Second Grade

We start the year with an in-depth project in animal research, focusing on animal life-cycles and accessing the material through dance, writing, visual arts, and music.  We take many exciting field trips throughout the year to places such as the NC Arboretum, Diana Wortham Theatre, and participate in the Pollinator Parade in Black Mountain. In the spring we study biomes around the world and learn how people affect the environment. We build giant puppets of the animals in selected biomes and create nature/weather videos to show what we have learned. This is a collaborative project with the arts team and includes dances based on animal movements and a soundscape inspired by animal sounds.  We teach an innovative integrated hands-on math curriculum called Investigations, with a strong focus on number sense and math critical thinking skills.  Additionally, we emphasize critical thinking skills with weekly art studies; the students are introduced to great works of art and learn to write and form educated opinions.  Reading instruction takes place throughout the day in small groups, whole class, reading buddies with kindergarteners and read-aloud. Second grade is an exciting year filled with learning, laughter, and art!

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