Second Grade
Did anyone say "chapter books"?
It's a year where pretend makes real learning magic. Make-believe games are the bridge to concrete spelling, math, and reading skills. Their vocabulary is exploding and fantasy is the key to their hearts. The more abstract concepts of math are taught on a special abacus where numbers and processes can literally be felt through their fingers. The literature books complement the social studies program. When they study the forests of North America, they hear Laura Ingalls Wilder books and enjoy reading The Courage of Sarah Noble, using their own emerging skills. The study of deserts comes alive with stories from Navajo children and art classes abound with carding wool and with real weaving on different types of looms. Music is in the air with songs from cultures across the nation. Plants from different bio-regions grow around the room with accompanying records of their growth. Jump-rope rhymes mark the sounds of recess, and play shifts easily from group to group. It's a year of growing confidence!