Curriculum Overview Sample Lessons - Oak Meadowoakmeadow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2_overview-2014.pdf · Curriculum Overview Sample Lessons SECOND GRADE Oak Meadow INDEPENDENT

Curriculum Overview

Sample Lessons

SECOND GRADE

Oak MeadowI N D E P E N D E N T L E A R N I N G S I N C E 1 9 7 5

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Thank you for your interest in Oak Meadow. Since 1975, we have been supporting homeschooling families and students, both through our creative curriculum and our internationally-accredited distance learning school.

While reading through the complete sample lessons in this curriculum overview, you can begin to imagine what a typical homeschooling week might be like with Oak Meadow. We hope these materials give you a clear sense of the style, content, and scope of our curriculum, and help you decide if Oak Meadow is right for your family.

At Oak Meadow, we offer a unique curriculum that is substantively different from other educational models. The student’s awakening powers of thought are encouraged with a sequence of skills and carefully chosen material which reflects the child’s developmental stages and unfolding sense of self. We seek to foster a healthy balance between the realms of intellectual development, emotional engagement, and solid academic accomplishment. Our goal is to help children become intelligent, capable human beings who are able to respond sensitively and deeply to the world, and able to find meaning and relevance in their contributions to society.

Lessons in the early grades are crafted with a sense of beauty and reverence as the child’s own sense of wonder leads to the foundations of essential literary and mathematical skills. As the student grows into the middle school years, our imaginative, engaging approach develops strong academic abilities, practical problem-solving skills and an ability to consider an issue or problem from many perspectives. Each year’s curriculum is structured in 36 weekly lessons, and the sample lessons in this

overview are representative examples of a full year’s curriculum across all subject areas.

Within the framework of Oak Meadow’s integrated curriculum, you, as the home teacher, will be in a position to help your child make personal connections to the curriculum. Finding relevance and inter-relatedness between the material and daily living is one of the true joys of homeschooling. The Oak Meadow curriculum is designed to be used in the home environment and encourages meaningful connections and relationships with the whole family, the local geography, and the wider community.

We encourage you to visit our website (oakmeadow.com) or call our office at 802-251-7250 to learn more about us and about what we can do to support you in your homeschooling journey.

Warmly,

Michelle Simpson-SiegelExecutive Director

OVERVIEW 3

In this curriculum we have tried to present not only an indication of what subjects the home teacher should be presenting, but also how they can best be presented and why we recommend they be presented in that way. We hope that this is a help to parents who are trying to increase their understanding of education at the same time they are teaching their children.

Throughout this syllabus, you will see the third-person plural pronoun they used to stand in for a gender-neutral singular pronoun. This usage has been common for centuries in speech and informal writing, and it is gaining popularity among grammarians as a solution to the problem of gender-biased writing (though the controversy persists among purists). Though not a perfect solution, we find it preferable to the unwieldy “he or she” and the coldly clinical “he/she” solutions, both of which introduce more problems than they solve, in our view. With apologies to those who find the singular they construction awkward, you will see this form used when the material refers to your child in the third person.

The Oak Meadow curriculum is quite different from what is usually found in most public, or even private, schools. Although all the traditional subjects are studied, they are approached with an imaginative spirit that we feel is closer to the heart of a child than a more intellectual approach. Also, the timing of the subjects is different from that found in traditional schools, for we believe that it makes a great difference in the child’s balanced growth if the mind is forced into development too early. At a later stage in their growth, children need to develop their minds, and the curriculum responds to that need.

However, it is in the early stages of the child’s growth, from Kindergarten through Second Grade, that we diverge most widely from the traditional curricula.

Parents who are eager for their children to display their mental talents should remember that a child is more than just an intellect. A

brilliant intellect is useless without a focused will, and is even limited without a loving heart. Children will manifest the fullness of their potential only to the extent that they are integrated and

balanced human beings. Our deepest intention is to help you and your child achieve that potential.

We are not interested in creating or maintaining particular forms in education. We always encourage home teachers to try new approaches relevant to their individual needs, and not to feel bound by the specific forms recommended in this curriculum. However, this does not mean that we do not have guiding principles in our approach to education. We do believe that there are certain principles which are very important for the deeper unfoldment of the child. As an Oak Meadow home teacher, you should be aware of these principles as you create the forms suited to your particular situation.

