OVERVIEW FOR SECOND GRADE
Second grade is a transitional grade. It is a grade where beginning skills are strengthened and expanded, where self-confidence is fostered and developed, where the child’s responsibilities in the learning process are stressed, and where the child begins to learn to set priorities.
You should see growth in your child’s reading, writing, and mathematical skills. This is also a year of expanding social awareness. Peer approval becomes increasingly important at this time.
Second grade brings satisfaction to individual children as they become more independent learners. Enjoy this year with your child.
This pamphlet reflects the average expectancy at this grade level. Due to the range of abilities and motivation among students, there will be some who will exceed these expectations and others who will not be able to achieve all of them. Individual needs will be met through enrichment and remediation in all curriculum areas.
Although we have isolated each subject area to describe essential components in our classrooms, learning often takes place through hands-on activities, cooperative learning, and theme-based approaches which integrate many subjects. Technology is used as a tool to reinforce and motivate learning.
Uppermost on our list of goals is the desire to instill in each youngster a love of learning and a positive attitude toward school. An optimal educational experience can be provided for your child if we all--parents, teachers, and administrators--work closely together.
THE SECOND GRADE CHILD
Every child is an individual growing and developing at their own rate. Children in the same grade differ widely from others in their group. There are, however, general characteristics and needs which apply to most children in second grade.
The Second Grade Child May:
Expand social interactions
Play with boys and girls as equals
Be more aware of others’ needs
Be more capable of listening for longer periods of time
Want immediate gratification at times
Express strong emotional feelings
- Show a desire for more independence and less adult intervention
- Be sensitive to ridicule and loss of prestige
- Have a well developed competitive spirit
-
- Be fearful of imaginary and improbable dangers (doctors, thunder the dark)
- Have improved eye-hand coordination
Replace baby teeth with permanent teeth
The Second Grade Child Needs: - A sense of security and a feeling of being accepted no matter what
- Genuine praise and encouragement and selective criticism of errors
- Broadening experiences that encourage and satisfy growing interests
- Opportunities and encouragement to develop friendships and the feeling of being liked by friends
- To have periods of rest and relaxation, and 10 or more hours of sleep each night
- Proper medical care for usual childhood diseases
- Nutritious balanced meals with healthy snacks
Parents Can Help By:
Promoting general health and development, including daily active exercise and regular examinations by doctor and dentist- Monitoring time devoted to TV, video, and other passive entertainment
- Reading to your child and listening to your child read to you every day
- Setting examples for habits of tidiness, posture, etc.
- Giving the child a role in some aspects of planning family functions, and regular home responsibilities or chores
- Notifying school when a health problem exist, such as problems at home that cause emotional
- stress for a child (e.g. divorce, loss of pet, death in the family, etc.)
- Praising appropriate behavior and effort
- Providing encouragement, a regular study time, and a quiet
place without distractions for homework
- Monitoring your child’s progress by having contact with the
teacher, and having a knowledge of the school’s program
- Being supportive, positive, and an active listener with your
child
- Showing your child how and when to use telephone
emergency response systems, such as 911, and how to write
your address and phone number
- Discussing that medicines should be taken only under
supervision
- Teaching children to say no to themselves and others in
dangerous risk taking situations
- Choosing limits that fit your child’s age and establishing
consequences and rewards
- Encouraging and supporting your child’s independence
(leaving you outside the classroom door, turning in their own homework, hanging up their own coat, handing in notes from home, etc.)
LANGUAGE ARTS
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The following is a short synopsis of the California Academic Content Standards for Language Arts, Mathematics, History/Social Science, and Science. Complete document available on the Internet at www.cde.ca.gov or at the Dixie School District.
READING
WORD ANALYSIS, FLUENCY, AND SYSTEMATIC VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENTS: Students understand the basic features of reading. They select letter patterns and know how to translate them into spoken language using phonics, syllabication, and word parts. They apply this knowledge to achieve fluent oral and silent reading.
READING COMPREHENSION: Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They draw upon a variety of comprehensive strategies as needed, (e.g., generating and responding to essential questions, making predictions, comparing information from several sources).
LITERARY RESPONSE AND ANALYSIS: Students read and respond to a wide variety of significant works of children’s literature. They distinguish between the structural features of text and the literary terms or elements (e.g., theme, plot, setting, and characters).
WRITING
WRITING STRATEGIES: Students write clear and coherent sentences and learn to group together related ideas. Students progress through the stages of the writing process with legible penmanship (e.g., pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing successive versions).
WRITING APPLICATIONS (GENRES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS): Students write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences.
- Write brief narratives.
Write a friendly letter complete with date, salutation, body, closing and signature
- WRITTEN AND ORAL ENGLISH USING LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS: Students write and speak with a command of standard English that are appropriate to this grade level.
