Program Guide

Welcome to Second Grade. This is a complete, free, secular second-grade curriculum for teaching at home. It covers 180 days in 36 weeks, and every day has a Math lesson, an English Language Arts (ELA) lesson, and a Science or Social Studies lesson. A rotating special (Art, Music, Physical Education, or Health and Wellbeing) rounds out the day.

You do not need teaching experience. Every lesson tells you what to do, step by step, with a time for each part and the materials you need. Most lessons use everyday things: pencils, paper, crayons, a ruler, coins, and household objects for science. Where a lesson calls for a book, it names one, and a library copy is all you need.

Everything lives on the website, secondgrade.com, and it stays free. The printed books are a convenience for families who would rather work from paper:

The Teacher Guides (one per quarter) hold every lesson in day order, with the answers, the Remember? answers, and What to do next for each week.

The Student Workbooks (one per quarter) hold your child's pages: a practice page for each lesson, the daily Remember? boxes, a weekly reading passage, the weekly checks, a specials page and a Home Connection sheet. There are no answers in the Student Workbook.

The Assessment and Records Book (one for the year) holds the placement check, the 24 unit tests with scoring guides, mastery checklists, and the logs and reports many families keep.

You can use the books, the website, or both. The books carry QR codes that open the matching page on the site, so you are never more than one scan away from a video link, a printable, or the week's plan.

This guide explains how the pieces fit together. Read the sections marked for getting started before Week 1. Keep the rest for later: you will come back to the sections on weekly checks, unit tests and catching up as the year goes on.

One idea runs through the whole program: short, focused, hands-on time works better than long school days. Second graders do not need six-hour days. A typical home day runs about three to four hours with breaks, and about two and a half to three hours of that is active learning. Follow the plan, adjust to your child's energy, and trust the rhythm.

Second grade is the year many children move from learning to read to reading to learn, and from counting to real number sense. The program covers four core subjects and four specials. Each core subject has six units of six weeks, and each unit ends with a unit test.

Math. The year follows the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Units: (1) Place Value and Number Relationships, Weeks 1-6; (2) Addition and Subtraction Within 100, Weeks 7-12, which also adds and subtracts within 1000; (3) Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Weeks 13-18, with word problems, facts within 20, odd and even, and arrays; (4) Measurement and Data, Weeks 19-24, with rulers, time and money; (5) Data and Geometry, Weeks 25-30, with line plots, graphs, shapes and equal shares; and (6) Review, Word Problems and Consolidation, Weeks 31-36. New ideas start with real objects such as base-ten blocks or bundled straws, then move to drawings, then to numbers alone.

English Language Arts. The year follows the Common Core State Standards for ELA. Units: (1) Launching Readers and Writers Workshop, Weeks 1-6; (2) Informational Text and Research Writing, Weeks 7-12; (3) Literature Deep Dive and Opinion Writing, Weeks 13-18; (4) Advanced Reading and Writing Workshop, Weeks 19-24; (5) Speaking, Listening and Cross-Curricular Reading, Weeks 25-30; and (6) Year-End Review and Celebration, Weeks 31-36. Every ELA day mixes a read-aloud, a short lesson, reading practice, writing workshop and word study. Phonics is taught in a set order, starting with a review of short vowels and moving through vowel teams, r-controlled vowels, suffixes and longer words.

Science. Science follows the Next Generation Science Standards*. Units: (1) Properties of Matter, Weeks 1-6; (2) Plants, Animals and Habitats, Weeks 7-12; (3) Engineering Design and Testing, Weeks 13-18; (4) Earth's Systems: Water, Wind and Land, Weeks 19-24; (5) Biodiversity and Interdependence, Weeks 25-30; and (6) Review, Projects and Science Fair, Weeks 31-36. Science happens on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and most lessons include a hands-on investigation.

Social Studies. Social studies follows the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework. Units: (1) Rules, Laws and Community, Weeks 1-6; (2) Maps, Geography and Our World, Weeks 7-12; (3) Civics, Government and Citizenship, Weeks 13-18; (4) History: Past and Present, Weeks 19-24; (5) Economics: Needs, Wants and Choices, Weeks 25-30; and (6) Review, Projects and Celebration, Weeks 31-36. Social studies happens on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Where a lesson asks about local leaders or your own state, your family fills in the answer.

What the year builds toward. By the end of the year, a child who has worked through the program should be able to read, write and compare numbers to 1000; add and subtract fluently within 100 and with models within 1000; solve one- and two-step word problems; measure length, tell time and count money; read and make simple graphs; and name and divide shapes. In reading, your child should be able to ask and answer questions about what they read, retell stories and find the lesson in them, use text features to find information in nonfiction, decode longer words with vowel teams and common endings, and read aloud smoothly. In writing, your child should be able to write a short narrative, an opinion piece with reasons, and an informational piece with facts, and to revise and edit with help.

In science, your child should be able to plan a simple test, record observations, and explain a claim with evidence. In social studies, your child should be able to read a map with a key and compass rose, explain why communities have rules and leaders, compare life long ago and today, and tell needs from wants and goods from services.

Writing across the year. Besides the writing in each ELA lesson, the site has 29 extra writing prompts in narrative, opinion and informational forms, each matched to a week and with a short coaching tip. Use them for a journal day, a car ride story, or a quiet afternoon.