First, we believe that a child should be surrounded by an archetypal view of the world. This is the reason we use fairy tales, fables, myths, and legends so extensively in our curriculum. Such stories present the fundamental issues of life in a symbolic form which helps children

Introduction to Grades 1-3

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develop the ability to perceive and understand the world in broad patterns, rather than insignificant details. Through

being immersed in such a broad view, a child’s power of thought deepens and becomes more capable

of reflecting the eternal values in life.

Second, children need to have opportunities for artistic expression in their lives. The form which this expression takes is not important;

drawing, painting, music, pottery, woodworking, and many others provide this opportunity. In this curriculum, we

often use crayon drawing, because it is a convenient medium which can be used by children easily to express any idea. Creating books of crayoned words and drawings based upon the stories which are told is only one means

of integrating these two essentials into one experience. There are undoubtedly many other means of accomplishing this, and you should be open to discovering them. The main point to keep in mind regarding artistic expression is this: The process is more important than the form. Forms that are created quickly with a minimum of inner focus are not as helpful to a child’s inner growth as forms that require persistent, focused awareness.

Third, each subject should be presented in a natural, informal manner, so that the child does not feel forced into the activity, but rather becomes involved because it sparks something within them. Although it is important to have a regular period of focused time each day for the main lesson work, we feel that it is better to integrate as much as possible into the natural flow of daily

activities, so the child doesn’t learn to make a distinction between “school” and “life.” In this way, the child gradually develops the attitude that expanding one’s knowledge and capabilities is an integral part of the process of life.

Finally, we believe that, as a home teacher, you should be continually striving to unfold the potential within yourself so that you can respond more deeply and spontaneously to your child. In working with children, it is never the techniques you have learned through the years that cause them to develop their capabilities. Rather, it is the strength of your being, the light of your understanding, and the love you have for them as fellow beings that draws the latent spark of individuality within them into active manifestation. It is this that makes teaching such a difficult endeavor. To be an effective teacher, you must persistently seek to unfold and refine your own strengths before you can ever hope to unfold and refine the strengths in your child. Helping home teachers in this process is the purpose of Oak Meadow, and the reason why we are unique among home study schools. We are not interested in filling children with facts, but in helping parents and children become free human beings, able to respond sensitively and deeply to the world in which they live.

The Heart of Learning and the Home Teacher’s Process Manual are used as abundant resources for the home teacher. In The Heart of Learning, Lawrence Williams shares with you what has worked for thousands of families, as well as what he distilled from his Waldorf training. The Home Teacher’s Process Manual explains how and why we do the many processes in the early grades.

Oak Meadow offers Healthy Living from the Start to meet state standards for health education for grades K through 3. This book is used in K-3 and need only be purchased once.

OVERVIEW 5

As you proceed through this curriculum, you will see mention of a main lesson book. The main lesson book is simply a 9” x 12” unlined sketch pad, with sturdy paper. You can start with one main lesson book for each of the trimesters of the year, but your child may need more. The main lesson book serves as a way to collect all your child’s work in one place. In this book, your child will write and draw their lessons in language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. Using rubber cement, you can glue in photos of larger projects, individual papers, and anything else you would like to include in this special book. By the end of each trimester, it will be filled with written and artistic expressions of daily events in your child’s life. As your child’s writing skills develop, it will contain letters, drawings, short sentences, math practice, stories, poems, and more. A main lesson book takes on a marvelous personality during the course of the trimester, and becomes a living treasure of your child’s expression.

The Main Lesson Book

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WSecond Grade CurriculumOak Meadow’s second grade curriculum expands on your child’s natural intelligence and growing confidence as a reader and writer.

Reading emerges from writing, and observations of animals and nature become the subject of poems, writing, and stories. The rhythmic nature of rhyming poems becomes a natural and playful means of working with phonetic letter sounds as students develop their independent reading skills.

In social studies, students continue to develop their understanding of history, geography, economics, and civics. Fables and folktales provide the backdrop for learning about ancient cultures and universal human themes. Students explore the themes of good citizenship by learning about the lives of inspiring individuals.

In math, the second grader’s growing understanding of mathematics and confidence in manipulat-ing numbers leads to work with the multiplication tables and gaining skill with the four processes.

In science, students continue to develop their observation skills as they explore the world of animals. Themes such as interdependence, natural rhythms, and classification provide the foundation for close-up investigations into the plant and animal kingdoms.

Through hands-on and investigative activities in art, crafts, music, and health, students engage in explorations of color and craft, develop their recorder playing skills, and conduct inquiries into topics related to their healthy development.

