Your second-grader and math
In your child's classroom
What math concepts will my second-grader learn?
"Second grade is the year for expansion and mastery of the math concepts introduced in the previous school year," says Linda Eisinger, our teacher consultant and the 2005 Missouri Teacher of the Year.
Your child becomes a master of addition and subtraction skills that she began learning in first grade. You can expect your second-grader to focus on understanding number relationships in addition and subtraction — first, using physical objects like rods or blocks and later with paper and pencil. She also starts making the move to mental math, if she hasn't already, and can do simple problems in her head.
"Your child should be able to recall her basic addition and subtraction facts from memory by the end of second grade," says Eisinger.
Money, telling time, and number value
Second-graders continue their work with money, time, and number values from previous grades. Your child adds and subtracts money using a decimal point, solving equations such as $1.25 + $.20 = $1.45.
Your child works on telling time to the quarter-hour using an analog and a digital clock.
He learns about place value in a three-digit number. For example, he figures out that 879 is eight 100s, seven 10s, and nine ones. He compares whole numbers using the words greater than, less than, or equal to and the symbols >, <, or =.
Controversy over calculators
How much should elementary school students use calculators? The question has been debated by math teachers, university professors, and parents. There is general agreement that they should not be used as a substitute for learning basic arithmetic skills. Talk to your child's teacher about how calculators are used in the classroom. The pros and cons are discussed in the Education World article "Educators Battle Over Calculator Use: Both Sides Claim Casualties."
What should my second-grader be able to do by the end of the year?
- Count, read, and write whole numbers up to 1,000
- Know from memory addition and subtraction facts for sums up to 18
- Add and subtract two- and three-digit numbers that require regrouping
- Tell time and the relationships of time, such as days in a month and hours in a day
What to look for when you visit
- Graphs on display, pictures of geometric shapes, and number lines used to practice addition and subtraction
- Tiles, rods, blocks, or other objects used for counting and sorting
- Measuring devices such as rulers, scales, and thermometers
- Time set aside for pencil-and-paper practice with numbers
- Lessons in problem solving throughout the day ("If 15 of you are buying milk for lunch, and 10 are buying juice, how many more students are getting milk?")
