AN OVERVIEW OF SECOND GRADE

Second grade students use the listening, speaking, and reading foundational skills they have developed to extend their understanding of written language and their skills in using written language. They need to read a wider variety of texts that require strategies and skills with more complex vocabulary and ideas. These students need to be able to write sentences to express multiple ideas about a topic.

Second grade students will:

Use acquired concepts and metacognitive skills to read and write more independently.
Comprehend and respond to texts using multiple skills and strategies.
Extend vocabulary skills to use oral and written communication effectively.
Use reading and listening, speaking and writing, and media and technology resources to accomplish a purpose.

TEXTS IN GENRE

Fiction

Nonfiction

Poetry

Drama

Grade 2

Storybooks
Short chapter
books

Newspapers
Telephone books
Signs/labels

Short poems
Word plays
(alliteration/rhyme)

Skits
Short plays

COMPOSITION PRODUCTS

· Personal narratives

· Creative stories

· Kits (familiar stories/experiences)

· Structured, informative presentations and narratives

MATH

The early grades focus on building a strong understanding of number and fluency with

mathematics to solve problems. Fundamental to these skills is knowledge of number facts, the computational processes, and the appropriate use of each operation. Together with an emphasis on using mathematics to solve problems, elementary students will build a depth of understanding enabling them to apply the content in a variety of contexts.

1) Number and Operations

Develop number sense for whole numbers through 999.

Connect model, number word, and number using a variety of representations.
Read and write numbers.
Compare and order.
Rename.
Estimate.
Use a variety of models to build understanding of place value (ones, tens,

hundreds).

Use area or region models and set models of fractions to explore part-whole

relationships in contexts.

Represent fractions (halves, thirds, fourths) concretely and symbolically.
Compare fractions (halves, thirds, fourths) using models.
Make different representations of the same fraction.
Combine fractions to describe parts of a whole.

Create, model, and solve problems that involve addition, subtraction, equal grouping,

and division into halves, thirds, and fourths (record in fraction form).

Develop fluency with multi-digit addition and subtraction through 999 using multiple

strategies.

Strategies for adding and subtracting numbers.
Estimation of sums and differences in appropriate situations.
Relationships between operations.
Develop number sense for whole numbers through 99.

Create and solve problems using strategies such as modeling, composing and

decomposing quantities, using doubles, and making tens and hundreds.

Define and recognize odd and even numbers.

2) Measurement

Estimate and measure using appropriate units.

· Length (meters, centimeters, feet, inches, yards).

· Temperature (Fahrenheit).

Tell time at the five-minute intervals.

3) Geometry

Combine simple figures to create a given shape.

Describe the change in attributes as two and three-dimensional figures are cut and

rearranged

Identify and make:

· Symmetric figures.

· Congruent figures

4) Data Analysis & Probability

Collect, organize, describe and display data using Venn diagrams (three sets) and

pictographs where symbols represent multiple units (2's, 5's, 10's).

Conduct simple probability experiments; describe the results and make predictions.

5) Algebra

Identify, describe, translate, and extend repeating and growing patterns.

Write addition and subtraction number sentences to represent a problem; use

symbols to represent unknown quantities.

SCIENCE

Crosscreek Charter School Second Graders are exposed to a science curriculum that integrates the unifying concepts of science.

These unifying concepts are:

· Systems, Order and Organization.

· Evidence, Models, and Explanation.

· Constancy, Change, and Measurement.

· Evolution and Equilibrium.

· Form and Function.

There are four strands that provide the context for teaching the goals and objectives. The strands include:

· Nature of Science.

· Science as Inquiry.

· Science and Technology.

· Science in Social and Personal Perspectives.

SOCIAL STUDIES

The second grade study emphasizes community life in a variety of contexts with a major focus on geography. Students examine how communities may be linked to form larger political units, and how there are cultural, geographic, and economic ties. Through their study of various patterns of community living, the students begin to understand that people's activities are influenced not only by their geographic location, but also by how they use the earth's materials, the physical environment, and human traditions. By looking at communities from a geographic perspective, students become aware of some of the cultural, political, geographic, and economic factors that help bind communities together through both time and space.

Strands

· Cultures and Diversity

· Historical Perspectives

· Geographic Relationships

· Economics and Development

· Global Connections

· Technological Influences

· Government and Active Citizenship

HEALTH EDUCATION

The following bullets identify and define each of the health education strands present in Crosscreek Charter School ’s curriculum:

• Mental and Emotional Health (Goal 1 - achieving well being through anticipating and managing stressors; having positive and healthy self-esteem; controlling behaviors that are unhealthy for self or others; coping with failure and loss in a healthy manner; recognizing mental and emotional health needs; and accessing appropriate resources)

• Personal and Consumer Health (Goal 2 - recognizing and avoiding a variety of health risks; preventing disease and infection; managing the environment and community health; practicing preventive measures; demonstrating positive hygiene habits; understanding the growth and development process; and selecting and accessing appropriate health resources)

• Interpersonal Communication and Relationships (Goal 3 - having healthy social support and providing support for others; having effective communication skills, including empathy, listening, negotiation and conflict resolution; identifying and seeking help for unhealthy relationships)

• Nutrition and Weight Management (Goal 4 - achieving high-level wellness through wise nutritional choices and a variety of regular physical activity)

• Substance Abuse Prevention (Goal 5 - reducing health risks by avoiding and assertively refusing harmful and illegal substances, including alcohol and tobacco, and avoiding the misuse of prescription and nonprescription medications)

COMPUTER/TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

Focus Areas

· Using technology in the community

· Respecting the computer work of others

· Observing online resource

· Using electronic database to locate information

· Responsible care of resources

· Building word processing skills

· Collecting, sorting, and displaying data

· Exploring multimedia tools

· Using drawing tools

GUIDANCE

Crosscreek Charter School ’s Personal/Social Development Program provides the foundation for personal and social growth which contributes to academic and career success. Personal/social development includes:

The acquisition of skills, attitudes, and knowledge which help students to respect self and others.
The use of effective interpersonal skills,
The employment of safety and survival skills,
The understanding of the obligation to be a contributing member of society, and
The ability to negotiate successfully and safely in the increasingly complex and diverse world of the 21^st century.

VISUAL ARTS

The study of visual arts is cumulative and sequential to include learning introduced and emphasized at previous grade levels.

The emphasis at this grade level is on:

· Reading

· Recognizing that mistakes can be turned into creative opportunities

· Repetition, pattern, geometric shapes and texture

· Telling and recording original stories through art

· Observing how artists tell stories through their art

IMPORTANT DATES

Feb 1st ~ March 30th

Open Enrollment New Students School Year 2012-2013

February 7th

CCS Board Meeting at 7pm

February 17th

Early Release 11:45am

February 20th

Presidents' Day NO SCHOOL