Second Grade
Nancy Benfer
“Focus on the whole person, teach the lesson and touch the heart…above all, teach your children about God’s love for them! Set your gaze on the future and strive to fit young people for the world in which they are destined to live.” ~ Betty Ann McNeil, D.C. on the teachings of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Welcome to Second Grade
The second grade religion program prepares the children for their first celebration of the sacraments of Penance and Eucharist.
The reading/language arts program focuses on the development and encouragement of fluent readers, articulate writers and speakers, and discerning listeners and viewers.
The math program stresses the child's need to know basic facts and skills, and provides reading strategies for problem solving.
The science program is based on the National Science Education Standards and NY State Science Framework. The second grade skills areas are Live Science - Plants, Animals, Fossils; Physical Science - Matter, Sounds, Heat, and Light, Force, Magnets and Electricity; Earth Science - The Earth, Weather and Seasons, The Solar System; Human Body - How Your Body Works, Nutrition, Keeping Healthy.
The social studies program helps the children explore their world and see how they can contribute as individuals. The key Social Studies strands are Citizenship, Culture, Economics, Geography, Government, History, Science and Technology.
Animal Project:
Here are a few links to help you explore learning at home with your child!
http://www.abcya.com/second_grade_computers.htm
http://www.abcya.com/third_grade_computers.htm
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/2nd-grade-math.html
The main goal for incoming second graders is to inspire an enjoyment of reading and to encourage regular reading habits.
Summer is a time for students to focus on reading what interests them the most!
A great goal for this summer would be to read at least one to two books per week.
Parents, it is wonderful to read to, and with your child, I encourage this! Also, if possible, try to ‘set them free’ for a bit to read, then circle back and ask some simple comprehension questions (Who is the main character? Where did the story take place? What was a problem the characters encountered?) This will give your child independence, but then you can be sure he or she has understood and retained the information read!
Your child’s ‘homework’ for this summer is simple! Pick a character from a favorite book and complete a ‘character sketch’ of him or her. Please check your recent emails from school to get instructions on how login to your child’s Google classroom. There, you will find the assignment and grading rubric for this activity.
Below, you will find some of my favorite authors and series. Your child’s character sketch must not be from one of these authors or series. These are just some suggestions.
Authors:
Tomie dePaola
Ted Arnold
Marc Brown
Kevin Henkes
Leo Lionni
Peter Reynolds
Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Linda Kranz
Cynthia Rylant
Mark Teague
Series :
Caldecott Winning Books
Step Into Reading
Junie B. Jones
Ready to Read Books
Henry and Mudge
Magic Treehouse
Horrible Harry
Frog and Toad
Who Will Win?
