Curriculum Overview

LANGUAGE ARTS:  Students in grade two review the sounds associated with the 71 phonograms, the building blocks of the English language. Teachers emphasize reading, writing and manuscript and cursive letter formation. Grammar skills, including parts of speech, punctuation, capitalization, compound words and contractions, are practiced. The students also study antonyms and synonyms, capital letters and their uses, common and proper nouns, plurals, verbs, adjectives and various homonyms. The students work on writing different kinds of sentences (declarative, interrogative, exclamatory and imperative) in daily writing assignments and journal entries. Students practice using the dictionary and thesaurus and write their first book reports. The students listen to stories, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Comprehension and public speaking are addressed through the use of a Socratic seminar approach to literature. The second grade reads classic stories, including Charlotte's Web, Sarah Plain and Tall, The Cricket in Times Square, and My Father's Dragon.

MATHEMATICS:  In the Singapore math program, basic concepts introduced in first grade are extended. Students learn to read and write numbers through 100s both in digits and in words, adding and subtracting to 1,000 without renaming and completing those operations with renaming. Topics covered this year include metric measurement, multiplication and division through 5s, money, time, geometric shapes, graphing and area of simple figures along with extensive practice with multi-step word problems.

SCIENCE:  Students in grade two continue to develop a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world while developing a more concrete sense of the process of experimentation. Students learn to hypothesize, observe and study the results of their experiments. Topics include prairie and desert ecosystems, plant and animal adaptations, solubility and electricity.

HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY:  World History includes the study of India and ancient Greece. American history is studied, including the creation of the U.S. Constitution, the War of 1812, westward expansion, the Civil War, civil rights, immigration and citizenship.

SPANISH:  The goal of the Spanish program is communicative competence in speaking, listening, reading and writing. A great deal of emphasis is placed on building vocabulary and studying sentence construction, using children’s poetry, songs, role playing and puppetry. Topics include greetings, people and things in the classroom, numbers from one to 100, colors and shapes, animals, days of the week, months of the year, seasons and weather, places in the community, classes and school, likes and dislikes, time, songs and the family. Topics include parts of the body, clothing, calendar, rooms and furnishings of the house, entertainment, appliances and toys, and names of fruits and foods. Throughout the year, students are introduced to the various cultures and regions of the Spanish-speaking world. In addition, students participate in a special unit of cultural study that culminates in a larger event.

MUSIC - Students receive weekly piano lessons in small groups and study formal music theory. Students analyze musical excerpts and perform sight singing and aural and rhythmic exercises. They sing songs, learn dances and expressive movement and play more difficult rhythms on percussion instruments. The students study Mozart’s The Magic Flute along with other musical works throughout the year. Theory and piano classes prepare students for regular recitals and concert opportunities, as well as the graded examinations of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London. Students also participate in a winter concert and spring musical.

ART:  Students review the five basic elements of shape and how they combine and apply this knowledge to design in drawing, painting and sculpture. Students complete a guided drawing of a carousel horse and several independent drawings from graphics and sight observation. Students study sculpture and architecture for symmetry and balance. They also study depth, perspective, light and shadow in two-dimensional artworks. Art topics and activities may be added to complement other class subjects.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION:   The program emphasizes physical skills that can be applied in multiple sports situations.  Through games and drills, students learn basic ball handling skills, fine and gross motor movements, spatial awareness and basic strategy.  Students develop confidence and motivation to participate in organized and individual physical activities. Leadership, teamwork and good sportsmanship are taught. The program emphasizes lifelong fitness.