Lucky to Learn 2nd Grade Math Curriculum: Step-By-Step Lesson
Have you heard the amazing news?! Team Lucky Little Learners has been working hard on creating a full year math curriculum! This 2nd grade math curriculum, called Lucky to Learn Math, is standards-based, engaging and easy to teach! This post will serve as a...
An Easy Way To Set Up Writing Goals In 2nd Grade
Teaching 2nd grade writing is SO rewarding because you get to see great writers emerge throughout the year. At the beginning of the year, you're going to find that your students are all over the ability map. Some may still be mastering letter formation while others...
How Centers Support Explicit Instruction in the Primary Grades
If you’ve been in any PD lately you’ve heard the term "explicit instruction" thrown around a lot. With the big push for Science of Reading (SOR)-aligned curriculum explicit instruction is getting a lot of buzz lately. For good reason, too. It’s an effective teaching...
Joke of the Day Routine in 2nd grade
Knock, Knock! Who's there? Teachers. Teachers who? Teachers who use jokes in the classroom to up student engagement! Now that you are done rolling on the floor with laughter, you can focus on this post on humor in the classroom. How can teachers use a joke of the day...
First Day of School Activities for 1st or 2nd Grade
Wise teachers know this saying to be true - "You only get one first day of school." Luckily, we've sourced some of the best first day of school activities from experienced and enthusiastic teachers across the country. Make the first day of the new school year count...
Bulletin Board Tips, Tricks & Ideas
If you're a new teacher and you're staring at those blank bulletin boards thinking, "What in the world do I put on these??" Don't stress. Bulletin boards are all about what is helpful for you and your students. They can serve as academic anchors to be used for student...
Classroom Set Up: Ideas for Organizing School Supplies and Learning Materials
The average teacher spends close to 1,500 hours in the classroom each year. With so much time spent here, the classroom should be a place you and your students can all enjoy! An organized classroom brings a sense of calm, purpose, and efficiency to the everyday...
13 Student Desk/Table Arrangement Ideas
Guess what time it is? If you guessed back to school time, you are right! With the back to school season, comes classroom setup time. Teachers have a blast decorating their rooms, creating bulletin board masterpieces and making their classroom a home away from home....
ABC Order: An Important Skill for 2nd Grade
Your second grade students have been singing their ABCs since they were toddlers. Now that they are growing readers and writers, teaching ABC order is an important literacy and life skill. Did you know that when kids can alphabetize words, they not only improve...
The Impact of English Word Origins on Modern Spelling
The English language is filled with some delightful sounding words. Melody. Precipitation. Choreography. Surprise - these words originated from other languages! Many of the words in our contemporary English language are influenced by centuries of oral and written...
Must Have Classroom Bulletin Boards for 2nd Grade
Here's the thing about classroom bulletin boards... some people LOVE making them and some totally despise them. I've always been a bit of a mixture. Putting them up is fun but taking them down is something I have to force myself to do. No matter what side of the...
Planning Tools For 1st Grade/2nd Grade
If you're reading this while thinking, "How do I even begin planning for 1st or 2nd grade?" or "What I did last year didn't work and I need to try out something new!" this is the post for you! Let's start by going over the basics for planning for 1st grade/2nd grade....
Multiple Ways to Teach Multiple Meaning Words in 2nd Grade
Hey teacher friends! It is time for our next installment in our grammar blog post series. This post focuses on multiple meaning words: What are they? Why teach them? How to teach them? Read on for tips, tricks and resources that will help cement this skill with your...
The 5 Most Important Skills for the Beginning of 2nd Grade
Believe it or not, the beginning of the school year is right around the corner! The start of the school year is the prime time to cement routines, procedures and foundational academic skills. This post dives into the top 5 beginning of the year skills for 2nd grade,...
Must-Do Events for the 2nd Grade School Year
Are you looking for a unique, memorable activity for your 2nd grade class? Look no further than this list of must-do 2nd grade events and activities! The teachers in our amazing Lucky 2nd Grade Teachers Facebook Group shared their favorite, student-friendly events and...
Compound Words for 2nd Graders: Tips & Tricks
Hey, teacher friends! We are back with another grammar skill post, and this time we are featuring compound words for 2nd graders. This skill is actually pretty fun for kids, and one they can easily grasp. Keep reading for a definition, chart, resource ideas and free...
