SECOND GRADE CURRICULUM
Religion (175 Minimum Weekly Minutes)
- Recognizes Jesus in the form of bread and wine, which comes to us through the Eucharist and that God, our creator, sends Jesus and the Holy Spirit to help and guide us
- Recognizes that God’s Word is experienced through the Bible, and that Mary is the mother of Jesus
- Reflects on the lives of the Saints
- Participates more fully in worship through school and parish liturgies and sacraments
- Calls on God through prayer
- Learns the parts of the Mass and various devotions, and celebrations
- Continues to develop a personal responsibility, makes choices, follows rules, and learns to live the message of Jesus through service and kindness to others
- Learns formal and informal prayer and liturgical responses
- Attends weekly Mass
- Prepares for the sacrament of First Eucharist and First Reconciliation
Language Arts (800 Minimum Weekly Minutes)
Reading
- Develops word analysis, fluency and vocabulary, sight word vocabulary, phonetics, and phonemes
- Participates in a phonics-based reading series
- Reads picture-books, reading series, and beginning to higher level chapter books
- Defines and identifies synonyms, antonyms, compound words, contractions, possessives
- Alphabetizes word lists
- Identifies parts of speech such as verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs
- Reading point goals set every quarter through use of Accelerated Reader and Scholastic Reading Counts
Writing
- Prints letters and words accurately
- Writes a proper sentence using a subject and predicate
- Composes and prints a five sentence paragraph that includes a topic sentence, three supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.
- Follows a concise writing pattern using beginning, middle, and ending statements
- Uses proper writing mechanics by indenting, capitalizing, using end marks, and proper punctuation
- Produces creative journal writing
- Writes to picture prompts
- Is guided by the teacher to produce a written report utilizing all of these concepts
- Composes beginning reports, poetry, friendly letters and creative writings
Book List: A variety of books are available in the school library. You may print out a list of acceptable books from the school website: http://www.stbarbara.com
Mathematics (250 Minimum Weekly Minutes)
- Reviews prior concepts
- Develops number recognition
- Understands number relationships
- Develops understanding of place value
- Practices number estimation and computation
- Solves problems using addition and subtraction
- Learns to add and subtract money
- Recognizes money
- Learns about time, time order, and time interval calculations
- Solves problems by interpreting word problems
- Measures in inches, feet, and yards
- Graphs, interprets, and records data
- Interprets patterns
- Computes two-digit and three-digit addition with carrying
- Computes two-digit and three-digit subtraction with borrowing and trading
- Introduced to grouping and multiplication
Social Studies (100 Minimum Weekly Minutes)
- Demonstrates map skills using map keys, legends, and the compass rose
- Locates neighborhoods on maps and charts
- Learns about countries, states, continents, and oceans
- Researches historical monuments
- Understands the purpose of basic laws and citizenship
- Learns about holidays celebrated in the United States and other countries
- Explores family history and ancestors
- Learns and describes contributions of famous people, heroes, and heroines
- Understands the importance of individual action and character
- Explains how people from our past and present make a difference in the lives of others
- Learns about the African-Americans and their contributions
Computer (30 Minimum Weekly Minutes)
- Demonstrates proper care of computer equipment and identifies parts
- Identifies the computer as a machine that helps people work and play
- Becomes familiar with the keyboard and starts formal keyboarding
- Starts a program using the mouse
Science (100 Minimum Weekly Minutes)
Physical Science
- Understands the uses of magnets, magnetism, and magnetic force
- Recognizes the forces and effects of gravity
- Investigates how tools and machines are used to apply forces to make things move
- Learns that sound is made by vibrating objects and can be described by its pitch and volume
Life Science
- Understands the inter-relationship of our body
- Develops healthy habits
- Understands good nutrition
- Learns the importance of our gift of life and our special selves
- Investigates the sequential stages of life cycles through the study of different animals
- Discovers through hands-on investigation that light, gravity, touch, or environmental stress can affect the germination, growth, and development of plants
- Learns how flowers and fruits are associated with plant reproduction
Earth Science
- Discover the physical properties of rocks, minerals, and the effects of weathering
- Recognize soil is composed of various materials to support plant life
- Explore Earth’s past history through the study of fossils
- Knows how rock, water, plant, and soil provide many resources
Investigation and Experimentation - Make predictions based on observed patterns
- Measure length, weight temperature, and liquid volume with appropriate tools and express those measurements in standard metric system units
- Compare and sort common objects according to two or more physical attributes
- Write or draw descriptions of observations
- Construct bar graphs to represent data
- Use magnifiers or microscopes
- Follow oral instructions for scientific investigation
Physical Education (70 Minimum Weekly Minutes)
- Participates in motor skill activities to increase coordination through warm-up, running, hopping, jumping, and rhythmic movement without music
- Participates in activities that enhance balance, endurance, strength and agility, and ball handling kills
- Uses apparatus and jump ropes
- Participates in games with groups or a partner
- Develops fundamental skills in individual and team sports like softball, kickball, and track
- Participates in games and activities to enhance self-image, practice self-discipline, and self-control in relation to others
- Develops appropriate play etiquette for winning and losing through activities, which promote physical fitness
- Develops an understanding for physical health and nutrition
Fine Arts (100 Minimum Weekly Minutes)
Art
- Develops visual and tactile perception by using and mixing colors to a variety of tints and shades
- Develops creative expression by using clay, weaving, and making mosaics and collages
- Draws basic shapes and compositions of self, family, groups, and scenery
- Studies our visual art heritage and develops art appreciation
- Learns about styles of art and famous artists
- Learns to recognize the importance of artistic expression in our culture
Music
- Recognizes tone, tempo, and dynamic aspects of music
- Identifies meter, major scale with 8 tones, and melody by step, skip, and repeated tones
- Develops creative expression through singing songs, hymns with accurate pitch, tempo, dynamics, and phrasing
- Participates in group assembly singing and performances
- Practices attentive listening skills
- Experiences multi-cultural, ethnic, and liturgical music
- Listens to and appreciates live and recorded music, including classical and modern
Educational Field Trips
