Welcome to the 2^nd Grade at GICS!

Be sure to read our Monthly Highlights following the Program and Curriculum Overviews.

Program Overview

     Second-graders build on and broaden all skills learned in first grade.  The program integrates reading and language arts instruction across the curriculum, enabling students to make connections to all subject areas.  Whereas manuscript letters are reinforced during the first half of the year, cursive handwriting instruction typically begins mid-way through the school year.  Instructional methods include teacher-directed activities, collaborative projects, small group work, independent study, and one-on-one help.  Learning centers are used to reinforce skills and concepts taught.  Homework is used for children to revisit skills taught at school that day and to pursue occasional longer projects.  Field trips relevant to our curriculum have included the Baltimore and D.C. Zoos and the Maryland Hall for performances.

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Curriculum Overview

     Language Arts:  Reading and Literature
          Harcourt Brace Reading Series and novels are used at this level. Independent reading is also encouraged.  Children may select materials from our classroom library.  Oral and written book reports and projects are assigned to promote appreciation for books.  (Text: Treasury of Literature, Harcourt Brace; trade books such as Molly’s Pilgrim, Freckle Juice, The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo, Nate the Great, The Real Thief)

     Language Arts:  Writing
          Writing is incorporated throughout the curriculum in the form of journal writing, letter writing, one-paragraph stories, creative writing, book report projects, and writing workshop sessions (students use the writing process to write about topics they choose).  Second-grade grammar lessons include nouns (common, proper and possessive), action verbs, helping verbs, contractions, pronouns, adjectives, compound words, homonyms, synonyms, capitalization, and punctuation.  (Text: Language Handbook, Harcourt Brace)

     Language Arts:  Spelling
          Spelling skills are taught by using a phonics-based program. Words are also gathered from content areas and student work for spelling tests.  (Text: Spelling, Scott Foresman)

     Language Arts:  Handwriting
          The manuscript handwriting skills taught previously are reinforced, while neatness, correct letter formation, and letter spacing are emphasized.  Cursive handwriting is introduced, using the D'Nealian method.  (Text: D’Nealian Handwriting, Scott Foresman)

     Mathematics
          Addition and subtraction through three-digit numbers are introduced.  Place value to 999, money, time, measurement, geometry, fractions, multiplication, and division are explored.  Graphing, estimation, and problem solving are also taught at this level.  Manipulatives are provided to give hands-on experience. (Text: Math Central, Houghton Mifflin)

     Social Studies
           The theme, “The People We Depend Upon” allows second-grade children to explore the ways individuals depend on themselves, family members, community members, and ancestors.  In approaching the theme of dependence in a global sense, our studies take us to the countries of Germany and Brazil and emphasis is on rainforest of Brazil.  Throughout the year, the curriculum also incorporates cultural holidays, calendar occurrences, and current events that we monitor during the school year.

         Areas related to the theme, “Living in our Country.” provide the second grade class with an opportunity to focus on citizenship and learn more about individuals who were, and still are, influential to the people of America.  Map study skills are integrated with regular instruction. (Texts: Some People I Know, Houghton Mifflin; various trade books; related literature from the library)

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     Art
          Art for second-graders emphasizes design and color. Students are encouraged to show self- expression.  We incorporate further studies of line, shape, color, texture, rhythm, and work on composition.  Printing, clay, color mixing, paper cutting, weaving, and drawing are part of the curriculum.  Famous artists are incorporated into art lessons.  Students create projects coordinated with units in language arts, science, math, and social studies.

     Computer
          In Second Grade, students continue to expand their knowledge of the keyboard, backspacing, deleting, and adding lines while typing.  Students learn to save their work to a hard drive and re-open it in later classes.  More use is made of programs that involve reading skills as well as computer skills, and students use encyclopedias on CD-ROM and the Internet to conduct research.

     Library
          Second-graders practice alphabetical order and use it to find library materials and information easily.  We also investigate the location of fiction materials and biographies and practice dictionary skills.  The students begin to use the catalog to search for materials by author, title, and subject and to then find the desired materials on the shelf.  The Chessie Reading Program is again open to students, helping them to bridge the gap between picture books and the more difficult fiction materials they will read in the upper grades.

     Music
          Students continue to explore basic music elements such as pitch, tempo, rhythmic patterns and basic music notation.  They learn to sing by reading and are offered opportunities to sing solo.  They also continue to learn two-part songs and rounds, and to play various percussion instruments.  Another focus is expanding their knowledge of the four major instrument groups and exposure to different music genres through a composer of the month and multicultural music.  Cross-curriculum approaches will be integrated into music lessons in cooperation with the homeroom teachers.  Exposure to performance opportunities occurs in class and during the December Holiday Program and through Assembly Programs.

     Physical Education
          The second-grade student participates in activities that include use of locomotor skills, movement, rhythmic expression and group organization patterns.  The fundamental skills of throwing, catching, dribbling, jumping and bouncing balls are reintroduced and practiced.  Playground games, sportsmanship, cooperation and safety are emphasized.  We continue to practice team games (skills, strategy and rules).  Students are introduced to the Physical Fitness Assessment Program.  They also begin to understand why their muscles work in their bodies.