Projects, Crafts, & Activities• Copy and illustrate poems• Make books• Perform puppet plays• Grow an indoor plant• Make an ancient mask

• Create a doll

“Thank you for helping us keep the beautiful wonder in childhood.”

Second Grade

Syllabus

Oak MeadowCurriculum & School

IntermediateRecorder


Clay Fun


First Book of Nature Crafts


Curriculum Materials Second Grade Syllabus; Intermediate Recorder; Clay Fun; First Book of Nature Crafts; Animal Stories; Just So Stories; Ben & Meg; The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle; Fables; Animal Friends

Teacher Manuals; Healthy Living from the Start; and craft kit are also available for purchase.

Second Grade OverviewFirst Trimester Second Trimester Third Trimester• Independent reading• Writing and reading own writing• Consonant blends and word families• Poetry• Fables and other classic stories

• Independent reading• Summarizing• Consonant blends and word families• Animal stories and fables• Letter sounds/preparation for spelling rules

• Independent reading• Summarizing• Vowel combinations• Vowel/consonant combinations• Increased writing output

Language Arts

HISTORY—Stories from Ancient Cultures• Folklore of Ancient China• Ancient Mali and Sundiata• Ancient Celts and St. Bridget• Family customs and traditions

GEOGRAPHY—Studying Maps• Parts of a map• African geography• ContinentsECONOMICS—Natural Resources• Bartering• Community resources• Using money and making choices

CIVICS—Good Citizenship• Value of kindness• Honesty• Aesop’s Fables and tall tales• Inspiring Individuals: Rosa Parks and

Susan B. Anthony

Social Studies

OBSERVING THE NATURAL WORLD• The five senses• Animals close up• Natural rhythms• Identifying trees• Nature stories

THE WORLD OF ANIMALS• Animal characteristics• Life of bees• Animal homes and habitats• Vertebrates and invertebrates• Animal tracks

ANIMALS & HUMANS• Food chain• Interdependence• Communication• Scientific research• Life of a frog

Science

• Review of the four processes• Review the symbols –, +, ÷, x• Review written vertical & horizontal formats• Story problems• Multiplication tables: 2, 5

• Radical division sign• Numbers 1–700• Simple graphs• Money• Multiplication tables: 1, 3, 4, 10

• Place value• Numbers 701–999• Patterns and sequences• Multiplication tables: 3, 4, 6, 7• Review

Students explore color through watercolor painting and crayon drawing as they illustrate the many stories and poems presented in language arts.

Students continue to develop their recorder playing skills by learning several new notes and mastering simple songs.

Students engage in various hands-on activities that help develop fine-motor coordination and focus. Emphasis is placed on meeting the child’s developmental needs and interests. Highlights include crocheting a scarf, working with clay, and completing crafts from Oak Meadow’s First Book of Nature Crafts.

The book Healthy Living from the Start provides the basis for a yearlong health course. Families explore topics relevant to their child’s growth and development including nutrition, the growing body, hygiene, community, emotions, and safety.

Math

Art

Music

Crafts

Health

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LESSON 3CIRCLE TIME

Morning Verse:

The sun is in my heartIt warms me with its powerIt wakens life and loveIn bird and beast and flower

Movement Verses: See “Verses for Circle Time”

Closing Verse:

May my hands work with careMy heart work with loveAnd my mind work with attention(Use gestures)

LANGUAGE ARTS

Objective:

Your child will continue reading “The Tale of Jolly Robin.” In addition, your child will design and write a paragraph about the story they have heard and include drawings to represent it. Your child will continue working with their printed readers and consonant blends.

Materials:

• Main Lesson Book• Colored pencils and/or beeswax crayons (stick and/or block)• Paper bag• Separate pieces of paper• Glue

Steps:

1. Read to your child from “The Tale of Jolly Robin” at bedtime.

58 Oak Meadow Second Grade Course Book

2. The following should be entered into the Main Lesson Book:

Two days: a paragraph about the bedtime story with artwork. One day: consonant blends with words containing them.

3. Continue reading from a printed reader at least three times a week.

4. Review the consonant blends CH and CL. The following words contain these consonant blends:

CH — change, church, charge, check, cheese, chinese checkers, etc.

CL — clear, climb, clap, clock, close, clarinet, etc.

