Grade 2
Art
In second grade, students learn to plan and complete artworks that show more detail and thought. They explore the use of line, color and space to show movement and emotion. Students reflect on their work and make choices about tools and materials that match their ideas. They also learn how artists use art to represent the world around them and tell personal or community stories.
English Language Arts
Second graders are busy reading a variety of genres. Through daily reading and writing, they practice using reading strategies that help them visualize, make, confirm and review predictions, ask and answer questions, reread and summarize. These students continue to develop strong decoding skills through daily structured literacy instruction.
Math
Math challenges students to move through 1000 with regard to counting, reading, writing, representing and comparing numbers. Addition and subtraction move into two-digits. Students begin looking at mental strategies, including rounding and estimating. They are introduced to variables in second grade and represent unknowns with letters. Geometry continues with looking at sides, edges and vertices of three-dimensional objects, as well as measuring with units such as centimeters and inches. Parents can continue to work on time and money at home—time is now expanded to the quarter hour as well as understanding a.m. and p.m. Quarters are added with money. The big way we need help at home is helping students become fluent in their addition and subtraction facts.
Music
Second graders explore rhythm, beat and melody in more complex ways. They use their voices and classroom instruments to perform songs with clear patterns and begin reading simple musical symbols. Students experiment with creating their own short rhythms and learn to listen carefully to identify different sounds and instruments. Music becomes a way for them to work together, celebrate creativity and express ideas.
Physical Education
Students develop strength, coordination and control as they practice skipping, balancing, dribbling and jumping. They participate in cooperative games where teamwork and fair play are emphasized. Lessons encourage students to try new skills, set personal goals and celebrate effort. They also learn how staying active supports lifelong health and well-being.
Science
Second graders deepen their curiosity about Earth’s materials and living systems. Students explore how wind and water shape Earth’s surface and create features like rivers, valleys and mountains. Students are introduced to the physical properties of matter, encouraging them to describe, compare and classify materials. They observe life cycles firsthand and investigate how plants and animals depend on one another to live and grow.
Social-Emotional Learning
Second graders learn how to identify and solve conflicts in positive ways. They practice understanding the size of a problem, naming emotions and finding peaceful solutions. Lessons also focus on being engaged - actively participating in class, contributing to groups and taking responsibility for learning. Students continue building strategies to manage strong feelings through breathing, movement and communication.
Social Studies
Social studies will ask students to work as a “history investigator” as they explore how people impact the environment, work with historical records and artifacts and learn more about the culture of the Minnesota Dakota peoples. Second graders will learn how to vote, compare and contrast rules and begin to understand how money is used in the past as well as present day.