The Second Grade art program continues to build upon the elements of art, which are embedded throughout each unit to ensure continual application and understanding. The sequence
of lessons has been carefully planned to accommodate the interests, skills, and abilities of students.
The Second Grade units include:
- Nature’s Beauty: Students learn that most people respond to nature’s beauty. Our students’ projects include creating pastel leaves and flowers; mixing colors to paint a colorful
garden, while using cool and warm colors to create sceneries such calm seascapes and active skies, showing the moods of weather.
- Expressing moods and feelings through art, students create paper collages of faces, draw portraits of a classmate, and learn to use “perspective”(near and far) creating various
scenes of people.
- Back to Nature: Using nature as a backdrop for ideas and details, students will draw favorite animals, create underwater scenes or illustrate fantasy landscapes.
- Picture Stories: Through images and ideas, students learn to illustrate stories by drawing colorful characters, creating puppets or molding bugs out of clay. The art classroom
provides a rich and engaging context for developing and encouraging oral language. Students naturally use and expand their language skills while viewing and discussing fine art.
Every unit is enriched with images from art (artists and their work) and the real world. Background music provides a variety of genres, time periods, and themes to inspire students
during studio time.
References: Explorations in Art, Davis Publications, Inc., Wilton Art Appreciation CD-ROMs: ”Elements of Art”, “Color”, and “Artists at Work.”
In Second Grade, we center our classrooms on Psalm 145:13 (God is faithful to His promises). Biblical heroes of study are: Moses (humble, courageous, and diligent), Joshua (obedience),
Daniel (confidence/faithfulness in God), Job (self-control, patience), Esther (unselfishness, following wise council), Elijah (bold in faith), Jesus (merciful, compassionate),
David (repentant, courageous), and Nehemiah (cooperation, boldness).
Weekly scripture memorization includes: Ephesians 6:11-20 (Armor of God), Psalm 119:9-16 (Living by God’s Word), 1 John 4:7-14 (God’s Love and Ours), Ephesians 6:11-20 (Armor
of God).
The curriculum for Second Grade is published by Association of Christian Schools International. The Gospel for Children by John B. Leuzarder is another resource used for teaching
foundational Biblical truths for knowledge of salvation.
In Second Grade students continue the study of history and geography through the Pearson Learning Core Knowledge curriculum. Students begin the year learning about immigration
and citizenship in the United States. They work with their parents to make an ancestral family tree and learn that the United States population is made up of people from around
the world. Additionally, students study the American Government and the Making of the Constitution. In this unit of study, our students will learn about the courageous delegates
who wrote the Constitution and the three branches of government they created. The students learn that a democracy is government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Students will research a United States president and learn godly character traits that are important for effective leadership.
Next, our studies turn to the Geography of the Americas. A main focus for this unit is learning the names and locations of the countries in South America. Students will learn
map skills and study our neighboring countries, Mexico and Canada. Lastly the students will end the year by learning about our home state of Georgia. We will discuss state and
local government and community workers.
We also travel back in time to study Ancient Greece, a country which laid the foundation for many of our own democratic ideals. Students will learn about Greek City-States, the
first Olympics, and the Greek’s love for the arts. Students will use their creativity to complete a project that highlights one of their artistic talents.
We will continue our travel around the world by studying about Ancient China and Modern Japan. They will compare and contrast these cultures to our own.
Our language arts program revolves around the use of
Open Court anthology books to guide students through the following themes: sharing stories, kindness, camouflage animals,
courage, our country and its people. New vocabulary in Open Courts stories helps to develop a better understanding of words in context. Students practice visualizing, making connections,
answering questions, drawing inferences, and determining the main idea as stories are collectively studied throughout the year. Genres for the year include fantasy, folktale,
and realistic fiction. In addition, Second Graders are introduced to non-fiction comprehension based on factual information. Class read alouds are integrated into each day to
ensure a literature rich environment. Monthly reading minutes are recorded by individual students and are vital to personal reading growth.
Additionally, a novel study of
Helen Keller is incorporated into our reading curriculum during the fourth quarter. Experiential learning events include a guest speaker
from Vision Rehabilitation Services of Georgia and a service project to raise money for this organization.