Back to School Bulletin Board ideas
Whether you are deep in back to school classroom set up mode, or you're looking for a glow up idea mid year, you're sure to find a bulletin board design you'll love in this post! Save your favorite ideas for next year too... One of our favorite pro teacher tips is to...
How to Create a Bucket Filler Classroom
I am a firm believer in positive and encouraging classroom environments. Students who feel safe and encouraged are being set up to take risks, challenge themselves, and work hard. There are a few ways that I achieve this in my classroom. This post...
Scaffolding Strategies for Guided Writing Lessons
Helping students become authors can be challenging. Many students struggle with content ideas, getting started and lack interest or confidence in writing. However, there is a solution that helps students overcome these writing hurdles: guided writing! Keep reading for...
5 Math Games 2nd Grade Kids Love
Who says math instruction can't be all fun and games? Using 2nd grade math games in the classroom is a fun and engaging way to reinforce important skills objectives. Think that these activities are just a game? Think again! Using math games as part of the math block...
Interactive Bulletin Boards For the 2nd Grade Classroom
Does your classroom have a lot of bulletin board space? Does it have not enough? Do you HATE putting up bulletin boards? Do you let them collect dust throughout the school year so you don't have to change them? This post will show you how you can create more bulletin...
Adjectives, Adjectives, Adjectives!
Welcome to the wonderful, wild, weird world of amazing, awesome adjectives! This post is filled with ideas for how to introduce adjectives to your first and second grade learners, as well as fun activities to share with the whole class. Keep reading to find out...
Reinforce Essential Math Skills With a Daily Calendar Routine
What if we told you there was a simple classroom routine you could do every day that would reinforce the basic math and literacy skills your students need to succeed? The answer is right in front of your classroom - the calendar! Having a basic calendar routine is a...
Writing Centers: The Solution to Your Writing Problems
Writing can be one of the most difficult areas to teach. Some of the common issues teachers face when it comes to teaching writing in 2nd grade are: Students get bored with free writingThere's not enough time in the schedule for targeted writing instructionIt's hard...
Everything You Need for Math Interactive Notebooks
If you follow Lucky Little Learners on Instagram, Facebook, Teachers Pay Teachers, or Pinterest it is no surprise to you how much love my team and I have for the humble interactive notebook. Looking at pictures of complete...
Fun and Easy Biography Writing Projects for 2nd Grade
Informational writing is a big part of 2nd grade. It's one of the types of text that your students will be expected to confidently read and write by the end of the year. There are a lot of ways to introduce informational writing but one of my favorites is with 2nd...
Fun Ideas for Celebrating Student Birthdays At School
Birthdays are a BIG deal to kids. Remember the excitement?! But how can teachers make student birthdays extra special without a big hit to the wallet? There are so many ways to celebrate students on their special day from a birthday board classroom display to lunch...
Classroom Management with Brag Tags
Classroom management can be tough, but it does NOT have to be hard, negative, high maintenance, or expensive. So often teachers go home tired, crabby, and frustrated with their students' behaviors. Say goodbye to that stress because here is the answer: brag tags for...
April Fool’s Day Ideas for 2nd Grade
Every year it rolls around... April Fools Day. The day that a lot of teachers enjoy and/or dread! A teacher may try to avoid all of the trickery that goes on, but the day still turns out the same. "Hey teacher, your shoes are untied...April Fools!" ...
How to Ace the Teacher Interview
Do you have an elementary teacher job interview scheduled at your dream school? We know you've got the skills, passion, and heart to be an amazing teacher for your students, but even teachers with years of experience still get the jitters when it comes time to...
Teaching Author’s Purpose in 2nd grade
2nd grade is an amazing time of growth for young writers. They are growing into their own writing style, and are starting to have strong opinions about which types of books they like to read best. But do they understand the author's purpose, both when they are...
All About 2nd Grade Reading Comprehension
Reading is a big deal in K-2. Yes, there's math, science, social studies, art, and music but reading instruction looms over all other subjects. It makes sense, it ties into all the other topics. Between Kindergarten and 2nd grade, students' reading abilities...
15 Fun Literacy Activities For 2nd Grade
We all know there are SO many ways to engage students in literacy lessons. This post is a round up of our favorite fun literacy activities for 2nd grade. AND we wanted to show you exactly how to do these activities, so read on for a look into a fun literacy classroom!...
How to Teach Math Word Problems in 2nd Grade
Your students have mastered their math facts. They understand basic operations. Now it's time to tackle some word problems! Read on to discover strategies and resources to help teach word problems to 2nd grade learners. Why is it important to teach word problems? Why...
