In second grade, the Reading curriculum is tailored to support each student’s learning journey. Our curriculum emphasizes comprehension, oral reading, word knowledge, and word meaning utilizing the SuperKids reading program. This multimodal approach engages students through various senses, providing multiple pathways to grasp reading and writing skills. To ensure personalized attention, students work in small groups aligned with their reading levels. Novel studies are an integral part of our program, with students participating in “book clubs” to discuss and delve into the material. Additionally, the Accelerated Reader Program plays a crucial role in tracking and fostering individual comprehension and vocabulary skills. Each child receives AR goals based on their reading ability, as determined by the STAR reading assessment completed every nine weeks. This approach guarantees progression at a pace suited to their unique needs. Our aim is to foster a love for reading while ensuring consistent growth in every student’s reading capability.
In our current English Language Arts curriculum, our comprehensive approach covers all key areas including spelling, phonics, reading, and writing. The curriculum is designed to ensure daily practice in both manuscript and cursive, fostering neat and legible handwriting. Embedded within the SuperKids reading program, the writing curriculum complements daily reading lessons. This integration allows students to progress at their individual levels while applying writing conventions, spelling strategies, and expressing their creativity. Peer editing exercises and one-on-one teacher conferences are pivotal in nurturing their writing skills. Our curriculum also emphasizes the importance of sharing work and exchanging constructive feedback. Instructing students on identifying parts of speech, composing friendly letters, and crafting complete sentences is paramount. They are taught to use proper capitalization and punctuation, draw conclusions, initiate paragraph writing, and discern the main idea and supporting details in texts. These elements are not just part of our curriculum; they are central to many objectives specifically targeted for second-grade learners.
Our current Math curriculum allows us to utilize a variety of strategies to ensure a comprehensive learning experience for our students. In our use of Progress in Mathematics, we start with a brief review of foundational skills such as addition, subtraction, place value, and ordinal numbers which students have encountered in first grade. We then advance to more complex topics including addition and subtraction with regrouping, involving multiple addends, as well as measurement, time, money, fractions, and basic geometry. Multiplication and division concepts are introduced at this stage to broaden their mathematical understanding. To make math both meaningful and enjoyable, we incorporate learning centers heavily into our strategy. We provide manipulatives to reinforce concepts and place a strong emphasis on solving word problems. Students are taught multiple strategies to tackle these problems effectively. Small group work is a critical component of our approach, allowing for additional teacher support and ensuring that the curriculum pace is suitable for all learners. Additionally, students engage with IXL and Xtra Math to further reinforce the skills they've learned in a fun and interactive manner.
Our Social Studies curriculum ensures that an engaging and informative learning environment is provided to our students. We currently have a robust program, Little Minds at Work, that interweaves geography, economics, civics and government, and history, providing a comprehensive educational experience. Each week our students stay updated with current events and sharpen their non-fiction reading abilities using a variety of resources that correlate with our Louisiana State Standards. This is essential for them to extract meaning and information effectively. Moreover, our curriculum is designed to complement the reading program, with special units that explore national holidays, world celebrations, and cultural diversity. Through oral biography presentations and research projects on presidents, students gain insight into the lives of influential figures and compare historical lifestyles with contemporary living standards. Projects showcasing their understanding of geography are a key component of our program, allowing students to creatively express their knowledge. Additionally, we delve into the workings of government, examining its various branches to provide students with a clear understanding of civic structures.
In Science, we utilize Little Minds at Work, which offers a comprehensive overview of essential topics including animals, plants, weather, states of matter, encompassing earth, health, and physical sciences. Our approach is hands-on, with experiments integrated into every lesson, ensuring that students are actively engaged in their learning. We place a special emphasis on earth science, with guided lessons designed to spark curiosity and deepen understanding. A highlight of our curriculum is the unit focused on the pond biome. EDS is fortunate to have an on-site pond equipped with a waterfall, indigenous flora, and a variety of aquatic life. This feature serves as a living classroom, allowing students to observe the seasonal dynamics of the pond ecosystem and understand the importance of water quality and the symbiotic relationships between the organisms that inhabit it. The unit culminates in the spring with an exciting field trip to the EDS pond, coinciding with our Easter egg hunt and celebration. This provides a practical extension of our studies and a memorable experience for the students!
We have impactful initiatives underway at EDS to cultivate a culture of empathy and service among our students. Our second-grade class is actively engaged in assembling "Blessing Bags" filled with essential supplies for the homeless within our community. This hands-on project not only provides immediate relief to those in need but also instills in our young learners the importance of giving back. Additionally, our students have demonstrated their compassion and support for first responders by collecting items during critical times, such as the recent wildfires. These activities are integral to our mission at EDS, where we aim to nurture a service heart in every student, teaching them the value of empathy and community support. We believe that these experiences are as vital to our students' development as the academic excellence we provide. It is through these acts of kindness that our students learn to extend their hands and hearts to others, a lesson that will serve them well throughout their lives.
Integration of technology in our second-grade curriculum is something we have strived to achieve. Each classroom is equipped with 12 iPads, 4 computers, and a Ricoh board, ensuring that technology is a staple in all subject areas. Students are engaging with technology through research, center work, and leading activities on the smart board. Our approach allows them to become proficient with tools like World Book, which they use for research across various subjects throughout the year.
Enrichments are an exciting time for our students. Second graders attend Spanish, Art, Computer Technology, Library, and Physical Education as part of our broad curriculum.