Weeks in this quarter
Mathematics
- W10: Mental Math: Add/Subtract 10 or 100
- W11: Explain Addition and Subtraction Strategies
- W12: Unit 2 Review: Place Value & Operations
- W13: One- and Two-Step Word Problems (Addition)
- W14: One- and Two-Step Word Problems (Subtraction)
- W15: Fluently Add and Subtract Within 20
- W16: One- and Two-Step Word Problems (Mixed)
- W17: Odd and Even Numbers
- W18: Rectangular Arrays and Repeated Addition
English Language Arts
- W10: Author's Purpose in Informational Text
- W11: Using Images and Text Together
- W12: Describing Connections in a Text
- W13: Rhythm and Meaning in Stories and Poems
- W14: Comparing Two Versions of the Same Story
- W15: Key Words in Informational Text
- W16: Author's Reasons and Evidence
- W17: Comparing Important Points in Two Texts
- W18: Literature Across Genres: Folktales & Fables
Unit openers
Big idea
Your child uses place value to add and subtract, first within 100 and then within 1,000. They learn several strategies (make a ten, open number lines, compensation, base-ten drawings) and practice explaining why each one works. The goal is flexible, accurate thinking, not one fixed method.
Why it matters
It builds directly on the hundreds, tens and ones of Unit 1. It leads into the story problems of Unit 3 and the length, time and money problems of Unit 4.
Standards in plain language
- 2.NBT.B.5 Adds and subtracts within 100 using strategies, not just counting on fingers.
- 2.NBT.B.6 Adds three or four two-digit numbers by finding friendly pairs.
- 2.NBT.B.7 Adds and subtracts within 1,000 with drawings, blocks or place value, and explains the method.
- 2.NBT.B.8 Finds 10 more, 10 less, 100 more and 100 less than a number in their head.
- 2.NBT.B.9 Explains why an addition or subtraction strategy works, using place value.
- 2.OA.A.1 Solves one- and two-step story problems with addition and subtraction within 100.
Mastery looks like
- Adds and subtracts two-digit numbers such as 52 − 27 with a chosen strategy and gets the right answer.
- Adds three or four two-digit numbers by looking for pairs that make ten, as in 18 + 32 + 27 + 13.
- Adds and subtracts three-digit numbers with a drawing that shows each trade of 10 ones for a ten or 10 tens for a hundred.
- Says 10 more, 10 less, 100 more and 100 less than a number like 596 without counting.
- Explains a strategy with a 'because' sentence, such as 'I split 36 into 30 and 6.'
Vocabulary
regroup, fluency, addend, group, base ten, model, mental math, more, less, strategy, explain
Materials
- Drinking straws and rubber bands for bundles of 10 and 100
- Dried beans
- Hundreds chart
- Index cards
- Whiteboard or scrap paper for open number lines
- Math journal
Short-week pacing
Keep the Monday mini-lesson, which introduces the week's strategy, and the Friday check. Do one practice day with straws or drawings and skip the other, and use the word problem as a short warm-up.
Watch across the unit
The most common error is losing a traded ten or hundred (writing 45 + 37 = 72), or taking the smaller digit from the larger one in each place (52 − 27 = 35). Have your child build or draw the problem and say out loud each time a trade happens.
Big idea
Your child solves story problems by drawing a bar model and writing an equation with a ? for the unknown number. They also become quick with facts within 20, learn what makes a number odd or even, and use arrays and repeated addition. These are the tools for thinking about numbers, not just computing.
Why it matters
It puts the Unit 2 strategies to work inside real stories. Arrays and repeated addition lead to the rows and columns of Unit 5 and, later, to multiplication in third grade.
Standards in plain language
- 2.OA.A.1 Solves one- and two-step story problems with addition and subtraction within 100.
- 2.OA.B.2 Knows addition and subtraction facts within 20 quickly.
- 2.OA.C.3 Tells if a number is odd or even and writes an even number as a double (8 = 4 + 4).
