10 Best 2nd Grade Curriculum: A Complete Guide for Home & School

The first few years of kids' learning journey are often the most vital. Whether you're a parent or a teacher, you'll want the best available curriculum to enhance the children's mental abilities.

It would be best to think of a few aspects when choosing a curriculum, such as whether your kid is going to school or doing homeschooling. You’ll find the best 2nd-grade curriculums that you can consider for your child and choose from here.

Top 10 Second Grade Curriculum & Resources

1. Positive Action Grade 2 Kit

Positive Action is an excellent curriculum for both homeschooling and learning at school. It introduces kids to characters who teach them the importance of positive actions, hence the name.

In Unit 1, the elephant Eric joins the children with his positivity and honoring badges. However, the kids need to get exposed to negative actions to better grasp the importance of positive ones. That's why Scrappy the Slouch joins them in Unit 2. He lives in a junkyard and is taught some healthy habits.

Moreover, Unit 3 reunites the kids with Eric the Elephant, and he teaches them about emotions. Moving on to Unit 4, it teaches children how to treat people nicely. Furthermore, Happy Bear and Sad Bear join the kids for Unit 5. And for the grand finale, kids are introduced to hard work and setting goals by Margie.

For 400$, you'll be getting 38 activity sheets, nine full-color posters, nine visual aids, stickers, and a 2nd-grade instructor's manual. And the instructor's manual includes an introduction, materials list, purpose statements, activity sheet thumbnails, and 140 scripted lessons.

2. Moving Beyond the Page Curriculum Age 6-8

Moving Beyond the Page is a literature-based curriculum that works best for creative and gifted children with an active imagination. It makes for an excellent homeschooling curriculum because it embraces different styles of learning.

If you choose this curriculum, you'll notice the rapid development in your children's ability to express creative ideas and thoughts. This is mainly because it's interdisciplinary; it doesn't isolate learning subjects like Maths and Science. Instead, it introduces your kid to the connections between them.

Moreover, the literature-based curriculum is built on hands-on projects and activities, so if your kid isn't a fan of worksheets, it's a solid choice.

Additionally, you can choose between buying a full package for children of different ages and single-subject packages. The latter package works wonders if you want to prioritize some subjects over others. You can also purchase individual items like literature books and manipulative kits.

Finally, if you purchase the full curriculum, you'll get books, consumables, manipulatives, teacher's guides, and online materials.

3. Horizons 2nd Grade Complete Set

Horizons 2nd grade curriculum will provide your kids with an exciting learning journey if they're being homeschooled. It's incredibly engaging, as it comes with hands-on activities and consumable lessons. It covers the following subjects: phonics & reading, maths, spelling & vocabulary, and health.

The Horizons course aids in rapid development from basic and principal skills to complex academic concepts and ideas. Unlike the Moving Beyond the Page curriculum, this one focuses on workbook-based learning with worksheets and subject-specific exercises.

As a bonus, Horizons contains health and physical education electives so that you can introduce your kid to sports from a young age. Also, it's a teacher-led curriculum, so you won't face any issues with planning classes and subjects.

If you purchase this curriculum, you should expect a vividly colored set of books that contains spiral-based lessons, a beneficial teacher's guide, and supplementary readers. In addition, your kids will enjoy a full-year course of enjoyable lessons and engaging activities.

4. Time4Learning 2nd Grade Homeschool Curriculum

The Time4Learning curriculum is guaranteed to improve your kid's reading skills, computational skills, and problem-solving abilities. When choosing a 2nd-grade curriculum, parents and teachers often look for fun and engaging content that introduces kids to all core subjects without overwhelming them. Well, this curriculum provides just that.

Additionally, it provides periodic assessments of children to ensure that they understand the content. Since kids think differently, this curriculum ensures that they work at their unique pace.

Overall, this curriculum is flexible, and it fits most kids' needs. It teaches them the following subjects: maths, science, social studies, and language arts. However, if you're homeschooling your children, make sure to check the homeschool laws in your state to ensure that this curriculum is suitable.