Home activities for every standard. Each standard's page on the site explains it in plain words and gives a few everyday activities. For example, the standard on skip-counting (2.NBT.A.2) says your child should be able to count forward by 5s, 10s and 100s starting from any number, not just from 0, and suggests skip-counting by 10s from 23 while jumping or clapping, coloring skip-count patterns on a hundreds chart, and counting by 100s from different numbers on a walk. Scan a standard's QR code, or type secondgrade.com/go/s/ and the code.

Specials. Four strands rotate through the week: Visual Art, Music, Physical Education, and Health and Wellbeing. Each strand has six blocks of six weeks. See the Specials section of this guide.

The standards. The site tracks 112 Grade 2 standards: 26 in math, 40 in ELA, 14 in science and 32 in social studies. Each has its official text, a plain-language version for parents, and home activities. Open any standard at secondgrade.com/standards, or scan a QR code in the Teacher Guide. If your state uses its own framework, the State Standards pages show how each standard lines up (see State Requirements Overview).

*Next Generation Science Standards is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Social studies indicators are adapted from the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, National Council for the Social Studies, 2013.

The year. Second Grade runs for 36 weeks of 5 days each, or 180 days. Ideas spiral: what your child meets in the first quarter comes back and deepens in the second, and is used with confidence by the fourth. Open the Year-at-a-Glance page on the site to see all 36 weeks on one screen.

The quarters. The year has four quarters of nine weeks, and each has a theme:

Quarter 1, Weeks 1-9: Foundations and Place Value.

Quarter 2, Weeks 10-18: Operations and Building Fluency.

Quarter 3, Weeks 19-27: Measurement, Geometry and Inquiry.

Quarter 4, Weeks 28-36: Synthesis and Mastery.

There is one Teacher Guide and one Student Workbook for each quarter. Units are six weeks long and quarters are nine, so some units cross from one book into the next. Unit 2, for example, runs from Week 7 in Quarter 1 to Week 12 in Quarter 2. The unit tests fall in Weeks 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36.

The week. Every week follows the same pattern: prepare, teach, reflect.

Prepare (the weekend before): read the week's opening note and the week plan. Gather the materials on the week's list. Reserve library books at least a week ahead. Look over the week's goals so you know what success looks like.

Teach (Monday to Friday): follow the daily plan, adjusting pace to your child's energy. Don't skip the read-alouds and hands-on activities; that is where the deepest learning happens. Jot a one-line note per subject on what worked.

Reflect (Friday or the weekend): give the weekly checks and use What to do next. File work samples in the portfolio. Preview next week. Ask your child, "What was your favorite thing we learned this week?"

The day. Every day has three core lessons. Math and ELA come every day. Science comes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Social Studies on Tuesday and Thursday. A special fills out the day. The lessons have set lengths: Math about 45 minutes, ELA about 60 to 65 minutes, and Science or Social Studies about 30 minutes.

A compact home day (the plan most families use): Math, 8:30-9:15 (hands-on lesson and practice); a break, 9:15-9:30; ELA, 9:30-10:15 (read-aloud, phonics, writing or grammar); Science or Social Studies, 10:15-10:45; a special, 10:45-11:15; and wrap-up, 11:15-11:30 (review the day, read for pleasure, a journal entry). ELA lessons often run longer than this slot, so many families finish writing or word study after lunch.

A full-day model for a co-op or a longer day: Morning Meeting, Calendar and Read-Aloud, 8:30-9:00; Phonics, Word Study and Spelling, 9:00-9:30; Reading Workshop, 9:30-10:15; Snack and Outdoor Play, 10:15-10:35; Writing Workshop, 10:35-11:05; Mathematics, 11:05-11:50; Lunch and Free Play, 11:50-12:35; Science or Social Studies (alternating), 12:35-1:05; Specials (rotating), 1:05-1:35; and Independent Reading or Enrichment, 1:35-2:00.

Treat both as samples. Change the order and the times to match your family. Many children do math best first thing; others need a read-aloud to settle in. What matters is that each lesson happens, not when.

A sample week (Week 12). Week 12 ends Unit 2 in every subject. Monday: math reviews place value and skip-counting; ELA reads a nonfiction book about polar bears and looks for ideas that connect with because and so; science checks on seedlings grown under different conditions. Tuesday: math compares sums; ELA adds an introduction and conclusion to the child's All About book; social studies plays a geography bingo game. Wednesday: math adds and subtracts within 1000 with drawings; ELA edits the All About book; science takes a walk to look for connections between plants and animals. Thursday: math solves multi-part word problems; ELA assembles the book with a cover, contents page and glossary; social studies draws a neighborhood map. Friday: a mixed math review, the weekly checks, an Author's Chair reading of the finished book, and a science poster that sums up the unit. The four Unit 2 tests also fall this week.

That is a full week, and it shows the program's shape: a steady daily routine, hands-on work in every subject, and a real finished product at the end of each unit.

Planning your calendar. 36 weeks of lessons fit a traditional school year with room for holidays and breaks. Before you start, mark your start date, the holidays and breaks you plan to take, and your hoped-for finish date on a calendar. Count the teaching weeks in between. If you have more than 36, you have spare weeks for sick days, field trips and catching up; if you have fewer, plan now which weeks you will trim (see Short Weeks, Sick Days, Catching Up and Moving Faster). Some families teach four days a week and use the fifth for library trips, projects and catching up, which stretches the year.

