2nd Grade Curriculum

Today I thought I would write about Tink's second grade curriculum and how we get everything accomplished. Let me start by telling you all about the youngest of my two children, Tink. Tink is a girl that loves rainbows and unicorns. She loves drawing and singing. She lives to make up her own stories and draw pictures to go with them. I try to accommodate her creativity while still actually getting some work done. Sometimes it is a difficult balance, but usually she is happy to finish her work and get on with her day.

How we "do" 2nd Grade with Tink:

Language Arts

The first thing we do is pull out a notebook. This is a simple spiral notebook with lined paper (it usually has a fluffy critter on the front). This is the "language" notebook. Each day she starts on a clean sheet and writes the date at the top. Then she is ready for her copywork. We have used Writing with Ease, Level 1 and when we finished she started making up her own sentences. I am now pulling the sentences or phrases from the suggestions given for 2nd grade by the Core Knowledge Foundation. 

After her copywork, we move on to First Language Lessons, Level 2. Any writing that needs to be done for the lesson goes into the notebook under the copywork. These lessons are super short and she usually is very happy to do them. She likes the selections for memorization and turns them into songs. 

Next is her McGuffey Reader lesson. She reads the selection to herself and then out loud to me. She is currently reading the First (having finished the Primer in 1st grade). If there are any words she does not understand she will write them in the notebook.

The final lesson to go in the "language" notebook is All About Spelling. We are almost finished with Level 1 and then we will move on to Level 2. There are usually words or phrases that she needs to write for this lesson, so those go in here too.

Break

About this time it is hard to keep her still. I usually send her outside to run the dogs or we all take a break to bike ride or stroll around the block. 

Literature

She has a list of leveled readers that she will pick from to read for a half hour. After she has finished the book, she dictates a summary and I write it in the "Literature" section of her binder. 

Math-U-See, Beta or Lollipop Logic

We will go through her flashcards first and then complete a lesson from her book. Memorization is hard for her right now, so we have to do flashcards every day we work on math. Logic is done one day a week. We don't usually write anything from the logic book. She just points to the answer. I let her dictate how many lessons in logic we do (at least one).

Computer Lessons 

www.headoftheclass.com - This is a great site that is customizable! She gets short lessons in Science, History, "Fun", Art, and Music.

Children's Farmer's Almanac - She reads and explores this page. 

BBC dance mat typing - She kind of skips around on this page. She will switch to a more serious typing program a bit later. For now she is having fun with this one and is improving.

Baldwin leveled reading - There are actually Waldorf and Ambleside curriculum categories. She is reading through the Waldorf second grade selections.

Core Knowledge 2nd Grade Pack

I have taken the suggestions from Core Knowledge Foundation and made a packet for each of my kids. It has everything in it from poems to Science biographies. I don't mind what order this packet is done. She just needs to finish one activity each day it is assigned. 

Break

Group Lessons

I'll write about these another time. 

After all lessons are finished the kids have to do their chores and clean up their room. The rest of the day is spent outdoors! If it's bad weather for outdoor play they can play in the house or work on a project. They have not really been in to working on a skill (like sewing or crafting), but it is available to them if they wish to try. 

and that is a "regular" day of homeschooling for Tink. 

Happy Homeschooling!

Michele