Literacy
Literacy is the foundation of all instruction. I strive to have a classroom rich in literacy instruction. I will use Daily 5/CAFE, Writer's Workshop, and Phonics Instruction to develop this in my classroom.
Daily 5/CAFE: Daily 5 is a reading block where students will work independently, with a partner, in small groups, and with the teacher to grow as readers. The Daily 5 components include: Read to Self, Read to Someone, Work on Writing, Work with Words, and Listen to Reading. Students will also meet in small leveled guided reading groups, reading strategy groups, and for individual reading conferences with me. This is a great way for students to develop independence as readers through meaningful and authentic literacy activities based on their individual needs. CAFE stands for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary. This teaches specific reading strategies to help students grow as readers. As strategies are taught students will set independent goals throughout the year and this will help develop the strategy groups for students to focus on the specific skills they need to improve on.
Writer's Workshop: During Writer's Workshop students will learn the writing process through guided writing mini-lessons. They will also write independently and have conferences about their writing with peers and myself.
Phonics: Second graders are still growing as readers and continue to need phonics instruction. They will learn spelling patterns throughout the week and have a spelling test on words that follow the pattern on Friday as well as high frequency sight words.
Accelerated Reader: This is a web-based program to help students with reading comprehension. During the first weeks of school I will work with students to set an appropriate personal goal with each of them. Students will have an individual AR goal each quarter. As students finish reading a book they will take a short comprehension quiz to earn points towards their goal. Students should have an average comprehension of 80% or higher. I will be monitoring their quizzes weekly to see how well they are comprehending the books they are reading.
Literacy Topics Taught in 2nd Grade
Reading:
o Good Reading Habits
o Tackling the Tricky Parts
o Connecting with Characters
o Learning through Informational Texts
o Exploring New Genres
o Book Clubs
o Becoming Resourceful Readers
Writing:
o Writer’s Workshop
o Small Moment Narrative Writing
o Writing for Readers
o Opinion Writing
o All About Writing
o Research Writing
Math
The main goal in math is to teach children effective mathematical problem solving. To do this I will use multiple teaching strategies to engage the students and develop their problem solving. It is important that students fully understand how they are solving math equations and story problems instead of just going through the process without knowing why they are doing the things they do. Students will work through problems independently, in partners, in small groups, and whole group and will discuss and explain their problem solving process. Allowing students to verbalize their thought process gives them a chance to really understand the method; it also allows for their classmates to learn other methods. We emphasize this discussion process through Math Talk where students will be engaged in questioning themselves and each other about their thought process. This method gives students a much clearer understanding of math and a firmer foundation to build on as they grow.
Math Topics Taught in 2nd Grade:
o Addition & Subtraction
o Odd & Even Numbers
o Time
o Money
o Shapes
o Multi-Digit +/- Strategies
o Problem Solving
o Partitioning Shapes
o Measurement
o Graphing
Science
Science topics are best taught through inquiry based instruction. Students will engage in hands on science activities to help them develop a stronger more meaningful understanding of the topics. I feel that students learn best when they are actually experiencing science and creating their own methods of learning. Students will also write written responses in their science notebooks to explain their understanding of the topic. They will begin by making predictions; then they will test their predictions, and finally explain the outcome of their tests in their science notebooks.
Science Topics Taught in 2nd Grade:
o Solids & Liquids
o Sound
o Weather
o Life Cycles
Social Studies
Social studies instruction in elementary school creates a child’s foundations in their understanding how our society functions. In 2nd grade we contribute to this foundation. 2nd grade social studies gives students a basic understanding of the past, citizenship, economics, and geography. During social studies students will be using a variety of resources to develop an understanding of societal topics. They will create projects individually and in small groups to demonstrate what they learn.
Social Studies Topics Taught in 2nd Grade:
o Civics & Government
o History & Culture
o Economics
o Geography
Literacy is the foundation of all instruction. I strive to have a classroom rich in literacy instruction. I will use Daily 5/CAFE, Writer's Workshop, and Phonics Instruction to develop this in my classroom.
Daily 5/CAFE: Daily 5 is a reading block where students will work independently, with a partner, in small groups, and with the teacher to grow as readers. The Daily 5 components include: Read to Self, Read to Someone, Work on Writing, Work with Words, and Listen to Reading. Students will also meet in small leveled guided reading groups, reading strategy groups, and for individual reading conferences with me. This is a great way for students to develop independence as readers through meaningful and authentic literacy activities based on their individual needs. CAFE stands for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary. This teaches specific reading strategies to help students grow as readers. As strategies are taught students will set independent goals throughout the year and this will help develop the strategy groups for students to focus on the specific skills they need to improve on.
Writer's Workshop: During Writer's Workshop students will learn the writing process through guided writing mini-lessons. They will also write independently and have conferences about their writing with peers and myself.
Phonics: Second graders are still growing as readers and continue to need phonics instruction. They will learn spelling patterns throughout the week and have a spelling test on words that follow the pattern on Friday as well as high frequency sight words.
Accelerated Reader: This is a web-based program to help students with reading comprehension. During the first weeks of school I will work with students to set an appropriate personal goal with each of them. Students will have an individual AR goal each quarter. As students finish reading a book they will take a short comprehension quiz to earn points towards their goal. Students should have an average comprehension of 80% or higher. I will be monitoring their quizzes weekly to see how well they are comprehending the books they are reading.
Literacy Topics Taught in 2nd Grade
Reading:
o Good Reading Habits
o Tackling the Tricky Parts
o Connecting with Characters
o Learning through Informational Texts
o Exploring New Genres
o Book Clubs
o Becoming Resourceful Readers
Writing:
o Writer’s Workshop
o Small Moment Narrative Writing
o Writing for Readers
o Opinion Writing
o All About Writing
o Research Writing
Math
The main goal in math is to teach children effective mathematical problem solving. To do this I will use multiple teaching strategies to engage the students and develop their problem solving. It is important that students fully understand how they are solving math equations and story problems instead of just going through the process without knowing why they are doing the things they do. Students will work through problems independently, in partners, in small groups, and whole group and will discuss and explain their problem solving process. Allowing students to verbalize their thought process gives them a chance to really understand the method; it also allows for their classmates to learn other methods. We emphasize this discussion process through Math Talk where students will be engaged in questioning themselves and each other about their thought process. This method gives students a much clearer understanding of math and a firmer foundation to build on as they grow.
Math Topics Taught in 2nd Grade:
o Addition & Subtraction
o Odd & Even Numbers
o Time
o Money
o Shapes
o Multi-Digit +/- Strategies
o Problem Solving
o Partitioning Shapes
o Measurement
o Graphing
Science
Science topics are best taught through inquiry based instruction. Students will engage in hands on science activities to help them develop a stronger more meaningful understanding of the topics. I feel that students learn best when they are actually experiencing science and creating their own methods of learning. Students will also write written responses in their science notebooks to explain their understanding of the topic. They will begin by making predictions; then they will test their predictions, and finally explain the outcome of their tests in their science notebooks.
Science Topics Taught in 2nd Grade:
o Solids & Liquids
o Sound
o Weather
o Life Cycles
Social Studies
Social studies instruction in elementary school creates a child’s foundations in their understanding how our society functions. In 2nd grade we contribute to this foundation. 2nd grade social studies gives students a basic understanding of the past, citizenship, economics, and geography. During social studies students will be using a variety of resources to develop an understanding of societal topics. They will create projects individually and in small groups to demonstrate what they learn.
Social Studies Topics Taught in 2nd Grade:
o Civics & Government
o History & Culture
o Economics
o Geography