Curriculum Highlights: Second Grade

• Phonics:  short vowels, blending, dipthongs, diagraphs, vowels, blends
• Spelling: plurals, syllabication, rules
• Reading comprehension: vocabulary building, facts, paraphrasing, context, sequence, summarization, inference
• Word analysis skills
• Vocabulary skills: homophones, antonyms and synonyms, prefixes and suffixes, context clues, use of dictionary
• Proofreading
• Handwriting
• Grammar and usage:  nouns, verbs, pronouns, capitalization, punctuation
• Critical thinking
• Listening skills
• Speaking skills
• Composition skills
• Creative writing
• Reports and letters
• Independent reading
• Junior Great Books
• Summer workbook
• Summer reading

• Numeration: sequence through 10,000; writing to 100
• Measurement: weight, length, capacity
• Geometry
• Operations: 2-, 3-, and 4-digit addition and subtraction, multiplication, division
• Fractions
• Relations
• Patterns
• Functions
• Money
• Clocks:  digital and analog
• Calendars
• Problem solving
• Place value: regrouping, standard form
• Conversion of metric units
• Decimals: comparing, addition, and subtraction
• Rounding numbers
• Summer workbook

• American holidays
• American flag
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Native Americans
• Pilgrim pioneers from England
• English pioneers
• Columbus
• Other explorers
• Colonial America

• Plants
• Animals
• Living together:  populations and communities
• Nutrition and health
• Earth science
• Space science
• Matter
• Work and machines
• Frequent hands-on activities/lab

• Globe
• Four hemispheres
• Cardinal directions/compass rose
• Lines of latitude and longitude
• Map features, including scale, symbols/keys, boundaries, intermediate directions
• Cities and capital cities
• Counties and states
• Map grids
• Different kinds of maps
• North American continent
• Bodies of water
• United States and its five regions

• Daily P.E. class
• Fitness and conditioning
• Body control:  agility, flexibility, endurance, balance,  gross motor coordination, hand-eye coordination, spatial skills
• Movement skills, including dance
• Manipulative activities
• Game skills
• Good health habits:  hygiene, diet, safety
• Respect, cooperation, confidence

• Dedicated art studio
• Art class twice weekly
• Exploration of various forms of media
• Drawing and coloring: pencil, eraser, markers, oil pastels, pastels, crayons
• Painting: tempura paint, watercolors, watercolor crayons
• Sculpture: plasticene, air-drying clay
• Collage: paper, glue, scissors, fabric
• Self expression, respect, confidence
• Annual, school-wide art contest

• Listening to a variety of music
• Rhythmic speech in counterpoint
• Choral speech: focus on diction, dynamics, and interpretation
• Group singing
• Reading and writing musical notation
• Recorder
• Percussion: hand drum, piccolo blocs, soprano xylophone and others
• Performance:  two music programs each year

• Attendance at dramatic productions
• Speaking role in class play
• Develop acting skills
• Use of costumes and props
• Ensemble/solo singing, choreography
• Public speaking, confidence

• Basic parts of speech:  nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and articles
• Declarative and interrogative sentences
• Nutrition/fruits/vegetables
• Paris geography and monuments
• Planets/solar system
• Continents
• Body parts
• Weather/clothing
• Time
• French breakfast
• Shopping
• House/neighborhood
• Native Americans and French explorers
• Comparisons between American/French cultur

• Types of libraries, librarians
• Introduce Dewey Decimal System
• Independent library time
• Genres: historical fiction/biographies, folk tales, fairy tales, myths, science
• Use  of table of contents, index
• Use of dictionary
• Non-fiction research skills
• Oral book reporting

• Star Boards in each classroom
• Rolling computer cart for classroom computer use
• Basic familiarity with computers

Several field trips per year; recent examples include:

• National Gallery of Art
• Rock Hill Orchard
• Maryland Science Center
• Colvin Run Mill
• Bull Run Park
• National Zoo