Capitol Hill

2^nd Grade Curriculum Overview

Reading:

          Capitol Hill’s 2^nd grade reading curriculum consists of literature based units used in conjunction with the district’s adopted basal series. The literature-based books used for unit studies include fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, folk tales, biographies, fantasy and poetry. During unit studies, books at a variety of reading levels are used to accommodate different reading levels. Skill presentations follow the district’s basal scope and sequence of reading skills.

          A variety of authors and illustrators are featured during the various unit studies throughout the year. And we also incorporate the other areas of study including Science and Social Studies into our reading curriculum.

          Second graders are expected to read aloud at home for 10 minutes each school day.

Math:

          The 2^nd grade math curriculum consists of a scope and sequence that addresses individual students needs combined with strategic problem solving. Students are placed in ability groups based on their skill levels. The math standards from the National Council of Mathematics Teachers are incorporated into the Everyday Math Series. You can expect your 2^nd grader to have math homework  Mondays - Thursdays.

Science:

          2^nd Grade is moving towards an inquiry based approach to many of our science units. Students will have many opportunities to develop questions and then plan investigations to find answers to their questions.        Units in 2^nd grade include life, earth and physical sciences. Some of the units are:

• Life Cycles: Amphibians, Insects, and Plants
• Investigations of Bubbles or Popcorn
• Solids, Liquids, and Gasses
• Insects
• Habitats and Food Chains
• Soil Science

Global Studies:

          The 2^nd grade global studies focuses on communities. Some of the units are: friendship, cultural celebrations, black history, women’s history, personal safety, geography and how people lived, current events, expectations, responsibilities, time lines and graphs.

Language Arts:

          The four main components of the language arts curriculum are Writers’ Workshop, spelling, grammar and handwriting.

          The spelling consists of a weekly list of words as well as projects. For students who show mastery on the pretest, an alternate list is offered.

          We use the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum for reinforcing the manuscript alphabet.

          Students learn correct word usage, capitalization and basic forms of punctuation in 2^nd grade.

          The Writers’ Workshop is a curriculum that has students writing every day. There is a mini-lesson which teaches or reinforces a skill or craft and then the students put into practice what they’ve learned during the mini-lesson. There are five major units of study in Writers’ Workshop. They are: narrative writing, memoir writing, poetry writing, mentor author, and nonfiction writing. The students will be writing each day in their journals and will have several published pieces of work at the end of the school year.