Teaching Kids to Find The Moral of the Story
I don’t know about you but I’ve always had a few learners who just struggle with moral of the story. It seems to be a skill that some kids grasp quickly and others need a lot of repetition. A story like, "The Emperor’s New Clothes" is interpreted by some students as,...
Father’s Day Crafts for 2nd Grade
Celebrate the wonderful men in your students' lives with these fun Father's Day crafts! The ideas for the craftivities featured in this post were shared by creative teachers in our Lucky 2nd Grade Teachers Facebook Group. Best of all, they are easy enough for 2nd...
Tips and Timesavers for Back to School Set Up
The school year is wrapping up, books are being packed up and papers recycled. As teachers around the country pack up their current classrooms, many begin to think about how to set up their classroom differently next year. (Yep, teachers can't help thinking that far...
3 Steps To Teaching Articles In Grade 2
Grammar skills in general can get lost in the crazy shuffle of our classrooms. That's okay! Teaching articles in grade 2 can seem like something so tiny but it makes such a big difference in our student's writing and speaking. Read on for a simple and engaging way to...
12 Interactive Telling Time Activities for 2nd Graders
Time flies when you're having fun - learning about time with our interactive math notebooks, that is! Our Interactive Math Notebooks feature 12 different telling time activities for second-grade students. Get ready to rock around the clock with these awesome...
Math Graphing Worksheets For 2nd Grade
A teacher sits down at her computer. She searches the phrase, "math graphing worksheets 2nd grade" and is not blessed with easy to use resources, strategies or ideas. Team Lucky Little Learners is here to change that! Keep reading for math graphing lesson ideas that...
Teaching Subject Verb Agreement in Second Grade
Teaching subject-verb agreement is an important grammar skill, but it can be a tricky one for students to master. How can we make sure that the subject and verb are always in agreement in a sentence? Everything runs more smoothly when we all get along, don't you...
Using 2nd Grade Math Worksheets to Teach 3-Digit Subtraction With Regrouping
Subtraction with regrouping can be an incredibly tricky skill for 2nd graders to master but we all know it’s definitely an important one. This set of 2nd grade math worksheets that feature 3 digit subtraction with regrouping can help your students make incremental...
10 Teacher Desk Organization Hacks
Teachers start the beginning of the year with a super cute, ultra organized desk area. However, as we all know the days, weeks and months of the school year tend to add "debris" to this area. Having an organized system AND tools to keep this important classroom area...
Decodable Text: How & When to Use It
With all the chatter around Science of Reading, there’s a lot of new vocabulary being thrown around. Two of the topics you may be hearing about a lot are decodable text and leveled readers. So what are decodable texts and leveled readers? How and when do you use...
5 Easy Mother’s Day Gifts to Make With 2nd Graders
Celebrate the wonderful women in your students' lives with quick and easy Mother's Day gifts to make in the classroom! The ideas for the five craftivities featured in this post were shared by creative teachers in our Lucky 2nd Grade Teachers Facebook Group. Best of...
Classroom Restaurant Transformation
Have you seen all the fun classroom transformation ideas floating around online teacher groups? The reason classroom transformations are so popular is they create lasting memories for the students (and teacher) and are a break from the day to day. They also offer a...
Riddle Bags to Count Down the End of the Year
Have you tried riddle bags to count down the end of the school year yet? This is one of the most fun and easy ways to celebrate the count down to the end of the school year! How do Riddle Bags Work? Each day when students arrive at school, a new riddle bag will be on...
Everything 2nd Graders Need to Know About Verbs
Teaching verbs in 2nd grade can be SUPER fun! There are so many engaging resources and activities that can be used to help students master this skill. Check out this post for engaging verbs resources that are meaningful and ready to use! What are Verbs? Let's start by...
Build Fine Motor Skills With These 2nd Grade Activities
Messy handwriting. Difficulty drawing or coloring. Low stamina for typing. Frustration when cutting with scissors. Does this sound like one of your students? Fine motor skills play an important role in academic and personal success. What can teachers do if they...
35 Opinion Writing Prompts for 2nd Grade
Truly, is there anything kids (and adults) like more than giving their opinion? Opinion (or persuasive) is some of my favorite writing to do with students because with engaging and kid-friendly opinion writing prompts, you can pull in even the most reluctant...
