Expanding Horizons
Second grade is the time for students to solidify the academic foundation that they have begun to build. In every discipline, they are enriching and expanding their skills and adding to their knowledge of the world around them. In second grade, students continue learning how to learn, but their horizons expand as their skills progress.
Responsive Classroom
Second grade language arts continues to utilize the Fountas and Pinnell workshop approach in reading and Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study in writing. As they learn about multiple genres, study new authors, and learn new analytic skills, their wide range of skills means that children are reading authentic literature and nonfiction at very different ability levels. Therefore, independent and small group guided reading lessons are provided at each child’s level, and our classroom libraries reflect and respect that diversity of abilities. In Writing Workshop, second grade students demonstrate growth in their ability to use more sophisticated vocabulary, punctuation, and organization in stories and nonfiction. They study text features and structures, build descriptive language skills, and organize their opinions with reasons and examples.
Math
In second grade math, students continue to follow the challenging Common Core standards. They are expected to become more fluent in their number sense, and they begin to work with larger numbers, find multiple ways to solve problems, learn how to work with money, tell time, and move into more advanced geometry. Some children are ready to move beyond addition and subtraction while others are still building those skills; we are ready to challenge and support them at all levels. The ability to apply arithmetic knowledge to authentic situations becomes essential to success, as real-world math always involves language and story problems. At Rockwern, second grade math is highly differentiated, and we benefit from having both a Gifted and Talented resource teacher and also math support teachers for remediation in response to the needs of our learners.
Science
Rockwern’s second graders perform science projects and record observations and hypotheses in a science journal, learning not only fundamental content but also how scientists work. Social Studies continues to be integrated into the Language Arts program through nonfiction reading and research projects. At the second grade level, students learn about the world as they study the geography of every continent, and they also begin economics, building basic concepts such as wants vs. needs, goods vs. services, and the manufacturing process.
Hebrew & Judaic Studies
Second grade Hebrew and Judaic Studies build on the skills introduced in first grade. Students continue learning to read Hebrew and to write in both manuscript and cursive. Their conversational Hebrew expands, and they study the weekly Torah portion, daily life, holidays, and Jewish values through the Tal Am and iTalAm curricula. Second graders learn about celebrating Shabbat and create ceramic candlesticks as part of their Art class. In addition, they lead a Kabbalat HaTorah (receiving the Torah) program, showcasing their Judaics learning and kick-starting their text study education which will continue for years to come, as they develop skills for critical thinking and close reading of texts.
Specials
(TBD)
A visit to any of these classes reveals that second graders become remarkably sophisticated! They are purposeful, knowledgeable, and full of energy and fun. They love to learn new information, and they enthusiastically share that knowledge with classmates and teachers. Their joy is palpable, which makes second grade an incredible place to be.
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