Second graders are wide-eyed learners with a willingness to take risks and a ready sense of humor. As learners they are beginning to focus so that information becomes more than mere facts; it begins to be an application tool.

Reading and writing become more than skills; they begin to be windows into knowledge.

In mathematics, symbolic reasoning begins to complement more concrete manipulations.

Throughout the year there is movement toward independence: taking charge of materials and assignments, setting goals and standards for the quality and scope of learning; and monitoring social behaviors.