- 2.OA.C.4 Uses repeated addition to find the total in an array of rows and columns.
Mastery looks like
- Draws a bar model and writes an equation for a one- or two-step story, with the ? in any position (for example ? − 15 = 30).
- Solves compare problems that ask how many more or how many fewer.
- Recalls addition and subtraction facts within 20 quickly, aiming for 32 or more of 40 correct in 3 minutes.
- Proves a number is odd or even by pairing, by its ones digit, or with a doubles equation like 18 = 9 + 9.
- Writes a repeated addition equation for an array, such as 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 for 3 rows of 4.
Vocabulary
word problem, bar model, compare, take away, fluency, fact, two-step, odd, even, pair, decompose, array, row, column
Materials
- Index cards for problem cards and fact cards
- Dried beans or other counters
- Ten-frames drawn on paper
- Timer
- Paper clips or pennies for checking
- Whiteboard
Short-week pacing
Keep Monday's modeled lesson and Friday's check, and merge the two middle practice days into one. In fluency week (Week 15), keep a 5-minute fact round every day you can, even on days you skip the full lesson.
Watch across the unit
Many children choose the operation from one word ('more' means add) instead of the story, even in 'some more came, and now there are 31,' where the missing part is found by subtracting. Drawing the bar model first shows whether a part or the whole is missing.
Big idea
Your child learns to read true books the way a researcher does: asking questions, finding the main topic, using headings and glossaries, noticing why the author wrote, and seeing how pictures and words work together. At the same time your child writes informational paragraphs and builds an 'All About' book on a plant or animal from the science unit, using more than one source.
Why it matters
It turns Unit 1's questioning and evidence habits toward nonfiction. The research and note-taking skills return in Unit 5's rain forest project and in the Unit 6 review.
Standards in plain language
- RI.2.1 Asks and answers questions about nonfiction using details from the text.
- RI.2.2 Tells what a whole nonfiction text is about and what each section focuses on.
- RI.2.3 Explains how ideas in a nonfiction text connect, like steps or cause and effect.
- RI.2.5 Uses headings, bold words, captions, glossaries and indexes to find information.
- RI.2.6 Explains why the author wrote the text.
- RI.2.7 Explains how pictures, diagrams and maps help readers understand.
- W.2.1 Writes opinion pieces with reasons, linking words and a closing.
- W.2.2 Writes teaching pieces with a clear topic, real facts and a closing.
- W.2.7 Learns about a topic from a few books and writes a short report, with help.
- W.2.8 Answers a question by remembering or by looking in a book you provide.
- RF.2.4 Reads smoothly, at a good pace, with expression and understanding.
- L.2.1 Uses correct grammar: collective nouns, irregular plurals, reflexive pronouns, past tense, adjectives and adverbs.
- L.2.2 Uses capitals, commas, apostrophes and correct spelling.
- L.2.4 Works out unknown words with context clues, word parts and dictionaries.
- L.2.5 Connects words to real life and notices shades of meaning (mad, angry, furious).
Mastery looks like
- Asks questions before and during reading and finds the sentence that answers each one.
- Names the main topic of a book and of a single paragraph in their own words.
- Uses a table of contents, glossary, index, headings and captions to find a fact quickly.
- Tells whether an author wrote to answer, explain, describe or entertain, and explains what a diagram adds.
- Takes notes in their own words from two sources and turns them into a short book with sections, a diagram and a glossary.
Vocabulary
nonfiction, question, main topic, fact, heading, caption, author's purpose, integrate, source, connection, revise, publish
Materials
- Library nonfiction books (Gail Gibbons and National Geographic Kids Readers work well)
- Sticky notes and sticky flags
- Research folder with one page per question
- Index cards
- Colored pencils
- Stapler for the finished book
Anchor books
- From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
- Ants by Melissa Stewart
- What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
- Feathers: Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart
- Sharks by Anne Schreiber
- What Is the World Made Of? All About Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
- Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- The Honey Makers by Gail Gibbons
- Weather by Kristin Baird Rattini
- Where Do Polar Bears Live? by Sarah L. Thomson
- The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Short-week pacing
Keep the Monday read-aloud and the Writing Workshop days, because the All About book is built step by step across Weeks 10 to 12. Word study can shrink to a 5-minute card review, and the Friday reading response can be done aloud.
