Second Grade

Curriculum Night
2009-2010

Facts About Our School

& Your Child’s Curriculum

Courtesy of:
Katy Dailey
Lin Flores
Mary Ann Sides
Jody Wynn
 WELCOME!
Welcome to Second Grade at Zilker Elementary School.
Zilker is a very special and exemplary school.

Our goal is to provide each student the best education possible

in a warm, supportive and safe environment. We want all parents,
as well as students, to feel that “Zilker is a Great Place for Kids” and
parents, too.

We already have a reputation for being a community school

with a family atmosphere, and we invite parents to become actively
involved in their child’s learning. We know that your participation,
combined with our excellent faculty, will make this school year a
rewarding experience for you and your child.

Zilker’s Mission Statement

The mission of Zilker Elementary School is to develop
every student into a life-long learner as a result of a
challenging curriculum, individualized instruction, high
expectations, a nurturing environment with parental
and community involvement.

School Mascot: Panther

School Colors: Maroon & Gold
School Slogan: “Zilker is a Great Place for Kids!”
School Motto: Diversity is Strength
Second Grade Team
Zilker Elementary
2008-2009

Katy Dailey graduated from the UT at Austin with a B.A. in

Sociology. She then worked as a Placement Counselor for Job
Corps. After returning to UT to earn her Teacher’s Certification, Ms.
Dailey completed her student teaching at Zilker and graduated in
May 2001. Ms. Dailey has been married for 9 years to Vincent
LeCornu, who works at The Texas Lottery. They are the proud
parents of 6 year old Ava and 8 month old Roman, as well as two
very large and lovable cats, Merlin and Harley.

Lin Flores grew up in Brownsville, Texas. After high school, she

joined the Army, where she was trained as a nurse and a translator.
She was able to travel the world. She graduated from the University
of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in English, along with certifications in
other areas. Ms. Flores loves running, reading and painting. She is
currently pursuing her love of teaching, photography and filmmaking.

Mary Ann Sides has wanted to teach since she was in

Kindergarten. She has taught for sixteen years. Ms. Sides is a
graduate of Texas State University. She has been married for 30
years and has one son, Grant, who attends the Khabele School.
Ms. Sides loves to read, go to Alamo Drafthouse, and socialize.

Jody Wynn grew up in Austin and has been teaching for twelve
years. She has three children. She has been married for sixteen
years. Ms. Wynn loves teaching, reading, and spending time with
her family.
Science & Social Studies Units*
1st Nine Weeks
Families, All About Me
Rules & Laws
Citizenship & Communities
Air, Water and Weather

2nd Nine Weeks

Halloween/Government
Family Heritage/History
Community & Cultural Celebrations
Plants

3rd Nine Weeks

MLK/Heroes of the Past
Balance & Motion
Black History
Women’s History

4th Nine Weeks

States/Continents/Maps
Butterflies
Resources/Experiments

* This is a very simple outline of planned units.

 Reading Skills
The skills listed below are practiced throughout the year
once they are introduced.

 Character Analysis  Predicting

 Sequence of Events  Inferences &
 Summarization Generalizations
 Features of a Story  Fact & Opinion
(Setting, Characters, etc.)  Cause & Effect
 Author’s Purpose  Character Traits
 Main Idea with Details
 Context Clues
 Visualizing and Retelling
Assessments

DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment): In this assessment, students read from a book selected for
their reading level. The teacher follows along and records misread words from certain pages. Then, students retell
the story in their own words. Based on how man y words the student has misread and skill at retelling the story, the
teacher determines whether the book is appropriate for the child. If so, the child is given a number to represent the
reading level. The score from this assessment reflects the grade level at which the student is reading. If a student’s
level is 24, they are reading at Second Grade (2), fourth month (4). Students should be at a 28 by the end of Second
Grade. They are evaluated at the beginning, middle and end of the year.

