Second Grade

Second grade is an exciting year at BSS!

It is a big year for sacraments in the Catholic Church.  Our Catholic students will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.  All second graders spend the year learning about all seven sacraments and the parts of the Mass.  Other units include a study of Mary, the Blessed Mother, the Holy Rosary, the Seasons of the Church and several different Saints.  Second graders lead a Thanksgiving prayer service and have a special part in the May Crowning held at the end of the school year.

Fostering a love of Reading is the main goal of the second grade literacy program.  Our program has four parts; Reading, Spelling, Grammar and Writing.  We read one story per week from a basal reader. Each week we focus on certain vocabulary words and a particular reading skill.  We have a test each week that includes multiple choice, short answer and written response questions.  We have D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time every day in second grade to encourage reading for fun.

Our Spelling list aligns with the story of the week.  The main list has a common phonetic element plus there are additional words that are related to the content of the story.   We utilize online sites and weekly homework assignments to help the students learn the words.  We have a Spelling test every week.

In Grammar and Writing we cover parts of speech, punctuation and sentence structure throughout the school year.  Each lesson has an online component that helps the students apply what they are learning to real sentences.  Second graders complete several types of writing over the course of the year including personal narratives, creative writing and non-fiction writing.

For Math we use the Saxon Math program.  Students work to master addition and subtraction facts 0-18, multiplication facts 0-5 and they are introduced to simple division.  Lessons cover addition and subtraction with and without regrouping, time, money, temperature, fractions, decimals, measurement and problem solving.  The lessons are hands-on and incorporate the use of manipulatives including color tiles, geometric shapes, flash cards, wrap-ups, money, clocks, base ten blocks, thermometers and more!

We are so lucky to have an Elementary Science Lab at BSS!  It’s stocked with all the materials we need to implement the LabLearner Science curriculum.  We visit the lab once a week in small groups. The units of study for second grade are Weight and Balance, The Earth’s Surface, The Water Cycle and Its Phases, Health and Hygiene and Investigating Sound.

Our Social Studies units coincide with the calendar.  We learn about major holidays plus we have units that focus on Hispanic Americans, Christmas Around the World, Black History and Women’s History.  We use a combination of books and websites to learn the content and complete assignments and projects for each topic.

One of the best parts of second grade is Dino Day!  Students study dinosaurs and fossils as part of our fourth Reading unit.  Then they choose a dinosaur and use books and websites to learn more about it.  They create an informational poster or a Google Slideshow to showcase what they have learned and they complete a special Art project.  On Dino Day we share our projects with each other and other students.  We invite parents to join us for special snacks and activities to celebrate the end of the unit.  

We use our ChromeBooks and our SmartBoard everyday to enhance our lessons and make learning more fun!