Watch across the unit
Children often copy whole sentences as 'notes,' or treat a story like The Very Hungry Caterpillar as a source of facts. Practice 'words, not sentences' notes, and ask 'Did the author write this to teach or to entertain?' before using a book for research.
Big idea
Your child listens for rhythm and rhyme in poems, compares Cinderella stories from different cultures, compares two books about the same animal and meets folktales and fables. Along the way your child writes opinion pieces with reasons and linking words, presents a persuasive letter, records a reading and learns when to use formal or informal English.
Why it matters
It builds on the story work of Unit 1 and the nonfiction skills of Unit 2, now comparing two texts side by side. The speaking and presenting started here lead into the conversation work of Unit 5.
Standards in plain language
- RL.2.4 Notices how rhyme, repeated lines and beat give a poem or story its sound and meaning.
- RL.2.9 Compares two versions of the same story.
- RI.2.4 Works out new words in nonfiction using the sentence, the pictures and the glossary.
- RI.2.8 Names what the author wants to convince us of and the reasons given.
- RI.2.9 Compares what two books on the same topic say and where they differ.
- SL.2.1 Takes part in real conversations: listening, taking turns, staying on topic and asking questions.
- SL.2.2 Tells the main ideas and details of something heard.
- SL.2.3 Asks a good question after listening to someone.
- SL.2.4 Tells a story or event clearly, in order, loudly enough and with good details.
- SL.2.5 Records a reading and adds pictures to make a story clearer.
- SL.2.6 Answers in full sentences when it matters.
- W.2.1 Writes opinion pieces with reasons, linking words and a closing.
- L.2.1 Uses correct grammar: collective nouns, irregular plurals, reflexive pronouns, past tense, adjectives and adverbs.
- L.2.2 Uses capitals, commas, apostrophes and correct spelling.
- L.2.3 Notices the difference between casual talk and more careful, formal speaking and writing.
- L.2.4 Works out unknown words with context clues, word parts and dictionaries.
Mastery looks like
- Explains how rhyme, repeated lines or a steady beat add to a poem, and performs a poem with expression.
- Compares two versions of a story on a Venn diagram and tells how the setting changes the details.
- Finds key words in a nonfiction book and checks their meaning in the glossary or a children's dictionary.
- Writes an opinion with at least two reasons joined by because, and or also, plus a closing sentence.
- Presents in a clear voice and chooses formal or informal words to fit the listener.
Vocabulary
rhythm, opinion, version, Venn diagram, key word, linking word, reason, evidence, present, folktale
Materials
- Poetry books from the library
- Writing folder
- Children's dictionary
- Index cards and sticky notes
- Phone or tablet for an audio recording
- Dried beans for votes and bingo
Anchor books
- Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
- The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky
- Cinderella by Marcia Brown
- Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China by Ai-Ling Louie
- Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
- National Geographic Readers: Sharks! by Anne Schreiber
- Sharks by Gail Gibbons
- I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff
- Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
- Owls by Gail Gibbons
- National Geographic Readers: Owls by Laura Marsh
- Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
- Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
- Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti by Gerald McDermott
Short-week pacing
Keep the read-aloud and the Friday performance or presentation, since each week ends with something your child shares. Combine the two middle writing days into one and trim phonics to a quick card round.
Watch across the unit
Children tend to give reasons that are not really reasons ('because I like it') or that are not tied to the book. Ask 'Why?' one more time, and use Week 16's strong-or-weak reason test with a thumbs up or thumbs sideways.
