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    2nd Grade Curriculum

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     


    Art

    Course Title: Art - Grade 2  Department: Art 
     
    Grade Level: 2  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 40 minutes weekly    Length of Course: Year
     
    Primary Resources: PDE Standards
     
     
    Units of Study: 
    Unit 1: Drawing
    Unit 2: Painting
    Uint 3: Printing
    Unit 4: Crafts
    Unit 5: Sculpture
     
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Observation, oral discussion, project completion
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A
     
    Description of Course: 
    Grade 2 aligns with the PA Arts and Humanities Standards. Students attend weekly classes taught by highly qualified teachers. The art program offers a planned curriculum in drawing, painting, printing, crafts, and sculpture. The students continue to develop the art skills introduced in first grade.  The goal of this course is to provide a positive art experience for all children while they learn to enjoy, appreciate and create art. Using a wide variety of media, students are encouraged to express themselves in creative and individual ways as they create their own masterpieces using the elements and principles of design. Students look at and talk about various artists, major works of art and world cultures. Cross-curricular experiences are incorporated organically in the art room.

     

    Business Technology

    Course Title: Second Grade Course A Coding  Department: Business/ Technology 
     
    Grade Level: 2  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 8 Weeks/ 40 minutes/One time per week   Length of Course: Year 
     
    Primary Resources: code.org
     
     
    Units of Study: 
    Unit 1: Happy Maps  
    Unit 2: Move It, Move It  
    Unit 3: Jigsaw: Learn to drag and drop  
    Unit 4: Maze: Sequence  
    Unit 5: Maze: Debugging  
    Unit 6: Real-Life Algorithms 
    Unit 7: Bee: Sequence 
    Unit 8: Artist: Sequence
    Unit 9: Building a Foundation 
    Unit 10: Artist: Shapes
    Unit 11: Spelling Bee 
    Unit 12: Getting Loopy
    Unit 13: Maze: Loops 
    Unit 14: Bee: Loops 1
    Unit 5: The Big Event 
    Unit 16: Play Lab: Create a Story 
    Unit 17: Going Places Safely 
    Unit 18: Artist: Loops
     
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Successful Completion of each lesson.
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A
     
    Description of Course: 
    Students create computer programs with loops and events and write algorithms for everyday tasks. Through this, they learn to collaborate with others meaningfully, investigate different problem-solving techniques, persist in the face of difficult tasks, and learn about Internet safety. By the end of this course, students create their very own custom game or story that they can share. Students starting in Course 1 will be early-readers in the lower elementary grades. 
    Business TechnologyCourse Title: Second Grade Safety/Digital Learning    Department: Business/Technology
     
    Grade Level: 2
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 5 Weeks/ 40 minutes/ one time per week   Length of Course: Year
     
    Primary Resources: 
     
     
    Units of Study: 
    Unit 1: Digital Communication and Citizenship
    Unit 2: Digital Safety
    Unit 3: Digital Security Skills & Practices
    Unit 4: "Dot & i"  Straight-Up Safety Talk
     
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Online Pre and Post Assessment 
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A
     
    Description of Course: 
    The curriculum scope is topically comprehensive and provides a unique approach to digital citizenship and e-Safety education by meaningfully integrating current research with best practices in pedagogy and instructional design. Lessons are aligned to Common Core State Standards and ISTE/NETS standards. Instructional materials are compliant with Accessibility Standards.

     English Language ArtsCourse Title: English Language Arts (ELA)   Department: ELA
     
    Grade Level: 2   
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 120 minutes/everyday    Length of Course: Year
     
     
     
    Units of Study: 
    Unit 1: Word Study (Phonics/Spelling)
    Unit 2: Reading
    Unit 3: Writing
    Unit 4: Grammar
    Unit 5: Speaking/Listening
     
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Unit assessments, tests/quizzes, writing samples, & on-going formative assessments

    Standardized Assessments: STAR 360 Reading
     
    Description of Course: 
    Grade 2 English Language Arts courses are aligned with PA Core Standards which encompass reading and responding to fiction and nonfiction texts. Students are taught to be strategic readers and use appropriate strategies to construct the meaning of the text.  Students also learn to read fluently with appropriate expression. As students’ reading rate increases, comprehension is emphasized. Additionally, students practice writing skills with a focus on narrative, informative, and persuasive pieces. Students also receive weekly phonics, grammar, and vocabulary instruction. Speaking and listening skills are practiced through collaboration and oral presentations.  

