Grade 2 16 Grade 7

Grade 2 Curriculum

At-a-Glance

Second Grade girls make big leaps in every area of the curriculum, taking their preparation from Kindergarten and First Grade to new heights. Throughout the year, girls have opportunities for longer experiential learning experiences at our Butler Campus and in the Cleveland community. In the fall, girls spend a week learning about the Eastern Woodlands at Butler, discovering how people used local natural resources to survive. They spend several days at Lake Erie in the spring to learn about this treasure. Through these experiences, girls learn to think critically about how a community best uses and protects its resources.

Literacy:

• Continue skill development in decoding, vocabulary, fluency and spelling through Fundations • Discover a variety of genres including fiction, non-fiction, mystery, biography and legends • Participate in daily literature groups • Study the elements of a story: plot, characterization, setting and theme • Develop strategies to enhance comprehension • Uncover personal connections to texts • Engage in writing for a variety of purposes • Examine mentor texts for inspiration in writing projects • Introduce cursive handwriting and strengthen handwriting skills

Social Studies:

• Use tools to develop geographic awareness • Introduce and discuss ideas of stereotypes and representations of indigenous peoples • Compare and contrast indigenous cultures of North America • Study the exchange of cultures between tribes and European settlers • Explore the ownership and use of land • Examine conflict, consequences, reform and change • Investigate the human impact on Lake Erie and Cleveland over time • Participate in service learning experiences at Lake Erie beaches • Foster creativity through role-play and the integration of music, dance and art

Mathematics:

• Explore place value and addition and subtraction in numbers to 1,000 in standard, word and expanded forms • Investigate fractions • Develop skills in comparing and ordering numbers, mental math strategies, data analysis, measurement and time • Explore pre-multiplication concepts, including repeated addition and arrays • Explore money through the decimal point • Solve real-world problems using concrete, pictorial and symbolic models • Develop an algebraic foundation with patterns, properties, functional relationships and equations • Acquire skills in reasoning and writing proofs through geometric study • Strengthen mathematical communication through connections and representation

Science:

• Engage in scientific inquiry: posing questions, predicting, observing, collecting and analyzing data • Conduct field investigations at the Butler Campus • Explore habitats, specifically those of spiders and insects, with a particular focus on honeybees • Study the ecology of the Hawaiian Islands, the wildlife and savanna of Kenya, the rainforest, the Sonoran Desert and the polar regions • Investigate units on agricultural engineering, botany, gardening, nutrition and fighting germs (creating healthy habits) • Participate in outdoor experiential education–Learning at Butler

Days and seasonal gardening

Technology:

• Foster and increase awareness of technology concepts • Develop a foundation for digital citizenship and responsible use by discussing online safety • Introduce and practice appropriate use of digital learning tools that foster collaboration, creativity, and authentic audiences, such as iPads, Beebots and Dash • Introduce coding topics and skills, such as sequencing, conditionals and events

Art:

• Explore personal expression through individual choice • Engage in drawing, painting, basic printmaking, collage, clay and glaze • Examine line, shape, color and pattern • Discover female artists from other times and places and connect artwork to themes from the classroom curriculum • Engage in arts immersion experiences and performances combining visual art, drama, music and dance

Dance:

• Explore time, space, energy and shape • Develop movement patterns • Take part in and create problem-solving activities • Demonstrate individual and group expression • Develop quality awareness—sustained, percussive, vibrating, spiral and swing—and rhythm awareness • Perform in classroom and on stage • Apply music to dance compositions

Music:

• Internalize and express music in multiple modalities • Foster vocal exploration and utilize the head voice for in-tune singing • Differentiate between and perform steady beat and rhythmic patterns • Explore and play basic percussion instruments to accompany performances • Utilize instrument techniques to develop fine motor skills

Physical Education:

• Explore elements of force, time and space while moving at different levels and in different directions • Develop motor, foot- and hand-eye coordination, manipulative and spatial skills • Practice the concept of boundaries and simple game rules • Experience and use a wide variety of equipment—balls, hoops, ropes, scooters, bats and gymnastic equipment