Our
spelling curriculum revolves around The Purposeful Design publication; an affiliate of ACSI. Spelling patterns for the year include (though are not limited to) the
following: short/long vowel sounds, r controlled vowels, consonant blends, contractions, homophones, singular/plural nouns, prefix/suffix usage, compound words. Also incorporated
into the spelling curriculum is knowledge and use of 150 Second Grade core words for spelling (words 151-300). Beginning in the fourth quarter, Wordly Wise is introduced. This
curriculum focuses on systematic vocabulary development. Participation in the ACSI Spelling Bee rounds out our emphasis on spelling.
Second Grade follows the Open Court Language Arts Handbook for sequential
writing skills. We begin the year with sentence review: subject/predicate, four types of sentences
(declarative, exclamatory, imperative, interrogative), and complete sentence structure. Use of graphic writing organizers, pre-writing drafts, and final editing are components
of our writing lessons. Journaling, personal narratives, well-versed paragraphs, and other forms of writing are practiced throughout the year. In preparation for Third Grade,
students will begin using more detail in their writing-- descriptive adjectives, figurative language, transition words, as well as stronger beginnings and endings to sentences.
In our
handwriting curriculum, review of Zaner Bloser printing format is introduced at the beginning of the year. Primary focus is on letter alignment, spacing, neatness,
posture, correct paper position, and proper adherence to margins. Zaner Bloser cursive is introduced during third quarter. All 26 upper and lower case letters are taught throughout
the year, concluding with students completing assignments in cursive writing by the end of the year.
Searching for books within the online catalog begins. Reference skills include research with encyclopedias and other reference books.
Students are able to check out two books each week and are to make selections from easy books, chapter books, and other non-fiction materials. Students are taught how to find
these books by title, author, and subject. Library class time includes “read aloud” opportunities where discussions center around more complex story designs, such as plot, character
and theme are introduced.
Skills covered in Second Grade include instruction in the following areas: Number expressions/using variables, place value through 1,000’s, number concepts and patterning, problem
solving incorporated throughout each chapter of study TINS method (Thought, Information, Number sense, Solution sentence) used for weekly problem solving skills, geometry (plane
and solid shapes), addition/subtraction re-grouping to the 100’s, counting money/making change, time, fractions and beginning concepts of multiplication/division. Our students
continue to hone their math facts 0-18 and to develop their critical thinking skills, relative to math. Students are expected to apply these skills to two- and three-step story
problems.
Our Second Grade students continue music literacy development by incorporating traditional notation in reading and performing rhythms. During this school year, students learn
about the musical alphabet and recognizing various aspects of melody such as steps, skips, and leaps. Learning about instruments and their families through discussion and multimedia
examples is continued throughout the Second Grade.
Our Second Graders continue to demonstrate competency in locomotor movements including gallop, hop, jump, leap, run, skip, slide, and walk. Additionally, emphasis is placed on
the non-locomotor skills such as batting, catching, foot dribble, hand dribble, overhand throwing, forehand striking, volleying, dodging/fleeing, passing, shooting, tumbling,
etc. Students are introduced to the Presidential Physical Fitness Test and are assessed; achievements include a National and Presidential Award recognition. Nutritionally, the
goal for all Second Graders is be able to identify foods within each food group.
Second Graders begin the year with a study of senses. We then transition into a study of the human body, focusing mainly on the skeletal and musclular systems. Second semester,
we begin a unit of study on simple machines. Levers, fulcrums, wheels, and axels are just a few of the intricate parts we investigate throughout this course. As we approach the
end of the school year, an exploration of climates and biomes prepare us for an overnight field trip to the Zoo Atlanta.
Hands-on activities and experiments are designed to interest and motivate students throughout each unit of study. Experiential activities include High Tech-High Touch, Slim Good
Body, Dunwoody Nature Center and The Georgia Tech Paper Museum. Once again our approach to science is from a Biblical worldview, emphasizing God’s handiwork in the world around
us.
Second Grade students begin the class time with a
Gouin Series of Five Spanish sentences stating how they prepare for class and how they greet an adult formally (I see
my teacher. I open my folder, etc.) They continue to acquire new vocabulary and are exposed to varied verb tenses through the multi-sensory method Total Physical Response (TPR).
The
Hola Niño’s story units expand to nationalities, the weather and clothing. A springtime lettuce garden and/or a trip to the Center for Puppetry Arts for a bilingual
puppet show add to their experiential learning.