Step 1: the placement check. Before Week 1, spend 10 to 15 minutes on the placement check (in the Assessment and Records Book, or at secondgrade.com/go/placement). It covers the first-grade skills second grade builds on: 8 math questions and 8 reading items. Sit together, read each question aloud, and let your child use paper, fingers or objects. Don't help and don't time it. It's fine to stop if your child gets tired.

The placement check is a guide to a good starting point, not a test or a diagnosis. Almost every child should start at Week 1. The results tell you which short catch-up activities to add in the first few weeks:

7-8 right: start at Week 1 and keep the daily Remember? boxes going.

4-6 right: start at Week 1, and add about 10 minutes a day of extra practice on the skills your child missed, during the first two or three weeks, alongside the regular lessons. The placement page links each missed math skill to its catch-up activity.

0-3 right: build the foundation first. In math, spend one to two weeks on the Week 1 and Week 7 catch-up activities ("Tens and Ones First" and "Make a Ten, Then Add Tens") and daily facts practice. In reading, spend two to three weeks on short vowels, digraphs, blends and silent e, with a few word cards a day, a simple decodable book, and a daily read-aloud. Then start Week 1, keeping lessons short and hands-on.

If your child found everything easy, still start at Week 1, but use the Friday checks to move faster (see Short Weeks, Sick Days, Catching Up and Moving Faster).

Step 2: materials. Most lessons use everyday things. A few basics are worth having from the start: base-ten blocks (or bundled straws or craft sticks with rubber bands), a hundreds chart, dice and playing cards, real coins, an analog clock, a ruler, index cards, chart paper or large sheets, crayons and colored pencils, glue and scissors, a science notebook and a writing journal. Each week lists its own materials, and the Books and Materials page at secondgrade.com/resources lists everything by quarter, with budget-friendly swaps.

Step 3: set up. Choose a spot for lessons and a shelf or box for the week's materials. Put a folder aside for the portfolio. Print or open the Attendance and Hours Log if you keep one. Skim the Subject Guides for the first units; they explain what success looks like and the common mistakes to avoid, which helps if a subject isn't your strong suit.

Step 4: the first week. Read all of Week 1 over the weekend and reserve its library books. Week 1 opens the year with place value (hundreds, tens and ones), asking and answering questions about stories, a short-vowel review, and the start of narrative writing; science starts with properties of matter, and social studies with rules and why we need them. Expect the first week to feel slow while you both learn the routine. That is normal. By the end of the second week, most families have found their rhythm.

A few tips for week one. Keep the Remember? boxes quick: two or three minutes, answers checked right away. Stop a lesson a few minutes early rather than pushing through a meltdown. Give the Friday checks even in Week 1, so the routine is set. Tick Done on each lesson on the website, or check off the day in the Teacher Guide, so you always know where you are.

The books and the website hold the same program. The books are for working away from a screen; the site is for links, printables, search and keeping your place. Many families keep the Teacher Guide open on the table and use the site for the extras.

QR codes. Every QR code in the books opens a short link on secondgrade.com. You can also type the short link into any browser. The links are permanent, so the codes in your books will keep working.

secondgrade.com/go/w12d2 opens one day: here, Week 12, Day 2 (Tuesday). Each Day Spread in the Teacher Guide carries the code for that day. Days run from d1 (Monday) to d5 (Friday).

secondgrade.com/go/w12 opens the whole week plan for Week 12, with the week's opening note, materials and books. It is on each Week Spread and each Student Workbook week opener.

secondgrade.com/go/w12p opens the printable packet for Week 12. Use it to print extra pages for a sibling or to redo a page.

secondgrade.com/go/today takes you back to where you left off: the day you last opened on the site, or Week 1, Day 1 if you haven't opened one yet. Your place and your Done ticks are saved on your device and browser, so use the same device to keep your place.

A few other short links: /go/start opens Week 1; /go/q1 to /go/q4 open a quarter; /go/placement opens the placement check; /go/progress opens My Progress; /go/printables opens the worksheets; /go/research opens Why This Works; and /go/s/ followed by a standard code (for example, /go/s/2.NBT.A.1) opens the parent explanation of that standard.

What the site adds. On the site you can search every lesson, open the parent explanation and home activities for any standard, see the State Standards pages, print templates (planners, logs and trackers), and find the Subject Guides, specials and writing prompts. The Parent Digest gives a short summary of each week for the whole family.

What the books add. The Teacher Guide puts every lesson in day order with the answers beside it, so you don't need a screen during the lesson. The Student Workbook gives your child one page per lesson, in order, with the Remember? box already on it. The Records Book keeps everything you might need to show at the end of the year in one place.

Page numbers. Each Day Spread in the Teacher Guide shows the matching Student Workbook page numbers, so you can find your child's page quickly.

If the book and site ever differ. The site is the single source for the program, and the books are made from it. If you spot a difference, the site has the most recent version.

Remember? Math and ELA each open with a Remember? box: three quick questions from earlier weeks. A typical math box has one fact within 20, one skill from last week, and one from a few weeks back. A typical ELA box revisits a reading skill, a phonics pattern, and a grammar or spelling point. Your child answers out loud or on the page, and you check the answers right away (they are in the Teacher Guide's Day Spread). It should take two or three minutes. The point is recalling from memory, not getting every answer right. If an answer is wrong, give the right one, show it quickly, and move on.

