Rockingham County Public Schools

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Grade 2 Overview

In Rockingham County Public Schools, we embrace the National Council of the Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) goals for students. These consist of the following:

• That they learn to value mathematics
• That they become confident in their ability to do mathematics
• That they become mathematical problem solvers
• That they learn to communicate mathematically
• That they learn to reason mathematically

These goals along with the State of Virginia SOL'S are the basis of our mathematics instruction. Instruction at the second grade level should start with concrete objects before moving to the semiconcrete or pictorial level, and then to the symbolic level. Second-grade students in Rockingham County will gain an understanding of number sense, place value, computation, estimation, measurement, and geometry. Students will become proficient in addition and subtraction of 1- and 2- digit numbers.

The second-grade standards extend the study of number and spatial sense to include three-digit numbers and three-dimensional figures. Students will continue to learn and use the basic addition facts through the nines table and the corresponding subtraction facts. Students will also begin to estimate and make measurements. While learning mathematics, students will be actively engaged, using concrete materials and appropriate technologies such as calculators and computers. However, facility in the use of technology shall not be regarded as a substitute for a student's understanding of quantitative concepts and relationships or for proficiency in basic computations.

Mathematics has its own language, and the acquisition of specialized vocabulary and language patterns is crucial to a student's understanding and appreciation of the subject. Students should be encouraged to use correctly the concepts, skills, symbols, and vocabulary identified in the following set of standards.

Problem solving has been integrated throughout the six content strands. The development of problem-solving skills should be a major goal of the mathematics program at every grade level. Instruction in the process of problem solving will need to be integrated early and continuously into each student's mathematics education. Students must be helped to develop a wide range of skills and strategies for solving a variety of problem types.