     Science
          Second-graders practice a hands-on approach to life science, and study physical science, earth science and the human body, as well as weather, sun, moon, earth and their effect on each other.  Also studied are the human body parts and functions as well as forces, motion, light and heat energy.  Students use previous knowledge and experience in developing inquiry-based questions and content learning goals.  They build upon these authentic questions using the appropriate steps of the scientific method.  Class experiments and exploration involve the nature trail and pier.  Field trips have included a visit to the Chesapeake Environmental Center.  The second grade will monitor weather patterns using the school’s weather station and will communicate the data with a weekly forecast to the school at All School Morning Meetings.

     Spanish
          The second-grade students review and expand vocabulary and conversation previously presented.  They do fun activities with the alphabet, numbers, clothes, body parts, transportation and lots more!  Students recite the days, months, date, seasons, and numbers, and learn to describe their homes and some furniture, using colors, both masculine and feminine, and other adjectives.  To reinforce learning and communicating, we use visuals, songs, games, realia, poems, and stories.  Students begin to “see” the written Spanish words, but they are not emphasized.  They learn an appreciation of language, people, and the cultural similarities and differences of Mexico, Spain and other countries, including their own, through books, discussions, and visitors.
              

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Second Grade Highlights

April 2008

MATH
In math, your child will learn about numbers to 1,000. He or she will learn how to build 1,000 out of tens and hundreds and will learn about place value in three-digit numbers. Your child will also expand on what he or she knows about addition and subtraction. They will be adding and subtracting three-digit numbers using regrouping. An activity to do at home would be to make math problems with missing addends, such as 2,220 + _____ = 2,440.


SOCIAL STUDIES
The rain forest is exciting! We have studied the residents of the rain forest and the four levels of the forest. Students have discussed the five senses a person would experience inside a rain forest. They are writing an incredible descriptive report regarding the five senses. We will be learning about the people who live in the forest and how the human race is affecting it.

Students will continue to explore the continents of the world. Our next area of study will be Europe. If any of you have visited this continent and would like to be a guest speaker, please contact me.

Your child can sing a song about the seven continents and four oceans, ask him or her to sing for you.

LANGUAGE ARTS
Students are continuing to write in cursive in the classroom! They are doing a great job.

They are continuing to learn the parts of speech, writing proper sentences, and formulating paragraphs. They will practice the essential parts of writing paragraphs; main ideas, topic sentences, supporting and body sentences, transitions, and conclusions. They will practice using the essential parts by writing different kind of paragraphs; narration, explanation, description, comparison and contrast, persuasion, opinion, and definition.

Second graders are reading books about traditions and celebrations such as, the history of baseball, our nation’s flag, birthdays, and cowboys. They are reviewing prefixes, suffixes, phonemic sounds, and inflected endings. Students are learning to read with fluency, new vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

Make reading a fun activity to do with your child. Use it to learn new information or to follow directions.

April is National Poetry month; dedicate time to read poetry this month with your child.
 

Specials Highlights

May & June 2008

Art

   Second Grade Art students are completing their Bay Week study of Vincent van Gogh by “painting” using oil pastels. The second graders focused on birds, so their van Gogh-like paintings are of birds. They looked at the way van Gogh used paint…thickly, mixing colors, using curved lines. His favorite colors were blue and yellow and appear in many of his paintings. Currently, students are experimenting with marbleized papers to create an unusual background for a collage picture using the concept of silhouette.

Due date for submissions to the Art Show is May 1st! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to show us your talent!

Computer

  The students will be introduced to Microsoft Publisher this month. They will use existing designs to begin their projects and then explore editing options to change colors, fonts, and backgrounds. Toward the end of the month, they will practice some logical reasoning skills using the Zoombini’s Logical Journey program.
 

Library

In May, we will continue to work with dictionaries and encyclopedias, practicing finding particular words and looking at all the different pieces of information that are included in entries. Later in the month and into June, we will look at how songs and theatrical performances such as operas and ballets often are put into books, and how stories and rhymes are in turn sometimes put into movies or turned into songs.
 

Music

  Second grade will be finishing off the year in the meter of 3. We will waltz solo and with a partner, create movement patterns in 3, and learn a song on the Orff instruments to accompany the fairy tale “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”
 

P. E.

The Student-Faculty Basketball game was a huge success and the 2nd grade class is now enjoying the lacrosse unit. We will continue to work on eye-hand coordination and agility until the end of the year with various “playground activities” such as SPUD, 4-Square, Hopscotch, tee-ball, kickball and a jungle gym obstacle course.

Field Day will be held on Wed, June 4. Parent volunteers are needed!

PE Uniform reminder: navy dress shorts are not PE uniform shorts. Please wear the navy gym shorts with the GICS logo.
 

Science

We are finishing a unit on the birds of this area. The students will discover how the adaptations of a bird help it survive just by using its feet and beak. We will later look at adaptations of other plants and animals.
 
 

Spanish

In May we will begin a new unit on “la comida”, “the food”. We will also be adding to our existing list of “opuestos”, “opposites”.  We will do a lot of fun activities to reinforce our new vocabulary.  We will be learning a song “Rataplan” and we continue to review past vocabulary, practice counting and reading, spelling, pronunciation and comprehension.  The students will be participating in a Cinco de Mayo celebration to become aware of an important event in Mexican history.

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