TPRI (Texas Primary Reading Inventory): The TPRI was developed by the University of Texas and is a valid and reliable
assessment tool that provides a comprehensive picture of a student’s reading/language arts development. The TPRI covers ALL five of
the domains of reading required to qualify for the President’s Reading First Program (under the No Child Left Behind Act).
Phonemic Awareness
Attentiveness to the sounds of spoken language
Phonics
Figuring out unfamiliar words using knowledge of the alphabetic principle
Fluency
Grade-appropriate oral reading with appropriate speed, accuracy, and expression.
Vocabulary Development
Knowledge of word meanings to help spoken and written language communication.
Text Comprehension
Use of a variety of comprehension strategies to understand the meaning of what is read
 Writing Themes
 Personal Stories
 Story
 Short Informational Report
 Newspaper Article
 Personal Narrative
 Descriptive Paragraph
 Poetry
 Science Report
 Compare/Contrast Personal Traits
 Biography
 Realistic Fiction
 Friendly Letter to Persuade
 Friendly Letter
 Persuasive Writing
 Descriptive Writing

*Please note that each teacher will determine writing topics based
on the skills and needs of her class.
 Math Skills
 Word Problems
 Estimation
 Identify/Extend Patterns
 Order Whole Numbers
 Joining and Separating Sets
 Number Sentences (compare numbers <, >, =)
 Expanded Notation
 Place Value
 Odd/Even Numbers
 Identify and Write the Value of Coins
 Identify Written Amounts of Money
 Ordinal Numbers (first, second, third, etc.)
 Addition of two and three Digit Numbers
 Subtraction of Two and Three Digit Numbers
 Addition with Missing Addends
 Add Four Single Digit Numbers
 Measurement (non-standard and standard units of measure)
 Weight/Mass/Volume/Length
 Fahrenheit/Temperature
 Congruence/Symmetry
 Graphing (pictographs, bar graphs, etc.)
 Introduction to Multiplication and Division
 Second Grade
Classroom Expectations
The learner will exhibit the following behaviors in school:
• Respect self, others, and property
• Listen and follow directions on first request
• Choose peace over conflict
• Participate in lessons

Consequences:
• First Offense: Verbal Warning
• Second Offense: Cool Down Time
• Third Offense: Note Home
• Fourth Offense: Referral to the Office

Physical aggression will not be tolerated in any form and

will result in immediate referral to the office.

Possible Management Techniques:

• Super Star Chart
• Sticker Chart
• Positive reinforcement
• Using verbal and non-verbal reminders
• Distracting to a positive model
• Anticipating trouble
• Using logical consequences
• Individual behavior plans

Rewards:
• Marble Jar: The students are rewarded with a party when the marble jar is filled. Marbles are
awarded for whole class good behavior.
• Group Points: Groups are rewarded points for classroom participation, group activities,
cleaning up, and transitions. The reward for the group or groups with the most points is eating
lunch in the classroom with the teacher on Fridays.
• Super Star Recess: The students will play games and have free choice centers in the
classroom. Each child with a referral to the office that week will have to sit out of Super Star
Recess.

*The discipline plan and practices for each teacher may differ slightly. Please
check with your child’s teacher for her individual discipline plan.
 *Second Grade Homework Policy
• Second graders take home assignment sheets and
homework folders on Mondays. Homework is
assigned for Monday through Thursday (no homework
on Fridays).

• Reading is assigned nightly for at least 15-20 minutes.

Daily reading either silently or with adults in the
evening is encouraged.

• Math facts may be assigned for practice and review

as needed.

• Homework from any subject area may be assigned

periodically to provide reinforcement and/or practice
basic skills.

• Consistently turning in homework late or not turning it

in at all will affect your child’s “Work/Study” grade on
his or her report card. The teachers and parents are
responsible for scheduling a conference to discuss a
consistent problem with homework responsibility.
*As with everything else, homework assignments and expectations vary with teacher.
 Second Grade
Benchmark Assessments
Purpose: to gather information in order to:

• use data to pinpoint class & individual educational needs

• measure student progress over time
• develop individualized learning profiles for students
• help the students become accustomed to the test format

The benchmark grades may be used to determine a student’s grade

in Science, Social Studies, Reading and/or Writing.