Second Grade Overview
In English Language Arts your child will…
- This year, our second grade students will build literacy and language skills by participating in ten cross-disciplinary units of study in our Benchmark Advance Program. Each three-week unit will focus on one topic, and the topics will range from economics to earth science, history and culture to themes in literature, and much more. As students read poems, stories, plays, and informational articles, they will strengthen their reading and writing skills and strategies, participate in meaningful collaborative conversations, and make connections to their other content area studies.
- Students will develop their writing skills in writing workshop with our resource School-Wide Writing Fundamentals. This will be a time when students take part in a writing lesson and, most importantly, write independently. Your child’s teacher will provide explicit instruction on the various stages of the writing process. At each stage, they will be looking at great models of writing by authors who will serve as mentors. Students will be encouraged to take risks as they develop their own individual writing styles and become part of a writing community that shares ideas and learns from one another.
How can I support my child at home?
Set aside twenty minutes each day in a comfortable reading space for reading together. During this 20 minutes, read aloud to your child and encourage them to read to you. By reading aloud with your child every day, you can model fluency and expression and support the work your child is doing at school. Encourage your child to read independently by read the word, retelling the story, or creating their own stories from the pictures.
Is there an online platform or app available?
- Yes! In the Clever app on your child’s iPad there is a Benchmark Advance app. In the app, you can explore the texts students will be encountering in the unit.
- The Epic! digital library app is also available on your child’s iPad. Students are able to read and listen to books and audiobooks.
Additional Information about our core resource:
- Benchmark Advance: Parent Welcome Letter
In math, your child will:
- Solve two-step addition and subtraction story problems to 100
- Add and subtract to 20; know addition facts to 20 by memory
- Read and write 3-digit numbers using numerals, words, and expanded notation (726 = 700 + 20 + 6)
- Understand that the three digits of a 3-digit number represent amounts of hundreds, tens, and ones
- Use symbols >, =, < to compare two 3-digit numbers
- Add and subtract 2-digit numbers accurately and efficiently, and explain strategies for doing so
- Add and subtract 3-digit numbers using models, sketches, and/or numbers, and explain strategies for doing so
- Estimate and measure length in centimeters and meters, inches and feet.
- Divide circles and rectangles into two, three, and four equal parts and describe the parts
- Recognize, draw, and analyze 2- and 3-D shapes
- Solve money problems involving dollars, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies
How can I support my child at home?
- Check out a parent guide for each unit of instruction: Second Grade Family Support Page
- Math at Home is an additional resource by The Math Learning Center that includes thought-provoking, Bridges-aligned math activities and games that can be used at home or at school throughout the year for students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
Is there an online platform or app available?
- Yes! Dreambox is a personalized math program that builds students' confidence and competence. Learn more about how to support the program at home.
Additional Information about our core resource:
- Video: Introduction to Bridges in Mathematics
- Video: Grade K-2 Bridges in Mathematics: Mathematical Models & Strategies
- Video: Grade 3-5 Bridges in Mathematics: Mathematical Models & Strategies
District 58 incorporates an inquiry-based approach. Students engage in inquiry through rich discussion, questioning, research using various resources, and summarizing their understanding with a project for an audience. DG58 started inquiry with social studies and embeds it throughout other content areas. Ultimately, District 58 staff light the way for students to engage in a path of exploration and discovery.
The gradual release process of inquiry.
In Social Studies your child will…
- Explore disciplinary concepts throughout the year within the Families, Neighborhoods, and Communities theme.
- Engage individually and collaboratively in inquiry within four disciplinary concepts; civics, economics, history, and geography.
- Throughout each chapter, explore essential and supporting questions through the SAVVAS Quest Connections
- Gather and evaluate sources
- Develop claims and use evidence
- Communicate conclusions
- Take informed action to demonstrate understanding
Additional Information about our core resource:
Savvas immerses students in history through a perspective-rich environment that grows as the student moves through elementary school. Learn more about the Savvas social studies program by clicking this link.
What is inquiry?
