Second Grade
Welcome to 2nd Grade!!
We hope you find this year to be a happy and successful one. Some
important things to know about this year are as follows:
Reading: We will be using trade books and the Harcourt-Brace reading program. One of the most important things you can do to help your child at home is to place a great deal of importance on reading. Schedule a 15- minute period where EVERYONE in the family reads. Have your child read to you, you read to your child, or both read together. Keep several books in the back seat of your car for those extra moments of reading. The phrase “practice makes perfect” also applies to reading.
Mathematics: Prospect Mill uses the Everyday Mathematics program.
We will be studying addition, subtraction, regrouping, time, money, measurement, problem solving, place value, and fractions using a variety of manipulatives. It is important that your child studies and memorizes addition and subtraction facts at home. Since homework is a vital part of the mathematics program, your child will have homework Monday through Thursday evenings. Please review the homework each evening with your child.
Social Studies/Science: We will be studying Communities, Sink and Float, Earth in Space, Growth and Change, and Here’s Looking at You, 2000. From time to time, children will be required to bring materials for class projects. Home projects may also be assigned.
Written Composition: Besides learning grammar, capitalization, and punctuation, the students will be using a five-step writing process as follows:
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Step 1: Prewriting- This step involves listening, thinking, and sharing. Students make decisions about what they will write.
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Step 2: Writing (First Draft)- Students print thoughts without worrying about spelling mechanics.
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Step 3: Revising- Students read and make changes in content. During this step, conferencing will take place.
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Step 4: Proofreading- Students make changes in capitalization, punctuation, and sentence structure.
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Step 5: Post Writing- The student’s work is published and evaluated.
Spelling: Children will have a final unit test on the last day of each day week. Help your child review spelling words nightly. Success in spelling is based on the following: class work, homework, test results, and accuracy of spelling in all subject areas. In addition, second graders begin to move away from the use of temporary spelling as they gain knowledge of PALS and spelling patterns, and they increase proficiency in spelling skills.
Homework: Beginning in second grade, each child at Prospect Mill is issued a homework assignment book. With the teacher’s assistance, students are responsible for writing their assignments in the book every day. Parents should review this book with their child every night and should sign it when they have seen that their child’s homework is completed. This book is also a good place for teachers and parents to jot notes to each other so please check for notes. (Any note that needs to go to the office, however, such as a note about picking up your child early, should be written on a separate piece of paper.) As a general rule, mathematics homework is given Monday through Thursday evenings and spelling homework may also be assigned. It is the child’s responsibility to have his/her homework in class on the day it is due.
We look forward to working with your child this year. If you have any questions, please contact us at school, by phone 410-638-3817 or by note. Will respond as quickly as we can. – The Second Grade Teachers