2nd Grade
Information Packet
Mrs. Rebecca Champion
rchampion@eastpennsd.org
(610) 965.1636 ext. 36210
Lincoln Elementary School
East Penn School District
233 Seem Street
Emmaus, Pa 18049
Second grade is an exciting time as children embark on new learning adventures, learn social
behaviors, develop work habits, and learn the skills necessary to be problem solvers, critical thinkers,
and life long learners…
Classroom Policies
Our classroom will abide by Lincoln’s ‘Pawsitive’ Steps. These governing principles will help to
establish a safe and productive classroom environment where your child is able grow and succeed.
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Safe
‘Retreat Zone’
Our classroom has an established ‘retreat zone’. This area was established to provide a safe
place within the classroom for your child. Students, at any time throughout the day, can access this
retreat zone to help self regulate their social and emotional learning. This area is intended to support
students and aid them in a self regulatory process should they be overwhelmed, angry, upset, tired, sad,
or emotional. Please partner with me in making this a comfortable, calm, and welcoming place should
your child need to visit this zone.
Clip Chart
Our classroom will also use a clip chart to monitor individual student behavior. Each student will
be given a clip on the chart and begin each day “ready to learn.” As the day progresses, clips will travel
up and down the chart, reflecting student behavior. Reward, praise, parent contact, or disciplinary
action will coincide with the students’ location on the chart at the end of each day.
Class Specials
Lincoln Elementary School will operate on a five-day cycle. Our classroom specials will be as
follows:
Day 1 – No Special
Day 2 – Art
Day 3 – Music
Day 4 – Library
Day 5 – Gym
Homework
Students in second grade are expected to complete 20 minutes of homework each night. The
homework assignment will be listed on our weekly homework handout located within your child’s red
take home folder. Please review the homework assignment with your child and be sure to initial the
homework handout upon completion of the assignment. Homework should be promptly returned to
school the next day unless otherwise noted. Be sure to check the homework handout for your student’s
weekly spelling words, sight words, vocabulary words, and important reminders.
In addition to the handouts sent home each evening, your child should spend an additional 20
minutes reading daily. It is important to establish daily reading routines to help your child become a
more confident and fluent reader. Please record your child’s reading progress on the reading log
provided. More reading logs are available as needed.
Attendance
Attendance will be completed each morning at 9:00am. Students who arrive after 9:00am will
need to sign in at the office. Punctual and consistent attendance is essential to your child’s success.
Please be sure that you child arrives to school on time and ready to learn. Should your child be sick,
please call the office to report your child’s absence. Upon their return, please provide an absence slip or
note verifying their absence.
Lunch and Breakfast
The East Penn School District provides breakfast and lunch for your child to purchase. Please
send money in a labeled envelope with your child’s name, homeroom, and teacher’s name. Lunch
money can also be added to your child’s online lunch account to be debited as needed.
Recess
All students will be required to go outside for recess, weather permitting, unless they have a
written note from home.
Curriculum
The Common Core State Standards provide both parents and teachers a clear and consistent
view of what students in grades K-12 are expected to learn. These standards have been designed to
prepare students to become learners that are college and career ready by the end of their school
experience.
Your child will be exposed to and participate in the following curriculum and programming which
supports the Common Core Standards…
English and Language Arts
English and Language Arts curriculum is taught using a balanced literacy approach. Your child will
receive phonics, grammar, spelling, reading, and writing instruction using the Daily 5 framework. This
framework includes rotations where they will independently work with words, listen to reading, read to
self, or read to someone.
Additionally, you child will meet with the teacher throughout the week to receive small group
reading instruction on their level. This small group instruction is called guided reading and will be
tailored to fit your child’s needs.
Within the English and Language Arts Curriculum, your child will receive frequent sight word
instruction, have access to the Harcourt Storytown Reading Series, expand their spelling abilities,
enhance their vocabularies, use technology as an instructional tool, and learn through a variety of
modalities and resources.
WIN
Your child’s English and Language Arts instruction will be supplemented during a 40 minute
period of time, Monday through Thursday, titled WIN – Whatever I Need. You child will receive small
group differentiated instruction tiered to their ability level.
Math
The math curriculum is taught using the Harcourt Math Series through a problem solving
learning approach. Your child will be grouped by ability and rotate amongst the second grade teachers
for math instruction.
Using small group differentiated instruction and a variety of math manipulatives, your child will
be taught the concepts of addition, subtraction, data, measurement, money, time, fractions, etc. on
their ability level.
Science and Social Studies
The science and social studies curriculum is integrated with language arts and mathematics
instruction.
Social studies content includes topics related to community, places near and far, ways of living,
America’s government, westward expansion, and America’s past.
Science topics covered in the second grade year include the scientific method, plants and seeds,
resources and products, states of matter, light and sound, and the solar system. Your child will access
and explore this content using inquiry based learning.