First Quarter Studies - Second Grade

I have decided to break up the year in quarters for planning. The quarters will be 9 weeks long.

We will start with Singapore Primary Math 3A. We will also be doing Challenging Word Problems, and a few mathy picture books such as Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar, Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream, and Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi. We will balance this by playing Knock Out from Muggins Math and skip counting by every number we can. And let us not forget that I am also going to try out Mammoth Math.

We will start Lively Latin this year. It nicely rolls Latin, English Grammar, and Roman history into one sweet package.

For writing, I am going to start with handwriting using Can-Do Cursive from the Handwriting Without Tears people. It combines handwriting with some grammar and punctuation review. I like to reinforce grammar and punctuation wherever it will fit.

In addition to the handwriting, I am going to try out Just Write. It is a simple workbook based writing program that I found at Winter Promise. I really like the second grade writing instruction they give. It covers story elements, character, setting, story sequencing, using vivid words, paragraphs, and editing.


And because I think we need to do more writing, I am somehow going to schedule in Writing With Ease using workbook 2. It isn't released yet, so I have to wait a few weeks before I can get it, study it, and decide how to implement it. In the meantime, I have writing covered well.

I am very excited to start reading Celtic Memories with my girls. I love the stories in this book. This will be our Literature for this quarter.

For history we will be starting the Middle Ages. I'll use the Story of the World and a reading list that I compiled from several sources including Tapestry of Grace Year 2 Unit 1.
There that is it. All. Done. No More. Really. That is all we are doing. At least it is all I am doing at home. We'll have Girl Scouts every other week, co-op Earth Science which I am teaching, a Butterfly science unit, an Olympics unit study, clay and ceramics, Spanish, music, and PE. Most of the extra things are stuffed into one over-filled day of "socialization" and "enrichment."

That is my first quarter plan for second grade.