Grade 2

understand that they can make connections with people who are seemingly different and that every person, including themselves, plays a special role in the many communities in which they are a member: their class, their grade, the Lower School, 91st Street, the greater local community, and the Sacred Heart network. Students learn lessons emphasizing friendship, problem solving, respect, listening skills, and cooperation. Lessons are supplemented with curricula from Learning for Justice. Service learning is incorporated throughout the year.

The school community study is the central focus of the spring social studies curriculum. Beginning with a walking tour of the school, students conduct weekly interviews of a diverse group of Sacred Heart faculty and staff from across the school. Students summarize what they have learned about each community member’s role in the school and publish individual community books. Each student also creates a self portrait each month to pair with her monthly autobiography.

Art

Students work in the areas of drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media to develop their skills with art tools while experimenting with color mixing and the beginning of color analysis. They draw and paint from imagination and learn to observe nature and the work of artists from diverse cultural backgrounds to broaden their creative view. Coordinated projects include a mixed-media project inspired by a study of illustrator Eric Carle and a bird STREAM unit. Students focus on further developing their understanding of line, shape, color, texture, and value. The elements of form and space are studied in more depth. Students continue to learn the joy of exploring and experimenting as well as following more complex sequential directions. Learning and sharing continue through art exhibits and class discussions.

Creative Drama

Through movement, imagination, and guided imagery, students further develop their ability to think creatively, speak clearly, and use their bodies effectively when acting out scenes and communicating ideas and information orally in the classroom and in performance. Students use puppets to tell stories they have read together out loud. This helps them learn how stories are structured, how to explore and invent characters, and how to embrace new experiences.

French and Spanish

The first grade French and Spanish curriculum expands on students’ language skill set. They refine their oral and aural skills through music, stories, games, and kinesthetic activities, and begin to communicate in the target language. Students develop an appreciation for different cultures throughout the French and Spanish speaking worlds. They also begin familiarizing themselves with the written word through various reading and writing exercises.

Library

Weekly visits to the library expose students to good literature to promote enthusiasm for reading. Regular read alouds during library class strengthen a child’s language and literacy skills and expand her vocabulary and comprehension. Students learn how to find books on the library shelves and how to choose books based on personal interest and reading level to help motivate their independent reading skills. Students engage in a comprehensive introduction to research that focuses on learning how to use nonfiction text features to find information. In an integrated unit, students investigate birds by using both digital and print resources, and use this information for a combined science, art, and library project. Children end the year with a study of folktales from around the world that focuses on finding the “truth” in these stories and verifying this information.

Music

Students begin to develop a deeper understanding of music through listening activities that distinguish beats from rhythms and identify differences in pitch, dynamics, and tempo. Students continue to explore rhythmic and melodic notation by practicing various strategies and playing games together. They also utilize healthy vocal practice and learn to sing as part of an ensemble.

Physical Education

The aim of the physical education program for first grade is to establish a basic foundation in motor skills, water safety, and physical fitness. Students develop gross motor skills, body awareness, and coordination through movement games and activities by using small apparatus such as balls, hoops, and jump ropes. Students continue to develop sport specific skills in soccer, volleyball, and throwing/catching mechanics with a focus on cooperation and spatial awareness. In the pool, students reinforce proper pool etiquette and develop basic water safety skills through treading, floating, and propulsion. Specific behaviors and attitudes about competition, teamwork, good sportsmanship, and safety are dis-

cussed, developed, and emphasized along with game play.

Positively Me!

Positively Me! is a program of mindfulness, emotional intelligence, leadership, study skills, healthy habits, executive function, and character development. This program connects to our mission of focusing on the whole child and nurturing each child’s gifts. The skills being taught connect to our research on skills that students will continue to need in the future. The goal of the program is to promote self-esteem and the social skills that are foundations for all healthy behavior. In first grade, students practice leadership by identifying and expressing their feelings appropriately, engaging in positive self-talk, and using “I” statements to communicate with their peers.

Religion

The religion program in first grade focuses on the theme of God’s love. Children listen to and reflect upon Scripture stories about God and creation. The Scripture readings of the liturgical year serve the dual purpose of introducing the children to the narrative of Jesus’ life and exposing them to the rhythms of the liturgical calendar. A rich foundation is created in preparation for the Sacrament of the Eucharist in second grade.

Science

First grade science helps students to fill in the details about things they see or use every day. Students begin the year by exploring light and solar patterns. They learn about the properties of light, make observations about the relationship between light and our ability to see, and conduct investigations to deepen their understanding of transparent, translucent, opaque, and reflective properties. Next, students study structures and behaviors in living things by looking specifically at birds. Students learn about the parts of birds to compare and contrast the various behaviors of different species. The research conducted during this unit supports the cross-curricular first grade STREAM project. Students end the year with a study of sound. Using our study of light as a foundation, students understand the similarities and differences between light and sound waves and conduct investigations to amplify or muffle sound using a variety of materials. Each unit ends with a design thinking project where students use what they have learned to solve a problem. Throughout each year of the Lower School science program, students learn about various STREAM careers, with a particular focus on women in STEM. During each Heritage month (and in between), we celebrate by learning about women scientists from that cultural background. First grade students know they are scientists!

Technology

Students in first grade begin the year learning about the basic features and functions of a Chromebook. Then, students engage in a hands-on, minds-on approach to internet safety through a social and emotional learning lens. Students learn self-regulation strategies for technology use, how to have a healthy balance of screen time and offline time, as well as how to be a good digital citizen. Students then transition to a typing unit following the scope and sequence of the Typing Without Tears program. Students work on their fine motor skills through learning proper hand positioning on a keyboard, posture for typing, and locating all of the keys on a standard keyboard. Students also begin to explore apps such as Raz Kids, Reading Eggs, and Book Creator, which play a role in enhancing and developing their digital literacy skills.

The second grade program provides a strong bridge between the early and later Lower School grade levels. The program offers both academic and social-emotional support for building independence and confidence as students continue to grow in their sense of self, both as individuals and as learners. As in first grade, teachers work hard to foster the whole child as each student continues to recognize and acknowledge her strengths and challenges. Students grow more socially aware as they study how their actions affect the greater world they live in, as well as spiritually as they prepare for their First Holy Communion. A rich and varied curriculum—including language arts, mathematics, and social studies—supports and promotes students’ intellectual development. Students also participate in weekly classes in art, creative drama, French or Spanish, library, music, physical education, Positively Me!, religion, science, and technology.

Language Arts

Through the use of a wide variety of literature, the second grade reading program emphasizes the refinement of decoding skills, the expansion of students’ sight word vocabularies, the development of reading comprehension skills, the application of reading strategies, and the ability to read