countries of the United Kingdom. In England, the second year of school is called year 1, with pupils 5 to 6 years old. Second grade is the equivalent to Year 3 in England and Wales, making it the fourth year of compulsory education. In Scottish and Welsh schools, contemporary pupils are in their third year of compulsory education; this level is their fourth year in Northern Ireland. United States equivalents In the United States, second grade students study arithmetic, working with multi-digit addition and subtraction of natural and whole numbers. They also study time and its division into AM and PM segments; fractions; rounding; and measurement. Usually, multiplication and division are introduced toward the end of the school year. Children usually turn 8 years old during the second grade academic year. In language arts, students work with regular and irregular verbs, plurals, homophones, compound words, and comparative and superlative adjectives. Natural science in the second grade includes basic physics like simple machines, magnets, and heat. Students learn about human anatomy, including the heart and digestive system. A basic understanding of the Earth and space is also taught, comprising such topics as basic astronomy, geology, paleontology, and meteorology. The science curriculum may vary by local school district. Civics class includes topics relating to the presidents, the states, and capitals of the United States, as well as the Civil War and geography. In popular culture Sune börjar tvåan, Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson, 1985 See also Educational stage Elementary schools in Japan References 2 Primary education