Second Grade
Teachers
Mrs. Maxwell
Mrs. Farrell
Mrs. Reese
Ms. Castaneda
Email
dmaxwell@salem.k12.va.us
dfarrell@salem.k12.va.us
kreese@salem.k12.va.us
acastaneda@salem.k12.va.us
dmaxwell@salem.k12.va.us
dfarrell@salem.k12.va.us
kreese@salem.k12.va.us
acastaneda@salem.k12.va.us
Second grade has about 70 students with four teachers. We have instructional aides who provide additional services for the students.
The curriculum for second grade is based on City of Salem Standards of Learning and State Standards of Learning (SOLs). Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies are the core subjects taught. These subjects are assessed formally and informally during the school year. For more specific information, please check the website of your child’s teacher often.
Goals of Second Graders:
1. To learn in an environment that promotes learning.
2. To read with fluency and expression.
3. To use word attack skills to decode unknown words.
4. To establish study skills.
5. To improve writing skills.
6. To perform basic math concepts.
7. To learn cursive handwriting.
8. To read different types of literature
9. To comprehend story elements and meaning.
Helpful Tips for Parents from Your Second Grade Teachers:
1. Plan for your child to have ten hours of sleep each night.
2. Plan trips to the public library to browse and check out books.
3. Help your child correct mistakes found on graded papers and daily practice sheets.
4. Praise your child for his/her efforts and hard work in the school setting.
2014-2015 2nd grade pacing
1st Nine Weeks:
Reading: Henry and Mudge, Henry and Mudge Under the Yellow Moon, Diary of a Spider, Teacher’s Pet, Animals
Building Homes, How Chipmunk Got His Stripes,
English: Subject and Predicate, Complete Sentences, Statements and Questions, What is a Noun, Singular and Plural Nouns, Plural Nouns, Proper Nouns, What is a Verb?
Writing: True Sentences, Friendly Letter, Sentences that Describe, True Story (2 weeks), Informational
Paragraphs, Summary Paragraphs, Informational Paragraphs,
Math: Topic 4: Place Value, 1: Addition, 2: Subtraction, 3: Mixed Addition and Subtraction with word problems
Science: Scientific Investigations, Reasoning, and Logic – 2.1, Frog Life Cycles – 2.4, Magnets – 2.2
Social Studies: Geography – 2.4a, 2.5a, 2.5b, 2.6, Citizenship – 2.10
2nd Nine Weeks:
Reading: Jellies, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type, Violet’s Music, Schools Around the World, Mummies in the
Morning, Officer Buckle and Gloria, Mr. Tanen’s Tie Trouble, Luke Goes to Bat
English: Verbs in the Present, Verbs in the Past, Verbs in the Future, Kinds of Sentences (2 Weeks), Quotation
Marks, Proper Nouns, Abbreviations
Writing: Writing to Inform: Instructions (2 weeks), Persuasive Letter, Opinion Paragraphs, Persuasive
Paragraphs, Persuasive Essay (2 Weeks) Fictional Narrative Paragraph (1st week)
Math: Topic 5: Counting Money, Topic 6: Mental Addition and Subtraction, Topic 7: Addition with Regrouping,
Topic 8: Subtraction with Regrouping,
Science: Animals, Deer Life Cycle – 2.4 Living Systems – 2.5 (Ch. 2, 3, 4)
Social Studies: Past/Present – 2.3, Economics – 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, Elections – 2.12a, Ancient Egypt – 2.1, 2.4
3rd Nine Weeks:
Reading: My Name is Gabriela, Earthquake in the Early Morning, Helen Keller, Dex: The Heart of a Hero, The
Signmaker’s Assistant. Penguin Chick, Twister on Tuesday, Gloria Who Might Be My Best Friend, Super
Storms
English: Pronouns, Subject-Verb Agreement, The Verb be, Commas in Dates and Places, Commas in a Series,
What is an Adjective?, Using Adjectives, Verbs,
Writing: Fictional Narrative Paragraph (2nd Week), Descriptive Paragraph, Fictional Narrative (2 Weeks),
Problem-Solution Paragraph, Compare-Contrast Paragraph, Informational Paragraph,
Math: Topic 9: Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping, Topic 11: Geometry, Topics 12: Fractions, Topic 13:
Length/Area
Science: Matter – 2.3, Earth Changes – 2.7, Weather – 2.6
Social Studies: Famous Americans – 2.11, 2.8, 2.12b, American Government – 2.12a
4th Nine Weeks:
Reading: The Goat in the Rug, Half-Chicken, How Groundhog’s Garden Grew, The Mysterious Tadpole, The Dog
that Dug for Dinosaurs, Two of Everything, Day of the Dragon King, Now and Ben
English: Irregular Action Verbs (2 Weeks), Contractions, What is an Adverb?, Possessive Nouns, Possessive
Pronouns, What is a Preposition?
