2nd Grade Curriculum

 

History & Bible 

ECCS acknowledges that the Bible, the infallible Word of God, is our only source of faith and practice and that the chief end of man is to know God and enjoy Him forever.  ECCS second grade students are taught history and Bible through the integrated Lessons Learned curriculum.  Students will take a journey through history that begins at the foundation of human civilization.  Their studies will take them from Creation to the Tower of Babel and proceed into the four major ancient civilizations of Sumer, India, China, and Egypt, culminating during Greece World Power.  History and Bible are taught in tandem and will be presented using various instructional techniques which will inspire within young students a passion for studying history and Bible. First the students will study the Patriarchs of the Bible, Joseph, Moses and Joshua. Next the students will continue their study of Trojan War, Phoenicians and Judges.  Finally, ending with the study of Kings, David’s Reign, Division of Israel, Judah Back from Exile.  The main focus of the year will center on Egyptian history with an emphasis on Joseph’s leadership, the building of the pyramids, and the Pharaohs of Egypt.  An integrated study of King Tutankhamen, the pyramids, and hieroglyphics will expose students to the incredible intellect and artistic abilities of the Egyptian civilization.  Students will gain an understanding of the sovereignty of God during this time period as they learn both biblical and historical events. 

Science
Through the ECCS Science for Classical Learners 2 curriculum, second grade students will learn the foundational facts of science as they explore life on earth as it was for early man during ancient civilizations following Creation. As the second year of formal scientific instruction progresses, it will be of the utmost importance that students continue to know that God is the Creator of the world and everything in it. This course will take the novice through a study of the various contributions to science made by the early Egyptians: astronomy, simple machines, and archaeology. This is followed by a study of life on Earth, including ecology and the various habitats. They will learn that God is the source of all life, truth, and scientific knowledge. Students will be able to describe and utilize the scientific method. The students will review material taught in first grade regarding matter, elements, layers of the earth, layers of the atmosphere, and life on earth.  Students will learn about science in the ancient civilizations of Sumer, India, China and Egypt and how their contributions to science affect us today.  Students will also learn mapping concepts such as latitude and longitude.  They will identify the seven continents and will gain a general comprehension of climates and climate zones around the earth.  Students will also study various habitats, such as rainforest, boreal forest, deciduous forests, deserts, grasslands, and oceans. 

Math
ECCS second graders seek to communicate the order and structure of God’s Creation by studying math through Saxon Math Level 3. Building on a foundation of prior learning, new concepts are presented in increments with ample time provided for review and practice. Second graders will continue to appreciate and enjoy how God gave us numbers to help us in our daily lives. The students will continuously build upon their foundation of mathematical knowledge to learn new concepts.  Many of the concepts learned through mathematical instruction are mental math computations, speed drills, skip counting, addition and subtraction up to 6-digit numbers, multiplication, division, and basic algebra.

Grammar
ECCS second grade students are taught grammar using The Shurley Grammar Level 2 curriculum.  In order to teach and impart the skills of effective communicators the curriculum seeks to provide a basic foundation of effective communication built upon study skills, parts of speech recognition, sentence classification, and writing.  Students enjoy reciting grammar jingles which will imprint the building blocks of grammar into long term memory.  Grammar instruction will prepare them for all future writing and comprehension skills and practice across the curriculum. Students will learn the following basic parts of speech:  nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, article adjectives, prepositions, object of preposition, subject pronouns, and possessive pronouns.  They will also learn how to classify sentences using a question and answer flow.  The students will learn grammar facts through the use of chants, jingles, songs, drills, and review.  Students will be able to write complete thoughts by writing complete sentences.  This skill will be applied across the curriculum in various writing assignments and on tests.  Students will be able to write paragraphs that express their thoughts and feelings about God and the blessings He has given.  They will practice the grammar skills they have learned through paragraph writing and sentence editing.  The students will also make journal entries by writing stories, poems, etc. regarding topics discussed in across the curriculum.  Dictionary skills will be taught in conjunction with grammar.

Language Arts
The purpose of the second grade language arts program is to give students a solid foundation in reading and writing so they can learn God’s truths by reading the Bible. Acknowledging that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God,” determines our goal for teaching reading and writing. It is our hope that students will develop the skills to study God’s Word along with other great books in order to convey the gospel message correctly and persuasively to others throughout their lives. Continued mastery of 71 phonograms is the heart of the phonics and reading program. The phonics, writing and spelling programs are an adaptation of the Riggs Writing Road to Reading and Spaulding methods. Penmanship is integrated with the teaching of spelling and phonics. Second graders learn spelling using the Riggs/Spaulding method. It is a total language approach that helps train the right and left sides of the brain as children see, hear, read, and write. Their thinking skills are developed in each lesson so students can meet the challenge of reading new literature with confidence. They begin the school year by reading great appropriate basal readers but soon move into the following chapter books: Tut's Mummy, Toby Digz: Land of the Pharoahs, The Courage of Sarah Noble, Sarah Plain and Tall, The Hundred Dresses

Tut’s Mummy, Helen Keller from Tragedy to Triumph, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Best Christmas Pagent Ever, and The Lion, and The Witch and The Wardrobe