The lessons. Each lesson has an objective, the standards it teaches, and a set of timed parts. A math lesson runs: Warm-Up (10 minutes), Mini-Lesson (15), Practice (15) and Wrap-Up (5). An ELA lesson usually runs: Read-Aloud (15), Mini-Lesson (10), Guided or Independent Reading (15), Writing Workshop (15) and Word Study (10). A science or social studies lesson is about 30 minutes, built around an investigation or hands-on activity, with a short write or discussion at the end.

Lessons speak to you directly: "Your child builds 627 with straw bundles," "Ask, 'Why do both paths work?'" Read the lesson before you teach it. You don't need to follow the words exactly; say it your way. Times are a guide, not a rule.

Practice pages. Each lesson has a matching page in the Student Workbook. The page opens with an "I can" line that names the day's goal. Many pages show a short worked example, then a few practice items, then a challenge. The practice uses fresh examples, not the ones from the lesson, so the page shows whether your child can do it on their own. Answers are in the Teacher Guide. Math and ELA pages also carry that day's Remember? box.

Let your child try the page alone first. Then check it together. Circle anything that needs another look, and let your child fix it. A page with a few mistakes that your child has fixed is a better page than a perfect one you helped with.

Reading About Our World. Each week has one short reading passage about the science or social studies topic your child is exploring that week. Eighteen passages link to science and eighteen to social studies. Each has a word box with the key words and their meanings, and three questions. Read the passage aloud first while your child follows along. Then read it together, and let your child read the parts they can. Talk about the words in the word box, then do the questions. The passage builds background knowledge, which helps children understand what they read.

Home Connection. Each week has a short sheet for the family: the week's big ideas in child-friendly words, and a 10-minute activity and a talk question for each subject, using things you have at home. It is a good way for another adult in the family to join in.

Specials page. Each week in the Student Workbook has one specials page, rotating through Art, Music, Movement and Health.

At the end of each week, your child does a short weekly check for each subject: Math, ELA, Science and Social Studies. Each check starts with two "I can" goals for the week, followed by 5 to 7 items, so each one is quick. Most families give them on Friday. They are in the Student Workbook, with the answers in the Teacher Guide.

Give the check without help. Read directions aloud if your child needs it; the check is about the week's skill, not about reading the directions. Then mark it together.

What to do next. For each check, the Teacher Guide gives three routes, based on how many items were right:

All or almost all right: move on to next week. Keep the daily Remember? boxes going.

About half right: practice the skill a new way, then redo the missed items. The route tells you exactly what to do, for example "Skip-count out loud while jumping or clapping: by 5s from 35, by 10s from 240, by 100s from 300. Then redo the missed items."

Only a few right: use the catch-up activity or the specific reteach step for that week, for 10 minutes a day, while the next week begins.

An example. In Week 4, the math goals are "I can skip-count by 5s, 10s and 100s from any number" and "I can find patterns on a number chart." If your child gets all or almost all of the check right, you move on to Week 5. If about half is right, you skip-count out loud while jumping or clapping, then redo the missed items. If only a few are right, you do the catch-up activity "Count On, Count By" daily that week, with a printed hundreds chart for every skip-count task.

In most weeks, the right move for a shaky result is to keep going and add a short daily reteach alongside the new week. Second grade spirals, and skills come back again and again in Remember? boxes, lessons and later units. Holding the whole program back for one skill usually costs more than it gains.

Catch-up activities. Each week has a math "Not yet?" catch-up activity, 36 in all, such as "Tens and Ones First," "Count On, Count By" and "Build, Trade, Check." Each says why the skill matters and what it builds on, lists simple materials, gives a few hands-on steps, and ends with two try-again problems. For ELA, science and social studies, the reteach step is written into the route itself: rereading a passage, a word-card review, retelling the unit with vocabulary cards, or redoing an investigation your child enjoyed.

In unit-test weeks (Weeks 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36), the routes also point to the unit test: check it together, and reteach any section where your child missed more than half.

Keep the marked checks. They are ready-made work samples for the portfolio, and a quick way to see progress across a quarter.

Each subject has six unit tests, one at the end of each six-week unit, for 24 in all. They fall in Weeks 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36. The tests are in the Assessment and Records Book, each with student pages and a scoring guide. You can also download them from the Assessments page on the site.

Each test has four sections, and each section tests one part of the unit, such as Place Value Concepts, Skip-Counting Patterns, Comparing Numbers and an Extended Response. The scoring guide gives the points for each section. Tests take about 20 to 50 minutes: math and ELA tests are the longest, and social studies tests the shortest. Each test page shows its own time estimate. Split a long test over two sittings if your child tires.

An example. The Unit 1 math test (Place Value and Number Relationships, Weeks 1-6) has four sections: Place Value Concepts (8 items, 16 points), Skip-Counting Patterns (4 items, 8 points), Comparing Numbers (6 items, 12 points) and an Extended Response (2 items, 8 points), for 20 items and 44 points in all. It takes about 35 to 40 minutes. The section scores tell you more than the total: a child who does well on place value and comparing but misses most of skip-counting needs a short skip-counting reteach, not the whole unit again.

The four levels. Every test is scored on the same four-level scale:

D, Developing: foundational concepts not yet secure; needs intensive support and step-by-step teaching.

A, Approaching: partial understanding; applies skills with errors, or only on simpler problem types.

P, Proficient: meets grade-level expectations; applies skills accurately and independently.

E, Exemplary: exceeds expectations; extends thinking, explains reasoning, and applies skills in new situations.

Proficient is the goal. It means your child is ready for what comes next. Exemplary is a bonus, not a requirement.

