2nd Grade

Second Grade Newsletter 2025-2026!

Summary of Module 8 Time to Grow: In this module, children will learn about the growth of plants and what they need to thrive. Plants are living things, just as people and animals are. They need air, water, and sunlight in order to grow and to retain their vibrant green leaves and healthy stems and branches. Learning about plants and how they grow is likely to ignite a spark of curiosity in a child’s mind.

Reading: Over the course of Module 8 we will read texts that will help us answer the following

Essential Question: What do plants need to live and grow?  We will develop and work on the following reading skills and strategies: Text organization, Text Features, Making Connections, Figurative Language, Retell, Story Structure and Cause and Effect. 

Summary of Module 9 Home Sweet Habitat: In this module, children will learn about the different habitats where animals live. Hot deserts, warm rainforests, and cool, underwater 

habitats all provide food and shelter for the animals that live there. Through reading a variety of texts and collaborative work, children will explore how the conditions in different habitats help different animals to survive.

Reading: Over the course of Module 9 we will read texts that will help us answer the following Essential Question: How do living things in a habitat depend on each other? We will develop and work on the following reading skills and strategies: Figurative Language, Ask and Answer Questions, Text Organization, Figurative Language, Ask and Answer Questions, Retell, and Chronological Order.

Writing Module 8- Time to Grow 

Summary of Module:  

In this module, students learn how writers use procedural texts to teach readers how to do something step-by-step. Through interactive lessons, students explore how authors gather information, identify steps in a process, and use time-order words and clear structure to explain tasks. Students read the informational text From Seed to Plant to see how authors use diagrams, labels, and numbered steps to describe a scientific process. Across the module, students plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish their own procedural pieces—first as lists and then as clear, organized paragraphs. By the end, students confidently teach others how to complete a task using well-sequenced instructions.

Writing Module 9- Home Sweet Habitat 

Summary of Module: In this module, students build knowledge about animal habitats and the ways living things depend on one another to survive. Through reading informational texts and rich class discussions, students learn how different habitats—such as rainforests, wetlands, and neighborhoods—provide food, shelter, and protection for animals. As students research animals and their environments, they develop an understanding that animals often have special relationships with other animals, plants, and people.

Module 8 & 9 Home Connection: Part of informational writing is gathering details about your topic. Have your child pick a topic of interest and write 3 of the MOST important details about their topic. When doing this activity, discuss with your child which are the most important details and which are less important.

Math Curriculum:  In Module 6 which lays the conceptual foundations for multiplication and division in Grade 3 and for the idea that numbers other than 1, 10, and 100 can serve as units.  Students begin by making equal groups using concrete materials, learning to manipulate a given number of objects to create equal groups, and progress to pictorial representations where they may begin by circling a group of 5 stars, adding 5 more, then adding 5 more. They determine the total and relate their drawings to the corresponding repeated addition equation. Then students organize the equal groups created into arrays, wherein either a row or column is seen as the new unit being counted. They use manipulatives to compose up to 5 by 5 arrays one row or one column at a time and express the total using repeated addition equations. We will also build upon their work with arrays to develop the spatial reasoning skills they need in preparation for Grade 3’s area content. Lastly, we will focus on doubles and even numbers, thus setting the stage for the multiplication table of two in Grade 3. 

Home Connection:  Please continue practicing adding and subtracting up to 20! Also, students can review their doubles facts. They should also practice skip counting by 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, etc which will help tremendously with multiplication.

Science 

We are currently working on our Cycles in Nature Unit! Our students have learned all about the Reasons for the Seasons, All About the Four Seasons, and The Water Cycle. We will then be learning about the Plant Life Cycle, Frog Life Cycle and we will finish up with the Chicken Life Cycle! 

Next, we will be learning all about insects! The students will be learning about different creepy crawlers, their attributes and adaptations and the life cycle of each insect! We may even get to hatch our own butterflies!

Music Curriculum:  

Students will be singing the song “Plant a Tree” which includes lyrics that tie to their HMH unit about the growth of plants. They will be continuing to learn about rhythm patterns and apply their knowledge to basic percussion instruments. 

Lotus Music and Dance African Drumming Partnership: Students in second grade music will be taking part in an eight workshop residency on African Drumming, led by a teaching artist from Lotus Music and Dance. The students will be learning the fundamentals of African Drumming and connecting their knowledge of rhythm to their playing. 

Ballet Tech:

In the spring, students will participate in a dance workshop with teaching artists from Ballet Tech. Students who show aptitude for ballet dance will be invited to participate in their residency program, which will take place in the fall of third grade.

Art:

Students will make connections to their HMH modules by learning how to draw large scale flowers inspired by the artist, Georgia O’Keeffe. Students will learn how to blend 2 colors next to each other on the color wheel to paint the center and petals of their flower. Students will explore how to create a flower in a new angle and perspective. 

Home Connection:

Students can make home connections by observing different flowers they see outside or at home. What kind of flowers do you see? What does it look like? Students can describe what they see by shape, color, and texture.

Physical Education:

We are so excited the weather is finally getting nicer and we can get back outside to run and play! The students will be focusing on Spring themed games where the children can apply their knowledge of how things grow and develop. The children will reinforce their running, jogging, dribbling, throwing and catching while playing a variety of games. These activities help improve coordination, listening skills, and cooperation with classmates. We will also take advantage of the warmer weather by going outside whenever we can. Please remember to wear sneakers every day and to label any sweaters and jackets.

Parent & Student Voice

Class 201, 202, 203

It was an exciting February! We had a visit from Sam’s Weather School where we learned all about meteorology and a visit from Mr Met to get us pumped up for the Ya Gotta Read program!