Mrs. Mercer                    Mrs. Alderman                     Mrs. Arnold                    

Welcome to Ramsey Magnet School of Science, Second Graders!

Get ready for a year of learning, laughs, and lots of fun. While in second grade, students will embark on an extraordinary journey filled with science, math, and literacy. Through scientific experiences, students will foster critical thinking and problem solving, which will turn them into young contributing members of our community. From a trip to the local fire station to experiencing paleontology firsthand, second graders will blossom as innovators and leaders.  

Science:

In second grade, science is woven into just about everything we do.  While studying dinosaurs, children will literally get their hands dirty as paleontologists while they extract fossils during our yearly Dino Dig.  Students will also get close and comfortable with various critters and organisms during our habitat studies, while also exploring the properties of various rocks and minerals. We also have the unique opportunity to participate in the Trout in the Classroom program. We get to work alongside fish biologists while raising kokanee from eggs until they are large enough to be released into a local lake. Whether it’s singing about the weather in our yearly concert or reading Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and writing our own severe weather forecasts, second graders will experience science integrated throughout the disciplines. Additionally, our second graders participate in school-wide and grade-level science days and attend science-related assemblies. Our three science units that we will focus on this year are:

1. Pebbles, Sand, and Silt
2. Solids and Liquids
3. Insects and Plants

English/Language Arts:

With Idaho Core Curriculum, students will be investing their time to write both fiction and non-fiction pieces that are deeply thought out and planned.  Some of our favorites are:

*Personal Narrative        *Friendly Letters              *Opinion Pieces        

*Fiction Stories                 *Non-Fiction Reports     *Poetry

As readers, students will develop a love of literature (if they haven’t already)! They explore different genres: silly stories, adventure, folktales, fables, fairy tales, poetry, and non-fiction. Readers will also dissect literature into its story elements so students can understand stories more deeply.  They will also play with the building blocks of reading to strengthen their reading skills on all levels.

Math:

Students will learn multiple strategies to solve problems and will experience learning from their classmates as well as the teacher. They will be able to articulate their thinking to others while problem-solving to show their flexibility as mathematicians. Students will also realize the importance of math fact fluency and will work towards automaticity at school and at home throughout the year.

Social Studies:

Second graders start out the year by studying communities and roles within the community. They quickly learn that although they are children, they are a vital piece in their community. Ramsey’s second grade has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with US Bank and their Junior Achievement program.  Volunteers help children establish an understanding of goods and services and other economic concepts.

We are so excited to help cultivate lifelong learning for your second grader!