2nd Grade
ELA: Students in 2nd grade will gain more skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. They continue to learn and practice rules for matching sounds to letters that make up words, and they learn new concepts — such as words that share the same root (e.g., add and additional) — that help them figure out the meanings of new words.
Writing will become an exciting way for your child to use newly learned words and phrases to express ideas. As they write and speak, 2nd graders will be more attentive to the formal and informal uses of English and will spell most words correctly in their writing.
ELA, A sample of what 2nd graders learn:
■ Paying close attention to details, including
illustrations and graphics, in stories and books to
answer who, what, where, when, why, and how
questions
■ Determining the lesson or moral of stories, fables,
and folktales
■ Using text features (e.g., captions, bold print,
indexes) to locate key facts or information
efficiently
■ Writing an opinion about a book he or she has
read, using important details from the materials to
support that opinion
■ Writing stories that include a short sequence of
events and include a clear beginning, middle,
and end
■ Participating in shared research projects (e.g.,
read books on a single topic to produce a report)
■ Taking part in conversations by linking his or her
comments to the remarks of others and asking
and answering questions to gather additional
information or deepen understanding of the topic
■ Retelling key information or ideas from media or
books read aloud
■ Producing, expanding, and rearranging sentences
(e.g., “The boy watched the movie”; “The little
boy watched the movie”; “The action movie was
watched by the little boy”)
■ Determining the meaning of the new word formed
when a known prefix or suffix is added to a known
word (happy/unhappy; pain/painful/painless)
illustrations and graphics, in stories and books to
answer who, what, where, when, why, and how
questions
■ Determining the lesson or moral of stories, fables,
and folktales
■ Using text features (e.g., captions, bold print,
indexes) to locate key facts or information
efficiently
■ Writing an opinion about a book he or she has
read, using important details from the materials to
support that opinion
■ Writing stories that include a short sequence of
events and include a clear beginning, middle,
and end
■ Participating in shared research projects (e.g.,
read books on a single topic to produce a report)
■ Taking part in conversations by linking his or her
comments to the remarks of others and asking
and answering questions to gather additional
information or deepen understanding of the topic
■ Retelling key information or ideas from media or
books read aloud
■ Producing, expanding, and rearranging sentences
(e.g., “The boy watched the movie”; “The little
boy watched the movie”; “The action movie was
watched by the little boy”)
■ Determining the meaning of the new word formed
when a known prefix or suffix is added to a known
word (happy/unhappy; pain/painful/painless)
MATH: In 2nd grade, your child will build on last year’s work and gain important new skills. One of the most important outcomes for the year is to add and subtract two-digit numbers quickly and accurately (e.g., 77 – 28).
Another important goal in 2nd grade is to understand what the digits mean in a three-digit number such as 463 (namely, 463 is four hundreds, six tens, and three ones). Your child also will build expertise with solving addition and subtraction word problems. Mastering addition and subtraction at the 2nd grade level is important so that your child will not have to review and repeat this material in 3rd grade, when the study of multiplication, division, and fractions will start.
MATH: A sample of what 2nd graders learn:
■ Solving challenging addition and subtraction word
problems with one or two steps (e.g., a “one-step”
problem would be: “Lucy has 23 fewer apples than
Julie. Julie has 47 apples. How many apples does
Lucy have?”)
■ Quickly and accurately adding with a sum of
20 or less (e.g., 11 + 8); quickly and accurately
subtracting from a number 20 or less (e.g., 16 – 9);
and knowing all sums of one-digit numbers from
memory by the end of the year
■ Understanding what the digits mean in three-digit
numbers (place value)
■ Using understanding of place value to add and
subtract three-digit numbers (e.g., 811 – 367);
adding and subtracting two-digit numbers quickly
and accurately (e.g., 77 – 28)
■ Measuring and estimating length in standard units
■ Solving addition and subtraction word problems
involving length (e.g., “The pen is 2 cm longer than
the pencil. If the pencil is 7 cm long, how long is
the pen?”)
■ Building, drawing, and analyzing 2-D and 3-D
shapes to develop foundations for area, volume,
and geometry in later grades
problems with one or two steps (e.g., a “one-step”
problem would be: “Lucy has 23 fewer apples than
Julie. Julie has 47 apples. How many apples does
Lucy have?”)
■ Quickly and accurately adding with a sum of
20 or less (e.g., 11 + 8); quickly and accurately
subtracting from a number 20 or less (e.g., 16 – 9);
and knowing all sums of one-digit numbers from
memory by the end of the year
■ Understanding what the digits mean in three-digit
numbers (place value)
■ Using understanding of place value to add and
subtract three-digit numbers (e.g., 811 – 367);
adding and subtracting two-digit numbers quickly
and accurately (e.g., 77 – 28)
■ Measuring and estimating length in standard units
■ Solving addition and subtraction word problems
involving length (e.g., “The pen is 2 cm longer than
the pencil. If the pencil is 7 cm long, how long is
the pen?”)
■ Building, drawing, and analyzing 2-D and 3-D
shapes to develop foundations for area, volume,
and geometry in later grades
Storyline is a collection of books read by actors. Make your free time with your children easy, and enjoy listening to favorite stories together.
SUCCESS TIP: Children need help and support at home to succeed in their studies. Try to create a quiet place for your child to study, and carve out time every day when your child can concentrate on reading, writing, and math uninterrupted by friends, brothers or sisters, or other distractions.