Welcome to 2nd Grade!

My name is Linda Burke, and I began teaching 2nd grade at St. Frances Cabrini in 2007. I have a BA in Sociology from CSU, San Bernardino, and earned my teaching credential from the University of New Mexico in 2003. I feel blessed and very fortunate to be able to share my faith with the students and their families at SFC.
 
My objective is to create a classroom that sparks the natural curiosity of a child in a comfortable, nurturing environment that encourages them to develop an enthusiasm for learning. We will have opportunities to interact with classmates, be empowered with the knowledge that each can learn, and be contributing members of the class.

Child Development

Spiritual

2nd graders are beginning to understand their relationship with Jesus and how it helps them to see, live, and celebrate their faith. They are growing in their ability to demonstrate love for God, neighbor, and creation and are curious to learn more about the Holy Trinity.

Social/Emotional

Seven year olds are very concerned with rules and whether something is right vs. wrong (good/bad). They want to be a member of a group, have a best friend, and want to do well.

Physical

2nd graders have developed more control over small muscles so they can now write and draw with more skill.

Classroom Highlights

Many 2nd-grade students have the opportunity to prepare and celebrate the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist through their home Parish. It’s a very special time for them and their parents as we all grow in our faith.

Service Activities

Our service activity focuses on service to our school community. Second-grade students are responsible for counting out the milk, traying up each grade’s order, and delivering for lunch.

Curriculum

Religion: In Second grade, we focus on the life of Jesus, the Trinity, and the Mass. There will be an in-depth study on the gift of the Sacraments as we prepare for Reconciliation and Eucharist. The children learn to make prayer an integral part of their life and develop a personal relationship with Jesus. They learn about our Parish and the parts of the Mass.

Reading/Literature: Students develop greater fluency as readers and apply comprehension and vocabulary strategies to a wide variety of literary and informational texts. Students will begin to identify and use literary components of character, setting, conflict/ problem, events, conclusion, main idea, and details.
• Learn to understand and use higher-order thinking skills in comprehension, such as predictions, inferences, cause and effect, character mapping, and point of view.
• Identify and use parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and pronouns.
• Identify and use contractions, antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms.

Language Arts/English: The students learn how to use the steps of the writing process for pre-writes, drafts, editing, revising, and publishing. They learn and understand how to write a good 5-sentence paragraph and to apply writing conventions such as complete sentences, correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

Mathematics: Students in 2nd grade refine their understanding of the base ten system and use place value concepts of ones, tens, and hundreds. They become fluent with single and double-digit addition and subtraction, problem-solve, and talk about what they did to solve those problems.

Social Studies: Students will have the opportunity to explore the world around them, develop an appreciation for diversity and discover the importance of contributing to one’s community. They learn about family heritage, heirlooms and traditions, and the people, places, and holidays in the US and countries around the world.

Science: Students explore, observe, describe, identify, and experiment in their study of Engineering Design Process, Matter, Living Things, and the Earth’s Surface.

Enrichment:  Students attend weekly enrichment classes for library, music, PE, and Art.