Second Grade

Curriculum Night

Facts About Our School

& Your Child’s Curriculum

Courtesy of:
Katy Dailey
Letici a Sau cedo
Mary Ann Si des
Tammy Thom pson
Jody Wynn
 WELCOME!
Welcome to Second Grade at Zilker Elementary School. Zilker
is a very special and exemplary school.

Our goal is to provide each student the best education possible

in a warm, supportive and safe environment. We want all parents, as
well as students, to feel that “Zilker is a Great Place for Kids” and
parents, too.

We already have a reputation for being a community school

with a family atmosphere, and we invite parents to become actively
involved in their child’s learning. We know that your participation,
combined with our excellent faculty, will make this school year a
rewarding experience for you and your child.

Section 1.01
Section 1.02 Zilker’s Mission Statement
(a) The mission of Zilker Elementary School is to develop
every student into a life-long learner as a result of a
challenging curriculum, individualized instruction, high
expectations, and a nurturing environment with parental
and community involvement.

School Mascot: Panther

(i) School Colors: Maroon & Gold
School Slogan: “Zilker is a Great Place for Kids!”
School Motto: Diversity is Strength
Meet the Second Grade Team

Katy Dailey worked for Job Corps before becoming a teacher.

She completed her student teaching at Zilker in 2001 and has
been here ever since! She’s been married for 10 years and has a 7-year old
daughter & a 20-month old son. Ms. Dailey’s favorite activities are reading
and being on the computer.

Leticia Saucedo graduated from UT at Austin with a B.S. in Applied

Learning and Development and a specialization in Bilingual Special Education.
She has taught for 14 years -- 10 of them at Zilker. She has taught students
from grades K-4th, and this year she’s very excited about teaching 2nd grade
again! Leticia has a 17-year-old son named Alex who is the pride and joy of
her life! She has a rambunctious dog named Toby and a cat named Abbie (who
is named after the brain, "Abbie Normal" from the movie Young
Frankenstein).

Mary Ann Sides has wanted to teach since she was in Kindergarten.
She has taught for seventeen years. Mrs. Sides is a graduate of Texas State
University. She has been married for 31 years and has one son, Grant, who
attends the Khabele School. Mrs. Sides loves to read, go to Alamo
Drafthouse, and socialize.

Tammy Thompson graduated from UT with a BS in Applied Learning

and Development with a reading specialization. She
taught in Killeen ISD for four years in a multiage K-2 classroom
moved to Austin and taught at J. Houston for 5 years in K & 5th. Mrs.
Thompson earned her National Board Certification in Early Childhood and is
also certified in Special Education, ESL, Gifted & Talented and Early
Childhood. After teaching First Grade at Zilker for 2 years, she is now
thrilled to be a part of the Second Grade team. She is the mother of two
boys -Jake and Cooper and has a great hubby named Matt.

Jody Wynn grew up in Austin and has been teaching for thirteen years.
She has three children. She has been married for seventeen years. Mrs.
Wynn loves teaching, reading, and spending time with her family.
 Science & Social Studies Units
1st Nine Weeks
Families, All About Me
Rules & Laws
Citizenship & Communities
Hispanic Heritage
Science Safety
Observing Our World
Force, Motion & Energy

2nd Nine Weeks

Halloween/Government
Family Heritage/History
Community & Cultural Celebrations
Force, Motion & Energy continued
Weather

3rd Nine Weeks

MLK/Heroes of the Past
Black History
Women’s History
Earth

4th Nine Weeks

States/Continents/Maps
Life Science (Plants, Butterflies)
 Reading Skills
The skills listed below are practiced throughout the year
once they are introduced.

