Language Arts
Our language arts program supports the interconnected development of language processes such as reading, writing, listening and speaking. Our goal is to develop confident, enthusiastic and skilled readers. We provide children with a broad range of instructional approaches, materials, and experiences within a literature-rich environment, including mysteries, biographies and folk tales, to support a variety of abilities and growth rates. Guided reading in small groups focuses on reading strategies, comprehension, vocabulary and fluency. Independent reading occurs individually or in pairs with self-selected books and literature response projects. The reading of nonfiction books related to our science and social studies themes provides children with the opportunity to develop skills for reading in the content areas.
A significant component of our writing program involves a writing workshop during which children are involved in writing for a variety of purposes including personal narratives, journals, poetry, reports, fiction and letters. Students write using complete sentences, standard spelling, capitalization, and punctuation appropriate to their level of development. Second grade integrates word study and spelling with writing and reading. We focus on phonetic spelling patterns, and individualized spelling lists of high frequency words. In penmanship, second graders review the manuscript alphabet as learned in first grade and learn individual letters of the cursive alphabet.
During an IB unit of inquiry students will discover how storytelling reflects cultural values, beliefs, and nature. Students will read different types of stories and explore how people use porquoi stories to explain natural phenomena.
Mathematics
The second grade math program is based on a balanced approach of concepts, skills and problem solving. Children investigate concepts using hands-on activities with a variety of math manipulatives. Children develop an understanding of the base-ten numeration system and place value concepts with numbers to 1,000. They develop quick recall of addition and related subtraction facts, and fluency with regrouping multi-digit addition and subtraction, and are introduced to multiplication and division. Measurement, graphing skills, fractions, money, and geometry round out our program. A strong problem-solving strand is woven through all the units of study. Children have numerous opportunities to collect, organize and record date during our science/social studies units. Daily interactive calendar activities provide a basis for ongoing instruction in arithmetic, place value, money, time and patterning throughout the year.
IB Units
An IB unit of inquiry explores the life cycle , properties and structures of trees. Students explore what trees provide for people and other living things, as well as our responsibility to protect and care for trees.
During an IB unit of inquiry into weather, students discover how weather impacts all living creatures. Students learn about the water cycle, weather and geography and predicting weather. Students investigate the relationship between weather and the way people live and how natural disasters affect the lives of people.
Science
Additional units of study include magnetism and insects. All units are integrated with reading, writing, social studies, and math throughout the second grade year. Throughout the year we encourage students to “think like scientists” and to seek answers to their own questions through a hands-on approach, research, and inquiry-based learning.
Social Studies
Students broaden their understanding of early and current communities through an IB unit of inquiry into human migrations.. They also learn about becoming a member of a community through immigration. Another IB unit of inquiry investigates the interconnected services that communities provide to meet people's needs. International, cultural and religious celebrations and festivals are studied throughout the year. Children also participate in a number of school-wide nation-of-the-month activities. Geography is woven throughout the social studies units to help build knowledge of place. Children learn about a number of famous historical figures through our integrated social studies/language arts study of biographies. Through this curriculum, children begin to develop an attitude of international-mindedness.
In Mandarin/Spanish, students increase their language production within a structured, limited context. While stories, songs, rhymes, and plays continue to be the core of the program, reading and writing are able to be used with more ease along with the communicative skills of listening and speaking. Songs, games, and stories from Chinese/Spanish culture are a key component of the program, as well as occasional integration with the classroom curriculum. Students memorize and rehearse a play as a class and in groups.
Studying different styles in architecture and paintings and themes in artworks from around the world are the ways that students learn about art in second grade.
They study how a line can be used to make something appear three-dimensional and how atmosphere can be shown by color differences. Second graders are able to add texture that resembles real texture, to understand positive and negative shapes, and to observe design (pattern, balance) in natural organisms such as butterflies, insects and in art.
They also learn to recognize differences in art media.
Art lessons are often integrated with classroom instruction and reflect the interests of the children.
When children study the art of various cultures, they begin to gain insight into the beliefs and origins of their own culture and their place in the global society.
The music program at the second grade level is designed to channel the students’ natural curiosity into a strong musical foundation as they begin to learn formal elements of music: rhythm, melody, timbre, dynamics, tempo, articulation, and form. Listening exercises focus on learning to use accurate musical vocabulary to describe sound. Students begin to use pitched instruments to explore musical concepts. Songs choices support classroom curriculum topics.
Physical Education
Movement education is the primary focus of the second grade curriculum, including activities to develop locomotor, non-locomotor, perceptual-motor, rhythmic, manipulative, fitness and body management skills. Many different kinds of developmental games and activities are planned to provide students with opportunities to work together to improve social and cooperative interaction skills. Continued focus will be on developing appropriate social interaction, sportsmanship and safety skills.
The goal of technology instruction is to enable students and teachers to effectively use the computer and other technology tools to enhance, support and extend students’ learning across the curriculum. Through whole and small group as well as individual instruction, the children develop a vocabulary of basic terminology, learn proper use and care of computers and other tools with increasing independence, and use developmentally appropriate software.
Library/Research Skills
The primary goals of the library curriculum are to inspire students to develop a lifelong love of reading and to help them become information literate.
Second graders become familiar with library routines, locating books of interest to them, and developing age-appropriate information literacy and library skills. When they visit the library for their regularly scheduled classes, second graders listen to books being read aloud, become familiar with authors and illustrators of children’s books, recite poetry, sing songs, participate in choral readings, and retell stories with props. The children become familiar with a variety of reference materials and how to use them to effectively locate information. These reference materials include nonfiction books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, newspapers, phone books, and the Internet.
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