Summer Reading Letter For Parents
PS 131K
2nd Grade
Welcome to the Wonderful World of 2nd Grade!
Meet the 2nd Grade Teachers
2-1 (ICT): Ms. Meyers & Ms. Tzanos
2-2 (ICT): Ms. Torres & Ms. Naranjo
2-3 (ENL): Ms. A. Rodriguez
2-4: Ms. DiSalvo
2-5: Ms. L. Rodriguez
2/3-8: Ms. Gerace
Announcements
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Junior Great Books
We will be launching the Junior Great Books program in 2nd grade this week!
2nd Grade -
Welcome to 2nd Grade
Welcome to our 2nd grade page! You will be able to access important information, special announcements, and events here. We're looking forward to a wonderful year together!
2nd Grade
Reading Workshop Units of Study
September/October: Second Grade Reading Growth Spurt
October/November: Growing Word Solving Muscles
November/December: Becoming Experts: Reading Nonfiction
December/January: Series Book Clubs
February/March: Bigger Books Mean Amping Up Reading Power
March/April: Accelerating Readers' Growth in Longer Fiction Books
May/June: Reading Nonfiction Cover to Cover: Nonfiction Book Clubs
Writing Units of Study
September: Revving Up Writing Muscles
October: Lessons from the Masters: Improving Narrative Writing
November/December: The How-To Guide to Nonfiction Writing
December/January: Writing Gripping Fictional Stories
February/March: Poetry: Big Thoughts in Small Packages
March/April: Writing About Reading
April/May/June: Nonfiction Writing Projects
Math Units of Study
September: Sums and Differences to 100
October: Place Value, Counting, and Comparison of Numbers to 1,000
November/December: Addition and Subtraction Within 200 with Word Problems to 100
January: Addition and Subtraction Within 1,000 with Word Problems to 100
February: Foundations of Multiplication and Division
March: Addition and Subtraction of Length Units
April/May: Problem Solving with Length, Money, and Data
June: Time, Shapes, and Fractions as Equal Parts of Shapes
Social Studies & Science Units of Study
Social Studies
September-November: Our Communities Geography
December-February: New York City Over Time
March/April: Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities
May/June: Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities
Science
September-November: Plant and Animal Relationships
December-March: Properties of Materials
April-June: Changing Landforms
Assessment Calendar Overview
Reading
| Running Record Assessment |
| November |
| March |
| June |
Writing
| Unit | Dates |
Post On-Demand |
| Revving Up Writing Muscles | 9/9-9/27 | |
| Lessons from the Masters | 10/2-11/8 | 11/6 & 11/7 |
| Nonfiction Writing | 11/12-12/13 | 12/11 & 12/12 |
| Writing Gripping Fictional Stories | 12/16-1/31 | 1/29 & 1/30 |
| Poetry | 2/3-3/13 | |
| Writing About Reading | 3/16-4/24 | 4/22 & 4/23 |
| Nonfiction Writing Projects | 4/27-6/5 | 6/2 & 6/3 |
Math
| Module | Dates |
| 1 | Pre-Test: 9/6 and Post-Test: 9/20 |
| 3 | Pre-Test: 9/23 and Post-Test: 10/29 |
| 4 | Pre-Test: 11/1 and Post-Test: 12/19 |
| 5 | Pre-Test: 1/2 and Post-Test 1/29 |
| 6 | Pre-Test: 2/3 and Post-Test: 3/11 |
| 2 | Pre-Test: 3/13 and Post-Test: 4/2 |
| 7 | Pre-Test: 4/6 and Post-Test: 5/1 (Part 1) & 5/27 (Part 2) |
| 8 | Pre-Test: 5/28 and Post-Test: 6/22 |
Grading Policy
Reading
Report card grades based on: Teachers College reading level benchmarks.
| November |
G or below = 1 H/I = 2 J/K/L = 3 M or above = 4 |
| March |
I or below = 1 J/K = 2 L/M = 3 N or above = 4 |
| June |
J or below = 1 K/L = 2 M = 3 N or above = 4 |
Writing
Report card grades based on: Scaled score on post on-demand assessments using Teachers college rubric for scoring. If multiple writing units occur during the marking period, the final report card grade is based on the average of all the post on- demand assessments. Deciding whether to round a half point up or down for the final grade is at the teacher’s discretion based on performance throughout the unit.