Choose the level by looking at the whole test, section by section, against these descriptions. The extended responses, writing tasks and CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) responses are scored with the site's four rubrics (Writing Narrative, Math Reasoning, Science Inquiry, and Social Studies Civic Thinking), which use the same four levels. The Records Book explains scoring in detail.

Reteaching. After a test, look at each section. Any section where your child missed more than half is a section to reteach: teach it again, a new way, one section a day, while the next unit begins. Then have your child redo those items. Record the level for each test on an Assessment Tracker page.

A unit test is a snapshot, not a verdict. A child who scores A in October and P in January has learned exactly what the program is designed to teach.

Real life doesn't run in neat five-day weeks. The program is built to bend.

Short weeks. For a four-day week, keep Math and ELA every day and combine the science or social studies lessons you miss into a longer session, or skip one and cover it in conversation. For a three-day week, teach Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the plan, and fold the key Tuesday and Thursday activities into those days. In either case, still give the weekly checks. They tell you whether anything important was lost.

Sick days. Don't try to double up the next day. Simply pick up where you left off; the site's Today link (/go/today) takes you back to the day you last opened. On a day when your child is home but not up to lessons, a read-aloud and the week's Home Connection activities are plenty.

Falling behind. Some weeks you will fly through; others will need two weeks. That's fine. If you are more than two weeks behind the calendar you had in mind, choose one of these:

Keep going at your pace and extend the year into the summer.

Trim, don't skip: keep every Math and ELA lesson, and teach science and social studies in shorter form (the investigation, then the wrap-up question).

Use the final unit wisely: Weeks 31-36 are review and consolidation in every subject, so a family that runs behind can shorten that review.

Catching up on a skill. Use the weekly checks and What to do next. A short daily catch-up alongside the new week is almost always better than stopping.

Moving faster. If the placement check was easy, or the weekly checks keep coming back all right, use the checks to speed up. Try the Friday check first, before the week's lessons. If your child gets it all right, move through that week's lessons more quickly: do the practice page, skip the parts your child already knows, and spend the time saved on reading or projects. Keep the read-alouds, science investigations and writing, since those build much more than the tested skill.

Don't skip ahead to third-grade content. For a child who is ready for more, go deeper: "Can you solve it another way?" "Why does regrouping work? Can you prove it with blocks?" The Stretch notes in the lessons are written for exactly this.

Many families teach two or more children at once. Second Grade works well for this if you share what can be shared and keep separate what needs to be separate.

Share the read-alouds, science, social studies and specials. These work well with a mixed group. A younger child can listen and draw; an older child can read part of the book aloud, write the longer answer, or lead the investigation. Each child who is in second grade does their own practice page.

Children in different grades. If a sibling is in another grade, share the read-aloud and let each child respond at their own level: the younger one retells, the older one writes. Science investigations work especially well this way, because every child can observe, measure and record, and older children can write fuller explanations. Keep each child's math and reading on their own track.

Keep math and ELA skills separate. Math and phonics build step by step, so each child needs lessons at their own level. If you have two second graders (twins, or children close in age), teach the lesson together and let each do their own page and weekly check. Expect them to move at different speeds, and use What to do next separately for each child.

Stagger the day. While one child works on a practice page alone, teach the other. A simple rotation: teach child A's math mini-lesson while child B reads; then swap. Short independent jobs, such as a practice page, independent reading, or a journal entry, make this easier.

One set of plans, one workbook each. Each child in second grade needs their own Student Workbook, since it is where they write. One Teacher Guide is enough. You can also print extra pages from the week's printable packet (/go/w12p for Week 12, for example).

Use the older child as a helper. Explaining a skill to a younger sibling is one of the best ways to understand it. The math and ELA guidance suggests "math mentor" roles and reading aloud to younger siblings for exactly this reason.

Keep separate records. Each child needs their own attendance log, portfolio and progress reports.

A sample morning for two children. Start together with a read-aloud or the week's Reading About Our World passage. Then teach the second grader's math mini-lesson while the other child does independent work; swap so the other child gets your full attention while the second grader does the math practice page. Come back together for science or social studies, then split again for ELA word study and writing. Finish together with a special: a walk, a song, or an art project that everyone can do at their own level.

It takes a week or two to settle into a rotation. Keep independent tasks short at first, and build up.

No two children learn the same way, and no curriculum should be followed robotically. Second Grade gives you tools to adjust at three levels: within a lesson, within a week, and across the year.

Support and Stretch notes. Many lessons include a Support note and a Stretch note. A Support note makes the task easier to start, for example "build the first subtraction with straws before drawing" or "edit one page together first, saying each rule aloud as you check it." A Stretch note adds depth without jumping ahead, for example "solve 646 + 197 with compensation (646 + 200 - 3)" or "replace two plain verbs with stronger ones and explain the shade of meaning." Use either one on the day, based on how the lesson is going.

The Subject Guides. Each unit has a Big Idea Guide on the site at secondgrade.com/guides. It explains the big idea, what success looks like, common mistakes, and teaching tips. Read the one for the next unit when a subject isn't your strong suit, or when your child is struggling and you want another way in.

Catch-ups. Each week's math catch-up activity and the reteach steps in What to do next are your main tools for a child who needs more time. Keep catch-up sessions short (about 10 minutes) and hands-on, and run them alongside the regular lessons.

Go back to the concrete. In math, the path is always real objects, then drawings, then numbers. If a child is stuck, go back a step. There's no shame in using blocks in December.

