Second Grade

mitzvah Day 2nd grade smiles.jpgSecond Graders are inquisitive and curious. As they are developing confidence in themselves as learners they begin taking their role as members of the school community very seriously.  Rules are very important to them, and they want to spend a lot of time talking about and understanding them. They are also developing their comedic skills and appreciation for humor.  It is very exciting to watch them become experienced writers, readers, and mathematicians throughout the year, practicing their skills in more complex and comprehensive ways. They expand their reading comprehension skills as they develop more advanced and critical thinking skills. 

Decoding and Fluency

In second grade, decoding and fluency are the most important skills for the developing academic. Decoding is the ability to use patterns to decode words and decipher the separate sounds in words. Fluency is, quite simply, the ability to read quickly and accurately, something that many second graders begin to do by the end of the school year. Our second graders learn to distinguish between short and long vowel sounds when reading common one-syllable words. They become more familiar with vowel teams (e.g. ai in aid, oo in moon, ie in pie, oa in boat, ue in blue). They decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels (e.g. table, because, spider, open, and music) and decode words with common prefixes like un- (e.g. unlock, unhappy) or re- (e.g. redo, retell) and use base words they know, such as add, as a clue to decoding new words, such as addition or additional. Second graders also need to recognize grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words, too. (e.g. Words with letters that don’t make their usual sounds, like said.) Second graders build fluency and comprehension by reading both fiction and nonfiction.

Building a knowledge bank

2nd grade reading.jpgStudents learn big ideas from every book they read and relate that information to what they already know. Think of it like using reading comprehension skills to build a knowledge bank: with every poem, story, passage, or book they read, there’s a main point, message, or key fact that your child learns, relates to their experiences or prior knowledge, and “banks” for future use. 

Second graders learn to use a table of contents, glossary, and website navigation menus and icons to find information. We guide and support 2nd graders to:

Ask and answer questions about the five W’s — who, what, when, where, and why — to show understanding and the ability to find answers in a book’s text or illustrations.

Identify the main topic in a longer text and say what the main point of each paragraph is.

Understand how an author uses reasons to support an idea.

An expanding world of words

Second grade is a good time to expose your second grader to lots of age-appropriate but challenging texts with new and interesting words. The more words a child this age knows, the better they develop great word recognition, a valuable skill for becoming a great reader and learner. Using root words and the context of what they read, they should be able to figure out the meaning of challenging new words. They’ll rely on skills like using prefixes as clues, using known words to predict the meaning of new compound words (e.g. lighthouse, bookmark), and using the rest of the sentence to figure out what a new word means. Second graders will also begin to recognize the shades of meaning between closely related verbs (e.g. toss, throw, hurl) and adjectives (e.g. thin, slender, skinny, scrawny). 

  Mastering Math Skills

As the second graders become more familiar with number concepts, they learn to add single and multi-digit numbers with regrouping, and how to tell time to the quarter hour. They count coins and identify and repeat patterns in numbers and objects. By the end of second grader they will Know the concept of multiplication (for example, 2 x 3 is two rows of three). 

Responsibility and routines

As second grader begin to reason and improve their ability to process information they learn to work cooperatively with a partner or small group. With a deep understanding of right and wrong the begin to take responsibility for their work, using time wisely and following routines.

Judaic Studies

The beginning of formal Torah / Chumash text learning is introduced in 2nd grade. Emphasis is made on students gaining a clear understanding of the fascinating narratives of  Parshat Lech Lecha, where our forefather Avraham is introduced. Students will acquire a strong vocabulary of high frequency words, prefixes, and most common root words. The aim is for our students to become independent Torah scholars. As important as the textual knowledge, is the moral and ethical values as well as the personal association and relevancy that extend from this learning. Lessons are customized and are tailor fitted  to the needs of all learners.

The Weekly Torah Reading / Parsha  comes alive and becomes very relevant, as our students learn and reenact the main Parsha themes each week. Our students are very proud to share their extensive knowledge with family and friends around the Shabbat dinner table. There is a summary review sheet with questions and answers which comes home every Friday.

 Hebrew Reading

Every day our second graders reinforce their Hebrew Reading skills with their reading workbook along teacher generated material. Our goals  for our students is  to review and reinforce all the skills necessary for heightened  accuracy and greater fluency in Hebrew Reading. 

Students broaden their knowledge and fluency of the traditional daily prayers from a Siddur (prayerbook), as well as gain an appreciation for the meaning of the prayers they are reciting. Our goal is for our students to be familiar and at home with all the Jewish prayers in any Synagogue setting. 

Jewish Culture and Tradition

IMGP3179.jpgOur  Jewish  Holidays, traditions and culture come alive with energy and  spirit ,as our students  see, hear  and feel first hand from their teachers, who are living examples of  Judaism at its finest.

Students of the Hebrew Academy receive a complete and comprehensive awareness and  full understanding of Judaic culture and the timeless messages that are as  relevant  today. Hebrew Academy Students will learn and know the traditions and how to participate in Jewish rituals, ceremony and celebrations. Guaranteed!

Hebrew Language

The acquisition of conversational Modern Hebrew is a main theme at the Hebrew Academy. Our aim is for our students to develop a love for the land and people of Israel thru the use of Hebrew language and identification of the land and culture. In Ivrit, students continue to develop their Hebrew oral skills. As they advance in their knowledge of and fluency in Hebrew, they become more confident in their communication abilities. Lessons are based upon our recently adopted Migdal Ohr program. Each page is beautifully illustrated, thereby engaging the students' interest and stimulating their curiosity to learn more.

In second grade, the emphasis is on grammatical sentence structure elements so that students can carry on a brief conversation in varying contexts, while continuing to build their Hebrew vocabulary.

Core Values

HBHA-5951 (1).jpgWe are proud that learning and internalizing Jewish values are integral parts of the outstanding Hebrew Academy educational program, and look for opportunities to recognize students who embody these character traits. Each month our school highlights a different core value. Our teachers, both General Studies and Judaic, will be teaching lessons connected to the core value of the month. Students also reflect on the role that each core value plays with their families and friends extending beyond our campus. Every Rosh Chodesh, at our school community assembly, the children are recognized for their achievements and a Community Leader Award is chosen from every grade for exemplifying the core value(s) of the month.