| Number of Points | Scaled Score |
| 1-11 | 1 |
| 11.5-16.5 | 1.5 |
| 17-22 | 2 |
| 22.5-27.5 | 2.5 |
| 28-33 | 3 |
| 33.5-38.5 | 3.5 |
| 39-44 | 4 |
Math
Report card grades based on: Average of test scores given during the marking period
| Level 1 | 1-55% |
| Level 2 | 56-78% |
| Level 3 | 79-88% |
| Level 4 | 89-100% |
Social Studies
Report card grades based on: Average of all assessment(s) and/or project(s) given during the marking period
| Level 1 | 1-55% |
| Level 2 | 56-78% |
| Level 3 | 79-88% |
| Level 4 | 89-100% |
Science
Report card grades based on: Average of all assessment(s) and/or project(s) given during the marking period
| Level 1 | 1-55% |
| Level 2 | 56-78% |
| Level 3 | 79-88% |
| Level 4 | 89-100% |
Our school has one term per year. Each term has 3 marking periods. Report cards are issued 3 times each year, at the end of each marking period. Please note that the third marking period is the final grade.
| Grade | Meaning |
| 1 | Well below standards |
| 2 | Below standards |
| 3 | Proficient in standards |
| 4 | Excels in standards |
Deciding whether to round a half point up or down for the final grade is at the teacher’s discretion based on the student’s effort throughout the marking period. Effort can be measured by homework, participation, and class discussions.
The following are other codes that may appear on a report card:
If student is enrolled in P.S. 131 for 30 or more calendar days, the student must receive a numerical grade.
| ME | Exceeds standards |
| MP | Approaching standards |
| MB | Below standards (Fail) |
| CR | Credit |
| NC | No credit (Fail) |
| NS | No credit- insufficient attendance (Fail) |
| ND | No credit- fulfilled distribution requirement |
| NU | No credit-audit (HS) |
| NX | No credit-incomplete |
| NL | No credit-new admit (enrolled in school less than 30 calendar days) |
| NW | No credit-course waiver (PE only) |
Junior Great Books is Coming to 2nd Grade!
As part of our reading curriculum, our grade is using Junior Great Books. In this discussion-based program, which includes classic and contemporary stories, students will be learning to ask questions and develop their own ideas about what they read. We look forward to having students share their thoughts and learn from classmates. The stories in Series 2 Book One are grouped by theme (generosity, community, and being yourself) to help students connect what they are reading to their own lives.
You can further support your child’s learning by talking about the stories at home. Here are some suggestions:
- Read the story together. You might read to your child or take turns reading parts of the story.
- Share questions about the story. Ask your child to share questions, and then share some of your own. Showing your own genuine curiosity will help reinforce the importance of asking questions about the story.
- Ask your child to tell you about the theme. You might ask “How is the story about [the theme]?” or “What do you know about [the theme]?” However you choose to talk with your child about the story, encourage your child to develop ideas more fully by asking follow-up questions like “Why do you think so?” and “Can you tell me more about that?” Your interest will powerfully reinforce what we are doing in class!
R.U.L.E.R.
In promoting social emotional awareness, our school will begin implementing the RULER program this year! Each class now has a Mood Meter. We will be using this tool on a daily basis, helping students to recognize emotions and develop strategies for managing these emotions. Our feelings have a huge influence on our decision making, and yet often in the moment, we aren’t really aware of how we’re feeling or how those feelings are influencing our behaviors.
How it works: The Mood Meter is a square divided into four quadrants — red, blue, green, and yellow — each representing a different set of feelings. Different feelings are grouped together on the Mood Meter based on their energy and comfort level.
RED feelings: high in energy and uncomfortable (angry, scared, and anxious)
BLUE feelings: low in energy and uncomfortable (sad, disappointed, and lonely)
GREEN feelings: low in energy and comfortable (calm, tranquil, and relaxed)
YELLOW feelings: high in energy and comfortable (happy, excited, and joyful
Homework
Students will have Reading, Writing, and Math homework daily. After students read, they should fill out their reading log. Each month, students will receive a new writing calendar with daily writing prompts. All writing homework should be completed in their Writing notebooks. Students are assigned math pages based off of the lesson we complete that day.
2nd Grade Supply List
- 2 boxes of sharpened Ticonderoga pencils
- 6 hard-covered black & white marble notebooks (no spirals)
- 4 packages of Expo dry-erase markers
- 1 package of colored construction paper
- 1 package of looseleaf paper
- 2 packs of Post-its
- 4 rolls of Scotch tape
- 2 boxes of Ziploc plastic bags (gallon & quart size)
- 8 two-pocket folders (one of each in these colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white)
- 6 Elmer's glue sticks
- 1 box of Crayola crayons
- 1 box of Crayons washable markers
- 2 packs of Staples white copy paper
- 2 rolls fo Bounty paper towels
- 2 boxes of Kleenex tissues
- 1 package of baby wipes
- 2 containers of Clorox wipes
- 1 closed pencil sharpener
Your child should bring three or four sharpened #2 pencils to school every day. Please make sure you have a supply of pencils and a pencil sharpener at home.