Simply put, inquiry-based learning is founded on a "big question". In our K-5 social studies resource, the big question is researched through what we call, Quest. Each lesson begins with a big question. Then, reading and activities guide students through investigation to answer the big question. In the end, students complete a quest project to demonstrate learning and understanding.
The inquiry process, according to C3, includes 4 stages:
- Developing Questions and planning inquiries
- Applying the disciplines (civics, economics, geography, history)
- Evaluating resources
- Communicating conclusions and taking informed action
To learn more, watch this quick and helpful video.
How can I support my child at home?
As parents, it can be hard to see our children struggle. However, by not giving the answer, through "failure" (F-first, A-attempt, I-in, L-learning), children learn and build self-efficacy.
Below are helpful ideas to easily incorporate inquiry into your home.
- Learn along with children through books, TV programs, and learning hobbies, such rock collecting.
- Visit museums, zoos, aquariums, and historical sites with children. The Downers Grove Public Library has museum passes available. Downers Grove also has a rich history. To learn more, visit the Downers Grove Historical Museum.
- Explore quality television programs like PBS, the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel.
- Subscribe children to magazines.
1. Bring Inquiry into Your Home
Meet a question with a question. Our first instinct when a child asks a question is to provide an answer. This can prevent a golden opportunity to learn about how to learn. So, next time your child asks you a question (“How do you spell ….?” “What are the types of energy?”), instead of supplying the answer, try responding like this:
Great question! How could you find that out? What resource could you use to discover that?
Be prepared to inquire together. Sometimes, when you meet a question with a question, you get an “I don’t know”. That is an invitation to a great teachable moment! If your child doesn’t know how to find out on their own or what resource to use, you can respond with:
Let’s figure it out together. Maybe we can try this….Let’s see if this resource has the answer…
Ask the magic question – “What do you notice?”. No matter what subject – the secret ingredient to inquiry is asking learners to think about what they notice. That one question works every time, and can be followed up with “what else do you notice?”.
You don’t have to be an expert, just be a learner. It is okay to not know. That presents an opportunity to model your own approaches to learning. Confidently to say, “I don’t know”. Follow it up with, “But now I want to know, so here is how I am going to find out!” or, “Let’s figure this out together!”
2. Encourage Reflection
Get them thinking about their thinking. There are two magic questions you can ask your child to help them think deeper – any subject:
How do you know?
What makes you say that?
3. Support your child’s agency
Invite their voice. Give space for children to articulate what they like and don’t like about learning. Listen to what they care about and what matters to them and try to understand and find ways to support it.
Respect and support their choices. Be aware of choices you make for your child that they could make themselves. Choices may include when, where, and how they learn. Teach the decision-making process (What choice are you making for yourself?). Then follow up with a reflection (How did that choice work out for you? How do you know? What will you choose differently next time?).
Emphasize ownership. Sometimes learning can get misrepresented as something done to learners. These phrases build that sense of ownership over their learning:
It’s your learning.
You’re in the driver’s seat.
Your learning, your choice.
*Credit: makinggoodhumans.wordpress.com
In Science your child will study...
- Plant and Animal Survival: Students are introduced to the unit’s anchoring phenomenon of how one strawberry plant grew berries while another one wilted. In this unit, students explore what kinds of living things are present in an area, and why some plants and animals live in certain places, but others do not. Students discover what animals and plants need to survive and how sometimes that survival comes down to dependence on another plant or animal. Students explore the many different kinds of living things in an area as they examine case studies on how plants and animals survive in four different habitats: rainforest, desert, pond, and ocean. Then, using what they know about what plants need and biodiversity, students plan their own food garden. Will students figure out what plants need to live to make their garden a success?
- Materials and Their Uses: Students are introduced to the unit’s anchoring phenomenon of how sometimes ponds are filled with water, but other times, they appear icy. In this unit, students find out what everything is made of by classifying materials by their properties and comparing the differences between liquids and solids. Students understand how materials are used for different purposes, how materials are reused, what happens when materials are mixed, and what happens when materials are heated or cooled. Using what they know about materials, can students determine which materials to use in different weather, specifically to stay dry?
