Lower School

Grade Two

Program Overview

Similar to grade one, the grade two curriculum is based on an interdisciplinary, developmental approach to learning. The academic and social curriculum strives to reflect and affirm the children and the world in which they live. Broadly, this means: incorporating the ethnicity, family structure, and culture of each child in the life and discourse of the classroom; structuring time for small group and class discussions; supplying a varied selection of books for the class library, for reading groups, and for reading aloud; and carefully choosing the music sung and listened to and the material displayed on the classroom walls. Each child should see her or himself reflected in the curriculum.

The children are taught to recognize and value their efforts and results, and those of their classmates. They work on the skills needed for being productive members of small and whole class groups. Teachers help each child set goals for her or his own learning and social behavior. As part of the larger school community, second-graders are paired with an older class for regular work and play.   

Reading and Writing

* Literature groups * recalling facts and details in texts * independent reading for pleasure (D.E.A.R.) * using print-sound mappings to sound out unknown words * using context clues * interpreting information from diagrams, charts, texts * posing possible answers to how, why, and what-if questions * using manuscript letters * speeches * newspaper articles * webbing ideas * revising and editing * beginning paragraph structure * punctuation and grammar * rule-based spelling instruction *

Resources: Words Their Way * Guided Reading * Handwriting Without Tears * Rebecca Sitton Spelling Program *

* abolitionist coloring book * T-shirt design, sale, fundraising * class newspaper * car project * Kids’ Kitchen * Open Circle * sewing and dyeing dashikis * weaving* student graphs of class community *cotton investigation in science *