Kelly Raich

kraich@my.bdms.org

“Focus on the whole person, teach the lesson and touch the heart…above all, teach your children about God’s love for them! Set your gaze on the future and strive to fit young people for the world in which they are destined to live.” ~ Betty Ann McNeil, D.C. on the teachings of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

 

Welcome to Second Grade

The second grade religion program prepares the children for their first celebration of the sacraments of Penance and Eucharist.

The reading/language arts program focuses on the development and encouragement of fluent readers, articulate writers and speakers, and discerning listeners and viewers.

The math program stresses the child's need to know basic facts and skills, and provides reading strategies for problem solving.

The science program is based on the National Science Education Standards and NY State Science Framework. The second grade skills areas are Live Science - Plants, Animals, Fossils; Physical Science - Matter, Sounds, Heat, and Light, Force, Magnets and Electricity; Earth Science - The Earth, Weather and Seasons, The Solar System; Human Body - How Your Body Works, Nutrition, Keeping Healthy.

The social studies program helps the children explore their world and see how they can contribute as individuals. The key Social Studies strands are Citizenship, Culture, Economics, Geography, Government, History, Science and Technology.

 

The main goal for incoming second graders is to inspire an enjoyment of reading and to encourage regular reading habits.

 

Summer is a time for students to focus on reading what interests them the most!

 

A great goal for this summer would be to read at least one to two books per week.

 

Parents, it is wonderful to read to, and with your child, I encourage this! Also, if possible, try to ‘set them free’ for a bit to read, then circle back and ask some simple comprehension questions (Who is the main character? Where did the story take place? What was a problem the characters encountered?) This will give your child independence, but then you can be sure he or she has understood and retained the information read!

 

Your child’s ‘homework’ for this summer is simple! Pick a character from a favorite book and complete a ‘character sketch’ of him or her. Please check your recent emails from school to get instructions on how login to your child’s Google classroom. There, you will find the assignment and grading rubric for this activity.

 

Below, you will find some of my favorite authors and series. Your child’s character sketch must not be from one of these authors or series. These are just some suggestions.

 

Authors:

Tomie dePaola 

Ted Arnold

Marc Brown

Kevin Henkes

Leo Lionni

Peter Reynolds

Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Linda Kranz

Cynthia Rylant

Mark Teague

 

 

Series :

Caldecott Winning Books

Step Into Reading

Junie B. Jones

Ready to Read Books

Henry and Mudge

Magic Treehouse

Horrible Harry

Frog and Toad

Who Will Win? 

 

Supply List 2023-24