If you purchase the full Time4Learning curriculum, you should expect full-year material with a recommended sequence. It also includes language arts and maths curriculums that abide by all states' rules and standards.

5. Oak Meadow Grade 2 Package

The Oak Meadow curriculum contains all the core subjects your kid will need to learn in the second grade, including language arts, social studies, science, maths, art & crafts, music, and health. It also encourages independent reading and writing.

The secular-based curriculum is engaging because it contains different hands-on activities and nature-based projects. It's comprised of a 36-weeks lesson plan with a variation in exercises, assignments, and readings. Moreover, it introduces your children to the love of nature and animals through many stories and poems.

If you purchase the Oak Meadow curriculum, you should expect a second-grade coursebook and a resource book, an intermediate recorder, and six engaging books and stories.

6. Abeka Grade 2 Child Kit

The Abeka second grade curriculum will come to your rescue with its detailed applications in language arts, history, art, science/health, and the bible. In addition, it introduces your kid to new concepts in phonics, which aids in understanding grammar rules for verbs, nouns, and adjectives.

Additionally, it turns learning into an enjoyable experience with four different themes that kids get to experience: the jungle, the pond, traveling around the world, and camping—those themes inspire creative kids and activate their imaginations. In addition, it develops connections among different subjects and instills a love for nature and animals.

If you're homeschooling your kids, you can adjust the learning pace according to your child's abilities so that they don't feel pressured. You'll also find the Grade 2 Parent Kit very suitable for your requirements. You'll only need to choose between the essential kit and the complete kit. If you purchase the essential kit, you'll receive 12 items with 170 daily lessons.

7. Blossom & Root Second Grade Curriculum

The Blossom & Root secular-based curriculum was designed to focus on balanced child development. It provides reasonable weekly hours of learning and hands-on programs and activities to engage your kid further. Buying this curriculum will ensure that your child falls in love with the learning process.

Moreover, the curriculum includes art projects and enjoyable math concepts that activate your kid's imagination and creativity. It's also full of adventure, as it focuses on unique aspects of the environment, such as fungi and plant kingdoms.

The parent curriculum guide includes detailed lessons, supply and book lists, and tips for successful implementation. This curriculum also comes with a student science notebook and a natural notebook to write down fun adventures. As for language arts, the program is full of engaging stories with mini activities regarding poems and stories.

8. Power Homeschool 2nd Grade Program

Power Homeschool is an online-based curriculum that comes in handy in circumstances like the current pandemic. The second-grade curriculum focuses on sparking curiosity in children and exciting them to learn.

It provides interactive exercises and assignments, video instructions, arithmetics, and scientific concepts. Moreover, it's suitable for all children because it's self-paced, so there's no need to rush your child into learning quickly.

Also, the Power Homeschool curriculum is mainly based on the Acellus Learning System, which provides an unforgettable and enjoyable learning experience for kids.

Students can access the courses through the Acellus application. It's designed to make it easier for children to access and use it. If you have a solid internet connection, you're good to go!

Additionally, you don't have to worry about your involvement in your kid's learning because this curriculum gives you many tools that you can use to monitor them.

9. Calvert Homeschool 2nd Grade Complete Set With Starter Kit

The Calvert Homeschool curriculum is both online-based and print-based, which makes it more engaging and beneficial. In addition, it provides complete programs and individual courses, so you'll have more freedom of choice.

Furthermore, your child will learn most core subjects with this curriculum: science, history, geography, music, and art. Each subject comes with ten worktexts and a teacher's guide.

Additionally, the curriculum sets a strong foundation for your child's reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. As a bonus, Calvert's curriculum also includes hands-on and animated activities that boost your child's computer skills.

If you purchase the 2nd Grade Complete Set with Starter Kit from Calvert, you'll get a number chart, math flashcards, a learning map, a pencil, 96 counting bears, a dry erase marker with a wipe-off board, a globe, and a penmanship chart.

10. Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool Second Grade Curriculum

Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool is a Charlotte Mason-based curriculum for homeschoolers. It offers many subjects such as language arts, math, history, drawing, science, reading, and more. It also provides both online and printable assignments.

