| Description of Second Grade
Courses |
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| Art |
- draws based on experiences, fantasy, stories, poems, and
songs selected from diverse cultures
- paints designs and story content pictures using thinner
brushes, creating a variety of shapes
- models with clay more proficiently
- creates free-standing three-dimensional designs with
paper
- uses the brush stroke to make letters
- develops skill in printmaking by rubbing and stamping
- makes more detailed puppets that reflect a variety of
cultures using simple household materials
- constructs with wood objects from the real and imaginary
world
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| Communication
Arts and Reading |
- listens and responds to others with interest and
enjoyment
- retells a story in the proper sequence and with
expression
- shares thoughts and ideas through announcements,
invitations, statements, drama, individual, and committee
reports
- follows a series of oral directions
- listens to messages and deliver them accurately
- begins to gain understanding of him or herself and of
basic human values through reading and listening to
stories from other cultures
- enjoys reading for pleasure and information
- uses imagination and original ideas in re-telling
stories
- knows the difference between fiction and non-fiction
- identifies different literary forms such as stories,
folk tales, biographies, plays, poetry, and fables
- recalls the events of a story in full detail and proper
order
- identifies how a character's actions cause certain
results
- predicts what is going to happen at the end of a story
from what happens at the beginning; checks the prediction
after reading the story
- reads for specific information
- uses word structure in comprehension (s or es makes a
word plural; ed indicates past tense; er or est compares,
etc.)
- recognizes that an apostrophe shows possession or
contraction
- demonstrates understanding that words may have many
meanings
- uses may strategies to find meaning of unfamiliar words
(e.g., sound, word structure, prefixes, and the meaning of
the sentence)
- writes for different purposes and audiences (personal
journals, newsletters, stories, lists, invitations, poems,
etc.)
- puts sentences together to make short paragraphs
- begins sentences with capital letter; ends each with a
period, question mark, or exclamation point; and uses
quotation marks
- spells words most frequently used in student writing and
reading while continuing to use invented spelling when
needed
- begins to write in script
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| Health
and Physical Education |
- explores general and personal space
- distinguishes between opposites such as inside/outside,
around/through, over/under, and front/back
- balances on a low beam
- catches and throws with two hands
- moves and stops smoothly
- knows the difference between even and uneven rhythms in
movement
- takes part in physical fitness activities such as
aerobic walking for a healthy heart and good circulation,
stretching for flexibility, and resistance work for
strength
continues to develop listening and safety skills
- knows the importance of good nutrition and avoiding
addictive habits for a healthy lifestyle
- develops self-esteem and respect for people of other
cultural backgrounds
- relates learning to other subject areas and daily family
life
- knows about germs and where they are found
- understands proper nutrition is needed for tissue growth
and repair
- appreciates the eyes as delicate organs that need proper
care
- respects certain objects in the home, such as matches
and electrical appliances, which require special care to
ensure safety
- understands that daily exercise such as rhythm games and
dance are important for good health
- demonstrates dances from many cultures
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| Mathematics |
- estimates and measures length using customary (foot,
inch) and metric (meter, centimeter) units of measurements
and measures of other cultures
- estimates and measures weight using both customary
(pound, ounce) and metric (kilogram, gram) units of
measure as well as weights of other cultures
- explains money value relationships among penny, nickel,
dime, quarter, half-dollar, and dollar and compares these
coins to money of other countries
- explains calendar relationships: days, weeks, months,
and years
- reads time on a clock and measures elapsed time
- reads Celsius and Fahrenheit thermometers, counts
forward and backward by ones, twos, threes, fives and tens
(up to 100)
- counts numbers from zero through one thousand and
explains their "place value" meaning
- describes and continues simple number sequences
- makes up and solves story problems involving fractions
- translates "word problems" into mathematical
sentences
- explains the meaning of fractions, including fractions
with numerators greater than one (e.g., 2/3, 4/5)
- explains the meaning of "dozen" and
"half-dozen"
- explains the relationship between "addition"
and "subtraction"
- explains the meaning and relationship of
"multiplication" and "division"
- finds sums of pairs of numbers (each between 10 and
1,000)
- matches objects in one-to-one and two-to-one
correspondence
- multiplies whole numbers up to 5x5
- identifies geometric shapes (rectangles, squares,
triangles, circles in the environment)
- recognizes mirror symmetry
- investigates probability experiments (flipping a coin
and guessing the odds of its landing on heads or tails,
etc.)
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| Science |
- learns to read a thermometer, measure objects, uses a
balance
- measures and explains length, area and volume
- identifies the physical characteristics common to most
plants
- describes the general growth and development of several
common plants
- identifies the characteristics common to most plants
- describes the general growth and development of several
common plants
- identifies characteristics of all living things
- compares various animals
- matches certain animals and plants with the environment
that suits their needs
- observes and describes the behavior of water
- observes and explains objects floating or sinking
- conducts experiments with magnets
- observes and describes how water, wind, and sun affect
our environment
- studies the physical relationship between the sun and
the earth
- reviews biographies of scientists from various cultures
- learns how different cultures impact the environment
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| Social
Studies |
- understands how people from diverse cultural groups live
and work in and around New York City
- identifies the cultural diversity of New York City
- understands and appreciates the diversity of cultures
represented in the school and local community
- understands that family structures vary and that all
families deserve respect
- understands that New York City and Long Island are made
up of urban, suburban, and rural communities
- understands how people live and work in other urban,
suburban and rural communities in the United States
- understands that people living in the United States
communities have come from all over the world
- understands how people are brought closer together
through group communication and common goals
- understands how communities observe special days and
customs
- understands how current affairs affect his or her life
- recognizes the factors which influence community
development and change
- develops certain work study skills, such as making
reports from information found in books, newspapers,
television, magazines, and through interviews
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| Computer
Education |
- describes computers as tools
- identifies different uses of computers
- cares for computer hardware
- identifies and explains the disk drive
- uses a disk drive properly
- uses appropriate software to reinforce learning in
subject areas, and develop basic. problem-exploration, and
critical-thinking skills
- handles diskettes properly
- loads programs from diskettes properly
- uses a simple word processing program to develop
language and writing skills
develops skills of logic and ordering by learning a simple
programming language (e.g., Logo, BASIC)
- creates original designs in Logo
- uses repeat commands in Logo
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| Library
Skills |
- continues to review the library skills already learned
- learns the meaning of "publisher",
"spine", "jacket", "author"
when used in the Library Media Center or School Library
- learns how to locate books by markings found on the
spine and on the title page
- identifies the main idea in books, filmstrips,
recordings, and other media
- prepares oral and written book reports for sharing,
reading, listening, and viewing experiences
- uses reference materials to locate information
- recognizes and enjoys the works of illustrators
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