Second grade learners grow like beanstalks!  It is a year of discovery and promise!  Students strengthen basic foundational skills in all areas as they are encouraged to become independent thinkers and problem solvers who are not afraid to take risks. They are becoming critical thinkers who analyze and evaluate the world around them, thinking carefully about what to do or what to believe, based on evidence and reason. Second grade learners are creative thinkers who learn to see problems as a chance to solve something in a new and different way and never give up!

Second grade readers develop essential reading skills while a love of reading is fostered. They are introduced to a variety of genres as they find "Just Right" books for independent practice.  Through the Balanced Literacy approach of Reader's Workshop, students will learn and grow through teacher modeling, small group instruction, mini-lessons, book clubs, partnerships, and independent reading.  Readers receive instruction using both fiction and non-fiction texts.

Second grade spellers engage in Donald Bear’s Words Their Way program which guides our spelling and phonics curriculum. Students are introduced weekly to a phonetic concept and work through various activities to reinforce spelling patterns.  Weekly spelling lists are differentiated.

Second grade writers use strategies to plan, develop, organize and revise a wide variety of writing pieces, both long and short.  Mentor texts highlight elements of good writing,  and teacher modeling demonstrates how thoughts get turned into words on paper. Students are offered opportunities to collaborate and reflect on their writing as they go through the writing process from brainstorming through publishing. They are constantly working  to become independent, lifelong writers.

Second grade mathematicians expand their knowledge of operations and algebraic thinking as they represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction through the EnVision Program. Using Reflex Math, they gain fluency in adding and subtracting within 20. They add-to, take-from, put- together, take-apart and compare numbers in many different situations.  They measure, estimate, and interpret data.  They work with time and money and geometric shapes.  They learn to explain how they got their answer and to show answers in multiple ways.  Math journals are used to promote mathematical thinking and problem solving.  

Second grade scientists learn how to think and act like scientists as they observe and inquire about the world around them.  They explore how to act like a scientist, weather, Earth, Sun, Moon, Organisms and Habitats, and Structure and Properties of Matter.

Second grade community members work to understand their place in the world starting with being a good citizen in their school community and gradually expanding to include global citizenship.  Beyond Chatham, they will discover how people in the world are both similar and different and how their cultures are impacted by traditions, leadership, and even geography.  Students will develop an awareness of and commitment to the rights and responsibilities of good citizenship through our character education program, Second Step.

Related Arts

Second Graders  participate in Library, Music, Art, Health, P.E.  and Design and Technology classes.