Writing: Research Report(2 Weeks), Poems, Opinion Paragraph, Response Essay (3 Weeks)
Math: Topic 14: Capacity/Weight, Topic 15: Time and Temperature, Topic 16: Graphing and Probability
Science: Butterfly Life Cycle – 2.4, Plant Life Cycle – 2.4, 2.8
Social Studies: Native Americans – 2.2, 2.5, Ancient China – 2.1, 2.4
***Science – 2.7 ongoing (Weather and Seasonal Changes Affect Plants, Animals, and their Surroundings)
2.1 ongoing (Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic)
***Social Studies – 2.10 a-e ongoing (Character Counts)
***Math – This is ideal pacing for the year but actual pace will likely be slower.
** Information subject to change throughout the year**
The curriculum for second grade is based on City of Salem Standards of Learning and State Standards of Learning (SOLs). Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies are the core subjects taught. These subjects are assessed formally and informally during the school year. For more specific information, please check the website of your child’s teacher often.
Goals of Second Graders:
1. To learn in an environment that promotes learning.
2. To read with fluency and expression.
3. To use word attack skills to decode unknown words.
4. To establish study skills.
5. To improve writing skills.
6. To perform basic math concepts.
7. To learn cursive handwriting.
8. To read different types of literature
9. To comprehend story elements and meaning.
Helpful Tips for Parents from Your Second Grade Teachers:
1. Plan for your child to have ten hours of sleep each night.
2. Plan trips to the public library to browse and check out books.
3. Help your child correct mistakes found on graded papers and daily practice sheets.
4. Praise your child for his/her efforts and hard work in the school setting.
2014-2015 2nd grade pacing
1st Nine Weeks:
Reading: Henry and Mudge, Henry and Mudge Under the Yellow Moon, Diary of a Spider, Teacher’s Pet, Animals
Building Homes, How Chipmunk Got His Stripes,
English: Subject and Predicate, Complete Sentences, Statements and Questions, What is a Noun, Singular and Plural Nouns, Plural Nouns, Proper Nouns, What is a Verb?
Writing: True Sentences, Friendly Letter, Sentences that Describe, True Story (2 weeks), Informational
Paragraphs, Summary Paragraphs, Informational Paragraphs,
Math: Topic 4: Place Value, 1: Addition, 2: Subtraction, 3: Mixed Addition and Subtraction with word problems
Science: Scientific Investigations, Reasoning, and Logic – 2.1, Frog Life Cycles – 2.4, Magnets – 2.2
Social Studies: Geography – 2.4a, 2.5a, 2.5b, 2.6, Citizenship – 2.10
2nd Nine Weeks:
Reading: Jellies, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type, Violet’s Music, Schools Around the World, Mummies in the
Morning, Officer Buckle and Gloria, Mr. Tanen’s Tie Trouble, Luke Goes to Bat
English: Verbs in the Present, Verbs in the Past, Verbs in the Future, Kinds of Sentences (2 Weeks), Quotation
Marks, Proper Nouns, Abbreviations
Writing: Writing to Inform: Instructions (2 weeks), Persuasive Letter, Opinion Paragraphs, Persuasive
Paragraphs, Persuasive Essay (2 Weeks) Fictional Narrative Paragraph (1st week)
Math: Topic 5: Counting Money, Topic 6: Mental Addition and Subtraction, Topic 7: Addition with Regrouping,
Topic 8: Subtraction with Regrouping,
Science: Animals, Deer Life Cycle – 2.4 Living Systems – 2.5 (Ch. 2, 3, 4)
Social Studies: Past/Present – 2.3, Economics – 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, Elections – 2.12a, Ancient Egypt – 2.1, 2.4
3rd Nine Weeks:
Reading: My Name is Gabriela, Earthquake in the Early Morning, Helen Keller, Dex: The Heart of a Hero, The
Signmaker’s Assistant. Penguin Chick, Twister on Tuesday, Gloria Who Might Be My Best Friend, Super
Storms
English: Pronouns, Subject-Verb Agreement, The Verb be, Commas in Dates and Places, Commas in a Series,
What is an Adjective?, Using Adjectives, Verbs,
Writing: Fictional Narrative Paragraph (2nd Week), Descriptive Paragraph, Fictional Narrative (2 Weeks),
Problem-Solution Paragraph, Compare-Contrast Paragraph, Informational Paragraph,
Math: Topic 9: Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping, Topic 11: Geometry, Topics 12: Fractions, Topic 13:
Length/Area
Science: Matter – 2.3, Earth Changes – 2.7, Weather – 2.6
Social Studies: Famous Americans – 2.11, 2.8, 2.12b, American Government – 2.12a
4th Nine Weeks:
Reading: The Goat in the Rug, Half-Chicken, How Groundhog’s Garden Grew, The Mysterious Tadpole, The Dog
that Dug for Dinosaurs, Two of Everything, Day of the Dragon King, Now and Ben
English: Irregular Action Verbs (2 Weeks), Contractions, What is an Adverb?, Possessive Nouns, Possessive
Pronouns, What is a Preposition?
Writing: Research Report(2 Weeks), Poems, Opinion Paragraph, Response Essay (3 Weeks)
Math: Topic 14: Capacity/Weight, Topic 15: Time and Temperature, Topic 16: Graphing and Probability
Science: Butterfly Life Cycle – 2.4, Plant Life Cycle – 2.4, 2.8
Social Studies: Native Americans – 2.2, 2.5, Ancient China – 2.1, 2.4
***Science – 2.7 ongoing (Weather and Seasonal Changes Affect Plants, Animals, and their Surroundings)
2.1 ongoing (Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic)
***Social Studies – 2.10 a-e ongoing (Character Counts)
***Math – This is ideal pacing for the year but actual pace will likely be slower.
** Information subject to change throughout the year**