Homework

Homework will be connected to the topics or skills we are studying. During homework, we encourage parent guidance and assistance, letting the child do the actual work. We will be encouraging critical thinking skills and strategies with the homework your child receives.

Spelling lists will be sent home on Monday of each week along with a reading log. Any other important information will be communicated through your child's planner and on myPISD. This is the teachers' opportunity to inform parents of any upcoming events, conferences, volunteer needs, etc.

In order to help your child succeed and gain the skills needed for third grade, the second grade team would like to clarify a few things regarding homework expectations.

We feel that the homework that is given should accomplish the following:

1. Allow for growth in academic areas.
2. Allow for family involvement through selected projects.
3. Instill a sense of responsibility in the student.

We feel it is very important in the growth of each student to become responsible for not only completing assignments, but also returning them on the day that they are due. We would like for this sense of responsibility to be developed by the end of the year; it will help your child tremendously with the expectations next year. Our goal is to help your child be ready. If a child does not return their homework on the day that it is due, we feel that there should be a consequence. If the assignment is not returned, the student will spend time at recess/study hall to complete or redo the homework assignment.

Please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions regarding these homework expectations.

Reading

Students are assessed on a regular basis to determine the appropriate instructional and independent reading level. Some concepts studied include: sequencing, reality/fantasy, classifying information, making predictions, main idea/details, summaries, written directions, parts of a book, drawing conclusions, alphabetizing, cause/effect, setting and characterization. Students are instructed in whole group and small group settings designed to meet the ability of each individual child. Students gain knowledge through shared, independent and guided reading activities.

Reading Logs

In addition to other required homework, we expect nightly reading to occur. We would like to have our students read 20 minutes each night and record this on their Reading Logs.

To add variety to the 20 minutes of reading time, the following are suggestions:

• Child reads to themselves 
• Child reads to younger/older siblings 
• Parent can occasionally read to child 
• Child can read aloud to parent

Integrated Curriculum Overview

The second grade Integrated Curriculum Overarching Concepts/Organizing Ideas are organized around the theme, Second Grade Keeps an Eye on the World. There are six Integrated Curriculum units studied each six weeks. These are:

1. Communication: What Does Evidence Tell Us About Our World?
2. Continuity and Change: Changes over Time
3. Diversity: How Our World is Alike and Different
4. Systems: Systems Help Us Connect
5. Balance and Stability: Where is Harmony in Our World?
6. Interactions: How are Communitions Interdependent in our World?

In addition, second grade teaching focuses on the skills outlined below in reading, language arts and composition, and math.

A Year at a Glance

Language Arts

Students will strengthen their writing skills through writing workshop. Writing workshop includes daily grammar instruction and practice applying target writing skills to a variety of products. Students will produce friendly letters, story narratives, biographies, personal narratives, poetry, and research reports. Target writing skills to be mastered in second grade are writing complete sentences, capitalization, and punctuation. In addition students will be introduced to paragraph writing, figurative language and enhancing their writing by adding details.

Math

Our mathematics program is designed to support students as they make sense of mathematics and learn that they can become mathematical thinkers. Students will be asked to explain their thinking when solving problems and communicate their mathematical thinking verbally and in written format. Technology will be incorporated at all levels where appropriate. Instruction will take place in small and large groups and differentiation will be provided to reach all levels of learners. The students will have experiences that relate to mathematics in the real world using a variety of concrete materials and mathematical tools. Our units of study are based on state and national standards.