Second graders develop reading competence and fluency through immersion in literature. Literature presents the child with the linguistic, structural, and conceptual input needed to create independent readers.

Understanding the nuances of language and comprehending basic story plot and character development are key elements of the second grade language arts program. In this context, traditional skill areas such as word attack strategies that include phonetic analysis, contextual clues, and understanding of syntactical structure are consistently reinforced.

Students in second grade experiment with a variety of writing styles including fiction, nonfiction, a variety of poetry forms, and narrative. The grade two language arts course of study also continues the manuscript handwriting program. In addition, second graders use a formalized spelling and phonics program.

MATHEMATICS

In second grade, competence in basic addition and subtraction facts is stressed. Areas of study include regrouping in addition and subtraction, extended place value, problem solving, logic, geometry, deductive reasoning, prediction, estimation, measurement (weight, length, time), word problems, and an introduction to multiplication.

Science

In second grade, students are actively engaged in investigations which foster their natural curiosity. Life Science topics can include the life cycles of spiders and crickets. Physical Science units include magnets and simple machines.

Second graders study history through the lives of people who have made a difference in our world. Through biographies and historical fiction, children learn about individuals, both ordinary and extraordinary, who have shaped history. Students participate in a unit on geography skills that includes work with the five themes of geography.

TECHNOLOGY

With a background in word processing in first grade, second graders increase their skills greatly by using the word processor more extensively. The children learn how to save their documents in class folders, and on disks. Extensive drawing skills are also emphasized in second grade.

The study of the musical scale begins at this level. Children learn to sing, and sign using the Kodaly method, the notes sol-la-mi. Students have individual music books and sing many selections contained in the text. Concepts previously taught are continued. Students also begin studying the melodic concepts of step and skip, and melodic direction – upward vs. downward. In addition to the instruments used in earlier grades, guiros, temple blocks and slit drums are added to the repertoire. Cooperative creative group work on special assignments begins at this level.