5. Play this game with your child. On a separate piece of paper, have your child draw two large bowls (side view) with a line connecting them. Under the first, write “Beginning.” Under the second bowl, write “End,” and under the line, write “Middle.” Leave enough room to glue pictures on top of the line. Make the bowls big enough to glue small pictures into them as well. Have your child draw these pictures, remembering that they will be cut out and glued into the appropriate bowl, so make them small: church, watch, bench, beach, peach, chips, cherry, chain, chocolate, cheese, chicken, teacher, catcher, and preacher. Once your child has completed these pictures, cut them out. Write what they are on the back of each picture. Have your child say the word three times, feeling the “ch” sound in their mouths. Exaggerate the sounds. Glue the picture into the appropriate spot. Does the “ch” sound occur at the beginning, the middle or at the end of the word?

FURTHER STUDY:

Continue working with the complete list of blends and vowel sounds from last week’s lesson.

MATHEMATICS

1. Enter into the Main Lesson Book math numbers for an exercise in greater than / less than.

2. Introduce the two times table this week through rhythm. Merely say the rhyme this week. Do not begin the actual times table yet.

Recite the following rhyme, with the emphasis on the numbers in the twos table: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20.

one, twobuckle my shoethree, four

SAMPLE LESSON—GRADE 2 9

Lesson 3 59

shut the doorfive, sixpick up sticksseven, eightlay them straightnine, tena big fat heneleven, twelvedig and delvethirteen, fourteenmaids a courtin’fifteen, sixteenmaids in the kitchenseventeen, eighteenladies waitin’nineteen, twentyisn’t it funny

3. Ask your child to compare the numerical values of two whole numbers between 0 and 99 by identifying one as greater than, less than, or equal to the other. Give your child a page of numbers to compare. They can verbally tell you the answers. Make this a game if you can.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Objective:

In the next three lessons, your child will hear tales of the ancient Mali Empire in Africa. Specifically, they will hear story of Sundiata, son of the king of Mali, who lived some eight hundred years ago. Later, they will hear African fables that further reflect the consciousness of the people of this region. Your child will draw a pictorial representation of the stories they hear, as well as writings on simple themes. Your child will be encouraged to develop their own story, as the Mali Empire’s primary form of communication was an oral one. Finally, your child will develop a short picture storybook over the next few weeks, which allows for the oral history of their family — in the tradition of the great Mali Empire!

Materials:

• Four separate pieces of paper• Beeswax crayons — stick and/or block• Hole puncher• Three short pieces of yarn


Steps:

1. Read or memorize and retell the story below to your child:

Sundiata: Child of Mali

Listen, child, to the stories of the griots, the Mali teachers of old. We tell you these stories from our fathers so that you may tell them to your children, too. In this way, we will honor their lives and grow from their struggles.

Listen and I will tell you the story of Sundiata, the great Lion King, who learned to stand with strength and with courage.

There was once a powerful king in Africa, he was called Maghan Kon Fatta. King Maghan was wise and powerful and knew well to listen to the stories of old. So it was that when one day a maiden was brought to him, humble and bent by her hunchbacked form, he listened.

It had been foretold to him that this maiden would bear him an heir that would shine in greatness and bring peace to the African savannah over which he ruled. King Maghad, in his wisdom, married this woman, whose name was Sogolon Kegjou, and learned to love her well, for he could see that in her dwelled the spirit of the buffalo, strong and courageous.

In a year’s time, Sogolon bore a son, and while Maghad rejoiced, his first wife, the cruel Sassouma Berete, did not. “What need has Maghad of another son,” she thought, “When my boy should be his only heir?”

But Sassouma was delighted when it was discovered that Sogolon’s child, though born of the spirit of the lion and the buffalo, could neither walk, nor talk. Sogolon tried every cure she found, but nothing had any effect. The boy grew but without saying a word, or walking a step. Still, Maghad loved the boy and when the time came he offered him the gift of the great griot Balla Fasseke. In this way, King Maghad let all know that he had chosen the son of Sogolon to be his heir.

“Sundiata,” King Maghad said, “You will grow strong in time and when you do, rule wisely. Learn all that you can from Balla Fasseke, for he was my teacher and my father’s before him. Learn well and you shall rule as the lion rules the Savannah, with power and grace.”

Sassouma was outraged when she heard these words, and she whispered ill thoughts to the elders. So it was that when King Maghad died, Sassouma’s son took the throne and she mocked and taunted Sogolon. “It seems the world has no need for your cripple of a

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Lesson 3 61

boy. Son of the buffalo and lion, indeed. He is no use to our kingdom, and neither are you!”

