LANGUAGE ARTS: 

Second grade uses guided reading to promote comprehension, reading fluency, decoding skills, and to build phonics. It also promotes vocabulary development. Writing focuses on cursive handwriting and spelling. The writing process consists of planning, drafting, writing, editing, and revising various types of paragraphs (descriptive, persuasive, explanatory, expository, narrative) letters, and story creation. The language program encourages the learning of punctuation and parts of speech. Second graders participate in class discussions, recite poems, journal readings, act out stories and plays, Readers' Theater, and present at Assembly. They practice listening skills during read alouds, actively engaging with their peers, and following directions.

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MATH:

Second grade math focuses on patterns, data collection, and organization. Plots and graphs are constructed to represent data. Numeric operations are also taught throughout the year. Estimating sums/differences, counting, ordinal positions, addition, subtraction, regrouping, time, money, measurement, calendar, and place value are also learned. Algebraic thinking, involving addition/subtraction problems, using tables & charts, creating story problems, exploring unknown quantities, and understanding fractions is also taught. Geometry (planes & solid geometric figures), measurement, rounding, probability, and multiplication are focused learning as well.  

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SCIENCE:

Second grade studies the units of ecology (ecosystems and living things), Earth and water, matter, energy and its forms, forces, and motion. The immune system is studied during the Human Body Fair.

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SOCIAL STUDIES:

Second grade social studies covers units such as Our Communities, US Government, Citizenship, A Growing Nation, Working in our Community, and Celebrating our Community. Students discuss travel, communication, culture, traditions, trade, and diversity in our nation. Second grade also does a study on ancient China, their culture, and their people.

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SPANISH:

Spanish in Lower School is done as a hands-on approach. It is lively and fun, and follows closely with the curriculum of the program and what the homeroom teacher is teaching at a particular time. Later on, students will continue to develop vocabulary and pronunciation skills and an understanding of the target cultures through hands-on and culturally stimulating ways.

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TECHNOLOGY:

Students begin keyboarding lessons in Lower School, and basic computer vocabulary and functions are emphasized. Projects in class are used to extend classroom lessons, whether it is building a presentation, writing a paper, creating a poster, etc. for a currently studied unit. Students are given assignments that continue to enhance and develop their technical skills and understanding by producing increasingly more sophisticated documents and presentations. Lower School students learn more abstract ideas and terms while being introduced to more challenging software and the structure of networks. Netsmartz and Digital Compass age appropriate areas are used to teach and engage students in conversation regarding a variety of topics in digital safety and citizenship.

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ART:

​Second grade students will build on their knowledge of the elements of art: lines, shapes, colors, space, value, form, and texture. Students begin to learn a vocabulary of art terminology. They will discover intermediate colors and how to use them in creating art. Students begin to discover positive and negative space and types of balance.

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MUSIC:

​The Sullins model for music education is built upon each student progressing in their knowledge per annum. Beginning in Kindergarten, students at Sullins are introduced to music through beat (steady beat), voice (whisper, talk, shout), rhythm (discovering the difference between beat and rhythm), pitch, patterns, introduction to instruments, dynamics, duration, and listening.

 

As their year at Sullins progresses, students will learn to sing in tune and on pitch with more consistency, learn to demonstrate a steady beat with more consistency, identify and read rhythmic notation, coordinate movement with music in the form of dances, more complex circle games, and creative movement.

 

Students will sing in tune and on pitch with more consistency, will demonstrate a steady beat with more consistency at different tempo, and will learn to sing and play simple two-part songs. Students will also be introduced to the concept of harmony and will learn to identify the following musical symbols: staff, treble clef, bar line, measure, double bar line, repeat sign, quarter note, quarter rest, half note, half rest.

                   

The children will coordinate movement with music in the form of more complex dances, circle games, and creative movement.

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LIBRARY:

Second grade students are familiar with the library and its procedures. More independent use of the library is encouraged throughout the year. In addition to locating materials for reading pleasure, students are more aware that the library is a place for research and study, both with print and online resources. 

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION:

Lower School curriculum focuses on team sports, cooperation, team-building, and individual skills. Sports include volleyball, soccer, baseball, tennis, football, basketball, and hockey. Students participate in bi-annual fitness testing, single and team jump ropes, and seasonal tag games. As a culmination of Heart Health Awareness month, students participate in the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope for Heart.

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