When a child finds math hard. Watch for a child still counting on fingers for basic facts well into the year, or who can't explain what each digit in a three-digit number means. Rebuild facts to 10 with ten-frames and counters before pushing to 20. Try a five-minute daily "number talk," a short mental-math conversation. Break word problems into one sentence at a time and draw each step. Praise the strategy, not just the answer: "Tell me how you thought about that."

When a child finds reading hard. Watch for slow, effortful reading with many decoding errors, trouble retelling a story, or writing only a sentence or two. Add a short daily phonics review aimed at the specific gaps. Take turns reading pages. Read the same book several times: first for fun, then for details, then for smoothness. Audiobooks paired with the print book let a child enjoy grade-level stories while their decoding catches up.

When a child is ahead. Offer depth, not speed. Ask for a second way to solve a problem, or for your child to write their own word problem. Try logic puzzles and games that reward thinking. In reading, widen the genres (poetry, plays, biography) and ask bigger questions: "What is the author really trying to say? Do you agree?" In science, let your child design a variation of the investigation.

Attention and energy. Many second graders do better with shorter bursts. You can split any lesson into two sittings, move the read-aloud to bedtime, or do science outdoors. Movement breaks between lessons help most children.

Frustration and confidence. When a child says "I can't do this," that is a cue to change the approach, not to lower the bar. Go back a step (to blocks, to a shorter text, to saying the answer before writing it), give one small success, and stop on a good note. Praise effort and strategy. A child who believes they can learn will keep trying when the work gets harder.

Handwriting and writing stamina. Some second graders know far more than they can comfortably write. On a tiring day, let your child dictate part of an answer while you write, or answer out loud and write just one sentence. Keep the writing load growing slowly across the year.

Swap and add freely. If your library doesn't have a title, use another book on the same topic. If your child loves a subject, such as dinosaurs, weave it in: dinosaur books for reading, counting fossils for math. Each subject also stands alone, so you can pair our math with a different phonics program, or the reverse.

If you have concerns about your child's learning or development, talk with your child's doctor or a qualified specialist. This program is not a substitute for professional evaluation.

Read aloud every day, even to a child who reads well alone. Reading aloud builds vocabulary, models smooth expressive reading, and opens up stories and ideas well beyond what your child can read alone. It is the one part of the day to protect when everything else is squeezed.

The lessons name specific books. Many ELA, science, social studies and specials lessons are built around a named picture book or nonfiction title. In Week 12, for example, ELA uses Where Do Polar Bears Live? by Sarah L. Thomson, science uses The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle, and social studies uses As the Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps by Gail Hartman. Each week's plan lists its books, and the Books and Materials page lists them all by quarter.

Library first. You do not need to buy these books. Your local library is your most valuable free resource. Reserve the coming week's books at least a week ahead, through your library's website or WorldCat. Many libraries will transfer a book from another branch, and many offer e-books and audiobooks.

If you can't find a title, use another good book on the same topic. The lesson will still work: the skill (asking questions, finding the main topic, noticing cause and effect) matters more than the particular book. Read the lesson first and adjust any question that depends on a specific page.

A reading list for the year. The Books and Materials page also has a short list of books to read beyond the lessons, including read-aloud novels such as Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, early readers such as Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel, chapter series, picture books and nonfiction. Let your child choose some reading too: graphic novels, joke books and animal fact books all build the reading habit.

How to read aloud well. Preview the book yourself first. Stop now and then to wonder aloud ("I wonder why she did that"), and invite your child to predict. Don't turn every page into a quiz; a good read-aloud should feel like a treat. Let your child hold the book and turn the pages.

Independent reading. ELA lessons often include independent reading of a self-chosen book. Keep a basket of books at the right level within reach, and change them often. The Reading Log in the Records Book is a simple way to track titles.

Nonfiction counts. Many of the named books are nonfiction, such as the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. Reading nonfiction aloud about the topics your child is studying builds the background knowledge that makes later reading easier. Talk about the pictures, diagrams and labels as well as the words.

Audiobooks. An audiobook is still a story, and it still builds vocabulary and listening. Audiobooks help on car rides and quiet afternoons, and for a child whose listening is ahead of their reading. They add to reading aloud together; they don't replace it.

Specials round out the day with about 30 minutes of Art, Music, Physical Education, or Health and Wellbeing. They rotate through the week, so your child meets each strand regularly. Each strand has six blocks of six weeks, with a focus, activities, books, supplies and suggested media.

Visual Art: Elements of Art: Line, Shape and Pattern; Color Theory and Texture; Form, Space and Sculpture; Value, Self-Expression and Portraits; Art from Around the World; and Art and Storytelling: Year-End Showcase.

Music: Steady Beat, Rhythm and Movement; Melody, Pitch and Singing; Instruments and Tone Color; Form and Listening Skills; Music from Around the World; and Performance and Music Celebration.

Physical Education: Locomotor Skills and Body Awareness; Throwing, Catching and Hand-Eye Coordination; Balance, Flexibility and Yoga; Kicking, Dribbling and Ball Control; Cooperative Games and Team Sports; and Fitness Testing and Field Day.

Health and Wellbeing: My Body and My Senses; Food, Water and Energy; Feelings and Friendships; Safety at Home and Outdoors; Germs, Hygiene and Staying Well; and Kindness, Community and Wellbeing Celebration.

