Welcome to the wonderful world of the second grade! As your seven year old matures and develops, this is the year where their independence begins to emerge, grow, and blossom. Here at SFACA I hope to set the stage where your child can embrace their own learning and develop good life- long work habits and study skills. The following is a curriculum snapshot of what you can expect for your child’s second grade experience.
The Second Grade ELA curriculum is a combination of reading, writing, grammar, phonics, vocabulary, and spelling. It is the blending and integration of all these elements that enables the student to achieve their own personal best in the area of literacy. Students will learn to listen to, read, internalize, speak, and write about literature of different genres.
Children engage in silent, partner, shared, and group reading. They are encouraged to read aloud with accuracy and expression and to attend to punctuation and appropriate phrasing. Literary elements such as character, plot, setting, and theme are discussed and analyzed. Skills such as cause and effect, compare and contrast, and drawing conclusions are practiced. Children are introduced to and encouraged to use different decoding strategies. Phonics and vocabulary are part of everyday lessons. In conjunction with our regular reading series and to reinforce all that is taught in the classroom, children work independently on the computer-based reading program entitled RAZ Kids.
Children also participate in Journal writing and are encouraged to write well developed paragraphs. Parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, and adjectives are reinforced and integrated into their writing. Students participate in a varied array of writing genres including, but not limited to, personal narratives, informative, and opinion pieces. Students are also engaged in writing poems and friendly letters.
In math, students will add and subtract two and three digit numbers with and without regrouping. Word problems are stressed and practiced daily, and children are encouraged to use critical thinking and problem solving skills to solve these problems. Children learn to interpret data, as well as read and create graphs. Time, money, measurement, and geometry are taught and integrated into different subject lessons. All of these units are supported by the computer based math program IXL. Our classroom is equipped with 3 computers which the children use daily, on a rotating basis.
In the early part of the year, our social studies curriculum revolves around the different types of communities and how these communities grow and change. As the year progresses, children develop their mapping skills and learn how to create and read a map. Continents, oceans, and landforms are also introduced and studied. By the third trimester children learn about important American symbols such as the White House and the American Flag, and they explore holidays and historical leaders. Children also investigate the importance of rules and laws in a society.
In science class we begin our year with a unit on animals. Students will gain knowledge about the different kinds of living things that live in a variety of environments. As the year progresses, we investigate how plants and animals live together. Students will discuss the basic needs of all living things and how plants and animals depend on each other for survival. Food chains and food webs are introduced, discussed, and created. We close our year with a unit on plants. The students will understand that structures of living things are adapted to their function in specific environments.
Religion is integrated into all areas of our curriculum. Love for God, others, and oneself is not a lesson isolated to religion class. These beliefs are taught, modeled, discussed, and lived throughout the day. The teachings of Jesus Christ are an integral part of our daily lives here at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy. During their time in second grade, children receive two Sacraments; Reconciliation and Eucharist. Much time and study are involved in preparation of these two life-forming events. Sacred vessels used during liturgical celebrations are examined and discussed. Children tour the church and become familiar with its different parts and their meanings. As part of Religion class, children will learn about the early church, seven sacraments, Ten Commandments, Blessed Trinity, Bible, liturgical year, and the parts of the Mass.
As part of a well balanced education, students also receive instruction in Art, Italian, Gym, Music, Library, and Computer with special subject teachers. At St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy we strive to instill in our students a love for learning and a sense of responsibility for all of creation. It is my hope that their second grade experience helps them to grow academically, spiritually, and emotionally enabling them to meet the demands of third grade with success and distinction.