With that, Sundiata grew angry and spoke. He called for an iron rod and, with one mighty heave, pulled himself up. He threw the rod away and stood before the court. “Behold!” called Balla Fasseke, “Here stands the lion king!” Sassouma cried in outrage and called the great witches of Mali to her. “Kill him,” she commanded.

But, no matter how they tried, their powers were of no use against Sundiata.

“Our magic fails against his kind heart. Do what we will, he will not succumb to anger and, instead, treats us with kindness and courtesy. Enough. You are on your own.”

So Sassouma conspired to have the great teacher, Balla Fasseke, sent away to the land of Sumanguru, who was an evil sorcerer. There Sumanguru kept the great one, for he had much use for his wisdom.

Sundiata was in despair at the loss of his griot, and it was not long before he and his mother were cast out of the kingdom to live a life in exile.

They traveled for many years and Sundiata grew tall as his heart grew wise. They met many people on their journey and helped all they knew. Finally, they found favor at the court of the King of Mema. He was amazed by the courage and wisdom that Sundiata showed and took him on as his closest advisor and heir to his throne. One day men came to the court of Mema.

“Sundiata,” they cried “Sumanguru, the evil one, makes war upon Mali. Your half-brother has fallen. We have need of you!” Sogolon turned to her son and said, “Go, my son, it is time for you to fulfill your destiny.”

At that Balla Fasseke came out from behind the men. He had escaped from the court of Sumanguru and brought forth an arrow.

“Sundiata,” he said, “Sumanguru cannot be defeated in any way known to most. It is only with this arrow that has been tipped with the spur of a certain white rooster. The mere touch of this charmed arrow will defeat Sumanguru. It is all that he dreads.”

Sundiata thanked his lost griot and rushed into Mali, with a great host of men behind him. When the two armies met, on the Plain of Karina, Sundiata searched desperately for Sumanguru. When at last he saw him he let the arrow fly.

It pierced the shoulder of Sumanguru who cried out in fury. At once, his strength failed him and his army knelt down in defeat.


So it came to pass that the great Lion King Sundiata stood before the people of Mali and vowed to rule with dignity, strength, and with kindness.

2. Let the story rest overnight. In the morning, have your child retell it to you. Help them with details they may have forgotten. What does your child admire, if anything, about Sundiata? Why do you think King Maghad chose him for his heir?

3. Experiential work: The Mali people maintained the traditions of their great empire through the oral tradition of storytelling. Much of what we know about their culture has been derived from these stories that have been told and retold over centuries! Have your child perform their own story. Ask them to tell you a story of their own. If they are insecure about storytelling in front of you, they may do so with an audience of their imagination. Work together on any props they might need to act out their story. They may use the story of Sundiata, or they are welcome to make up one of their own. If possible, encourage them to include friends or family members in their reenactment!

4. Have your child draw a pictorial representation of the story. On the back of the paper or Main Lesson page, have them write, in their best print, either these words, or ones you believe best reflect their picture:

Sundiata became the great Lion King of Mali. He was brave and ruled fairly over all.Next week, your child will begin developing their own family history picture book to enable them finally to perform your family history in the oral tradition of the ancient Malis.

FURTHER STUDY:

The Mali Empire was a fascinating culture! The griots provided the oral tradition of storytelling that has lasted over the centuries into modern time. A further look into Mali culture can provide your child with many wonderful legends and folk tales of an ancient era.

SCIENCE

Objective:

Your child will continue their nature observations today by exploring the life of a bird. This week we recommend you spend time observing bird activity in your area. Your child will journal the activity with drawings and simple writing activities. Your child will build a birdfeeder to enable further observations. A trip to a local Audubon society or nature reserve is also recommended, but not required.


Lesson 3 63

Materials:

• Science Main Lesson Book• Colored pencils and/or beeswax crayons (stick and/or block)• Birdfeeder materials — see materials list and instructions below

Steps:

1. Go outside today. Find a place where you may observe bird activity in your area. Where do the birds live? How do they find food? What are they doing this time of year? How do they communicate?

2. Have your child journal the activity they observed. Include a drawing and a simple writing.

3. Listen to birdsong. Can you tell the difference between different species of birds? Birds use their songs to mark their territory, to signal danger, and to attract mates, among many other things. Many species of birds find one another through similar birdsong of their particular species. What do you think the birds you hear are trying to say? If bird activity is limited in your area at this time of year, try finding a tape or CD of different birdsongs. You may be surprised at the many varied types of songs, even within the same species!

