening to and following one and two step oral directions
• Reading and following written one and two step directions

3rd Term - Detailed Curriculum Topics

Reading Blocks:
Literature-Based Guided Reading
Leveled Reading
Independent Reading

• Activating Prior Knowledge
• Set Purpose For Reading
• Infer word meanings from the context
• Use knowledge of story structure to summarize story events
• Summarize important ideas from the text
• Make and revise predictions while reading
• Locate main ideas and important details
• Classify and categorize important ideas
• Draw conclusions about characters and events
• Determine author’s purpose while constructing own meaning
• Retell a story in logical sequence

Self-selected reading block continues to enable the students to read at their independent level rather than at instructional level. Do the students choose books that are appropriate for their reading levels? Do they use the time allotted to their advantage?

Reading levels continues to increase –fluency is being mastered. Expression is being emphasized now. Reading quickly does not mean reading well. In fact, many uncorrected errors are made due to speed. Pacing the reading is important – do the words flow together naturally?

Listening to literature allows the students to hear reading both with fluency and expression. Clues and strategies focus on how to determine character traits, plot, setting, events, problems and solutions to the stories. Good listening habits enrich the literature experience of each student.

Active participation both in Literature Seminars and in daily reading as well as preparation for discussion ensures all students experience and enjoy classic stories.

Language Arts

Spelling tests continue to be a minor part of the spelling grade. Dictation, journal writing, and “other work” spelling is evaluated not only for spelling words but for accuracy of copying words found not only “around the room”, but on the paper itself. Daily work includes all areas of the curriculum.

In writing students are evaluated on how well they edit their own work, and also on how well they correct sentences with errors in capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. We focus on having each student become responsible for his or her own work. Do the students consistently write in complete sentences? Do they edit their work for spelling, grammar, sentence structure? The students follow the FCA’s required for all writing. Written reports focus on the organization, the grouping together of similar ideas and topics. Increased use of details is being emphasized.

Mathematics

• Addition of 2 and 3 digit numbers with and without regrouping
• Subtraction of 2 digit numbers with and without regrouping
• Recognizing patterns
• Measurement
• Place value
• Geometry – solid and plane figures
• Fractions and Fractional Parts
• Review of earlier skills and concepts
• Problem solving strategies now include Act It Out, Draw It, Logical Reasoning, Making a List, Look for a Pattern, Make a Table

At this time, addition and subtraction facts should have been memorized: knowledge of facts without use of manipulatives such as number lines and/or fingers. Once a month the students are given a 2-minute timed addition and subtraction test. Score increases/decreases are noted.

Science

• Life Science - Fossils
  • What Are Fossils
  • How We Learn About Dinosaurs
  • Kinds of Dinosaurs
  • What Happened to Dinosaurs
• Physical Science - Matter
  • Properties of Objects
  • States of Matter
  • How Matter Can Be Mixed or Changed
• Earth Science - The Earth
  • Natural Resources
  • Effects of pollution
  • Recycling
• Science Process Skills
  • Observing
  • Communicating
  • Classifying
  • Predicting
  • Estimating and Measuring
  • Inferring
  • Making Operational Models
  • Experimenting

Social Studies

• Map Reading and Mapping Skills
• Early American Life – Explorers Through The Civil War
• American Symbols
• Contributions of Important Americans
• Comparing Sources

Religion

• Parts of the Mass – Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist
• Basic vocabulary
• Daily Prayers and Intentions
• Bible Stories That Augment Lessons – Old and New Testament
• Responses During the Mass
• Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation

Social Skills

• Listening to and following oral directions
• Reading and following written directions
• Becoming more an independent learner rather than a shared learner
• Sharing equal roles in group work
• Oral Presentations in small groups and whole class to familiarize students with speaking to others to share learning or interests
• Service to and for others
• Outreach to Service personnel in Iraq –

4th Term - Detailed Curriculum Topics

Reading Blocks:

• Literature-Based Guided Reading
• Leveled Reading
• Independent Reading
  • Activating Prior Knowledge
  • Set Purpose For Reading
  • Infer word meanings from context clues
  • Use knowledge of story structure to summarize story events
  • Summarize important ideas from the text
  • Make and revise predictions while reading
  • Locate main ideas and important details
  • Classify and categorize important ideas
  • Draw conclusions about characters and events
  • Determine author’s purpose while constructing own meaning
  • Identify cause-effect relationships in a text
  • Determine how an author uses figurative language
  • Discuss character development
  • Generalize from texts to experiences and back

Self-selected reading block continues to enable the students to read at their independent level rather than at instructional level. Do the students choose books that are appropriate for their reading levels? Do they use the time allotted to their advantage?

