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Goals and ObjectivesSecond Grade

Dr. Ed Davis – Superintendent

L. Dean Arp, Jr. – Chairman

John Collins - Vice Chairman John Crowder

Laura Minsk Kimberly Morrison-Hansley

Carolyn J. Lowder

John Parker David Scholl

Richard Weiner

Growing Possibilities…

In compliance with federal law, UCPS administers all educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination against

any person on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability.

Instruction 400 North Main Street, Monroe, NC 28112-4876 Phone (704) 289.1234 Fax (704) 289.1234 www.ucps.k12.nc.us

Dear Parents and Union County Public School Families:

We look forward to being a part of your child's educational success. We also want to remind you that, your child's academic progress is dependent upon parents, teachers, school staff, and most importantly, your child, all working together. This booklet serves as a roadmap for you by outlining the pertinent goals and objectives that tell you what your child should know and be able to do at his/her grade level. Curriculum will focus on the goals and objectives as stated in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (K-12).

Daily instruction, homework, assigned reading projects and writing should reflect the student’s progress toward the achievement of stated goals and objectives. Work samples provide you and your child with “evidence” of progress toward the predetermined goals.

End-of-grade testing at designated grade levels will also verify student achievement.

Additional information concerning the curriculum and special programs provided at your child’s school is available from the school staff. If you have questions regarding your child’s education, contact your child’s teacher. If the issue/question is not resolved at that level, please contact the school principal. Thank you for your support in helping fulfill the UCPS mission of Preparing All Students to Succeed.

Mary Ellis Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Programs

Tom Bulla Director for Elementary Education

Manipulative Skills• Safety• Choose and assemble equipment • Use science equipment and material appropriately• Care for equipment and materials• Handle and care for live organisms

ReadingSecond graders want to read, listen to and talk about a wide range of books, including chapter books, informational books and poems. These students expect what they read to make sense. They absorb language and ideas as they read. At this stage, they are skillful and confident in using word attack skills to make predictions about words and meaning. They are beginning to read silently for extended periods of time.

Reading Comprehension: • Reads picture, chapter and informational books with fluency and understanding• Recalls characters, events, setting, problem and solution• Expresses opinion on reading selections• Identifies relationships between characters• Makes inferences, draws conclusions and recalls concepts of reading materials• Compares reality and fantasy• Recognizes cause and effect relationships• Sees author’s humor• Confirms and extends predictions• Identifies and compares information• Identifies the narrator• Begins to develop “favorites” -- favorite topics, favorite authors, favorite books

Characteristics of a Reader: • Appreciates various forms of literature• Prefers a particular subject, author and/or illustrator• Responds to text through role play• Chooses to read during free time• Reads silently for extended periods of time• Reads longer passages of text

Phonics/Decoding Skills: • Uses phonics to decode regular multi-syllable words• Reads with fluency and comprehension most high frequency and many irregularly spelled words• Decodes using letter/sound knowledge

Reading Strategies: • Uses a variety of word attack skills independently• Experiments with words to see what makes sense• Tries again if words do not sound right or make sense• Reads on to check predictions• Looks for familiar small words inside larger unknown words• Is becoming an independent reader• Asks how...? why...? and what if...? questions after reading

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Writing

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Second-grade students write for pleasure, for recording observations and experiences and for conveying information. They write several sentences on one topic. Their writing has a clear purpose, with some detail, and with a sense of story. They understand that text can be changed and are beginning to revise and edit. They use more standard spelling than “temporary” phonetic spelling.

