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Class 2: Mood of Contrast

Second graders, i.e. 7 to 8 year olds, are becoming grounded in their development and focused in their learning. The children have an emerging a sense of themselves and an awareness of peoples’ values, perspectives, imperfections, and gifts. Through the year they strengthen core academic skills in mathematics and writing.

The fairytale world of Class 1 now develops and the fundamental story material for Class 2 is the fable. Contrasting human qualities are revealed in these universal stories of saintly people and animals in conflict.

Recitation of poems, rhymes, and tongue twisters delight second graders and help them with phonetic awareness and clarity of speech. Children learn cursive writing and work with addition, times and division tables, and borrowing and place value.

Main lessons
  • English; Mathematics; Science (Nature Studies)
English
  • Written texts from stories
  • Bank of sight words
  • Simple phonics: word families
  • Second half of year: first reader
Mathematics
  • Vertical algorithms
  • Imaginative stories for number processes
  • Times tables: using patterns and number lines
  • Place value: units, tens, hundreds, thousands
Chinese languages
  • Choice of Mandarin or Cantonese, using traditional Chinese characters
Nature Stories
  • Imaginative stories continue to portray aspects of nature in general and the local environment in fairy tale form, often teacher created or indigenous stories are told. The teacher also introduces journey stories to provide images of different environments: science becomes a narrative.
Other subjects
  • Craft: Knitting & purling and shaping on needles
  • Painting
  • Drawing
  • Games
  • Eurythmy
  • Form Drawing – vertical & horizontal symmetry
Music
  • Singing/ recorder: use of full octave
Drama
  • Class Play