 Fluency  Discussing Text

 Comprehension  Reading Critically
 Reading different genres  Identify important
 Making Reader-Text information in text
Connections  Summarization
 Writing About Reading
Assessments

DRA (Devel opme ntal Re ading Assessment): In this assessment, students read from a book selected for
their reading level. The teacher follows along and records misread words from certain pages. Then, students retell the story in
their own words. Based on how many words the student has misread and skill at retelling the story, the teacher determines
whether the book is appropriate for the child. If so, the child is given a number to represent the reading level. The score from
this assessment reflects the grade level at which the student is reading. If a student’s level is 24, they are reading at Second
Grade (2), fourth month (4). Students should be at a 28 by the end of Second Grade. They are evaluated at the beginning,
middle and end of the year.

TPRI (Texas Primary Re ading Inve ntory): The TPRI was developed by the University of Texas and is a valid and
reliable assessment tool that provides a comprehensive picture of a student’s reading/language arts development. The TPRI covers ALL
five of the domains of reading required to qualify for the President’s Reading First Program (under the No Child Left Behind Act).
Phon emic Aw aren es s
Attentiveness to the sounds of spoken language
Phonic s
Figuring out unfamiliar words using knowledge of the alphabetic principle
Fluenc y
Grade-appropriate oral reading with appropriate speed, accuracy, and expression.
Vocabular y D ev elo pm en t
Knowledge of word meanings to help spoken and written language communication.
Text Co m prehensi on
Use of a variety of comprehension strategies to understand the meaning of what is read
 Writing Skills

√ Writers write for different audiences and purposes

√ Writers collect ideas from personal experiences
√ Authors share thoughts and ideas
√ Authors listen respectfully as others share their writing
√ Writing is a process that includes pre-writing, drafting, revising,
editing & publishing
√ Writers stay focused and on topic
√ Writers add details to help readers experience their stories
√ Writers use written conventions to help readers experience their story
√ Writers use complete, clear sentences
√ Writers learn from others
√ Voice and word choice make writing come alive
√ Writers personalities come out through their writing
√ Writers choose words and language with care
√ Writers try new ways of saying things
√ Writers review their own writing
 Math Skills

 Place Value
 Adding & Subtracting thorough problem solving
 Identify and use patterns
 Basic Multiplication and Division
 Fractions
 Measurement
 Geometry
 Organizing & Collecting Data for Interpretation
 Second Grade
Classroom Expectations
The learner will exhibit the following behaviors in school:
• Respect self, others, and property
• Listen and follow directions on first request
• Participate in lessons
• “Be Responsible, Respectful and Kind”

Consequences:
• First Offense: Verbal Warning
• Second Offense: Cool Down Time
• Third Offense: Note Home
• Fourth Offense: Referral to the Office

Physical aggression will not be tolerated in any form and

will result in imm edi ate referral to the office.

Possible Management Techniques:

• Super Star Chart
• Sticker Chart
• Positive reinforcement
• Using verbal and non-verbal reminders
• Distracting to a positive model
• Anticipating trouble
• Using logical consequences
• Individual behavior plans

Rewards:
• Marble Jar: The students are rewarded with a party when the marble jar is filled. Marbles are
awarded for whole class good behavior.
• Group Points: Groups are rewarded points for classroom participation, group activities,
cleaning up, and transitions. The reward for the group or groups with the most points is eating
lunch in the classroom with the teacher on Fridays.
• Super Star Recess: The students will play games and have free choice centers in the classroom.
Each child with a referral to the office that week will have to sit out of Super Star Recess.

*The discipline plan and practices for each teacher may differ slightly. Please check
with your child’s teacher for her individual discipline plan.
 Second Grade Homework Policy
• Second graders take home assignment sheets and
homework folders on Mondays. Homework is assigned
for Monday through Thursday (no homework on
Fridays).

• Reading is assigned nightly for at least 15-20 minutes.

Daily reading either silently or with adults in the evening
is encouraged. Reading is to be recorded on a reading log.

• Homework from any subject area may be assigned

periodically to provide reinforcement and/or practice
basic skills.

• Consistently turning in homework late or not turning it

in at all will affect your child’s “Work/Study” grade on
his or her report card. The teachers and parents are
responsible for scheduling a conference to discuss a
consistent problem with homework responsibility.