2nd Grade Curriculum
Excellence – No Limits
If you're a second grader at Sonoran Sky, you're in for a wonderful adventure!
As teachers, our goal is to give second graders wings to fly. We want them to begin soaring through reading books that are carefully chosen for their leveled instruction and enjoyment. Every child is taught strategy tools to equip them to become fluent readers.
We also want them to take flight with our mathematical building blocks. This comes from knowing their math facts up to 20 in addition and subtraction.
Our science and social studies curriculum keeps us all flying with lots of hands-on excitement.
A Sonoran Sky second grader loves school and every aspect of it. Our hope is that second graders will take their love for learning into the world to make it a better place.
Second grade consists of a variety of academic content areas taught within a cooperative learning environment. Throughout these content areas, Howard Gardner's “Multiple Intelligences” are emphasized to help students stretch and grow while feeling successful in their learning. The second grade comprehensive curriculum includes:
Programs in music, art, media/technology, and physical education are also provided to students at Sonoran Sky. Trained specialists not only teach essential skills relative to their special areas, but also work with classroom teachers to plan learning experiences, which enrich classroom curriculum and assist children in discovering their own strengths and talents.
Reading
& Language ArtsSecond graders use the Scholastic Literacy Program. Scholastic coordinates phonics, grammar, vocabulary building, reading comprehension, and spelling into a well-thought-out program. Scholastic Literacy also incorporates guided reading groups (with appropriately leveled books), shared reading, independent reading, interactive writing, independent writing, and modeled writing. Spanish continues to be presented to second grade students through a video series.
One of the goals in second grade is to help all children become fluent readers. Second grade students are expected to read a minimum of two hours per week outside of school. Students turn in reading logs each week with the books read recorded on the back of the “Literacy Challenge” form. For the Sonoran Sky Literacy Challenge Program, a student may read any book of their choice. The time that someone else reads to a second grade student is also counted. Students who read a minimum of two hours per week are awarded a Reading Certificate at the end of the school year. Once a month, second graders have “Friendly Friday” where students invite a parent or friend to come to their classroom and read to them. back
The district math program is Harcourt Brace. The series incorporates manipulatives while teaching problem solving and critical thinking skills. Computation and skill review activities are also part of this program. back
The Harcourt Brace Social Studies textbook and materials support our themes and literature studies which are taught throughout the year. Our students learn about other cultures, a variety of holidays, pioneers, and communities. The Health curriculum at Sonoran Sky is McGraw-Hill Health. In second grade, topics such as friendship, nutrition, personal health, safety, and emotional health are introduced. back
The second grade Science curriculum follows The Silver Burdett Ginn's global modules entitled: Interactions of Living Things, Earth Through Time, and Solids, Liquids, & Gases. back
Homework requirements for second grade consist of 20-40 minutes each night, which should include reading. Three or four days of the week, we will specify a particular home activity on the Assignment Sheet to be returned to school. Assignment Sheets are activity calendars that are passed out on Friday prior to each school week and contain any classroom assignments and any upcoming happenings for the next week. The assignment is due on the day it appears on the Assignment Sheet. The days on which no assignment is specified, we would like the students to spend their homework time reading appropriately leveled books and practicing math facts. It's very important that parents help their child establish a regular time for homework every night. back
Johnny Appleseed Day – Sept.
Pumpkin Math – Oct.
Indian Art & Games – Nov.
Holidays around the World & 2nd Grade Sing – Dec.
100th Day, Read 100 Books – Jan.
Hoedown – Mar.
2nd Grade Class Plays – Apr.
Portfolio Party - May
Mesa Southwest Dinosaur Museum
Horizon High School – Nutcracker Play
Out of Africa
Pioneer Village
Desert Botanical Gardens Butterfly Exhibit
2nd Grade Supply List
The following is a list
of recommended supplies needed for the classroom by Friday, August
21, 2009
1. School Box with Lid (No Larger Than
6 X 9)
2. 48 No. 2 Plain Yellow Pencils Sharpened
3. Two Red Pens
4. A Box of 24 Crayons (Please no more than 24)
5. Small Fiscar Scissors (with name)
6. 6 Glue Sticks and 1 container white glue
7. 6 fine point, Expo dry-erase markers (any dark color)
8. A Set of 24 Full Length Color Pencils
9. One package of Sticky Notes
10. 2 packages of wide ruled notebook paper
11. 2 bar erasers (nothing that resembles a toy)
12. One pencil sharpener with lid
13. Two Boxes of Kleenex
14. Hand sanitizer or soap
15. One box (small or large sized) zip lock baggies
16. “Sunwise hat” – labeled with first and last
name (may not be a visor)
17. $15.00 cash or check made out to Sonoran Sky school account
#321,
for folders, composition books, stickers, other supplies, and
a student subscription to Studies Weekly (a science magazine)
K-2 Self Contained Supply List
A nylon or plastic pencil
pouch (no hard pencil boxes, please)
2 rolls of paper towels
A Box of 24 Crayons
2 Glue Sticks and a bottle of glue
A Set of 24 Full Length Color Pencils (sharpened)
Two boxes of tissues
A box of gallon size Ziplock baggies
Earbuds or headphones – an inexpensive pair, nothing fancy.
(Young children tend to have trouble with earbuds, so you may
want to consider headphones.)
An inexpensive clipboard
One small pencil sharpener with lid
Six folders - the type with two pockets
One container of Clorox wipes
One box of baby wipes (we use these to wipe off our hands after
messy Science projects)
A 3 inch 3-ring binder
A set of 5 divider sheets with tabs to fit in the 3-ring binder
labeled: SPELLING, MATH,
SOCIAL STUDIES, SCIENCE & LANGUAGE ARTS (one subject per divider
sheet)
One ream of notebook paper
Two single subject notebooks and one composition notebook with
your child’s name on the cover
Sharpened pencils
A pencil eraser (the small, square pink type works well)
A plain ruler with inches and centimeters (no bendy rulers, please)
No backpacks on wheels, please! They are very dangerous.
No hard pencil boxes, please! No Trapper Keepers, please!
*The supplies listed above are suggested
in order to assist you child with their educational experience.
If any of this presents a financial hardship, please do not hesitate
to contact me at the start of the school year - Ms. Mensing.