    Health & Physical Education Course Title: Physical Education Grade 2    Department: Health and Physical Education
     
    Grade Level: 2
     
    Length of Course: Year
     
    Primary Resources: N/A
     
     
    Units of Study: 
    Unit 1: Fitness
    Unit 2: Cooperative games & Activities
    Unit 3: Locomotor Movement
    Unit 4: Team Games & Sports
    Unit 5: Manipulatives
    Unit 6: Axial Skills
     
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Pre and Post Fitness Testing, Participation, Attitude, Sportsmanship and other Performance Standards.
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A
     
    Description of Course: 
    Physical Education at the primary level is designed to introduce students to the benefits of regular physical activity, by offering a variety of activities and empowering the students to make healthy choices. There are six main units of focus in the Primary Physical Education program:
     
    Fitness - physically engages each student at their level of fitness/skill development and fosters a desire to improve over time. The fitness unit focuses on basic concepts of muscular endurance, muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility. Fitness activities are performed during stations and game activities during class. Some examples of exercises include jumping rope, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, jogging, and burpees.
     
    Cooperative Games and Activities - this unit is designed to cognitively engage each student with higher-order thinking, decision-making skills, cooperation, teamwork, and problem-based activities designed to promote growth, both physically and mentally.
     
    Locomotor Movement - students demonstrate various locomotor movements while engaged in various games and activities.
     
    Team Sports- provide exposure to a wide range of team sports through the lead-up games and activities. Students utilize particular skill movements such as throwing, dribbling and catching while participating in game situations.
     
    Manipulatives- focus on proper body mechanics by utilizing specific movements. The student engages in various activities while aiming for a target, kicking a ball, or catching an object while incorporating these skills into game and practice sessions.
     
    This course is aligned with the PA Academic Health, Safety and Physical Education Standards. The standards are comprised of 5 main areas of focus: Physical Activity, Concepts of Health, Healthful Living, Safety and Injury Prevention, and Concepts, Principles & Strategies of Movement.
     

     
    LibraryCourse Title: Library-2    Department: Library
     
    Grade Level: 2    
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 40 minutes a week Length of Course: Year
     
    Primary Resources: Library print materials, online library catalog (Destiny), PebbleGo database, websites as appropriate for lessons. Increased usage of available technology when appropriate.

    Units of Study:
    Unit 1: Library Navigation
    Unit 2: Book Selection
    Unit 3: Overview of Reference Materials
    Unit 4: Literary fiction
    Unit 5: Using Reference: Dictionary/ Thesaurus
    Unit 6: Introduction to OPAC
     
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Students are assessed in each unit of study.  Students are given the opportunity to demonstrate understanding through action as well as written assessments.

    Standardized Assessments: N/A

    Description of Course:
    Library students independently locate and select fiction and nonfiction materials. Students understand and use the different sections of the library such as using the Dewey Decimal System and fiction classification by alphabetical order. Students expand usage of the library in order to meet needs based on interest and reading levels. Students use the online catalog and call number to identify and locate library materials. Students will choose appropriate materials for pleasure reading as well as research projects.

     
    MathCourse Title: Math Grade 2    Department: Math
     
    Grade Level: 2  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 70 minutes per day/5 days a week   Length of Course: Year
     
    Primary Resources: My Math, McGraw Hill, 2018

     

    Units of Study: 
    • Operations and Algebraic Thinking
    • Number and Operations in Base Ten
    • Measurement and Data
    • Geometry
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: STAR 360 & Chapter Tests
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A
     
    Description of Course:
    • Operations and Algebraic Thinking Unit focuses on applying addition and subtraction concepts, number patterns, and adding and subtracting two-digit numbers.
    • Number & Operations in Base Ten Unit focuses on place value to 1,000 and adding and subtracting three-digit numbers.

    • Measurement & Data Unit focuses on money, data analysis, time, and customary and metric lengths.

    • Geometry Unit focuses on geometric shapes and equal shares.


    MusicCourse Title: General Music- Grade 2    Department: Music

     Grade Level: 2    

    Time Per Day/Week: 40 minutes/ 5 days a week     Length of Course: Year

     

    Primary Resources: Resources developed by teachers aligned with PA Fine Arts Standards/National Core Arts Standards

     

    Units of Study:

    Unit 1: Music Literacy: (see 12-step literacy process in the course description)

    • Pitch: Discover and practice first, two-tone music (sol-mi) then three-tone music (la-sol-mi) using simple melodies and/or melodic patterns.
    • Rhythm: quarter notes, eighth notes, quarter rests, time signature, barline, double barline, repeat sign.

    Unit 2: Performance Skills: 

    • Tuneful singing
    • Playing instruments
    • Movement/dance

    Unit 3: Listening and Analysis: 

    • Form (Continual compare/contrast, ABA form, Rondo form)
    • Music Vocabulary (tempo and dynamics)
    • Evaluating Performances, Instruments Families (Identification/Classification)

    Unit 4: Musical Contexts: Different focus at each grade level

    • Connections to History (Composers, Styles of Music)
    • Connections to Culture (Patriotic Music, Music of other countries)
    • Connections to other disciplines (Dance, visual arts, math, literature)

    Unit 5: Creativity: (Personal application of literacy and performance skills)

    • Improvisation
    • Composition
    • Artistic Synthesis (incorporate movement, literature, and visual art)


    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Topic Tests, Performance and project-based assessments using rubric criteria

