2nd Grade

In District 68, we offer students a comprehensive educational experience that provides students with a range of programs and services to meet their educational needs. This grade level link is designed to provide you with an overview of the curriculum we offer our students.

Reading/Language Arts Curriculum

District 68 uses Balanced Literacy as the instructional framework during the reading instructional block. Click on the Balanced Literacy link for an in-depth description of Balanced Literacy as well as the components found within the Balanced Literacy block.  Reading instruction takes place for 90-minutes daily.

Common Core State Standards

Illinois, along with 45 other states, adopted the Common Core State Standards to be used to guide teachers in what students at each grade-level need to learn in English/Language Arts.  Each set of grade-level standards consists of literature, informational text as well as listening and speaking standards.  The primary grades have standards for foundational skills.  Grade-level standards build on knowledge and skills learned the previous year and create a stair-step progression across the K-8 instructional years.

Reading: Literature

  • 2.RL.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
  • 2.RL.2 Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
  • 2.RL.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
  • 2.RL.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
  • 2.RL.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
  • 2.RL.6 Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.
  • 2.RL.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
  • 2.RL.8 (Not applicable to literature)
  • 2.RL.9 Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.
  • 2.RL.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Reading: Informational Text

 

  • 2.RI.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
  • 2.RI.2 Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.
  • 2.RI.3 Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.
  • 2.RI.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
  • 2.RI.5 Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
  • 2.RI.6 Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
  • 2.RI.7 Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.
  • 2.RI.8 Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.
  • 2.RI.9 Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
  • 2.RI.10 By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Reading: Foundational Skills

 

  • 2.RF.1 (There is not a grade 2 standard for this concept. Please see preceding grades for more information.)
  • 2.RF.2 (There is not a grade 2 standard for this concept. Please see preceding grades for more information.)
  • 2.RF.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
  • 2.RF.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Writing

  • 2.W.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.
  • 2.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
  • 2.W.3 Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
  • 2.W.4 (Begins in grade 3)
  • 2.W.5 With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
  • 2.W.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
  • 2.W.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
  • 2.W.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
  • 2.W.9 (Begins in grade 4)
  • 2.W.10 (Begins in grade 3)

Speaking and Listening

  • 2.SL.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
  • 2.SL.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
  • 2.SL.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.
  • 2.SL.4 Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
  • 2.SL.5 Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
  • 2.SL.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 2 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)

Language

  • 2.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • 2.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
  • 2.L.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
  • 2.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
  • 2.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

Link to Common Core State Standards Website:  http://www.corestandards.org

Comprehensive Curricular Resource

During the 2012-13 school year, District 68 underwent a R/LA curriculum review. After much research and numerous curriculum pilots, the Journeys Common Core Edition was selected as our comprehensive curriculum resource.  


Mathematics

Math in Focus is a rigorous curriculum that is well-aligned to the Common Core Standards. Students are exposed to fewer mathematical concepts in great depth at each grade-level.  Like the Common Core Standards, Math in Focus curriculum aligns to content standards and embeds mathematical practice standards throughout the curriculum. This rigorous curriculum provides children with rich educational opportunities through direct instruction by the classroom teacher where visual models and problem-solving are used regularly. Children also have time for guided practice, and differentiated grouping practices. Such approaches help to ensure the needs of all children are being met during their daily 60-minute math block. Throughout the year, children learn both the how and why of mathematics and in doing so, learn math concepts and skills that will help them demonstrate mastery.  

Reference material: 
Overview of the parent presentation on Math in Focus (Fall 2011)


Scope and Sequence of key concepts: 

  • Number and Operations
  • Algebra
  • Geometry
  • Measurement
  • Data Analysis
  • Problem Solving

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

  1. Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
  2. Add and subtract within 20.
  3. Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication.

Full Standards

Number and Operations in Base Ten

  1. Understand place value.
  2. Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract.

Full Standards

Measurement and Data

  1. Measure and estimate lengths in standard units.
  2. Relate addition and subtraction to length.
  3. Work with time and money.
  4. Represent and interpret data.

Full Standards

Geometry

  1. Reason with shapes and their attributes.

Full Standards

Mathematical Practices

  1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
  2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
  3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
  4. Model with mathematics.
  5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
  6. Attend to precision.
  7. Look for and make use of structure.
  8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
 

Science

Key Science Themes

Life Science - Animals and Their Environment

Physical  Science - Matter

Earth Science - Land, Water, and Air

During the 2013-2014 school year, a science learning team will be launched to evaluate next generation standards.

By the end of 2nd grade, students will be able to:

  • Investigate interactions of animals in their environments
  • Describe the life cycle of the butterfly
  • Observe and describe the properties of solids, liquids, and gases
  • Classify matter as a solid, liquid, or gas
  • Investigate impact of heat energy on phases of matter
  • Observe and describe Earth's features of land, water, and air to explore their interactions to make weather

Social Studies

Significant Question:
How do people in a community support each other?

Students will explore the concepts of community,leadership, good citizenship, services, products, and geographical features by examining these as evidenced in the school and community. Students classify  features  of rural, urban,  and suburban communities.

By the end of 2nd grade, students will be able to:

  • Recognize groups and service organizations that work together to help our community
  • Identify community leaders and their roles and responsibilities
  • Discuss how the community of Skokie has changed over time
  • Define what makes a person a "good citizen" of a community
  • Distinguish among geographic features of a commu­nity
  • Utilize map legends and read map symbols
  • Determine what is needed to make and distribute a product
  • Compare products in terms of use and economy
  • Understand and respect rules of the school and community
  • Show respect to others and take responsibility for personal behavior

Physical Education and Health

By the end of 2nd grade, students will be able to: 

  • Begin to develop hand-eye and foot-eye coordination as well as a better  sense ofbalance
  • Begin to master loco-motor movements
  • Participate in game play and skill development related to soccer, tumbling, gymnastics, dance, floor hockey, volley­ball, basketball, and track and field
  • Work on social skill development while recognizing the dif­ fering athletic ability levels
  • Use a variety of motor activities to enhance left and right brain development
  • Practice activities that promote good health, illness preven­ tion, and safety
  • Identify good and bad choices in relation to individual health
  • Give examples of friendship and respect for one another

Music

By the end of 2nd grade, students will be able to:

  • Perform, read, notate, and create rhythms using half, quarter, eighth notes and rests  
  • Perform simple two-part rounds and canons
  • Demonstrate correct mallet technique on barred instru­ments
  • Understand the musical terms piano and forte
  • Demonstrate AB and ABA form through singing, speak­ ing, moving, playing, and symbolizing

Art

By the end of 2nd grade, students will be able to:

  • Continue to develop and appreciate their creative abilities
  • Explore visual elements such as line, shape, and color
  • Use familiar materials in new ways
  • Recognize that art is a part of their world
  • Have experienced a variety of art materials and will have learned to use art tools correctly

Additional Programs and Services

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