Second Grade
Reading/Language Arts. Second grade students review the previously taught phonetic program while at the same time working to increase their speed in cursive handwriting. They also begin learning prefixes and suffixes and their meanings. Students read both orally and silently, and reading comprehension is stressed. Classic and contemporary storybooks are used, and many books are read in association with the unit being studied, such as in history, geography and science. Second grade students are guided through the research and writing of reports on Christopher Columbus and George Washington. A unit on Tall Tales includes Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, and Davy Crockett. Other reading includes Snow White, The Josefina Story Quilt, Nate the Great and the Missing Key, Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds, Molly’s Pilgrim, Sarah, Plain and Tall, and The Matchlock Gun.
Mathematics
Science. Second grade students study force, motion and energy in the exploration of magnets and polar fields. They learn about states of matter and changes in matter, and conduct investigations and record data on mass and volume. They also explore living systems through different habitats. The Earth and its relationship to other planets as well as what makes it unique are studied by second grade students, and they construct models of the solar system. They also study weather and read I Can Read About Weather, as well as Volcanoes and Earthquakes. In coordination with their study of geography, the second grade students read Rivers and learn how they are formed, as well as how rivers can affect the terrain.
History/Geography. Second grade students begin their study of history with discussion of the land bridge and early Americans. They research and give an oral report on a chosen Native American group. Native Americans in Virginia are studied, an oral report given, and the field trip to the Monacan Indian Village is taken in the fall. This is followed by a study of Colonial times, both in Virginia and in other states, including the monetary system, how laws were made and the differences between the Northern, Southern and Middle colonies. A geographic dictionary is created by second grade students, reviewing and building on geography learned in first grade.