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    • Standardized Assessments: N/A
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    • Description of Course: 
    • In second-grade general music, students continue to develop their “tuneful, beat-ful, artful” musical skills that were introduced in first grade via the First Steps in Music curriculum by John Feierabend, while simultaneously developing a repertoire of familiar folk songs and/or composed music to sing, move to and play on instruments.  Students start to build upon familiar music literacy skills by adding additional rhythmic concepts (half note, half rest, and 2/4 time signature) and beginning to recognize and name pitches in the major scale (sol-mi, later add la). Music Literacy is taught using the Conversational Solfege process by John Feierabend, which follows this 12-step sequence
    • Students will enhance the above performance skills by learning multiple part arrangements (pitched and unpitched percussion) to familiar songs. 

      Music creativity is explored through the above literacy process as students improvise and compose their own music. Creativity also happens as students partake in classroom performances of familiar songs which they have arranged themselves as they choose their own instrumentation (pitched and unpitched classroom percussion) and incorporate original poetry or other literature as part of the performance. These activities are in line with the Orff-Schulwerk approach.

      Throughout the year, students will discover how repertoire and concepts connect with the history of music, including famous musicians/composers, styles of music, music from other countries and how music is related to other areas of learning and culture.  Students will continue to build their music vocabulary to describe what they hear using appropriate musical terminology.


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      ScienceCourse Title: Science - Grade 2    Department: Science
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    • Grade Level: 
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    • Time Per Day/Week: 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week    Length of Course:  25 - 30 days per unit of study
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    • Primary Resources: Amplify Science, 2018
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    • Units of Study: 
    • Plant and Animal Relationships: Investigating Systems in a Bengali Forest
    • Properties of Materials: Designing Glue
    • Changing Landforms: The Disappearing Cliff
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    • Curriculum-Based Assessments: Science notebooks
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    • Standardized Assessments: N/A
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    • Description of Course: 
    • Plant and Animal Relationships: Students investigate a mystery that really occurred in a broadleaf forest habitat in northeastern India.  Assuming the role of plant scientists, students examine what plant structures allow a plant to get what it needs to grow, and how plants depend on the parts of their habitat to get them to new places, where there are ample sunlight and water. Investigations support students in developing an understanding that habitats encompass more than the place where an animal lives: habitats contain a diverse array of plants and animals that depend on one another for survival.

      Properties of Materials: Students take on the role of glue engineers and use engineering design practices to create a glue for school use, which serves as the design problem for the unit. Hands-on investigations support students in developing an understanding of how certain materials respond to heating and cooling and how properties of ingredients affect the properties of mixtures. Repeated opportunities for planning, making, modifying, and testing glue designs and observing properties of possible glue ingredients allow students to gather evidence and create successful glue mixtures.

      Changing Landforms: Students examine changes in the cliffs by Oceanside Recreation Center, which serves as the anchoring phenomenon for the unit. This unit focuses on the idea that Earth’s materials and features even materials as hard as rock change due to erosion. Students take on the role of geologists and investigate how wind and water can cause changes in landforms. Repeated opportunities for students to observe evidence of erosion in the models they use and in the photos and maps they examine, in addition to multiple opportunities to engage in discourse help students, understand that Earth and its features and materials can and do change

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    • Social StudiesCourse Title: Social Studies - Grade 2    Department: Social Studies
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    • Grade Level: 2    
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    • Times Per Day/Week: 30 minutes/4 times per week    Length of Course: 2 nine weeks
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    • Primary Resources: Viola, Herman J. Social Studies: Neighborhoods. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
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    • Units of Study:
    • Unit 1: Citizenship - Our Community and Beyond
    • Unit 2: Economics - Goods and Services
    • Unit 3: America’s History - Native Americans
    • Unit 4: Cultures in Our World
    • Unit 5: Civics - Everyday Heroes
    • Unit 6: Pittsburgh - Then and Now

      Curriculum-Based Assessments: Curriculum and Teacher-created Worksheets, Formative Assessments, Unit Projects
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    • Standardized Assessments: N/A
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    • Description of Course: 
    • Second-grade social studies are taught throughout the entirety of the school year. Through authentic texts and projects, students will explore topics in history, economics, civics, and world cultures. Unit 1 focuses on various communities and how members of those communities work cooperatively toward a common goal. Unit 2 explores economic systems and distinguishes between people’s needs and wants. Unit 3 investigates America’s past, such as the challenges faced by early settlers, and the similarities/differences among several Native American tribes. Unit 4 teaches students map skills and different world cultures, with a focus on holiday traditions. Unit 5 explores the idea that heroes are well-known, or ordinary people you look up to for their admirable qualities and that students can be a hero, too.  Unit 6 teaches that Pittsburgh has a rich historical and cultural history. The students will explore the city’s three rivers, its impact on the industrial revolution, and its transition from the “Steel City” into its awarded title, “The Most Livable City.”