Grade 2 Math: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 2 math in the Alberta Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Number and operations: students analyze quantities to 1000, using place value, counting, odd and even numbers, benchmarks and comparison.
- Addition and subtraction: students investigate addition and subtraction within 100, and know that sums can be composed in more than one way.
- Fractions: students interpret part-whole relationships using unit fractions with 10 or fewer equal parts.
- Patterns: students explain and analyze increasing and decreasing patterns, with numbers and with objects.
- Measurement: students communicate length using non-standard units and centimetres.
- Geometry: students analyze and explain the sides, vertices and faces of shapes, and investigate slides, flips and turns.
- Time: students relate how long something takes to days, weeks, months, years and minutes.
Easy ways to practise math at home
- Practise math facts in short bursts, such as five minutes while dinner cooks.
- Let your child handle small cash purchases, working out the change in multiples of 5¢.
- Cook together and double or halve a recipe.
- Ask “How do you know?” after an answer, even when it is right.
What each unit covers
Tens & Ones
Seeing 47 as 4 tens and 7 ones. This place-value idea underpins all Grade 2 adding and subtracting.
Numbers to 200
Place value to 200, counting by 20s, 25s and 50s, comparing and ordering numbers, and knowing what makes a number even or odd.
Numbers to 1000
Reading and building numbers up to 1000 with hundreds, tens and ones, counting forwards and backwards by 10s and 100s, even and odd numbers, estimating with 100s as benchmarks, and comparing with <, > and =.
Bigger or Smaller
Comparing and ordering numbers, using <, > and =, and noticing numbers close to 50.
Adding to 100
Two-digit adding and subtracting by working with tens and ones, including making a new ten.
Fractions of a Whole
A fraction names equal parts of one whole. Children read unit fractions such as 1/4 and 1/8, learn that more equal parts means smaller parts, and name fractions like 3/4 from a picture. All wholes are cut into 10 or fewer equal parts.
Patterns
Finding the repeating core of a pattern and describing how increasing patterns grow (skip counting).
Measuring
Measuring with a ruler from zero and choosing between centimetres and metres.
Shapes
Describing shapes by their sides, corners (vertices) and faces, and spotting 3D shapes in real life.
Slides, Flips and Turns
Moving a shape by sliding it, flipping it over a line or turning it around a point. The shape stays the same size and form; only its position or direction changes.
Days, Weeks, Months and Years
Comparing how long things take, counting days until an event, and knowing that 7 days make a week, about 4 weeks a month, 12 months a year and 60 minutes an hour.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Alberta report card guide.
Common questions
How can I help my Grade 2 child with math?
Practise math facts in short bursts, such as five minutes while dinner cooks. Let your child handle small cash purchases, working out the change in multiples of 5¢. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
What does my child learn in Grade 2 math in Alberta?
The Alberta Curriculum Grade 2 math units include tens & ones, numbers to 200, numbers to 1000, bigger or smaller, adding to 100, fractions of a whole.
Free printable Grade 2 math practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.