Each block names a few books (for Weeks 1-6 of art, for example, Lines That Wiggle by Candace Whitman and Ish by Peter H. Reynolds) and lists simple supplies. The Student Workbook has one specials page a week, and the Specials page on the site has the full activity lists.

Making specials work at home. Specials are the easiest part of the day to fit around family life. A walk, a bike ride or a park visit can be PE. Singing in the car or dancing in the kitchen can be music. A co-op class, sports team or lessons you already do can count toward the strand they cover. Many families do specials in the afternoon or on the weekend.

Safety and comfort. In PE, warm up first, choose a safe space, and let your child go at their own pace; the goal is joyful movement, not performance. In Health and Wellbeing, some topics, such as feelings and friendships, lead to personal conversations. Follow your child's lead, and adapt any activity to your family's values and your child's needs.

Keep a few pieces of art, photos of projects, or notes about a performance in the portfolio. The Art and Specials Portfolio Page template is made for this.

Joining in. Specials are a good time for the whole family. Parents, grandparents and siblings can join the dance, play the rhythm game, or make their own version of the art project. Children love it when an adult tries alongside them, and doesn't mind getting it wrong.

Good records help you see progress, plan the next step, and answer any questions about your child's year. They also make a lovely keepsake. Keep them simple: a few minutes on Friday is enough. The Assessment and Records Book has everything below in one place, and the Templates page on the site has printable versions.

Attendance and hours. The Attendance and Hours Log has a row for each of the 180 days, with start and end times and hours by subject, plus weekly and quarterly totals. Fill it in at the end of each day or each week. Count lessons, read-alouds, specials and field trips. If you use the site, the Done ticks on each lesson also show what you completed, but they are saved only in your browser, so keep a paper or file copy too.

The portfolio. A portfolio is a folder of work that shows what your child learned and how they grew. Some lessons tell you when to add something, such as the Friday papers. A good portfolio for the year includes:

A few work samples per subject each quarter, including one early piece and one later piece of the same kind, so growth is easy to see.

Writing samples across the year: a narrative, an opinion piece and an informational piece.

Weekly checks and unit tests, with the D/A/P/E levels.

Photos of hands-on work, science investigations, art and projects that won't fit in a folder.

The Reading Log.

Date every piece and add a one-line note: what it is, and what it shows. The Portfolio Index in the Records Book keeps it in order.

Mastery checklists. The mastery checklists list the Grade 2 standards by subject, so you can mark each as introduced, practiced or mastered. Some standards, such as speaking and listening and reading aloud smoothly, are checked by watching and listening rather than on paper; mark those from what you observe.

Quarterly progress reports. At the end of each quarter, the progress report pulls it together: a D/A/P/E level for each subject, notes on social and emotional growth and on specials, and your reflection and goals for next quarter. Four reports make a clear record of the year.

Other trackers. The Records Book also includes a Reading Log and a Math Fact Fluency Tracker. Use the ones that help you; skip the rest.

A five-minute Friday routine. Total the week's hours on the attendance log. Put the marked weekly checks and one or two pieces of work in the portfolio, dated and labeled. Add the week's books to the Reading Log. Tick any standards your child has clearly mastered. Once a quarter, add the unit test levels and fill in the progress report.

The site's progress tools. On the website, tick Done on each lesson as you finish it; the week page shows how many are done, and the My Progress page shows the year. These ticks are saved only on your device and browser, so treat them as a helpful view, not your official record.

Keep records safe. Store the portfolio and logs somewhere dry, and consider photographing or scanning key pages. Keep them for at least as long as your state asks you to (see State Requirements Overview).

At the end of the year. Pick a few favorite pieces with your child for a year-end portfolio; the last weeks of the program include this in several subjects. Total the attendance log, complete the fourth progress report, and file the mastery checklists. Put it all in one labeled folder or box. It will be useful next year, and it is a record of your child's growth that you will be glad to have.

Homeschool rules are set by each state, and they differ. Depending on where you live, there may be rules about notifying an office, the subjects you teach, attendance, records, or evaluations. This guide can't tell you what your state requires, and nothing in it is legal advice.

Standards and homeschool rules are two different things. Standards describe what children should learn in a grade. Homeschool rules describe what a family must do to homeschool legally. This program is aligned to widely used standards, but following it does not by itself meet any state's homeschool rules.

If you move to a new state during the year, the rules of your new state apply from the move. Check them as soon as you can, and keep your records from before the move.

What the site does cover is standards. The State Standards pages at secondgrade.com/state-adaptations show how Second Grade's standards line up with the frameworks of ten states: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. For each state and subject there are short notes, and a code-by-code matrix marks each standard as Identical (the state adopted it word for word), Similar (closely aligned with minor differences) or Different (the state has its own version of the concept).

Some states use the Common Core and the Next Generation Science Standards* closely. Others use their own frameworks, such as Texas's TEKS or Florida's B.E.S.T. standards, which cover similar content organized differently. The Assessment and Records Book includes a one-page summary for each of the ten states, taken from the site's notes.

What to do. Find your state's current homeschool rules from your state's department of education or another official source. Note what records, if any, you need to keep and by when. Then use the Records Book to keep them. The attendance log, portfolio, unit tests and quarterly progress reports cover the kinds of records families are most often asked for.

Requirements change. Check your state's current rules; see secondgrade.com/state-adaptations for details.