4. Make your birdfeeder. Refer to the instructions below for steps.

FURTHER STUDY:

There are many resources that describe the markings of bird species. Find one and use it to see how many birds you can identify!

BIRDFEEDER INSTRUCTIONS

Materials:

• Large grapefruit• Birdseed• Pencil• Twine

Steps:

1. Cut fruit in half

2. Remove pulp

3. Make three small, evenly spaced holes near the upper edge of one half

4. Thread twine through holes

5. Secure each with a knot and join the three all together at the top


6. Poke a pencil all the way through the grapefruit so that it is sticking out from both sides — this will be the perch

7. Fill with birdseed and hang from a tree branch!

ART

1. Read the watercolor painting instructions in the Home Teacher’s Process Manual.

2. Start exploring wet paper painting. You can paste watercolors into the Main Lesson Book.

MUSIC

Follow the instructions in the Intermediate Recorder book. There is one song or exercise for each week.

CRAFTS

Continue crocheting a scarf.

HEALTH

Complete lesson 3 in Healthy Living from the Start.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE THIRD TRIMESTER

MATHEMATICS

After learning the vertical and horizontal formats in writing arithmetic problems, your child should be introduced to place values of numbers. You should also proceed with more multiplication tables, following the methods outlined in the First and Second Trimesters. The six and seven times tables will be worked with during the second semester. As we mentioned in the Second Trimester, our purpose at this time is not to learn them thoroughly, but just to become familiar with each table. As before, follow the approach given in First Trimester and work on the tables regularly while you are driving to town, cooking dinner, cleaning, etc.

In introducing the concepts of place value and “re-naming,” the approach generally used involves the analogy of a series of houses, each with a different name.

The story behind these houses goes like this:

Once there was a man named Mr. Placevalue. No one ever knew what his first name was; they just called him Mr. Placevalue. Now everyone is involved in some kind of business, and Mr. Placevalue’s business was houses. He loved to buy houses and rent them to people who needed places to live. The story we are hearing now involves a particular group of houses which he owned and rented. This particular group of houses was unusual, because they were all in a row, side by side, and each house was ten times as tall as the house next to it. They made a very funny sight to see. We can’t draw a picture of the way they really looked, because there wouldn’t be room on the paper, but you can imagine that they must have looked like stair steps, something like this:


Because each house was ten times as tall as the one next to it, Mr. Placevalue gave them each a special name. The first house in the row, which was the smallest, he called the ONES house, and he put a big sign on it with the number 1 on it so everyone would know that was the ONES house. The ONES house was the smallest of the houses, and could hold nine people, but no more. The house next to it was called the TENS house, because it was ten times as tall as the ONES house. It could hold ninety people, but no more. On the front of that house was a big sign which said “10,” so everyone would know that was the TENS house. Next came the HUNDREDS house. That was ten times as tall as the tens house and would sleep 900 people, but no more. There was a sign on the front that said “100.” After that came the THOUSANDS house, which would sleep 9,000 people, but no more. The sign on the front of that said “1,000.” Of course, each house was ten times as tall as the last, so the THOUSANDS house was very tall indeed.

Mr. Placevalue was very careful about keeping an exact count of how many people were in each building. He never allowed more people to live in each building than were supposed to.

When he first bought the houses, he was repairing the larger houses, so he only rented the ONES house. At that time he had nine people living in the ONES house, so in his rental book, he wrote down on paper:

That reminded him that there were nine people living in the ONES house. Later, as he fixed the TENS house, he rented that, and soon it had ninety people living in it. So he wrote in his book:

That meant he had ninety people in the TENS house (9 groups of 10) and nine people in the ONES house. By looking at the numbers he knew he had ninety-nine people living in his houses.

91

1

99

10


Introduction to the Third Trimester 205

When he had fixed the next house and rented it, he soon had nine hundred people living in that, so he wrote:

That told him he had nine hundred in the HUNDREDS house (9 groups of 100), ninety in the TENS house (9 groups of 10), and nine in the ONES house. That made a total of nine hundred and ninety-nine people.

