Curriculum Overview

2nd Grade

Reading - Fiction (realistic, folktales, fairytales), non-fiction (biographies, historical, articles), and poetry; Accelerated Reader program; teacher read-aloud; word families; dictionary skills; reading strategies (main idea, summarizing, cause and effect, sequencing, predicting, drawing conclusions, analyzing characters, etc.)

Grammar - Sentence structure (subject/predicate), paragraph structure (topic sentence, details, conclusion), editing skills, parts of speech, punctuation rules, singular and plural nouns and pronouns, possessives, capitalization.

Vocabulary - Drawn from 2nd grade curriculum, morning work (reading vocabulary, analogies).

Handwriting - Refine printing skills 1st semester; begin cursive writing 2nd semester.

Writing Process - Friendly letters, autobiographies, comparison papers using Venn diagrams, poetry (cinquain, concrete, rhyming), descriptive writing, expository writing.

Spelling - Weekly spelling list (spelling, sentence use, editing), spelling bees, making words.

Mathematics - Whole numbers, money and decimals, fractions, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, visual patterns, sequences, functions, number sentences, inequalities, 2-dimensional shapes (polygons), 3-dimensional shapes, symmetry, points, lines, angles, length, capacity, volume, weight, perimeter, area, time, temperature, collecting data, recording/displaying data, evaluating data, probability, chance.

Science - Land and water habitats; weather changes, Earth changes; sun, Earth, moon, stars, planets; matter and energy; forces, machines, and magnets; hands-on field trips to the Ruth Patrick Science Center for �Sound� presentations; walking trip through Hitchcock Woods, the largest urban forest in the nation.

Social Studies - Living in communities, working in communities, rules in communities, communities long ago and today, celebrating holidays in communities.

Weekly Enrichment Classes

Computer - During the first semester the students will use educational software math games. Starting the second semester the students will rotate educational software math games with Mavis Beacon typing. In Mavis Beacon the students will be introduced to keyboarding basics, correct hand placement or hands on home row, and maintain proper finger placement.

Spanish - Continue listening and speaking skills, begin basic reading and writing skills. Respond to basic questions, learn courtesy phrases, read familiar vocabulary words and common phrases, label pictures.

Library - Story time; listening and viewing skills; story discussion; introduction of library terminology; parts of a book; periodicals; reference collection; care and organization of library materials; weekly book check-out; library skills reinforced with active learning techniques, audiovisual materials, and puppets.

Music - Sing, move, dance, and play rhythm instruments to music; learn age-appropriate elements of music; read rhythms; introduction of the percussion family; learn Chapel songs and seasonal songs; prepare for performance on Mead Hall Sundays, at the Christmas program, and on May Day. Optional: violin.

Physical Education - Preparation for the Presidential Physical Fitness Test; weekly physical fitness logs; refinement of throwing, catching, kicking, and batting; tennis, soccer, kick-ball, whiffle-ball, badminton, and jump-rope; sportsmanship, fair play, and effort.

Sacred Studies - The Godly Play curriculum uses story figures and art materials to allow students to experience Bible stories, their characters and themes. The church calendar is introduced.