Second Grade is built on what research says helps young children learn. Here is what each part of the program does, and the evidence behind it. To be clear from the start: these features are based on published research, but Second Grade itself has not been tested in a controlled study. So we describe it as research-based, not proven. As families use the program, we will share what we learn.

Daily Remember? review. What we do: Math and ELA lessons open with three quick questions from earlier weeks, and the answers are checked the same day. What research says: practice spread out over time, and recalling answers from memory rather than rereading, help people keep what they learn. In one classroom study, second graders who practiced facts by recalling them (with flashcards) became more fluent than those who chanted the facts aloud. A caution: for the youngest children the results are more mixed, so we keep review short and give the answers right away. (Ophuis-Cox, Catrysse and Camp, 2023; Leggett, Burt and Carroll, 2019; Petersen-Brown and others, 2019.)

Step-by-step phonics with practice reading. What we do: phonics is taught in a set order, and children practice with short texts that use the sounds they have learned, alongside read-alouds and real books. What research says: systematic phonics instruction helps children learn to read words better than approaches without it. Texts built from taught letter-sound patterns add a smaller benefit, and work best alongside other reading. (Ehri, 2020; Lane, Contesse, Gage and Burns, 2025; Murphy Odo, 2024.)

Reading About Our World. What we do: each week, one reading passage is about the same science or social studies topic the child is exploring, with key words and questions. What research says: knowing about the world helps children understand what they read, and researchers call for reading programs aligned with the science and social studies children are learning. A caution: measured gains from knowledge-building programs are real but modest in the short term; the benefit builds over years. (Cabell and Hwang, 2020; Grifenhagen and others, 2021; Relyea and others, 2025.)

Blocks, then pictures, then numbers. What we do: new math ideas start with real objects like base-ten blocks or bundled straws, then drawings, then numbers alone. What research says: this concrete-representational-abstract sequence improves understanding of place value and computation, especially for children who find math hard, and strong early number skills predict later success in math. (Agrawal and Morin, 2016; Milton and others, 2023; Davis-Kean and others, 2021.)

Home connection activities. What we do: short, specific activities for families to do together each week. What research says: a review of 19 randomized trials found that programs in which parents do academic activities with their children at home raised elementary achievement, even though most programs lasted only about 11 weeks. (Nye, Turner and Schwartz, 2006; Melhuish and others, 2008.)

Weekly checks with clear next steps. What we do: every weekly check lists its "I can" goals and tells you exactly what to do next: move on, practice a skill a new way, or use a catch-up activity. What research says: clear goals, checking progress and adjusting teaching are linked to higher achievement. Feedback alone is not enough; what matters is what you do next. (Yan and Chiu, 2022; Shepard, 2009.)

Further reading. The What Works Clearinghouse practice guide Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (Institute of Education Sciences, 2016) is a free, readable summary of what helps early readers. Full citations with links for every source above are at secondgrade.com/go/research.

What this means for you. The research points to a few habits that matter more than any single lesson: keep the Remember? boxes going every day; start new math ideas with objects before numbers; read aloud daily, including nonfiction about the science and social studies topics; use the weekly checks, and act on What to do next; and do the Home Connection activities together. If a busy week forces you to cut something, keep these.

Do I need teaching experience? No. Every lesson gives step-by-step instructions, things to say, and a time for each part. Read the lesson ahead, then follow along in your own words. The Subject Guides on the site explain the big idea of each unit and the common mistakes to watch for, which helps when a subject isn't your strong suit.

How long does each day take? A typical day runs about three to four hours including breaks, with about two and a half to three hours of active learning. The lessons themselves are about 45 minutes of math, 60 to 65 minutes of ELA, and 30 minutes of science or social studies, plus a special. Many families finish by lunchtime.

Where should my child start? Almost every child should start at Week 1. Use the 10- to 15-minute placement check to find out which short catch-up activities to add in the first few weeks.

What materials do I need? Mostly everyday things: pencils, paper, crayons, a ruler, coins and household objects for science. A few items, such as base-ten blocks and an analog clock, are worth having all year; you can make both from paper. Each week lists its materials, and the Books and Materials page lists everything.

Do I have to buy the books? No. The whole program is free on secondgrade.com, and it will stay free. The printed Teacher Guides, Student Workbooks and Records Book are a convenience for families who prefer paper, and they hold the same program as the site. The read-aloud books named in lessons are usually easy to borrow from a library; if one isn't, use another good book on the same topic.

My child got "about half right" on a weekly check. Should we repeat the week? Usually not. Follow the route in What to do next: practice the skill a new way and redo the missed items, or add a 10-minute catch-up alongside the next week. Skills come back in the Remember? boxes and in later units.

Can I skip subjects or weeks? Yes. The curriculum is modular. You can focus on math and ELA on a busy day, or move quickly through weeks your child has already mastered by giving the Friday check first. If you run behind, the review weeks at the end of the year (Weeks 31-36) give you room.

Can I combine this with other programs? Yes. Each subject stands alone, so you can use our math with a different phonics program, or the reverse, or add any resource your family likes.

Is this aligned to state standards? The program is aligned to the Common Core (math and ELA), the Next Generation Science Standards* (science) and the C3 Framework (social studies). The State Standards pages show how these line up with the frameworks of ten states. Standards alignment is not the same as your state's homeschool rules, which you should check separately.

Is this program proven to work? Each part is based on published research, which the Why This Works section summarizes. The program itself has not been tested in a controlled study, so we call it research-based, not proven. As families use it, we will share what we learn.