VI. GRADE 2 PROGRAM
Grade 2 Program LANGUAGE ARTS – APPLICATION OF READING AND WRITING The Language Arts Program focuses on the development of students’ reading and writing skills. Students strengthen their phonetic and decoding skills, and they concentrate on increasing their fluency and comprehension. Multi-sensory reading strategies are introduced and used to strengthen children’s literal and inferential comprehension, as well as to help them draw conclusions. Consistent previewing of the stories develops students’ skills for predicting events and determining the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words. Students experience several different literary forms such as fables, tall tales, legends, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. They study the plot and setting of various stories, as well as compare and contrast the characters. They also learn to identify the initiating event or “kick-off” of a story, the characters’ internal feelings, how to sequence events, and evaluate the resolution of a story. Reading aloud and having discussions about the stories during smaller group reading times refine the students’ oral language skills. They begin to demonstrate their understanding of their reading in written form and to apply spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and writing mechanics. The writing process is used to help children clearly communicate their ideas in sentences, paragraphs, and stories. The majority of writing assignments include the prewriting, drafting, editing, and final copy stages. During the editing step, students have individual conference time with their teachers. Creating webs and using “Story Grammar Marker” and “Quick Outline” during the prewriting stage assists students in formulating topic sentences and organizing details in the proper sequence. The goal at the end of the school year is for them to write at least four descriptive sentences about one topic. The students illustrate many of their written assignments with supporting details.
2012- 2013 Lower School Program Guide
The writing skills students cover throughout the year include parts of a complete sentence, types of sentences, sentence expansion, capitalization rules, common and proper nouns, pronouns, singular and plural nouns, action verbs, and adjectives. Students study spelling rules each week and receive reinforcement in their phonetic workbooks. They are encouraged to consistently apply these rules to their independent work and extension activities. How to transfer information from research into writing is introduced. Students practice using reference sources, the dictionary, and recording their facts in complete sentences. They receive a review of writing in manuscript style using the “Handwriting Without Tears” program. Textbooks and Instructional Materials Reading Basals and Workbooks: t t t
“Flat Stanley” “Bunnicula” “Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon”
Phonics: t “Phonics: Level C, D,” Modern Curriculum Press Reading Text: t Modern Curriculum Press Spelling: t “Spelling: Level C,” Modern Curriculum Press t “A Spelling Dictionary for Beginning Writers” Handwriting: t “Handwriting Without Tears,” by Olson and Knagston Grammar: t “Grammar Grade Two,” Instructional Fair t “HBJ Language,” Harcourt Brace Jovanovich t Various trade books t Teacher-created materials
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