Spelling: • Spells correctly in own writing all previously studied words• Represents with appropriate letters all the sounds heard in a word Composing Products:• Uses several sentences for a topic• Has a beginning, middle and ending • Uses detail in narrative and informative writing• Produces writing and artwork to go with text and personal experiences• Writes notes, letters and invitations to a variety of audiences• Writes observations in a learning log• Creates characters, settings and events

Composing Process:• Uses “temporary” phonetic spelling in first draft • Uses more standard spelling than “temporary” in final draft• Checks written work by reading it aloud• Uses a prewriting activity (drawing, brainstorming or webbing) with teacher help or independently• Adds details during revision• Edits for capitalization and end punctuation• Maintains a writing portfolio

Characteristics of a Writer: • Writes on more than one topic• Writes for pleasure• Writes about personal experiences (narrative writing), creative stories and skits• Changes writing by revising• Writes informational reports on topics of interest

Government and Active CitizenshipAnalyze the effects of responsible citizenship in social environments

Second graders continue to use and reinforce skills introduced in kindergarten and first grade. They examine a variety of neighborhoods and recognize the multiple roles of individuals and families. The local government is studied. Concepts such as authority, justice and responsibility are explored. Students evaluate change and become aware of the diversity of religious and other cultural traditions.

Students learn about neighborhoods in the following ways: through listening, viewing, observing their neighborhoods and through role play. They learn self-control as they work in groups and accept responsibility for their actions.

Social Studies

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Technological InfluencesAnalyze uses of technology in communities

Global ConnectionsIdentify contributions made by people of diverse cultures

Historical PerspectivesAnalyze the effects of change in communities and predict future changes

Geographic RelationsIdentify the relationship between people and geography in various communities

Culture and DiversityExamine how cultural ties help communities link to form larger political units

Individual Development and IdentityDescribe unique features of families in diverse communities

Economics and DevelopmentIdentify ways people are consumers and producers

Regional Studies: Local, State, United States and WorldFocus:

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G o a l : All Union County students will (1) develop an understanding of the nature of science through hands-on experiences; (2) develop and use science process skills; (3) develop and use science manipulative skills; (4) develop a positive attitude toward science and its application to society; and (5) use scientific investigation to learn science concepts.

Fo c u s : All students will analyze collected data over a period of time to make predictions and understand change.

Science

Process Skills:• Observe, Classify, Use numbers, Communicate Measure, Infer, Predict• Use space-time relations • Interpret data• Define operations• Experiment

Manipulative Skills• Safety• Choose and assemble equipment • Use science equipment and material appropriately• Care for equipment and materials• Handle and care for live organisms

Attitudes Toward Science• Learning and experiencing science• Natural resources• Scientific inquiry

Science Concepts • Animal life cycles• Changes in weather• Changes in properties• Sound

MathematicsThe mathematics curriculum is organized into the following five strands: (1) Number and Operations; (2) Algebra; (3) Geometry; (4) Measurment; and (5) Statistics and Probability. Problem-solving strategies are embedded into each of the five strands.

Focus:At the second-grade level, students will demonstrate a greater consistency than first-grade children in applying mathematical knowledge and processes. However, while second-grade students can do much more than has been expected of them in the past, it is important to recognize that they still learn best by exploring with manipulatives.

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Meaning and PurposeProblem-Solving ProcessConceptsStrategies and Skills

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The Math Essential Standards for all (grade level) students are as follows:• Represent whole numbers from 0 through 1,000 in terms of the base ten numeration system• Use multiple strategies fluently to solve story problems involving addition and subtraction• Understand the concept of division as fair shares• Classify numbers into the categories of odd and even• Represent situations found in story problems as number sentences with unknowns • Use patterns to solve problems • Identify the faces of 3-D figures as polygons• Compare polygons to determine congruency• Measure length, weight, capacity and area using non-standard units• Understand how to tell time (a.m. p.m. hour and half-hour)• Use strategies to count money up to a dollar (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters)• Make predictions and inferences from data displayed in Venn diagrams and line plots

400 North Church Street Monroe, NC 28112

Phone 704.296.0835 Fax 704.283.8419 www.ucps.k12.nc.us

Materials provided by:

Elementary Education Department

Layout and Design provided by:UCPS Communications Office

In compliance with federal law, UCPS administers all educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination against any person

on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability.