A Day in the Life of Second Grade

Second grade students encounter new and exciting challenges every day, and with the mastery of each new skill, their confidence grows. Building upon material learned in the first few years of school, students are ready to delve into more complex lessons. Games, special projects and friendly competitions support their learning and create an environment conducive to exploration and discovery. 

 

Fun with numbers! Children get a glimpse into the world of coding with an introductory lesson on algorithms. Students also deepen their understanding of place value by learning to recognize patterns in the hundreds chart. A tailor-made Battleship game reinforces the lesson in an exciting way. 

 

9:15 a.m. P.E. with Mr. Quinn

The name of the game in second grade P.E. is Safety, Skills and Strategy. After an initial warm-up, students are introduced to team sports with an emphasis on technique, effective teamwork and sportsmanship. 

 

Students meet in small groups of three to six to read fiction and nonfiction books that explore a wide variety of themes and subjects. Second grade students build fluency and comprehension skills and practice selecting “just right” books for their independent reading.

 

Children strengthen their measuring skills by competing in a variety of events, such as the “Cotton Ball Kick” and the “Cotton Ball Blow.”

 

The Brooklyn Bridge is a focus of the Second Grade’s early studies of the Northeast. Students test their engineering prowess by constructing a suspension bridge alongside their friends using only candy Dots and toothpicks.

 

Drawing inspiration from their studies of Lewis & Clark, students explore North American wildlife and create projects depicting animals in a variety of media including drawing, sculpture and even paper mache. Student artwork is displayed in the “Discovery Museum” for all to admire.

 

12:25 p.m. Tall Tales 

A highlight in Second Grade is the Tall Tale Book Release in Stokes Library. The year’s curriculum focuses on the development and peopling of the United States. These lessons are brought to life with the study of many outlandish American Tall Tales. In the spring, the students each retell a favorite Tall Tale, like finishing the year with a four-chapter book that is true to the original yet clearly their own.

 

Children build upon their study of Helen Keller by examining the five senses and how they influence movement. Students participate in various activities — drawing, balancing, being led around the room — while blindfolded, allowing them to see just how much we must rely on our other senses when one is compromised.

 

Second grade students begin to learn about our natural resources by studying water and the water cycle. A special song and dance routine (who says science can’t be musical?) helps them remember key terms like evaporation, condensation and precipitation. Students also observe water in its solid, liquid and gaseous states and write down their observations in their science notebooks.