Sentence Structure Grammar
Spelling
Punctuation Capitalization
LISTENING AND SPEAKING
LISTENING AND SPEAKING STRATEGIES: Students listen
critically and respond appropriately to oral communication.
Give and follow multiple step oral directions.
Organize presentations to maintain a clear focus. Speak clearly.
SPEAKING APPLICATIONS (GENRES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS): Students will recount experiences or present stories that move through a logical sequence of events. They will describe story elements (e.g., characters, plot, setting). Students will report on a topic with facts and details, drawing from several sources of information.
Students understand the importance of individual action and character and explain how heroes from long ago and the recent past make a difference in others’ lives
SCIENCE
EARTH
Our universe is interactive and constantly changing.
Grade-Level Concepts and Sub-concepts
The inside of the Earth is constantly changing.
- The earth is composed of solid, liquid, and gaseous materials
that form layers.
- Stress in the Earth’s crust, caused by movement of the Earth, is
released through earthquake and volcanoes.
- Most rocks are formed in many different environments. Some
are formed under heat and pressure inside the Earth.
LIFE
Living things are diverse, interdependent and evolving.
Grade-Level Concepts and Sub-concepts
All organisms go through predictable life cycles.
- Plants go through a life cycle.
- Animals go through a life cycle.
- The sequential stages of life cycles are different for different
animals for example, butterflies, frogs and mice.
PHYSICAL
The interactions of matter and energy shape our world.
Grade-Level Concepts and Sub-concepts
Energy is necessary to cause changes in matter.
Pushes and pulls are effects of energy that make matter move The greater the force, the greater the motion.
ENVIRONMENTAL
People are dependent on the Earth’s dynamic natural systems and can participate in responsible actions to enhance or protect the environment.
Grade-Level Concepts and Sub-concepts
We conserve soil because it supports life.
Soil is made up of living and nonliving things. Soil supports life, and life enriches soil.
People depend on soil.
People can choose to enrich and conserve soil.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
The Physical Education Program meets the students’ need to develop physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially by providing planned physical activity and the learning of skills that enable students to participate in activities throughout life. The Physical Education Fitness Program for primary children is based upon learning the fundamentals of movement and building a foun- dation for physical fitness. The program helps children to:
- Develop cooperation and good sportsmanship skills.
- Develop physical abilities and fitness through ball games, play-
ground games, rhythmic movement activities and
cardiovascular exercise.
- Use play equipment such as: ropes, balls, and outside
playground structures appropriately and safely.
- Develop an enjoyment of physical activity.
MATHEMATICS
By the end of second grade, students will be able to understand and apply the following concepts.
NUMBER SENSE
- Students understand the relationship among numbers, quantities and place value in whole numbers up to 1000.
- Students estimate, calculate and solve problems involving addition and subtraction of two-and-three digit numbers.
- Students model and solve simple problems involving multiplication and division.
- Students understand that fractions can refer to parts of a whole.
- Students model and solve problems by representing, adding and subtracting amounts of money.
- Students use estimation strategies in computation and problem solving.
ALGEBRA AND FUNCTIONS
Students model, represent and interpret number relationships to create and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
MEASUREMENT AND GEOMETRY
Students understand that measurement is accomplished by identifying a unit of measure, repeating that unit and comparing it to the item to be measured. Students describe and classify two and three dimensions and solid geometric shapes.
STATISTICS, DATA ANALYSIS AND PROBABILITY
- Students collect, record, organize, display and interpret
numerical data on bar graphs and other representations.
- Student demonstrate an understanding of patterns and how
they grow, and describe them in general ways.
MATHEMATICAL REASONING
Students make decisions about how to set up a problem.
Students note connections between one problem and another.
HISTORY/SOCIAL SCIENCE
PEOPLE WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Students in grade two explore the lives of actual people who make a difference in everyday life.
- Students differentiate between those things that happened long ago and yesterday.
- Students demonstrate map skills by describing the absolute and relative locations of people, places, and environments.
- Students understand basic economic concepts including trade.
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VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
Art, music, drama, and dance are integrated into the curriculum.
HOMEWORK
Homework is defined as an assigned activity that is primarily accomplished outside of regular class time. Such work shall be appropriate to the grade level, subject matters, and instructional objective(s); in general, the amount of time spent on homework shall increase as the student progresses through the grades.
Purpose and benefits of homework can include:
- Extend or make more meaningful concepts introduced at
school.
- Engage students in purposeful practice relevant to their
learning.
- Develop effective study habits.
- Develop independent learning skills.
Each school follows the District Administrative Regulations and Policy as well as follows the site specific Homework Guidelines.
REPORTING TO PARENTS
Open communication between parents and teacher is essential to each child’s educational and developmental progress.
- A parent-teacher conference will be held in October/ November. This will include a progress report card. Progress report cards will also be issued in January and May, as needed.
- Standards-based report cards are issued in December, March and June.
- Each teacher has a system for regular communication to parents to help them keep abreast of what the class is learning.