- Earth’s Surfaces: Students are introduced to the unit’s anchoring phenomenon of how Earth’s land takes on many different shapes. In this unit, students discover the features of the Earth’s surface, including its many different forms of land and water. Students understand how maps are used to represent land and water. Students go on a video tour of some national parks in America to examine rapid and slow changes including how natural events such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and erosion from wind and water shape Earth’s surface. Students find out how problems that are caused by wind and water are solved. Using what they know, can students develop a design to protect a shoreline from erosion?
District 58 utilizes the Second Step program to support students’ social emotional learning through a holistic approach to building our school communities. Children benefit from social-emotional learning (SEL) at any time, but today it’s especially important to help them develop the skills they need to connect and thrive. Second Step® Elementary is a leading research-based SEL curriculum
In Second Step your child will…
- Practice skills for learning
- Practice skill for empathy
- Learn and practice strategies for emotional management and compassion
- Learn and practice communication skills and problem-solving strategies during peer interactions
How can I support my child at home?
If you are interested in learning more about the Second Step curriculum and approach, please visit their website at SecondStep.org.
Art
In Art your child will…
- Learn about art in our community
- Learn about and explore color-theory and symbolism
- Create self-impressions
How can I support my child at home?
To inspire your child, visit museums, art shows, and the Downers Grove Public LIbrary where there is exposure to a variety of artwork. The library offers museums free passes that you can check out. Build inspiration for art, by learning about local and historical artists. As you drive around town, see if you can identify various forms of art, whether sculptural or other modes. Finally, have a variety of art materials available at home, such as clay, playdough, paint, colored pencils, fun paper, and more. Many stores have small and large art kits available to encourage children tap into their creativity.
Is there an online platform or app available?
Seesaw is a resource our art teachers rely on the most. Through Seesaw, we connect with parents and share a window into your child’s creative side. At the beginning of each year, your child’s teacher will send you an invitation to their Seesaw class, which will automatically connect you to their art class. Once there, families can see updates, helpful videos, assignments and more.
Music
(content coming soon)
Physical Education (PE)
In physical education your child will engage in the following activities throughout the school year:
- Learning locomotor skills (walking, running, hoping, jumping)
- Participate in chasing games
- Develop throwing and catching skills
- Engage in team building activities
- Introduction too striking and kicking skills
- Explore basic fitness concepts
How can I support my child at home?
- Encourage active play: Encourage your child to be physically active every day. Activities such as running, jumping, climbing and playing outdoor games are great for students this age.
- Make physical activity a family event. Engage in physical activities as a family. Plan trips to the park, nature trails, or the park distinct where everyone can participate in activities like hiking, booking, swimming, or playing sports together.
- Limit screen time: Set limits on screen time. Excessive screen time can negatively affect a child’s physical activity levels. Encourage your child to engage in more hands-on activities instead.
- Create a supportive environment: Create an environment that supports physical activity in your child’s daily routine. Provide your child with access to sport equipment, bikes, and other active equipment.
Is there an online platform or app available?
Shape America. Their website offers resources and ideas for parents to support physical education at home and in the community. Website: https://www.shapeamerica.org/MemberPortal/events/parents.aspx
Library
In Library your child will…
Build an appreciation of literature through a variety of genres that represent neurodiversity and cultures. In Library, students explore the Illinois State Award books, engage in research, and learn how to navigate the library to access books and information online. The library curriculum follows the Association of Illinois School Library Educators standards to engage students in an exploration of genres and modes of media.
How can I support my child at home?
Reading and discussing books with children of any age has the most impact on a child’s motivation and ability to read. You can even read the same book that your child is reading. Visit the Downers Grove Public Library to expose your child to a variety of genres and reading materials and even establish a relationship with the local librarian. The library also has free museum passes. The night before your child’s school checkout, brainstorm books or topics they might explore.
Is there an online platform or app available?
Common Sense Media offers helpful resources, articles, videos and digital citizenship parent tips: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles
Visit Destiny to explore books available at your child’s school.