• Second Grade Syllabus
     
     Reading:  We are using the comprehensive literacy approach to Reading. 

           This approach allows children to read and work in small groups at

           a comfortable instructional level as well as participating in shared

           reading experiences using various pieces of literature.  The small

           groups are flexible and children are never locked into a specific

           group.  The units of study are:  Reading Growth Spurt, Becoming

                               Experts:  Reading Nonfiction, Studying Characters and Their
     
                   Stories, Bigger Books Mean Amping Up Reading Power, Reading
     
                   Nonfiction Cover to Cover:  Nonfiction Book Clubs, and Series
     
                   Book Clubs.
     
                              
     Language Arts:  Our grammar work will focus on the following parts of 

                              speech:  nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.  We will

              be composing paragraphs and writing journal entries

                              that include topic sentences, supporting sentences with 

                              detail, and concluding sentences using the Writer’s

                              Workshop format.  We will compose written paragraphs

                              based on the different genres of writing, narrative,

                              opinion, and informational.  The units of study are: 

                              Improving Narrative Craft, A How-To Guide to

                                  Nonfiction, Writing Gripping Fictional Stories,
                             
                              Poetry:  Big Thoughts in Small Packages, Lab
     
                              Reports and Science Books, and Writing About
                             
                              Reading.

     Mathematics:  The major goal of this year is to know all addition and

                            subtraction facts from 1 – 20 without hesitation.  The

                            units of study are:  Numbers to 1,000, Adition to 1,000,

                            Subtraction to 1,000, Using Bar Models for Addition and

                            Subtraction Multiplication Tables of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10,

                            Mental Math and Estimation, Money, Fractions, Metric and

                            Customary Measurement of Length, Time, Graphs and Line

                            Plots, Lines and Surfaces, Shapes and Patterns.

     Word Study:  We will work with a certain phonological skill using

                           Fundations in each unit.  During the week, there will

                           be Spelling and phonics activities in class that

              reinforce the current unit sounds.  The list of sample

              Spelling words dealing with the sound(s) of the unit

                                 will be sent home at the beginning of every unit.  Trick
                           
                            words for the unit will be included in the unit overview
                         
                            along with a homework guide for the length of the unit. 
                           
                            These trick words must be memorized as they do not
                           
                                               follow the rules of the unit.  At the end of each unit, a
                           
                           test will be given assessing the sounds from that unit. 
     
                           Please use the weekend as time for your child to
     
                           practice spelling the trick words and working with
     
                           example words that include the sounds of the unit.

    Social Studies:  We will learn about several topics in relation to

                             our communities and other communities.  The units of

                             study are Active Citizenship, Rural, Urban and Suburban

                                 Communities, Geography of Communities and Change
     
                                                 and Interdependence in Communities. 

    Science:  Our Science instruction is based on the revamped Science 21

                    curriculum.  The new units of study incorporate the current

                    performance standards, cross-cutting concepts and the 

                    science and engineering practices.  The units of study are:

                    Structure and Properties of Matter, Earth's Systems:

                    Processes That Shape the Earth and Interdependent

                    Relationships in Ecosystems.      

     

     
    learn