Grade 2 at Bertschi
In Grade 2, children grow into confident, independent learners, building on the foundational literacy and math work of Grade 1. By June, they are readers who can apply comprehension strategies, writers who move fluently across genres, and mathematicians who can explain not just what they got but how they got there.
Grade 2 Math
Grade 2 math deepens the number sense and problem-solving foundation built in Grade 1, extending place value and building fluency with addition and subtraction of two- and three-digit numbers. Second graders work with money, time, geometry, fractions, and graphing. They learn to collect, represent, and analyze real data using line plots, bar graphs, and picture graphs.
Throughout the year, second graders engage in number talks, math games, collaborative problem-solving, and independent practice, with flexible grouping that meets each child at their level while pushing them toward the next challenge. Word problems are a consistent focus: students learn to draw on multiple strategies, show their reasoning, and check their work, building the mathematical communication skills that carry them through every grade.
Grade 2 Language Arts
Reading in Grade 2 is built around two equally important goals: fluency and comprehension. Second graders continue systematic phonics instruction, focusing on vowel patterns, syllabification, root words, and affixes, so that decoding becomes automatic and reading energy can shift to meaning. Students are taught to visualize, question, infer, summarize, and connect across fiction and nonfiction texts; in their book clubs, students discuss and enjoy reading books in community. They learn to identify text features, determine main idea with supporting details, and analyze figurative language.
Writing spans all four major genres (narrative, informational, persuasive, and poetry) with each unit moving students through the full writing process from planning to publishing. Second graders write persuasive letters with a real audience in mind, research reports using multiple sources, how-to books with sequenced steps, and poems exploring free verse, simile, and personification. Voice, clarity, and authentic purpose are emphasized throughout.
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM)
In Grade 2, STEAM learning becomes increasingly investigative and project-driven. In science, second graders study Pacific Northwest temperate forests, examining ecosystems, organisms, and the relationship between living things and their environments through field trips and hands-on classroom investigation. In robotics and technology, students deepen their coding skills and computational thinking, applying logic and sequencing to increasingly complex challenges. In art, second graders develop creative range and technical skill across multiple materials, with projects connected to their classroom studies. In drama, every second grade class writes, rehearses, and performs an original play in Bertschi's drama lab, an experience that builds narrative thinking, creative ownership, and the confidence to take risks in front of an audience.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
Grade 2 is a year of significant growth in self-awareness and self-management, and the SEL curriculum is designed to match that developmental moment. Second graders expand their emotional vocabulary and develop concrete strategies for identifying and regulating their feelings including the Zones of Regulation framework. They practice "I" messages for self-advocacy, learn to recognize and respect personal boundaries, and develop the conflict resolution skills to navigate disagreements independently and constructively. Executive function is an explicit focus in Grade 2. Students practice sustaining attention for longer periods, transitioning efficiently between tasks, and managing their time and materials using checklists and schedules. Growth mindset is woven throughout, with students regularly reflecting on the power of yet and the role of persistence in learning. Community identity deepens this year as well, with students exploring aspects of their own identities and developing greater empathy and understanding for the experiences of others. By the end of Grade 2, students have the emotional regulation, organizational skills, and collaborative habits to meet the increasing independence that Grade 3 will ask of them.
Learning in Action
At Bertschi, students connect learning to their families, communities, and the world around them. Scroll below to see a few Grade 2 learning experiences.
Data Detectives: Graphing and Analysis
Second graders don't just learn to make graphs; they learn to think with them. Students collect real data, then represent and analyze it using line plots, bar graphs, and picture graphs. The emphasis is on interpretation: what does the data tell us, and what problems can we solve with it? This unit builds the statistical reasoning and data literacy skills that are increasingly essential in a world where information is everywhere and knowing what it means is the real skill.
Market Study
The Grade 2 market is one of Bertschi's signature projects and one of its most academically ambitious. Second graders investigate local and global markets, from Pike Place to Peru's San Pedro Market, exploring how markets are shaped by culture, geography, and history. They study farm-to-table supply chains, learn about farmworker contributions and labor rights, and design and build their own products using the engineering design process. On market day, second graders run the market themselves, cashiering, merchandising, and busking for the Bertschi community. The project integrates economics, persuasive writing, math, social studies, and entrepreneurial thinking into a single, memorable experience.
Pacific Northwest Forest Research
In spring, second graders become field researchers. After studying Pacific Northwest temperate forests, including the significance of cedar trees to Coast Salish people, each student selects an animal or insect to research independently. They form research questions, gather information from multiple sources, take notes on graphic organizers, and synthesize their findings into original nonfiction ebooks presented to the class. The project builds the full research and information literacy pipeline (reading, note-taking, writing, and digital publishing) while grounding second graders in the ecology and Indigenous history of their own region.
Drama: Creating and Performing an Original Play
Every second grade class writes, rehearses, and performs an original play in Bertschi's drama lab. The process develops narrative writing skills (character, setting, problem, and solution) alongside the confidence to speak, move, and collaborate on stage. For many students, this is their first experience taking creative ownership of a story from first draft to live performance, building the self-expression and risk-taking that runs through Bertschi's program at every grade level.
Persuasive Letters: Writing with Real Stakes
When second graders need produce for their market, they don't just ask, they write persuasive letters requesting donations from a local farm. Students apply everything they have learned about persuasive writing (audience, structure, strong reasoning, appropriate tone) to a letter with a real recipient and a real outcome. This kind of authentic writing purpose, where the audience exists beyond the classroom and the stakes are genuine, is a hallmark of Bertschi's approach to literacy across every grade.