Reading levels continues to increase –fluency is being mastered. Expression is being emphasized now. Reading quickly does not mean reading well. In fact, many uncorrected errors are made due to speed. Pacing the reading is important – do the words flow together naturally?

Listening to literature allows the students to hear reading both with fluency and expression. Clues and strategies focus on how to determine character traits, plot, setting, events, problems and solutions to the stories. Good listening habits enrich the literature experience of each student.

Author Studies this term have included: James Stevenson, Patricia Polacco, and Bill peet. Our poetry unit included samples from: Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, and Robert Frost.

Language Arts

Spelling tests continue to be a minor part of the spelling grade. Dictation, journal writing, and “other work” spelling is evaluated not only for spelling words but for accuracy of copying words found not only “around the room”, but on the paper itself. Daily work includes all areas of the curriculum.

In writing students are evaluated on how well they edit their own work, and also on how well they correct sentences with errors in capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. We focus on having each student become responsible for his or her own work. Do the students consistently write in complete sentences? Do they edit their work for spelling, grammar, sentence structure? The students follow the FCA’s required for all writing. Written reports focus on the organization, the grouping together of similar ideas and topics. Increased use of details is being emphasized.

Cursive letters and their formation were introduced this term. Continued practice including grip, slant, and position will ensure continued success.

Mathematics

• Comparing using >, <, and =.
• Ordering numbers
• Sequencing events
• Addition of 2 and 3 digit numbers with and without regrouping
• Subtraction of 2 and 3 digit numbers with and without regrouping
• Time and money
• Place value
• Expanded notation
• Recognizing patterns
• Logical Thinking

Problem solving strategies now include Logical Reasoning, Making a List, Look for a Pattern, Make a Table, Guess and Check.

At this time, addition and subtraction facts should have been memorized: knowledge of facts without use of manipulatives such as number lines and/or fingers. Once a month the students are given a 2-minute timed addition and subtraction test. Score increases/decreases are noted.

Science

• Earth Science
  • Weather and Seasons
  • Seasonal Changes
  • Water in the Air
  • Water Cycle
  • Types of Weather
• The Earth
  • Features
  • Changes in Rocks and Soil
  • Volcanoes and Earthquakes
  • Resources
  • Protecting the Earth
• Physical Science
  • Force, Magnets, Electricity
  • Force
  • Gravity
  • Magnets
  • How Electricity Moves
  • Electrical Safety
• Science Process Skills
  • Observing
  • Communicating
  • Classifying
  • Predicting
  • Estimating and Measuring
  • Inferring
  • Making Operational Models
  • Experimenting

Social Studies

• Map Reading and Mapping Skills
• Identifying Cities, Capitals, States, Abbreviations
• Identifying Cities, Capitals, States, Countries, Continents
• Reading maps, graphs, charts, tables, labels

Religion

• Parts of the Mass
• Basic vocabulary
• Daily Prayers and Intentions
• Bible Stories – Old and New Testament
• Community Service Projects: Love Loaves, Distribution of the Loaves
• Celebrating the Sacrament of Eucharist

Social Skills

• Listening to and following oral directions
• Reading and following written directions
• Becoming more an independent learner rather than a shared learner
• Sharing equal roles in group work
• Oral presentations in small groups and whole class to familiarize students with speaking to others to share learning or interests

Technology is integrated across the curriculum in Grades PreK-8. The Massachusetts Department of Education Recommended Instructional Technology Standards can be found here. The following is a sampling of technology use and is subject to change based on new applications and curriculum. Students in Grade 2 use desktop computers in their classroom and have weekly technology classes using the wireless computer lab. Computer Activities:

• typing drills to learn home row keys
• basic word processing using Word
• outlining with Kidspiration.
• create a card using Print Shop
• write stories using Smart Board software
• following directions using Paint.
• access the Internet using websites that support the curriculum