The Second Grade Teachers
June 2014
Dear Parents,
Reading is an important part of learning. Reading books will not only take your child on many exciting adventures but will also help develop your child’s reading comprehension, vocabulary, writing, and spelling skills. This summer the second grade students will be asked to read many books for the Principal’s Challenge. Attached you will find a suggested book list.
We encourage you to help your child choose books that are on their reading level. Have your child read out loud to check for comprehension and promote fluency throughout the summer. We also want to thank you for your support and we look forward to a wonderful and fulfilling school year.
Sincerely,
The Second Grade Teachers ☺
Fiction
At Mary Blooms by Aliki
The Big Honey Hunt by S. Berenstain
Dr. Seuss books
Tale of Peter Rabbit by B. Potter
Clocks and More Clocks by P. Hutchins
The Arthur series
The Nate the Great series
The Amelia Bedelia series
The Magic Tree House series
The Henry and Mudge series
Stone Soup by M. Brown
Penguins for all People by D. Freeman
Bedtime for Frances by H. Heine
The Cam Jansen series
Strega Nona by T. DePaola
Johnny Appleseed by G. Nornan
The Egg Tree by K. Milhous
The Stories Julian Tells series
Matt Christopher books
The Ramona Quimby series
Jenny Archer series
The Bailey School Kids series
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Amber Brown series
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
The Candy Corn Contest, Fish Face by Patricia Giff
Bunnicula, Howliday Inn by James Howe
Busybody Nora, “E” is for Elisa by Joanna Hurwitz
Mr. Potter’s Pet, The School Mouse by Dick King-Smith
Horrible Harry series
Baloney, Math Curse, Time Warp Trio series by Jon Scieszka
Heidi by Joanna Spyri
Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little by E.B. White
Non-Fiction
Books about the War of 1812
•Dolley Madison
•James Madison
•Francis Scott Key
•The American Flag
•The Constitution
Books about the Civil War
•Harriet Tubman
•Abraham Lincoln
•Clara Barton
•Slavery
•The Underground Railroad
Picture book biography series by David Adler
Books about the moon, planets, stars, sun, whales by Seymour Simon
Gail Gibbons Books
Greek Myths
Ancient Greece
Poetry
Beast Feat, Bing Bang Boing, On the Wing by Douglas Florian
Dog Days, New Kid on the Block, Zoo Doings by Jack Prelutsky
Falling Up, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Fairy Tales and Folk Tales
The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen
The Irish Cinderlad, The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo
Briar Rose, Rapunzel by The Brothers Grimm
June 2014
Dear Parents,
Your children will embrace a new experience in September. We are sure that they are well prepared and are ready for the challenge of second grade. You will see them develop independence, responsibility, and mature spiritually and academically right before your eyes. During the 2014-2015 school year we will be learning many interesting things and take part in different projects.
In order to help make the transition into second grade easier, here are a few things you can work on over the summer vacation.
1.Read every day. Encourage your child to take part in the Principal’s Challenge and try to visit your public library often.
2.Do a little math every day. Practice basic addition and subtraction facts. If you would like, you can introduce and practice time and money with your child and the use of flash cards to help skill confidence. You may also want to play with learning toys, manipulatives, and play games in the car.
3.Write a little each day. Keeping a journal will help your child develop good writing habits, strengthen grammar, spelling and vocabulary skills, as well as develop their creative side.
4.Encourage independence. Give your child simple chores. Some suggestions are: set the table, get the mail, clear the table and even cleaning up after themselves. This will help build their self-esteem and promote responsibility. It will also give your child a sense of accomplishment. In addition, please also help your child learn to tie his/her own shoelaces.
We hope you and your family have a wonderful and relaxing summer vacation. We look forward to seeing you in September!
Sincerely,
The Second Grade Teachers