Knowing Your Second Grader

Children enter second grade eager to learn as much as they can about the world around them, and to take on the extra responsibilities of an older grade, including having homework for the first time. They absorb information like little sponges, and love learning new facts. They also have big imaginations and still have the capacity to believe in magical dragons—like the one that lives in crystal caves underneath our classroom floor. They often invent elaborate and ongoing stories to play out at recess and during indoor choice times. Friendships are very important, but so is the care and approval of the adults around them, including their teachers, with whom they are eager to form warm and trusting relationships. A desire for increased independence, from tying one’s own shoes to reading books with chapters in them, also comes into play. They need a learning environment that is both challenging and encouraging of their independence and risk-taking, but is, at the same time, safe, comfortable, and loving.

For second graders, the thirst for information knows no bounds. From how the Great Blue Heron builds a nest, to how to skip count by various numbers, to how to recognize word patterns, and what the technical names are for the bones of the human body. They love to hear stories read aloud to them, and at the same time are eager and excited to expand their own reading skills, and to learn to read "books with chapters in them."  They enjoy writing stories as well, though they don't yet have the skills to know which details are most important to tell, and which they can safely leave out. They love to draw elaborate pictures for their stories, and are just on the cusp of learning how to translate those visual details into words that paint a picture for the reader.