Second Grade Curriculum

Dear Parents,

Welcome to a new school year!! I hope that you and your child are as excited as I am about starting a new school year. I am looking forward to getting to know you and your child. If there is anything you feel I should know about your child please let me know. We will work together to meet the needs of your child. Please feel free to call me at school (452-0935) or at home (661-4608). You may also e-mail me at school - anderscb@unit5.org.

The green folder is your child’s own take home folder. It will be coming home nightly. We’re organizing the folder by putting notes on the LEFT and papers on the RIGHT. Please decide with your child on a place where he/she can place the folder each night so you can look at it at your convenience. A sheet labeled PARENT - TEACHER COMMUNICATION will stay in the green folder so you can communicate any questions or concerns to me whenever the need arises. A weekly newsletter - SECOND GRADE BUS STOP NEWS- will be sent home on Mondays so you can review current and upcoming activities. All important classroom letters will be printed on PINK paper,

This year our lunch will be served during the FIRST setting - 11:15 - 12:40. Please note – this is a time change from last year. Second graders will eat first and then go to recess. The students are welcome to bring nutritional snacks for our class. NO CANDY OR POP ALLOWED!!! Each child is responsible for bringing their own individual snack each day.


Second graders have NO BATHROOM in their classroom this year. We will take frequent restroom breaks throughout the day as a whole class. Individual children will be allowed to go the bathroom (with a hall pass) only if it is an emergency. If you don’t think these rules are appropriate for your child, please let me know.

Your child will bring home a spelling list on Mondays.  We will start with 10 words every week. Each list will highlight a specific spelling pattern or word family. Later in the year we will add more words. On Mondays, students will be given a pre-test. They are responsible for studying their words each night. We will also be doing games, activities, and other practices here at school so they are working with their spelling list throughout the week.

We are using EVERYDAY MATH again this year. THERE WILL BE MATH HOMEWORK THIS YEAR.. Pages called HOMELINKS will be sent home almost nightly. These sheets provide follow up and enrichment activities at home. The assignments will not take much time to complete, but most of them involve interaction with an adult. Please return the HOMELINKS pages on the NEXT school day. If your child does not return homework, he/she will receive a warning card and must stay in at recess to complete the assignment. We will also continue drill and practice of addition and subtraction facts to 20. Flashcards will be sent home on Thursdays. Please do a quick review of these facts for a quiz on Fridays.

Students will bring home their reading book or a literature book on Monday or Tuesday of each week. Our reading series is Harcourt Brace. It incorporates spelling, language skills, reading, writing, and DOL (daily oral language). Please have your child read the story of the week to you or with you. The literature books will be sent home in a plastic bag for protection. Please handle these books with care and return them the following school day. This year both second grades will be participating in the four block language arts program. The four block consists of guided reading, self selected reading, writing, and working with words. Research shows that this technique is a stronger approach to teaching ALL children to read and write. This framework represents four different approaches to teaching children to read using a variety of formats to meet each child's individual learning style.

BIRTHDAYS are always a special time in our class. I am happy to help your child celebrate by sharing birthday treats with the class. If you would like to send treats, just let me know when you will be sending treats.

BOOK ORDERS will be sent home with the first BUS STOP NEWS of each month. I order from the SCHOLASTIC book club. Payment should be made by writing a personal check to the book company. DO NOT make checks out to me. NO CASH PLEASE!!!!! Checks and orders are due on Fridays.

Similar to first grade, we will be filling our own poetry books with a variety of poems. Your child needs a 1 inch three ring binder for his/her poetry collection.

We will be starting cursive writing immediately!!!! I will be introducing lowercase and and next week. Please practice these letters at home. A sample sheet of all cursive letters is attached. Remember we are no longer using D’Nealian writing. We are using TRADITIONAL style for print and cursive. I am sending home a copy of the TRADITIONAL manuscript alphabet as well. Students should be using the traditional print now.

Our district recently purchased a new science series. The following units are part of the second grade science curriculum.1. Plants 2. Animals 3. Plant and  Animals 4. Living Things 5.Earth, Land and Water. 6.Weather and Seasons 7.Fossils and Dinosaurs. 8.Matter. 9.Energy. 10. Forces and Motion. 11.Sound. 12. Earth and Space. 13.Technology.

THe second grade Social Studies curriculum is based upon "Children Around the World". The students will study and learn about the seven continents. The second grade classes will participate in a diversity fair at the end of the year.

Please read, review, SIGN, and RETURN the CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR PLAN that is attached to this newsletter. I have already reviewed the rules and procedures with the students. The tickets will be traded in for candy, prizes, or free time activities on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The whole class ticket reward party will be on Fridays. Just like last year we are also using PBIS (positive behavior intervention system) throughout the school. Cheetah awards are earned for good behaviors and school-wide reward parties are held for those who qualify.

I use a variety of assessment tools. Some of the ways your child will be assessed this year are: anecdotal records, work samples, portfolios, tests, and quizzes. For papers that are graded, there will be two numbers at the top - one over the other. For example, a +11/13 means that your child did 11 problems correctly out of 13. Please go over completed papers with your child and correct the errors. Some papers may be marked “ DT. This means did together. Others may be marked “WP”. This means done with a partner.

I know this is a lot of information to “take in” all at once. This is important information for you about what your child will be experiencing in second grade. Take a few days to absorb everything. If you have any questions, contact me.


ADDITIONAL UPDATES:
1. OUR SCHOOL DAY SCHEDULE - 8:15 to 3:00.
2. NEW LUNCH HOUR - 11:15 - 11:40. LUNCH RECESS 11:40 - 12:05.

LOOKING FORWARD TO SHARING A GREAT YEAR WITH YOU CHILD!