The Grade 2/3 class has been recording the phases of the moon and weather as well as how to form a calendar.
The grade two/three class will consider morality through fables such as The Frog King, The Cock and the Fox, and Town Mouse and Country Mouse. We will also hear Celtic tales, study traditional trades, and we hope to find opportunities to see local tradespeople at work.
In math, we will create a calendar and study different ways to record time. We will continue our work of learning the rhythm of the times tables through movement, rhyme and song. We will study place value up to one thousand for grade two students and up to one million for students in grade three. We will also look at both traditional and standard forms of measurement used to record weight, height, and length and practice counting money.
During the latter part of the year, children will listen to stories of the Old Testament. Students will also learn to write using cursive writing, and we will work as a class to prepare and plant a working garden on school grounds.
Mathematics
Physical movement is still an important part of arithmetic lessons in second grade. Students continue to work with the concept of place value. Students practice with the four processes, eventually working with three digits. Students will learn multiplication and division of two digit numbers by one digit numbers. They learn to use regrouping for addition and subtraction. Multiplication tables through 12?12 are practiced through movement and choral recitation. Students will have a working knowledge of tables one through twelve. Students are encouraged to find patterns within the tables, and magic squares are introduced. A selection of representative problems is then copied into main lesson books or completed as practice sheets. Mental arithmetic, flashcards, and games are all used to develop the children’s concentration and flexibility in thinking with numbers.
Third graders are introduced to whole number operations, as well as longer word problems. A focus on imperial and organic measurement, with lessons on linear measurement, liquid and dry volume, time, money, and temperature, emphasizes the practical application of math. The number line is introduced for adding and subtracting, moving by 10’s then 1’s. Students are expected to recite tables 1-12 in chorus and individually; committing the multiplication tables to memory. Freehand geometry is introduced. Homework and mental arithmetic games help to strengthen math skills.
Language
In the second grade, fables and legends from around the world serve as the backdrop for lessons in language arts. Typically, the students listen to a story and illustrate this story in their main lesson books. The next day, they are asked to recall the story in order, in detail, and in their own words. Then it is written on the board, and they copy it into their main lesson books. Thus the students refine their comprehension skills and their ability to sequence events, as well as their reading skills and handwriting. Later in the year, the children write their own compositions, which are corrected and then neatly rewritten in main lesson books. The children also study word families, digraphs and trigraphs and learn to use context in order to read unfamiliar words. A large pool of sight words is developed throughout the year. Students sign books out from the class library to take home to be enjoyed with parents. Students are strongly encouraged to read with parents for at least ten minutes a day. The first grammar lessons are given in second grade, beginning with the introduction of nouns, verbs, and adjectives through imaginative stories and activities. Every day the class recites poetry, tongue twisters and other speech exercises to encourage clear diction and enunciation. The class also performs a play, sometimes based on a story from their lessons. The children learn cursive writing.
In third grade, Old Testament stories and Native American tales form the basis of the language arts lessons. In grammar lessons, the class studies the parts of speech and is introduced to the four types of sentences. Students learn how to form and punctuate complete sentences, and they write compositions in class from their own ideas and/or based on main lesson topics. Time is spent on editing compositions for main lesson books. Spelling is a daily activity with weekly dictation or quizzes. The children read independently and in small groups for in-class reading. Reading at home is expected. Homework assignments may now be given.
In math, we will create a calendar and study different ways to record time. We will continue our work of learning the rhythm of the times tables through movement, rhyme and song. We will study place value up to one thousand for grade two students and up to one million for students in grade three. We will also look at both traditional and standard forms of measurement used to record weight, height, and length and practice counting money.
During the latter part of the year, children will listen to stories of the Old Testament. Students will also learn to write using cursive writing, and we will work as a class to prepare and plant a working garden on school grounds.
Mathematics
Physical movement is still an important part of arithmetic lessons in second grade. Students continue to work with the concept of place value. Students practice with the four processes, eventually working with three digits. Students will learn multiplication and division of two digit numbers by one digit numbers. They learn to use regrouping for addition and subtraction. Multiplication tables through 12?12 are practiced through movement and choral recitation. Students will have a working knowledge of tables one through twelve. Students are encouraged to find patterns within the tables, and magic squares are introduced. A selection of representative problems is then copied into main lesson books or completed as practice sheets. Mental arithmetic, flashcards, and games are all used to develop the children’s concentration and flexibility in thinking with numbers.
Third graders are introduced to whole number operations, as well as longer word problems. A focus on imperial and organic measurement, with lessons on linear measurement, liquid and dry volume, time, money, and temperature, emphasizes the practical application of math. The number line is introduced for adding and subtracting, moving by 10’s then 1’s. Students are expected to recite tables 1-12 in chorus and individually; committing the multiplication tables to memory. Freehand geometry is introduced. Homework and mental arithmetic games help to strengthen math skills.
Language
In the second grade, fables and legends from around the world serve as the backdrop for lessons in language arts. Typically, the students listen to a story and illustrate this story in their main lesson books. The next day, they are asked to recall the story in order, in detail, and in their own words. Then it is written on the board, and they copy it into their main lesson books. Thus the students refine their comprehension skills and their ability to sequence events, as well as their reading skills and handwriting. Later in the year, the children write their own compositions, which are corrected and then neatly rewritten in main lesson books. The children also study word families, digraphs and trigraphs and learn to use context in order to read unfamiliar words. A large pool of sight words is developed throughout the year. Students sign books out from the class library to take home to be enjoyed with parents. Students are strongly encouraged to read with parents for at least ten minutes a day. The first grammar lessons are given in second grade, beginning with the introduction of nouns, verbs, and adjectives through imaginative stories and activities. Every day the class recites poetry, tongue twisters and other speech exercises to encourage clear diction and enunciation. The class also performs a play, sometimes based on a story from their lessons. The children learn cursive writing.
In third grade, Old Testament stories and Native American tales form the basis of the language arts lessons. In grammar lessons, the class studies the parts of speech and is introduced to the four types of sentences. Students learn how to form and punctuate complete sentences, and they write compositions in class from their own ideas and/or based on main lesson topics. Time is spent on editing compositions for main lesson books. Spelling is a daily activity with weekly dictation or quizzes. The children read independently and in small groups for in-class reading. Reading at home is expected. Homework assignments may now be given.