Big idea
Your child tests what plants need by growing beans with and without water and light, then looks at how plant and animal parts do jobs. The unit moves out to habitats and ends with how plants and animals depend on each other: animals use plants for food and shelter, and animals carry seeds and pollen for plants.
Why it matters
It builds on Unit 1's careful observing and fair testing, now with living things. These ideas return in depth in Unit 5 and in the life cycles of Unit 6.
Standards in plain language
- 2-LS2-1 Sets up a simple test to show that plants need sunlight and water.
- 2-LS2-2 Models how animals help plants by spreading seeds or carrying pollen.
- 2-LS4-1 Observes and compares the plants and animals that live in different places.
- K-2-ETS1-2 Draws or builds a model of a solution and explains how its shape helps it work.
Mastery looks like
- Explains from the seed bags that seeds need water to sprout and that plants need light to grow green and strong.
- Names roots, stem and leaves and the job of each, and explains how a beak's shape matches its food.
- Describes what a habitat provides (food, water, shelter, space) and matches animals to habitats.
- Names three ways seeds travel (wind, water, animals) and explains how bees move pollen.
- States a claim with evidence, such as 'Plants need water. My evidence is the seed bags.'
Vocabulary
habitat, food, water, shelter, space, root, stem, leaf, shoot, seed, pollen, pollinator
Materials
- Dried beans, paper towels and zip bags
- Paper cups and potting soil
- Ruler
- Celery, food coloring and a clear glass
- Tweezers, clothespin, spoon and straw as beak tools
- Shoebox and craft scraps
- Science notebook
Anchor books
- From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
- What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins
- Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner
- Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move by JoAnn Early Macken
- Miss Maple's Seeds by Eliza Wheeler
- The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller
- Flowers Are Calling by Rita Gray
- The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Short-week pacing
Keep Monday's setup, especially in Week 7 when the seed bags must be started, and a short Friday conclusion. Check and record living investigations for a few minutes even on skipped days, and drop the art connection first.
Watch across the unit
Many children expect the seed in the dark cupboard not to sprout at all, but it often does, because a seed starts on food stored inside it. Use the surprise to explain that light matters once leaves appear, and that scientists look at all the evidence.
Big idea
Your child becomes an engineer and follows one real family problem, such as crayons rolling off the table, all the way through the design process: ask, imagine, plan, build, test, improve and share. Along the way your child learns that constraints limit what you can use, criteria say what counts as success, and test numbers, not favorites, decide which design is better.
Why it matters
It uses the fair testing and material properties of Unit 1 and the models of Unit 2. The same design steps return in Unit 5's pond protector and the Unit 6 science fair.
Standards in plain language
- K-2-ETS1-1 Identifies a real problem and thinks about how a design could solve it.
- K-2-ETS1-2 Draws or builds a model of a solution and explains how its shape helps it work.
- K-2-ETS1-3 Tests different designs, compares results and explains which worked better and why.
Mastery looks like
- Writes a clear one-sentence problem statement and lists criteria and constraints.
- Sketches more than one solution with labels clear enough for someone else to build from.
- Builds a prototype and tests it three times, recording numbers, not just yes or no.
- Compares two designs in a fair test (same crayons, same tilt, same table) and recommends one using the data.
- Presents the project and answers 'How do you know?' by pointing to a number.
Vocabulary
engineer, problem, constraint, criteria, brainstorm, prototype, test, fair test, improve, design process
Materials
- Engineering Notebook (a folder or stapled paper)
- Index cards, straws, tape and a paper cup
- Recycling-bin materials such as boxes, tubes and lids
- Crayons and a book to tilt the table
- Ruler
- Sticky notes
Anchor books
- Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
Short-week pacing
Every week builds the same project, so shorten a step rather than skip it. Keep the build or test day and the notebook record, and trim the art connection and reflection to a few sentences.
Watch across the unit
Children often want to keep their favorite design even when the test numbers say otherwise, or change several things at once between tests. Point back to the Decision Chart and the test sheet, and change only one thing before retesting.