BNS utilizes the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project curriculum, Everyday Mathematics, for grades K-5. Everyday Mathematics is a spiraling curriculum -- it introduces new concepts, then revisits these concepts at different points throughout the year and in subsequent years. A monthly Game Day also serves to develop basic skills and to reinforce previously learned concepts. Students receive direct group instruction on mathematical concepts, then apply and practice these concepts using manipulatives. Students are encouraged to share their problem solving strategies orally in order to secure their new learning. By listening to each other’s strategies and processes, students become aware of new ways to approach and solve problems. Students then work on practice pages in their math journals to reinforce their understanding of these concepts. During this time, individuals receive further instruction one-on-one as needed.

The second grade handwriting book begins with students reviewing and practicing how to correctly form their print letters. Later in the book, students will learn how to correctly form and join cursive letters. They will practice reading and writing cursive throughout the remainder of the book.

Students will have the opportunity to develop and practice effective keyboarding habits by working through the Type to Learn program in the BNS computer lab.

Readers/Writers Workshop

Throughout the year Readers/Writers Workshop will provide opportunities for engagement in a variety of reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities. Students begin the year writing in Writers’ Notebooks. The WN is introduced as a safe and non-threatening place to write about anything the children choose to write about. Initially, students are allowed to draw rather than write if they are more comfortable doing that. Reluctant writers are then gently urged to extend to writing about their drawings and then to begin with writing, followed by illustrating. More confident writers are encouraged to add details to their entries in order to paint a more vivid picture with words. The WN is also a place for students to gather and capture bits of information that interest them and that they might want to write about more in the future. Throughout the year, students will be asked to write entries based on prompts that give them practice in responding to literature, using their senses to help them observe the world around them more closely and then to express their thoughts more clearly in words, exploring and playing with language, and tapping into their memories and minds in order to write with increased meaning. Supporting the theory that students learn to write by writing, the Writers’ Notebook provides an avenue for individuals to become more experienced and more confident writers.

Students are given regular opportunities to share entries from their Writers’ Notebooks, both informally with each other and formally by reading their writing in front of the class from the Author‘s Chair. This allows students to practice speaking in front of an audience. It also helps students build on their skills as active listeners. Additionally, when a student hears aloud what s/he has written, s/he gains awareness and can set specific goals for improving her/his writing.

Readers/Writers Workshop includes opportunities for independent silent reading, paired reading, reading to younger students, one-on-one and small group guided reading instruction, small group Book Clubs, and whole class shared reading experiences. In addition to reading for pleasure and reading for practice (further developing reading skills and reading comprehension to increase reading confidence and independence) students are also reading to understand others’ perspectives and to learn more about the world around them. During Book Club discussions, students will practice formulating questions and ideas and making connections as well as speaking and listening effectively. While Book Clubs are being conducted, other students will work from an Independent Menu. The Menu allows individuals to choose activities that support what they are currently learning in their own Book Clubs. The activities are varied based on personal learning styles and interest. Students also practice reading and speaking in front of an audience by participating in a class production of the musical play “The Turkeys Go on Strike.”

Literacy Objectives

• Practice and further develop communication skills
• Demonstrate an understanding of oral and written language structure through   conversation, storytelling, writing, and oral dramatic activities
• Expand listening and speaking vocabularies
• Clarify and explain words and ideas orally
• Give and follow oral directions with three or more steps
• Read and follow written instructions independently
• Use oral language to inform, to persuade, and to entertain
• Share stories or information orally with an audience (in both informal and formal
  settings)
• Participate as a contributor and as a leader in a group
• Paraphrase information shared orally by others
• Identify and use synonyms and antonyms in oral and written communication
• Use knowledge of common vowel patterns, consonants, and consonant blends when
  reading and writing
• Use knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, contractions, possessives, and abbreviations
  when reading
• Use knowledge of sentence structure, story structure, and story sequence when
  reading
• Use pictures, diagrams, titles, headings, and context cues to obtain meaning when
  reading
• Read fiction, nonfiction, and poetry using a variety of strategies independently
• Reread and self-correct when necessary
• Demonstrate comprehension of fiction and nonfiction selections:
   - Relate previous experiences to the topic
   - Make predictions; read to confirm their predictions
   - Locate information to answer questions
   - Paraphrase information found in nonfiction materials
   - Describe characters and setting in fiction selections and poetry
   - Identify and explain the problem, solution, and main idea
   - Write about what is read
• Write stories, letters, and simple explanations
   - Generate ideas before writing
   - Organize writing to include a beginning, middle, and end
   - Revise writing for clarity
   - Use available technology
• Edit final copies for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
   - Use declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences
   - Capitalize all proper nouns and words at the beginning of sentences
   - Use correct spelling for frequently used words
• Locate information in reference materials
   - Use a table of contents
   - Examine pictures and charts
   - Use dictionaries and indices

Science and Social Studies

In Social Studies students will explore their own backgrounds, experiences, and family traditions. They will also learn about cultures and ways of life worldwide. Participating in field trips and community service projects will increase student awareness of the world around them and how they can contribute to it. In Science students will increase their understanding of the natural world and of the concept of change. They will conduct experiments, make detailed observations, draw conclusions, and read and present data.

Themes

Communities & Cultures
Maps & U.S. Geography
Famous Americans
Government & Citizenship
Economic Concepts & Choices
American Indians
Ancient Egypt
Ancient China
Magnets
Penguins
Living Systems
- Habitats
- Interdependence of living organisms & their surroundings
- Effects of weather & seasonal changes on plants, animals, & their surroundings
Concepts of Change
- States of Matter
- Seasons & Weather Patterns
- Life Cycles (mammals, butterflies, frogs, flowering plants)
The Purpose of Plants (oxygen, food, shelter, products, & erosion prevention)

Yoga & Read Aloud

Yellow Roomers practice yoga for about fifteen minutes each day. This takes place at the end of the day and serves to calm and center individuals while also connecting us as a community. Sometimes students volunteer to share their own poses (yoga, gymnastics, or free-style!) and the rest of us attempt to imitate them. At other times students are taught specific yoga postures. In addition to reminding them to slow down and breathe, yoga helps children develop better body awareness, self-control, flexibility, and coordination. Guided relaxation is part of the daily practice. Students are invited to lie or sit comfortably on their mats, close their eyes if they want to, and let their minds wander. Often the visualization takes the form of a magic carpet ride -- a wonderful idea originally suggested by a student.

Sharing the joy of reading with children is a lifelong gift. Yellow Roomers are read to every day. Reading aloud to children helps them develop increased concentration and attention spans and better listening skills. It also serves as a model in how to read with expression. Shared reading experiences are one of the ways we build community.

Art, Music, Spanish, & Physical Education

Students receive regular instruction in Art, Music, Spanish, and Physical Education. Teachers specializing in these subjects provide the curriculum and instruction.

Assessment

Students’ understanding of math concepts will be evaluated formally with a beginning and end-of-year Everyday Mathematics assessment. Students will demonstrate their problem-solving skills as well as their on-going understanding of math concepts in regular Everyday Mathematics assessments (both formal and informal). Students will be given a Qualitative Reading Inventory, or QRI, twice during the year to assess their reading levels & comprehension. Students’ reading progress will be continually assessed during Readers/Writers Workshop. Students’ increased understanding of writing structure, spelling, and mechanics will periodically be assessed through students’ writings. Students’ understanding of Science & Social Studies concepts will be assessed informally during discussions and in-class activities and formally with End-of-Unit tests. Parent-teacher conferences are held three times during the school year to review students‘ progress and to discuss continuing goals.

Note: The Virginia Standards of Learning for second grade have been incorporated into the Yellow Room Curriculum.