Second Grade Curriculum
Religion
Understanding Jesus as God’s Son adds another dimension
for these students. They know about sin and that it brings consequences.
They also know about Satan and how he tries to stop them from loving God.
They know that the Bible contains truths that will help them work to overcome
Satan and wish to learn more about the Bible. Through the work of the
Holy Spirit as their Friend and Helper, they realize how God helps them each
day to face any problems. Included in their prayers are people beyond
the classroom and families. They are willing and able to identify and
pray for friends who do not believe in Jesus. They are also more willing
to accept people who are different from themselves. Continuing to gain
an appreciation for Martin Luther and his teachings as well as recognizing
the liturgical seasons help in their understanding of the church body.
Math
Addition and subtraction problems with multiple operations
are taught. The concepts of estimation and place value increase their
understanding in these areas. Skip counting helps to prepare the students
for higher level skills the following year. Grouping and regrouping
concepts continue with ideas such as graphing of data, fractions, and estimation.
The concept of multiplication is introduced. Identifying shapes and
comparing and contrasting them help with spatial reasoning.
Language Arts
Reading to increase skills as well as for personal
enjoyment occurs at this level. They recognize a large number of words
automatically and use a variety of word identification strategies to figure
out words they do not immediately recognize. Students enjoy a variety
of literary forms and respond to them in various ways. Writing for different
purposes allows the students to be involved in all phases of the writing process
Handwriting
Manuscript writing is reviewed and used in written
work throughout the year. Introduction of cursive letters and words
begins at this level. Students are taught the correct slant, size, shape,
and spacing to enable them to progress in their writing skills. Self-evaluation
encourages a high level of neatness in all written work.
Social Studies
Looking away from school and into the communities
and neighborhoods, students look at the uniqueness and history involved in
these areas. They begin to understand more about the enlarging circle
of people in their immediate area and areas beyond when they learn about famous
people who have influenced history. The concept of using goods and services
takes on more significance as they “trade” in their classroom and become more
active in their individual communities. As neighborhoods and neighbors
work together, they know the importance of rules and laws for the good of
all. Map skills begin to formulate for them as they observe keys and
guides on maps that they see and make.
Science
Understanding how plants, animals, and humans grow,
develop, and change is key to this year of science. Students are involved
in hand-on learning as they conduct simple classroom investigations.
In looking around themselves, students learn about and become more aware of
the earth and all its wonders. The children learn about magnets by participating
in many activities.
Computer Science
Proper fingering to use the keyboard effectively
continues at this level. Once they have used word processing to create
paragraphs or a story they learn how to save and retrieve these works from
a data disk. They create a card using a desktop publishing program that
will enable them to import graphics and change the fonts as needed.
Reinforcement of classroom objectives continues with educational software.
Art
Shapes, designs, and lines are made, identified,
and used that reinforce work across the curriculum. Students experiment
with colors in varying values, shades, and shadows. As projects are
designed and made, God’s handiwork in creation is made more concrete to the
students. Work on simple crafts provides a different medium for the
students. Learning to offer positive criticism of another’s artwork
is encouraged.
Music
Creating sounds that form a rhythm are fun for these
students. They can begin to create short melodies as they recognize
notes. Singing in rounds with partners is fun and provides opportunities
for learning more about harmony. They can recognize many musical instruments
and the sounds that these instruments make. Students continue learning
about composition and in doing so, learn and use musical terms.
Physical Education
Team sports become more important at this age.
Students are more willing and able to work together and enjoy such games as
relay races. Muscles become more developed which allow students to enjoy
activities such as climbing or lifting. Jumping rope is done with more
ease. Dribbling the basketball or kicking the soccer ball can be fun
and offers the students the opportunity to think “big.” Leadership skills
become more defined, and the idea of good sportsmanship begins to evolve.
