“Train a child in the way he should go and, when he is old, he will not depart from it.”, Proverbs 22:6
Our Lady of Guadalupe is renowned as a caring school that provides excellent education in the Catholic tradition. Our distinctive features include:
- Strong parent participation in all aspects of school life;
- Warm, friendly, culturally diverse, small intimate atmosphere;
- Stable faculty-staff tenure and a strong accreditation record.
The comprehensive Second Grade curriculum includes:
Language Arts
For Language Arts studies, we use the “Wonders” curriculum materials & a reading workshop model. This effective model consists of learning reading strategies for reading independence, writing responses to our reading, developing skills through guided reading groups, and sharing reading experiences with classmates. Language Arts also includes spelling, basic grammar skills, handwriting, and writing paragraphs (opinion, persuasive, informational), personal narratives, friendly letters, and poems.
Foundational skills are taught and strengthened through small group work using the SIPPS curriculum materials (Systematic Instruction in Phonics, Phonemic Awareness and Sight Words). Handwriting Without Tears curriculum continues for letter/number formation; piloting the Building Writers resource for added handwriting and writing practice.
Math
Our math instruction methodology is based on Math in Focus, a program which incorporates the widely-used Singapore approach to math. It provides a rigorous standards-aligned math program for students through an emphasis on problem solving skill development. In Second Grade, instruction focuses on strengthening addition and subtraction skills while learning how to add and subtract multi-digit numbers where regrouping is involved. Students work toward mastering skills such as counting money, interpreting simple graphs, comparing numbers, and quick recall of add/subtract facts to 20. We will also learn about probability and geometric concepts.
Science
Science is a fun and fascinating subject for our second graders. Through our FOSS Curriculum and its Interactive Science Kits , they get to truly experience science and learn about solids and liquids, exploring matter and where we find it in our world. They discover the fascinating world of plants and insects, while studying the life cycles, growth process, and characteristics of plants & living things. later on they move into learning about pebbles, sand and silt, exploring different materials that make up our world.
Social Studies
We start our first unit learning about all the different communities there are and how they relate to us. We will then learn about the communities of South America, Japan, and Europe. Students learn about the cultures of each of these countries, comparing them to each other as a way of discovering the beauty of diversity in the world. I use interactive choice boards, small research projects, hands on assignments and many different stories to bring these different communities to life for my students.
Religion
The focus of Second Grade’s religion program is to prepare children for First Reconciliation and First Communion. We study scripture relating to these sacraments, learn Mass responses, and develop a deeper personal relationship with Jesus through daily prayer and reflection. Instruction is based on The Finding God program, from Loyola Press, which provides us with all the tools to engage the whole child—mind, heart, and soul—uniquely guiding children to engage with Scripture, practice prayer and reflection, and to find God and His love in all things.
Public Speaking
Public speaking is an essential life skill, that everyone will have to face, whether in school, in an extracurricular activity, or in a future career. Therefore, it is key that kids need to learn communication skills from a young age. From PreSchool to Eight Grade, public speaking training is integrated in every activity at OLG.
For our second graders, practicing public speaking through games and activities makes speaking and listening fun. Children learn how to form their own opinions, refute opinions they don’t agree with, and practice the basics of confident and clear public speaking.