- In addition, the teacher will contact the parents on an individual basis as the need arises.
- Parents are encouraged to talk to the teacher whenever they have a concern (i.e., new glasses, loss of a pet, family emergency, change in living arrangements, etc.) that might affect the child’s ability to learn.
ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING
Teachers assess student progress regularly using a wide variety of tests and other strategies, including teacher observations, student tasks and projects, teacher-made tests, curriculum unit tests, and required district and state exams. Information from these various assessments helps teachers provide the kinds of learning experiences that will help all students make significant progress toward the district’s standards.
STUDENT PROMOTION/RETENTION CRITERIA
The following multiple promotion criteria for reading, writing, listening/speaking, and mathematics applies to students in grades 2-5 for each trimester:
Achievement Grades
Each student’s overall classroom progress, quality of work, and participation must be:
above “Not Passing” (grades 4-5)
above “Requires Additional Instruction” (grades 2-3)
Progress Toward Standards
Each student’s “Progress Toward Standards” must be “Grade Level Proficient.”
California Standards Tests (CST)
Each student’s English/Language Arts and Mathematics spring performance level score must be Proficient or above.
SUPPORT SERVICES
The Dixie School District provides services for Special Education, English Language Development, counseling and psychological services.
DISTRICT TESTING SCHEDULE
Testing
K
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Dixie/State Standards Testing
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
STAR Testing: CA Standards Test (CST))
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program
X
X
X
X
X
X
State Physical Fitness
X
X
State Writing Assessment
X
X
CA English Language Development Test
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
NOTE: Additional testing for various programs occurs throughout grade levels as needed.
DIXIE ADOPTED BASIC TEXTBOOKS
Subject
Publisher
LANGUAGE ARTS
Houghton Mifflin
6+1 Traits of Writing
MA THEMA TICS
Everyday Math,
The Wright Group
SCIENCE
CA Science,
Pearson Scott Foresman
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Harcourt
HANDWRITING
D’Nealian, Scott Foresman
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION
All students must have a written record of immunizations that is up to date prior to school entry.
Rev. 8/09
The District Code of Conduct
Be Safe.
Be Responsible. Be Respectful.
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Replace baby teeth with permanent teeth
The Second Grade Child Needs:
Parents Can Help By:
Promoting general health and development, including daily active exercise and regular examinations by doctor and dentist
place without distractions for homework
teacher, and having a knowledge of the school’s program
child
emergency response systems, such as 911, and how to write
your address and phone number
supervision
dangerous risk taking situations
consequences and rewards
(leaving you outside the classroom door, turning in their own homework, hanging up their own coat, handing in notes from home, etc.)
Write a friendly letter complete with date, salutation, body, closing and signature
that form layers.
released through earthquake and volcanoes.
are formed under heat and pressure inside the Earth.
LIFE
Living things are diverse, interdependent and evolving.
Grade-Level Concepts and Sub-concepts
All organisms go through predictable life cycles.
animals for example, butterflies, frogs and mice.
PHYSICAL
The interactions of matter and energy shape our world.
Grade-Level Concepts and Sub-concepts
Energy is necessary to cause changes in matter.
Pushes and pulls are effects of energy that make matter move The greater the force, the greater the motion.
ENVIRONMENTAL
People are dependent on the Earth’s dynamic natural systems and can participate in responsible actions to enhance or protect the environment.
Grade-Level Concepts and Sub-concepts
We conserve soil because it supports life.
Soil is made up of living and nonliving things. Soil supports life, and life enriches soil.
People depend on soil.
People can choose to enrich and conserve soil.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
The Physical Education Program meets the students’ need to develop physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially by providing planned physical activity and the learning of skills that enable students to participate in activities throughout life. The Physical Education Fitness Program for primary children is based upon learning the fundamentals of movement and building a foun- dation for physical fitness. The program helps children to:
ground games, rhythmic movement activities and
cardiovascular exercise.
playground structures appropriately and safely.
ALGEBRA AND FUNCTIONS
numerical data on bar graphs and other representations.
they grow, and describe them in general ways.
MATHEMATICAL REASONING
Students make decisions about how to set up a problem.
Students note connections between one problem and another.
HISTORY/SOCIAL SCIENCE
PEOPLE WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Students in grade two explore the lives of actual people who make a difference in everyday life.
school.
learning.
ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING
Teachers assess student progress regularly using a wide variety of tests and other strategies, including teacher observations, student tasks and projects, teacher-made tests, curriculum unit tests, and required district and state exams. Information from these various assessments helps teachers provide the kinds of learning experiences that will help all students make significant progress toward the district’s standards.
STUDENT PROMOTION/RETENTION CRITERIA
The following multiple promotion criteria for reading, writing, listening/speaking, and mathematics applies to students in grades 2-5 for each trimester:
Achievement Grades
Each student’s overall classroom progress, quality of work, and participation must be: