Second Grade
Whew!! You've completed one year of schooling (or, if you're starting homeschooling, your child has, and you've had an interesting ride along the way!). You're feeling more confident if this is your second year, and you're likely still scared out of your wits if you're jumping ship on public or even private school. Either way, that bustling toddler-turned-preschooler-turned-little scholar is now thinking on a deeper level (even if it's only a tiny bit). You're having more in-depth conversations. Your child is beginning to master the basics of English communication. This little person may just become a fluent adult one day after all!! Now you're getting ready for the next step of this incredible learning journey - Second Grade!
This year, your child can handle a bit more schoolwork. Seat time can be slightly extended. Yes, staying in the general area of the table is considered seat time here. =) For second grade, we upped the ante. Be prepared. Our load sounds unimaginable, but take heart! For one, no one says you have to do all of this! Your child is unique, and you best know just what it is that they are interested in, and what they can handle. For us, our second grade load takes a little under 4 hours to accomplish. This includes a bit of extra learning fun during the school day. Projects and crafts are great!! =)
So, here we go*:
Our school day begins with Bible lessons. This year we chose Christian Liberty Press' Book C workbook of Studying God's Word. I have liked the life-application lessons in it. It is very easy to break down into roughly 10 to 20 minute sections a day. I like the memory verses for each week. All of that being said, I may be open to suggestions when my daughters come up. I may explore with some to see what other programs have to offer. For now, my son has done very well with it, and he has enjoyed it this year.
This year, your child can handle a bit more schoolwork. Seat time can be slightly extended. Yes, staying in the general area of the table is considered seat time here. =) For second grade, we upped the ante. Be prepared. Our load sounds unimaginable, but take heart! For one, no one says you have to do all of this! Your child is unique, and you best know just what it is that they are interested in, and what they can handle. For us, our second grade load takes a little under 4 hours to accomplish. This includes a bit of extra learning fun during the school day. Projects and crafts are great!! =)
So, here we go*:
Our school day begins with Bible lessons. This year we chose Christian Liberty Press' Book C workbook of Studying God's Word. I have liked the life-application lessons in it. It is very easy to break down into roughly 10 to 20 minute sections a day. I like the memory verses for each week. All of that being said, I may be open to suggestions when my daughters come up. I may explore with some to see what other programs have to offer. For now, my son has done very well with it, and he has enjoyed it this year.
From Bible we move on to reading. We broke away from My Father's World for this grade, as I wanted to continue our science and history, and after first grade, they integrate all subjects on a cyclical basis. Many families have found their curriculum to be very useful, as it combines much of the teaching for any children after first grade. However, I preferred to separate ours out for more in-depth study of each subject. For this year's reading we found Pathways Publisher's reading program. Since I did not look ahead of time, we did some summer reading to catch up on the characters introduced in the first grade readers and be able to carry on into second grade with the story lines. These books are used in Amish schools, so they frequently have larger families, and their lessons are centered around Biblical principles, reinforcing positive behavior through stories of children the same age as the one reading. My son absolutely loves these stories! The workbooks are simple. There is no color printing in readers or workbooks. The lessons are very in-depth, teaching phonics and phonics rules, alongside pronunciation and markings for it! I have been very impressed with it. However, being Amish, there have been a few things I have had to alter or help with (my son, being a city boy, had no idea what a yoke was! =) ). This has not been a major stumbling block for us, although it is very likely I may make my own workbooks to go with the readers for when my girls come up to second grade. This set is incredibly affordable, and the readers are a one-time purchase. If you have a local homeschool store, it is likely you may be able to pick some up used and save even more! =) We used only "Busy Times," "More Busy Times," and "Climbing Higher" and their related workbooks and teacher's manuals in our schooling.
Of course, we have also continued our music program. The start of the year brought the third book in the Rod & Staff music program. We did follow this up with the Grade 4/5 level books. While we loved the third grade, I do believe I will be either rewriting a music program for this grade to follow the third grade book, or looking for another program. I love what is taught of the history of music and theory of it. However, being a Mennonite program, there is only mention of voices and a pitch-pipe. I would like to include other instruments, including application on the piano. I am having to supplement on this one more than I would like, even though I do love the depth of knowledge of music my son is gaining. =)
After music, we move on to grammar. We have LOVED Peace Hill Press' First Language Lessons. We started this year on Level 2. I had heard reviews from some friends and family that Level 2 is much the same as Level 1, only more in-depth and a bit faster pace. The redundancy got to them a bit. However, starting with Level 2 has been a great fit for us!! We have mixed this in with Primary Language Lessons, from Lost Classics Books. First Language Lessons has 100 lessons in the year. We do 144 days of schooling (4 days a week for 36 weeks). So, Primary Language Lessons has filled in the daily lesson planning gaps (I like to do daily lessons) and reinforced the learning in First Language Lessons.
Of course, we have also continued our music program. The start of the year brought the third book in the Rod & Staff music program. We did follow this up with the Grade 4/5 level books. While we loved the third grade, I do believe I will be either rewriting a music program for this grade to follow the third grade book, or looking for another program. I love what is taught of the history of music and theory of it. However, being a Mennonite program, there is only mention of voices and a pitch-pipe. I would like to include other instruments, including application on the piano. I am having to supplement on this one more than I would like, even though I do love the depth of knowledge of music my son is gaining. =)
After music, we move on to grammar. We have LOVED Peace Hill Press' First Language Lessons. We started this year on Level 2. I had heard reviews from some friends and family that Level 2 is much the same as Level 1, only more in-depth and a bit faster pace. The redundancy got to them a bit. However, starting with Level 2 has been a great fit for us!! We have mixed this in with Primary Language Lessons, from Lost Classics Books. First Language Lessons has 100 lessons in the year. We do 144 days of schooling (4 days a week for 36 weeks). So, Primary Language Lessons has filled in the daily lesson planning gaps (I like to do daily lessons) and reinforced the learning in First Language Lessons.
Next up comes Math. We have continued with Math-U-See! This program is really working well for my son, so we have stayed the course. I am still impressed with this program and how much it teaches with ease, stepping the student gradually into harder and harder levels, building so well upon what has already been taught.
The lineup continues with writing. Again, we have looked to Peace Hill Press. This time, it is Writing with Ease, Level 2. This is not a typical school-type writing program, where children are told to write on a subject, or how to write a paragraph in a certain way. It combines the teacher reading passages from accomplished authors, the student summarizing and narrating their summary to the teacher, dictation, and copywork. My son loves the 2 days a week when it's time for a new passage!! =) I have included a link to the book of Writing with Ease, apart from the workbook. The extra book is not necessary to teach the course, but it is very informative on the approach used and the why's and how's of what to expect.
The lineup continues with writing. Again, we have looked to Peace Hill Press. This time, it is Writing with Ease, Level 2. This is not a typical school-type writing program, where children are told to write on a subject, or how to write a paragraph in a certain way. It combines the teacher reading passages from accomplished authors, the student summarizing and narrating their summary to the teacher, dictation, and copywork. My son loves the 2 days a week when it's time for a new passage!! =) I have included a link to the book of Writing with Ease, apart from the workbook. The extra book is not necessary to teach the course, but it is very informative on the approach used and the why's and how's of what to expect.
Excitement builds every day at this time - it's HISTORY TIME!!! Yes, Story of the World has turned my son into a lover of history. We have followed Volume I in First Grade with Volume II in Second Grade. Geography is still integrated in the lessons, and the activity book still contains the actual curriculum. I very highly recommend it! If you did not get a globe last year, now would be a good time to invest in one. =)
Following a classical curriculum way, we began Latin this year. It sounds terribly daunting, doesn't it? Don't worry - that's what teacher's manuals and pronunciation CDs are for!! =) We have loved Prima Latina this year, and we will end the year with the first section of Latina Christiana Latin, both from Memoria Press. We added Latina Christiana I at the end, as the lessons for Prima Latina ended 6 weeks before our school year did! =)
After purchasing Latina Christiana I and looking through the manual, I found out that the quizzes integrate Roman history through the Famous Men of Rome books produced by Memoria Press. Since my son absolutely loves his Roman history (and therefore Latin), I am leaning towards purchasing that set as well. Having the history set would also round out the Latin lessons for the week, since we do one part a day. The lessons are shorter in this series than they were in Prima Latina. We would plan on Latin 3 days a week, and history 1 day a week (likely Friday, as a "bonus day"). =)
Last, but certainly not least, comes science. It was put at the end of this year, since so many projects would likely get messy, or nature walks would be required. This way, we could really take our time and enjoy ourselves while learning Botany through Apologia's Exploring Creation series. Again, the notebook really makes the program! For this gardening mama, this year has been a PERFECT fit for me, and for my son, since he has grown up playing and learning in the garden. =)
Believe it or not, that's it! Yes, I know it sounds like a horrible amount of work for a second grade child. However, breaking it down may help: Bible takes no more than 20 minutes (some days as little as 5-10). Reading can take up to an hour (up to 30 minutes reading/30 minutes of accompanying worksheets). Music generally takes 10-15 minutes. Grammar takes, on average, 15-20 minutes. Math takes up to 30-45 minutes, depending on the depth of the lesson (and speed of the child working...). Writing tends to take around 15-20 minutes. History can take 30-45 minutes, and most of anything past 15-20 minutes is a craft or project. Latin, most days, takes around 10-15 minutes. Science can take up to 45 minutes, if a project or craft is involved.
All of those times are generally maximum. As I said at the top, most days we finished in less than 4 hours, maybe a little over, if we really get into something or if there is a lot of extra instruction needed on something. =)
*many links on this site are affiliate links. This helps to support our family and homeschool (and this site) through a small amount of income, at no extra cost to you!