Dear 2nd Grade Parents,
Thank you to everyone who helped us during the Halloween party and parade. The
kids looked great and they all had a blast.
Reading: In reading, students will begin the 2nd marking
period by learning about how text features are used to
better understand and locate important information in
non-fiction texts. Students will also be engaging in
vocabulary building lessons that will provide them with
opportunities to learn descriptive words. We will end the
month by exploring the characteristics of folktales.
Writer’s Workshop: We are starting the second quarter by
learning how to write to inform. In writing to inform students
write about different topics that they know about. We share
information, make illustrations, and use labels to provide
detailed descriptions. During this process students are
learning how to form well-organized paragraphs with factual
information. We are also learning how to write catchy
beginnings and use effective word choice to enhance and
strengthen paragraphs.
Math: In math, students will be spending this month
learning about 2-digit addition and subtraction.
Instruction will focus on using strategies and tools like
number lines, 100’s charts and pictorial models to
solve addition and subtraction problem with and
without composing or decomposing a ten. Students
will also be learning how to use mental strategies to
help solve addition and subtraction problems from 1-20.
Science: In science, students will be starting a new unit on classification. This is a
fun unit that provides opportunities for students to sort and classify objects using
a variety of criteria. Students will also be creating their own rules for classification
and using that to observe and organize material.
Social Studies: In the upcoming lessons students will be learning about different
the geographical features of the world. In addition, students will learn who the
first Americans were along with background about Native American culture and
daily lives.
Homework: The MCPS curriculum guide states that second graders are to be given
20-30 minutes of homework a night. Any additional work that you would like to
give your child outside of the 30 minutes provided by MCPS should be at your
discretion. Some strategies that you could do at home that would definitely
benefit your child include talking about the content of books you have read with
them, asking them about the reasoning they used to solve a math problem or
having them write about whatever subject they are learning about.
Upcoming Events: November 11th and 12th are early
release days for students due to parent conferences.
School dismisses at 12:55 p.m. The entire second
grade will be going on a field trip to Strathmore
Concert Hall on Friday, November 20th to enjoy a
concert given by the National Philharmonic
Orchestra. Unfortunately parents will not be able to
attend this field trip due to limited space at
Strathmore. Remember to enjoy your Thanksgiving
holiday as school will be closed on November 26th
and 27th with a early day for students on November
25th.
Sincerely,
The Second Grade Team