Grade Two

In grade two, students continue to interact with a variety of texts and expand their ability to express their ideas through writing. They study their family heritage and understand the development of America in relation to other world cultures. The scientific theme of studying wholes and parts helps the student understand how systems form. By the end of second grade, students should have mastered additive reasoning. Performance Tasks include: Poetry Café; Book of Idioms; Family Pantry Project; Reading Between the Lines Essay

English Language Arts
The second grade students in Monomoy continue to build upon their knowledge of the features present in fiction and non-fiction text, and deepen their understanding of story elements and text features using questioning, and explicitly-taught reading and vocabulary strategies to enhance comprehension of grade-level materials. Students generate short narrative, expository, and opinion writing pieces using information gathered through research, texts, and personal experiences. While engaging in writing, conversations, and oral presentations, students will meet grade-level expectations for grammar and sentence structure.

Social Studies
Second graders study world and United States history, geography, economics, and government by learning more about who Americans are and where they came from. They explore their own family’s history and listen to, or read a variety of teacher- or student-selected stories about: distinctive individuals, peoples, achievements, customs, events, places, or landmarks from long ago and around the world. Students learn more economic concepts by identifying producers, consumers, buyers, and sellers in their own communities.

Mathematics
In grade 2, instructional time focuses on four critical areas: (1) extending understanding of base-ten notation; (2) building fluency with addition and subtraction; (3) using standard units of measure; and (4) describing and analyzing shapes. Students extend their understanding of the base-ten system. They use their understanding of addition to develop fluency with addition and subtraction within 100. They solve problems within 1000 by applying their understanding of models for addition and subtraction, and they develop, discuss, and use efficient, accurate, and generalizable methods to compute sums and differences of whole numbers in base-ten notation. Students recognize the need for standard units of measure and they describe shapes by examining their sides and angles. Time should be devoted in achieving mastery of addition and subtraction facts (10x10): fluency with strategies and understanding (decomposition/re-composition of number).

Science and Technology/Engineering
Wholes and Parts - As students grow in their ability to speak, read, write and reason mathematically, they also grow in their ability to grapple with larger systems and the parts that make them up. In grade 2, students start to look beyond the structures of individual plants and animals to looking at the environment in which the plants and animals live as a provider of the food, water, and shelter that the organisms need. They learn that water is found everywhere on Earth and takes different forms and shapes. They map landforms and bodies of water and observe that flowing water and wind shapes these landforms. Grade 2 students use their observation skills gained in earlier grades to classify materials based on similar properties and functions. They gain experience testing different materials to collect and then analyze data for the purpose of determining which materials are the best for a specific function. They construct large objects from smaller pieces and, conversely, learn that when materials are cut into the smallest possible pieces, they still exist as the same material that has weight. These investigations of how parts relate to the whole provide a key basis for understanding systems in later grades.

The Unified Arts
One of the primary goals of the unified arts instruction is to develop and expand children's natural abilities of perception, movement, interpretation, and appreciation of the forms, sounds, and language of creativity. The curriculum is designed to encourage a positive attitude and, perhaps, a lifelong interest in all of the unified arts disciplines. By participating in active experiences, working collaboratively with classmates and teachers, and presenting their work to the larger community, our students gain the technical and aesthetic foundation to be culturally literate citizens of the world.

Visual Arts
Art classes focus on young children’s natural abilities to perceive, create, and appreciate the visual arts, while developing a positive attitude, and perhaps, a lifelong interest in art. Painting, collage, clay, drawing, sculpture, and fiber art projects often relate to the themes that the children are studying in other areas of their curriculum. The children’s work is often displayed in hallways and galleries around the school.

Music
Music instruction in the primary grades is based on a comprehensive, sequential, experience-based program used to develop basic musical skills and to teach the reading and writing of music. From lullabies, childhood chants, folk songs, singing games and dances, to the art music of master composers, students sing, move, listen, and respond to an ever-increasing repertoire of music, from which musical elements and concepts to be learned are derived.

Wellness
The elementary physical education program provides opportunities for students to express themselves through movement. Classes focus on fine and gross motor skills, balance, spatial awareness, flexibility, endurance, strength and coordination. Activities are lively and fun, making use of a wide variety of equipment, ranging from bean bags to beach balls, whiffle bats, scoops, and foam paddles. The four most important areas for student learning are; skill development, personal responsibility, fitness, and sportsmanship.

Technology
The essential questions in the early elementary technology classroom are: How can students use technology responsibly and safely? How can students effectively use keyboarding hardware and software? How can students use technology for research, problem solving and innovation? and How do students use technology to communicate?