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Take a stroll through the Second Grade Syllabus with author, Donna Simmons

Second Grade Curriculum Outline:

Main Lessons

Language Arts : Full step-by-step instructions, advice and overview so you can understand the progression of language arts skills, how to teach them and adjust to what your child needs. Sections include: telling and reading stories; handwriting; spelling and grammar. In addition to main lessons focused on saints and heroes as well as on animal legends, two further language arts main lessons, Trickster Tales and The King of Ireland’s Son, are included here. There is also a collection of short stories suitable for 2nd graders; instructions for making your own readers and lists of recommended readers and read-aloud books.

Saints and Heroes – 4 weeks
King of Ireland’s Son 3 weeks
Animal Legends 4 weeks
Trickster Tales 3 weeks

Science/Nature Stories : Includes full lesson plans and activities as well as advice on adapting to the climate where you live. Advice on designing your own nature stories plus eleven full stories included. Ideas and advice for working with herbs.

Math : Four main lessons of 2, 4, and 3 weeks- duration.

Form Drawing: One 2 week block

Other Lessons

There are also specific lessons, instructions and ideas for lessons in:

Music (recorder, lyre and singing)
Painting
Drawing
Modeling (Auer’s modeling book required – sold by WaldorfBooks)
Movement (Christopherus Joyful Movement book required)
Cooking
Handwork and Crafts
Games
Health and Safety
Social Studies
Gardening
Form drawing (Christopherus Form Drawing book required)

Testimonials

We Use Your Year 2 Curriculum And Love It

Hi Donna

From time to time I’ve asked your thoughts or updated you on something that has happened. This time I want to say thanks! We use your year 2 curriculum, and I just love it. The content is simply beautiful with lovely stories, and of course very easy to use as per usual. The main reason I am thanking you today is for the legal information. We recently chose to register in order to make my life less complicated. In the plan I wrote, I mostly copied what you had provided. It was SO easy! I could have written it myself, but it would have taken me quite a while and used up a number of brain cells unnecessarily. PLEASE continue to have this information in your curriculum!”

Many thanks,

Marion Carrick Australia PS If things are ever tough, and exhausting. Please know there are many families around the world who are very grateful for what you do!

Second Grade Curriculum

by Donna Simmons

$400.00

Extent: 2 spiral bound volumes, 554 pages
Product code: CHR0020

The main theme for second grade is “one foot still on the rainbow bridge”. The 8 year old child is definitely coming to earth, but a part of her, if allowed to develop at her own pace and not rushed by our hectic lives, is still very dreamy and very connected to the spiritual worlds from whence she came.

Speaking to this potential tension between the earthly and the heavenly, the second grade curriculum is focused largely on the pull between the dark and light sides of human nature. Trickster tales, for instance, though humorous, are about the potential to do evil, whereas the stories of saints and heroes speak to the highest aspirations of the human being. The 8 year old child, whilst delighting in the adventures of Bre’er Rabbit and Anansi, is also deeply nurtured by the lives of great saints and heroes.

Such soul-enriching lessons are further extended by practical work in the garden and kitchen; by the in- and out-breath of music and movement; and by imaginative work in mathematics.

As in first grade, we base our weekly schedule on a 4 day week. The weeks add up to a 33 week year – this gives lots of time for holiday preparation, camping trips and other things which could be seen to destroy a too tight schedule.

Joyful Movement and Form Drawing, available from our bookstore are necessary components for second (as well as first and third) grade.

One of our 2nd grade main lessons is based on The King of Ireland’s Son by Padraic Colum. Learning about the World though Modeling by Arthur Auer is also vital for all 8 grades. Both are available from Paper Scissors Stone.