Manitoba
MY CHILD IN SCHOOL
MY CHILD IN SCHOOL – Informed Parent, Involved Parent

GRADE 2

OVERVIEW

In Grade 2, children learn by asking questions, solving problems, working with others, and experimenting with technologies.The required subject areas are: arts education, English language arts, mathematics, physical education/health education, science, and social studies. Your child will have the chance to learn in many different ways — by themselves, with teachers and with other children.

ARTS EDUCATION: Dance, Drama, Music, and Visual Arts

Kindergarten to Grade 2 children experiment with ways to express themselves creatively and begin to develop skills and knowledge in one or more of the arts. They explore the questions “who”, “where”, “when”, and “why” related to the arts. They think about the importance and meaning of the arts in their own lives, and in the lives of their families and communities. Children learn to think critically and talk about their experiences with learning the arts.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

In English Language Arts, children learn to listen, speak, view, represent, read and write. They learn to think about words, experiences, information and ideas and to communicate their thoughts. Grade 2 children practise reading or viewing books, poems, magazines, and videos on their own. They learn to think about how their ideas sound and to improve their words, pictures or presentations by working with others.

FRANÇAIS

Grade 2 children begin to recognize the benefits of learning French as they continue to develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. They learn to communicate ideas using familiar words in various ways, such as asking and answering simple questions and writing sentences following a model. In Grade 2, children learn to identify main ideas from short illustrated texts and to express their feelings and preferences in reaction to those texts.

MATHEMATICS

Grade 2 children connect numbers, shapes and time frames to their everyday life. They learn to show, describe and compare quantities to 100 using objects and pictures. They also learn to count to 100 in different ways. They add and subtract numbers to 100 and, in their head, add and subtract facts to 18. Some other important topics include: working with students to remember and recall Grade 2 math facts; recognizing and creating patterns; constructing 2-D shapes and 3-D objects; and using graphs to communicate information.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION/HEALTH EDUCATION

Grade 2 children learn about living an active and healthy lifestyle. They participate in physical activities for fun and fitness and to improve basic movement skills such as skipping, catching and balancing. Children learn about making good choices for their health and safety. They also learn about being responsible and respectful and communicating with others in a positive way.

SCIENCE

Grade 2 children begin to use tools to observe, measure and make objects to solve a problem. They learn about living things by exploring growth and changes in animals. They also learn about solids and liquids and the air around them and about the forms of water in the environment. Studying position and motion helps Grade 2 children to understand the relationship between moving objects and stationary ones.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Communities in Canada

Grade 2 children explore cultural and geographic diversity in Canada. They begin with their own community, past and present, including how people interact with the natural environment. They also learn about an Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit) community and one other Canadian community. Children come to understand the concept of community, including differences and similarities among Canadian communities.