Grade 2

Teachers:  Kay, Yolene

Possible Units of Study

 

Reading

Comprehension Strategies
• Making Connections
• Characterization
• Determining Importance
• Drawing Conclusions

 

Skills
• Stamina
• Recognizing differences between genres
• Fact versus Opinion
• Text Features

 

Components of the Literacy Block
• Read Aloud
• Guided Reading
• Shared Reading
• Word Study / Spelling / Vocabulary Work
• Independent Reading

 

Genre / Author Studies
• Poetry
• Historical Fiction
• Informational Text
• Video

 

Writing

September/October

Learning how to stretch a small moment in their writing.

Beginning to use descriptive images.

Beginning to use revision strategies to develop writing.

Using simple sentences.
Using graphic organizers and semantic maps to organize writing before beginning their first draft.
Collecting ideas for writing from illustrations.
Writing “I am” poems investigating the importance of self-reflection.
Creating self-portraits.
Learning to write on lined paper.
Using appropriate spacing between words.
Developing an idea within a brief context.
Using various strategies to correct spelling words independently.
Developing a beginning, middle and end in written work.
Using different colored pencils to revise written work during conferencing.
Uses writing process to publish first written piece.

 

November/December
Beginning to improve overall quality of student writing.
Developing a clear beginning, middle and end in personal narrative.
Developing stamina as a writer (1-2 pgs.).
Introduction to understanding characters, the simple plot and setting of a story.
Developing ideas through letter writing.
Beginning to show voice in written work.
Beginning to use varied vocabulary words.
Improving overall sentence structure.
Attempting to use capitalization and punctuation effectively.
Determines the intended audience before writing.
Beginning to use dialogue effectively.
Begins using quotation marks.

 

January/February
Revisits writing folder to write a story from other ideas gathered earlier in the year.
Beginning to use revision and editing checklists appropriately through writing multiple drafts.
Uses classroom resources such as books, charts and word lists to help structure their writing.
Students use feedback from teacher and classmates to improve their writing.
Students have the opportunity to share finished work with an audience.
Uses dialogue to describe what characters are thinking and feeling.
Incorporates language and ideas from previously read books (Anansi author study) into their own writing.
Uses different types of sentences (compound and complex).
 

March/April
Connecting Social Studies unit of Central Park to a fictional piece using dialogue and voice.
Routinely rereading, revising, editing and proofreading their work.
Beginning to take on strategies and elements of author’s craft.
Introducing specific details about characters and the setting to develop motive and mood.
Students wrote Haiku poems to develop an understanding of descriptive language.
Learning to distinguish fiction from non-fiction.
Understanding how to use different types of sentences in writing a poem.
Identifying and collecting information to make writing meaningful.

 

May/ June
Writing various kinds of poetry based on creative experiences.
Using language that is straightforward and clear.
Using illustrations to connect language and visual images in writing.
Making connections between various mentor texts and their own writing.
Providing enough details so the reader can understand the interpretation of their poem.
 

 

Social Studies

Central Park

Concepts / Big Ideas
*People adapt their environment to fit their needs
*All people have access to public parks
*The park is organized by function
*Over time, the park changes to meet the changing needs of people
*The park is a system of workers, tools and rules
*People need leisure for their well-being

 

Meetings / Questions
*What is a park?
*Who uses the park?
*Are all parks the same?
*Is a park more than a playground?
*What does leisure mean to different people?
*What is the difference between a public and a private park?
*How has Central Park changed over the years?

 

Information
*All parks look different
*Most parks are public spaces
*All people can access parks
*History of Central Park
*Workers of the park

 

Activities
*Weekly park trips / trip sheets
*Planning out subway routes to various parks/parts of Central Park
*Designing and building a park
*Time line of important events in the history of Central Park
*Video and Photographic groups during weekly trips

 

Resources
*Central Park Video
*Various books
*Trip sheets
*Maps
*Speakers (Conservancy, Rangers)

**Bird Study

Bridge Study

Concepts / Big Ideas
*Bridges connect communities and people
*Over time bridges affect development of communities
*Bridges serve different functions
*People work on bridges in different capacities
*People use bridges for different reasons
*Bridges affect the landscape

 

Meetings / Questions
*Why do we have bridges?
*Are bridges all the same?
*Who uses bridges?
*How are they used?
*What are the differences between bridges?
*What do they go over?

 

Information
*Different types of bridges
*Locations around NYC
*Free vs. Toll bridges
*History of bridges

 

Activities
*Weekly trips / trip sheets
*Planning out subway routes to bridges around NYC
*Designing and building bridges
*Video and photographic groups during weekly trips

 

Resources
*Bridge video
*Various books
*Trip sheets

May Trip
Overnight trip to Frost Valley
 

 

Math Investigations in Number, Data and Space
Second Grade - Sequence of Math Units
Counting, Coins, and Combinations
Number and Operations: Addition, Subtraction, and the Number System 1

Shapes, Blocks, and Symmetry
2-D and 3-D Geometry

Stickers, Number Strings and Story Problems
Number and Operations: Addition, Subtraction, and the Number System 2

Pockets, Teeth, and Favorite Things
Data Analysis

How Many Floors? How Many Rooms?
Patterns, Functions, and Change

How Many Tens? How Many Ones?
Number and Operations: Addition, Subtraction, and the Number System 3

Parts of a Whole, Parts of a Group
Number and Operations: Fractions

Partners, Teams, and Paper Clips
Number and Operations: Addition, Subtraction, and the Number System 4

Measuring Length and Time
Measurement