And the best part is that this curriculum is budget-friendly; in fact, it's completely free. You'll merely need some standard school supplies like papers, pencils, and erasers. Additionally, you'll have fun themes to choose from. All of them are history-based, such as early American history.

If you aren't into planning, this curriculum will come to your rescue with the lesson plans it provides. The Easy Peasy All-in-One curriculum also offers offline courses for language arts, reading, and maths, which you can purchase through their online store.

What Is Taught in 2nd grade - A Complete Guide

Math

Second grade is the year where kids begin to implement numbers in real-life applications after getting introduced to numbers in kindergarten and first grade. Your kid should be able to start adding two-digit numbers quickly and measuring many objects' lengths using a ruler.

Moreover, your kid will start learning about using regrouping in addition and subtraction. They'll also start getting used to solving multiplication tables without counting first. Finally, there are some basic skills that they'll be introduced to, such as the concept of money and how to count it, measuring units, and how units connect.

Moreover, they'll learn about both temperature units, Fahrenheit and Celsius, and how to use a thermometer with either unit. Finally, according to the curriculum they're using, they may be introduced to probability and its concepts.

Reading

Reading is one of the most vital skills to learn in the second grade. This is the year where children get accustomed to reading fluently on their own. They'll also go from using their decoding skills to using context clues to better understand unfamiliar words and expressions, and they'll be able to use those clues to comprehend the main idea of a text.

In addition, in the second grade, your kid will be introduced to more stories to learn the art of summarizing, so you should expect many retellings of interesting stories.

By the end of the year, your kid will have gained a solid understanding of prefixes and suffixes and learned to use them in context. They'll mainly use them to translate words they don't understand. Additionally, your kids will be better at studying with a dictionary as a reference, self-correction, and outcome prediction.

Science

You'll forget all about first-grade science when you see the second grade's curriculum because it's a massive shift. According to the school they're in, your kid may start learning all about the life cycles of animals, such as frogs and butterflies.

Moreover, you should expect your kid to become more informed about the wonders of the human body and how to take care of it and learn some facts about muscles, bones, and organs. Your kid may also start learning about transitions between the four seasons and how the earth orbits the sun.

There are some other topics that your child might explore in their second-grade curriculum. For instance, they'll go into the types of clouds, weather patterns, and the earth's place in the solar system.

Social Studies

The second-grade social studies curriculum continues the journey that kids have started in their kindergarten and first-grade years. As a result, they start thinking about their community and families differently.

According to the school your kid goes to, they may start learning about the concept of having a community of people that you're obligated to treat nicely and with respect. Consequently, kids begin to understand societal norms and the different types of communities. They also get introduced to the concept of electing officials.

As kids grow more aware in the second grade, some conflicts may arise among them and their friends. This creates the perfect opportunity to teach them how to resolve issues and conflicts locally and globally. Regarding geography, kids often learn how to use maps and globes in the second grade.

Writing

Kids start to learn how to write in the first grade, and that learning process is carried through the second grade. As kids get to the second grade, they start to master writing coherent sentences to deliver a particular meaning. By the end of the year, they'll be able to write whole comprehensive paragraphs.

Moreover, they'll be able to include commands and questions in their sentences and manipulate them to create a coherent piece of writing. Naturally, teachers will try to stimulate kids' storytelling abilities to help develop a better vocabulary of nouns and verbs.

To elaborate, this can be achieved by asking kids to tell teachers about their vacation or how they spent Christmas break.

Ultimately, these efforts will boost children's ability to use their imagination and creativity in writing. Hence they'll be able to master their writing skills in a shorter time with the rules they've learned.

Final Words

Whether your kid is going to school or being homeschooled, it's vital to choose a suitable second-grade curriculum to develop their skills and improve their self-confidence as they progress through grades.

The top recommendation here is the Positive Action Grade 2 Kit due to its flexibility. It's meant to be used in schools, but it can easily be adjusted for homeschooling. In addition, your kid will have fun touring with the curriculum's colorful characters.