The Concordia Publishing House Voyages curriculum forms the framework of second grade religion instruction. Through the study of Bible stories in the Old and New Testament, second graders learn how God touched the lives of people long ago, and how He is a vital part of our lives today. The children have a devotion time each day as well as prayers before and after meals and at the end of each day. Chapel is held once a week on Wednesdays for all students. Our Christian faith is expressed throughout the day in other areas of the curriculum not just during Religion class.
Math is taught with the support of the Harcourt Brace Math Series. There is a great deal of hands-on learning. Children work on memorizing addition and subtraction facts as well as learn to count money, measure, use tables/graphs and work with fractions. They also work on double/triple digit addition/subtraction with regrouping. By the end of second grade, students will learn the concepts of multiplication.
The Houghton Mifflin Reading Series is used to support our Reading curriculum in second grade. A phonetic based program is used to teach students to read. We use phonics, sight words and picture and context clues to teach the students to read. The children are taught basic compre¬hension and critical thinking strategies such as sequencing, predictions, inferences, cause-effect, and comparing/contrasting. The students also have the opportunity to read books on our Accelerated Reader list and take a comprehension test on the computer. They are able to earn points, and use these points to purchase prizes.
Spelling lessons follow a controlled phonetic program with the goal of allowing students to analyze unfamiliar words to find useful clues in sight words, to sort words into spelling patterns, and to recognize and memorize words with phonetic irregularities.
Through the support of the Houghton Mifflin Language Series, language is taught 3 times a week formally, but is taught continuously throughout the day as children write, speak and read. Second grade students learn to identify nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs and learn to use them correctly when speaking and writing. They also learn correct punctuation and capitalization through various curricular activities. The students have writing class once a week in which they learn about various types of writing and then put that knowledge into use through the writing of descriptive paragraphs, poetry, narrative writing, expository writing, etc.
The D'Nealian Handwriting continuous stroke method is used to create an easy transition from manuscript to cursive. Manuscript is reinforced from first grade and all cursive letters are learned by the end of second grade.
Social Studies in Second Grade spends a good deal of time on community. The students also learn some geography, history and all about work.
The second grade Science Curriculum is supported through the use of the Houghton Mifflin Series entitled "Discovery Works". Through the use of the Science Textbook and hands-on activities, the students explore the interactions of living things, light and color, the earth through time, solids, liquids and gases, as well as learning about germs. Health is also taught to the students during the week with topics such as muscular/skeletal systems, nutrition and safety, etc. being explored.
The focus of the elementary Spanish program is on oral communication. Students repeat words after the teacher, follow simple commands, ask and answer questions, and write in the target language. Students also sing songs and play review games to reinforce vocabulary. Throughout the lower grades students practice their numbers, colors, greetings and actions. As much as is possible, the Spanish lessons incorporate content knowledge and vocabulary from what is currently being studied in the core curriculum classes.
In second grade Art is taught once a week with a focus on line, shape, color and perspective. A number of different artists are also studied and projects are developed based on the style of that particular artist. A variety of medium are used to give the students a wide variety of experiences.
Goals for a second grade child in Physical Education include, regarding his/her body as a home for the Holy Spirit, moving skillfully and effectively during exercise and games, understanding the concepts of space, time and force related to movement, appreciating and respecting good physical condition, developing an interest and desire to participate in lifelong recreational sports, acquiring socially desirable traits such as cooperation with others and learning safety skills and habits.
The Music Curriculum is supported through a new series entitled "God Made Music" published by Praise Him. Students explore various musical elements as they strengthen their knowledge of our loving God and Savior. Students learn to read, write and perform music while at the same time deepening their understanding of the role music plays in their lives.
The primary focus of computer classes at St. Peter is to equip the student with the necessary skills to succeed in an increasingly complex technological society. Young students are exposed to various educational games in order to build basic computer skills as well as providing support for regular classroom instruction. Students continue to learn about Microsoft Office Suite with an emphasis on Word. Students also continue to develop touch typing skills.
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