Second Grade

Reading - Junior Great Books

Unit 1:

Theme: Friendship

This group of stories encourages students to reflect on friendship and its role in their lives. The stories offer students the chance to talk about and reflect on what friendship is, why people need friends, and how to resolve differences between friends.

Stories:

The Happy Lion by Louise Fatio

Miss Maggie by Cynthia Rylant

Anancy and Dog and Puss and Friendship West Indian folktale as told by James Berry

Unit 2:

Theme: Responsibility

This group of stories encourages students to reflect on responsibility and its role in their lives. The stories offer students the chance to talk and reflect on what it means to be responsible to oneself and to others, the different types of responsibilities people have, and the potential consequences of not living up to those responsibilities.

Stories:

Catalog Cats/Our Garden by Ann Cameron

Carlos and the Cornfield by Jan Romero Stevens

The Wedding Basket West African folktale as told by Donna L. Washington

Unit 3:

Theme: Bravery

This group of stories encourages students to think about what happens when someone acts bravely in a challenging situation. Students will read about people who confront difficult, sometimes dangerous, situations and respond in unexpected ways.

Stories:

The Jade Stone Chinese folktale as told by Caryn Yacowitz

The Girl and the Chenoo Native American folktale as told by Joseph Bruchac and Gayle Ross

Jack and the Beanstalk English folktale as told by Joseph Jacobs

(Junior Great Books information and image on this page are from The Great Books Foundation, 2013.)

Novel Study- Kensuke’s Kingdom

 

Math- Spatial Reasoning

Spatial Reasoning approaches spatial reasoning through one-dimensional (1-D), two-dimensional (2-D), and three-dimensional (3-D) tasks. Most of the tasks require students to explore representations of three-dimensional objects in two dimensions. All students need to develop good spatial reasoning skills. However, gifted students are more likely to demonstrate an aptitude for advanced spatial reasoning at an early age. They are also more likely to enroll in programs that require advanced math and science knowledge and skills. These courses often serve as a gatekeeper to certain college majors and career opportunities. Because gifted students tend to positively respond to spatial reasoning experiences, they need more of them-both in quantity and complexity-than the standard curriculum provides.

This unit will lay the foundation of spatial reasoning that will prepare students for middle school and beyond. Science courses and higher level mathematics courses require spatial reasoning. Careers in engineering, architecture, medicine, and the sciences, among others, require visualizing relationships that are spatial in nature.

(Spatial Reasoning information and image on this page are from The Center for Gifted Education at The College of William and Mary, 2008.)