Teach Second Grade
We have all had questions on Teach Second Grade before. Below are the top questions posed by visitors just like you to our. We hope our answers located below will help you solve your teaching problems today. Feel free to ask another question, or even comment on what has been written.
There has been a lot of debate recently regarding Teach Second Grade, and it is therefore critical for you, the reader, to grab all of the information that is out there on the vast topic of teaching. Your teaching can have a huge impact on your future, so don’t procrastinate any longer. Read up on Teach Second Grade today!
Leslie Said:
Should We Teach in Kindergarten the Way We Teach in Second Grade?We Answered:
No! Kindergarteners need to know the basics of being in school first. For example: how to walk in a line, how to sit at a desk/table, how to raise their hands before they speak, etc. Kindergaten is the year for that. It would be hard to fit the second grade curriculum in while you're trying to teach all the basics. Also kindergarteners are not mature enough for second grade level learning. If they needed to be taught the same there would be a kindergarten, 1st, 2nd grade. They would all be taught together. Also kindergarten is more about social skills as well. So students usually sit at tables instead of desks. By second grade students have already learned these basic social skills and have to become more independent and responsible for their learning.Wilma Said:
Will I be able to teach second grade?We Answered:
First of all, I think this change will absolutely great for you. Sometimes we need a change as teachers, especially when we've been teaching awhile and can 'phone it in'. Yes, you will probably have more work the first year and it will be a new dynamic, but it sounds as if you weren't overly happy teaching 4th grade. Sometimes it's so much easier to continue doing what we are used to even if it doesn't make us the happiest!I understand about wanting to remain in your building even if that means teaching something new. I agree. You know the staff, you know the community and parents too. You have a relationship with your administration and you have some sort of seniority and respect within the building. Going to a new building, even was a veteran teacher, will be more of a challenge since you'll be fresh meat to everyone!
Do some research. Spend this summer exploring the world of the 2nd grader and hit the fall running. Self contained may seem intimidating (especially with 7 yr olds!) but you have so many opportunities to do great projects and you can change up your time schedule daily to meet the needs of your plans. I can't do that - i teach six 42 minute blocks to six different classes.
Things I would do this summer:
1. Get teacher's eds of the books/workbooks. Figure out WHAT you have to teach.
2. If you feel comfortable, find other 2nd grade teachers and pick their brains.
3. Search google for 2nd grade stuff. I found great stuff through http://teacher.scholastic.com/ where teachers have made free webpages and I went to their pages and got great ideas. There are also a lot of free resources there.
4. Also http://www.education-world.com has great ideas and literally tons of stuff.
Remember you have 25 years of successful teaching - you're going to kick butt!
Best of Luck to you!
Tracy Said:
I teach a second grade class and I cannot get my kids to stop talking no matter what. HELP?We Answered:
Obviously the threat of punishment is not enough motivation for them to pay attention. Think about your teaching style. Is there anything you can do to really engage their minds and get them more interested in YOU and YOUR LESSON than they are in their conversations? Also, ask yourself a few things. Is it the whole class, or just a specific few students every time? If it's always the same few students, look into their test scores, reading levels, and general performance. Is it possible that they are gifted and just aren't stimulated enough by the typical second grade lessons? If this looks like the case, suggest that the parents have them tested, or give them a sort of "trial period" in your school's gifted program if it has one. See if a more enriching, challenging environment causes any change/improvement in behavior. Is it that you ust can't get the class to settle down for quiet learning after a period of talking? If so, yelling and changing colors and giving threats wont work here. If they don't realize you're trying to get their attention, you need a way to get all of them to pause in their conversations and realize something else is going on now. Have you ever tried clapping patters that they have to repeat? Try a clapping signal. When you go "clap clap taptaptap", and they hear it, they have to stop talking and clap the same pattern. If you didn't get all of them to clap with you, but some did, do it again, and by the second time, the whole class will have heard it and clap with you. Clap a different pattern the third time, and now you've got their attention and can start talking. Another way to signal that talking time is over is to ring a bell. It may also help to give the entire class the same kind of motivation... Don't just say that who ever talks gets their color turned or their parents called. Offer a reward for five days of good behavior. Something like a popcorn party, cupcakes, a Magic School Bus or Bill Nye video, or extra recess or free time on Friday. If they don't stop talking when they're supposed to and pay attention, NO ONE gets the reward, not even those who weren't talking. This way everyone is working towards the same goal, and there is the added motivation to not be the one kid that all the other kids are mad at for making them miss out. Try itPatrick Said:
What do I need to do to change from teaching second grade to teaching sixth?We Answered:
Sounds like someone is blowing smoke up your skirt. I would find out what the qualifications are to teach at the school. I think they are holding the job for someone else.Floyd Said:
I teach second grade and I have a student who hates me. We use to have a great relationship and?We Answered:
This may seem like a really lame answer but I think you should try reading some books by Torey Hayden. She writes stories of her time as a teacher, most of the time special ed and she's had experiences of dealing with very disturbed kids.I'm not saying you'll get the answers you would like, or need straight away but she's an inspirational woman and I think any teacher could learn something from her.
Vernon Said:
how to teach kindergarden and second grade?We Answered:
Here's simple lessons that both grades can do:http://supersubteacher.blogspot.com/2009…
Have Fun!
Claudia Said:
Does anyone have any great ideas to teach vocabulary to second graders?We Answered:
At that age, children like to play more than they like to learn, o it is important to make learning fun. A vocabulary game I used with my elementary age kids was called "Transformation, Mutation." The goal was for children to understand that a single word could be transformed into a different part of speech, for example, the verb "transport" could be made into "Transportation" or the word "Concentration" could be made into the verb "concentrate." To make sure that the kids understood the word, they were asked to use the word in a sentence. Depending on the class dynamics, this game can be played individually or in teams. Another alternative is to "sing the words in rhythm." The students would tap their lap on one beat, then clap their hands on the next beat, and be required to come up with a word on one of the beats. Then it would go to the next person in the circle. There are lots of variations on this game.Charades is also fun to teach vocabulary (especially if it is verbs that you are teaching.)
Another fun game that I used was "the fishing game." This game is played in 2 teams. I put the vocab words on flashcards, eachone attached to a paper clip. Then I called out a definition of the word or a synonym and the two "fishers" on each team had to try to retrieve the word first. Whicever team correctly got the word got a point. Every student had a chance to be a fisher, because they waited in a line. The students really liked this game and often had no idea that they were learning vocabulary.
The most important thing is to make it fun.