As word spread of what nice houses he had, Mr. Placevalue soon repaired his next house and filled it with nine thousand people, making a total of nine thousand, nine hundred, and ninety-nine, which he wrote like this:

After the houses were rented for several months, many of the tenants complained to Mr. Placevalue that the children who lived in the houses were bouncing balls against the front of the houses while they were playing, and sometimes windows were being broken accidentally. Since Mr. Placevalue loved children, he didn’t want to tell them that they couldn’t bounce their balls, but he was very concerned about the windows that were being broken. So he decided to build a wall for the children to bounce balls against. As there were so many people living in the THOUSANDS house and the HUNDREDS house, he decided to build the wall right between those two houses. When the wall was finished, the group of houses looked like this:

1

99

10

9

100

99991

10

100

1000


With nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine people living in his houses, Mr. Placevalue was a very busy man. Soon he stopped drawing pictures of his houses and just wrote down the numbers of people as they moved in and out. When he wrote down the number of tenants, (for example, 8,647) he always put a little mark (which we call a comma) where the children’s wall was. That way, he always remembered where the thousands house was. When he looked at the number, he always knew exactly how many people were living in his houses. For example, in the number which we used above, the number all the way to the right was a 7. That means there were 7 people in the ONES house. The next number was a 4. That means there were four groups of 10, or 40 people living in the TENS house. The third number was a 6. That means there were 6 × 100, or 600 people living in the HUNDREDS house. And finally, there were 8 × 1000, or 8,000 people living in the THOUSANDS house.

When we write numbers in a form like this, it helps us to read the number. So, when we see a number such as 3,578 we call it three thousand, five hundred and seventy-eight. A number like 475 we would call four hundred and seventy five.

There is a word called “expand,” which means to take something that is short and stretch it out longer. Sometimes we like to write numbers in what is called “expanded form” just for fun. This also shows exactly how the people are spread out in the different houses Mr. Placevalue rents. When we want to write in expanded form we do it like this:

237 in expanded form is 200 + 30 + 7

or another example:

7,938 in expanded form is 7,000 + 900 + 30 + 8

1

10

100

1000


or we can reverse it and say:

4,000 + 900 + 50 + 2 in regular form is 4,952.

Once you have introduced these concepts, practice with them often until your child understands them thoroughly. Then they will be prepared for “carrying” and “borrowing,” which we introduce in the Third Grade course.

SOCIAL STUDIES

In this trimester of the Second Grade Social Studies Curriculum, we continue to develop an awareness of community, a subject that was first introduced in Kindergarten and expanded in First Grade. As children grow, their awareness of their environment begins to expand. At first, they are aware only of the members of their immediate family. Later, they begin to interact with close friends and neighbors. Gradually their spatial awareness increases to include their immediate neighborhood, a section of town, and later the entire town or city in which they live. Only in the latter stages of their growth do they begin to grasp what is meant by a state, a country, or the world.

At this stage in a child’s growth, their local community is still the focus for their activities. They may have visited other cities, states or even countries, but their local community is what they have integrated in terms of spatial awareness. In earlier grades, we developed an awareness of community by focusing upon the locations of certain buildings, parks, houses etc., that were of interest to your child, and encouraged them to remember their location in relation to their own house. We suggested playing games of “How do you get to..?” while driving the car, to help your child develop a geographical awareness of their surroundings. Also, we suggested that you focus your child’s awareness upon the different workers that are in your community and the different kinds of work that they do. All of these activities help to develop your child’s awareness of their local community, the people who live in it, and the ways in which they work together to make the community a nice place to live.

In First Grade, we urged Home Teachers to avoid being critical of these elements as they presently are, but to look at the ideal behind

the imperfect form. Children are learning attitudes about the world each day of their lives, and they develop these attitudes largely by imitation of the attitudes of those around them. To teach a child by example that we should always try to look for the best in people helps them establish an attitude that will be a great help to them in later life. Of course, this doesn’t mean we should ignore elements in society that need improvement, but that we should look upon these elements with an attitude of helpfulness, and not pointless criticism. Continue to help your child become more involved with the local community. When possible, let them help with the shopping, pump

14 OAK MEADOW

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or we can reverse it and say:

4,000 + 900 + 50 + 2 in regular form is 4,952.

Once you have introduced these concepts, practice with them often until your child understands them thoroughly. Then they will be prepared for “carrying” and “borrowing,” which we introduce in the Third Grade course.

SOCIAL STUDIES

In this trimester of the Second Grade Social Studies Curriculum, we continue to develop an awareness of community, a subject that was first introduced in Kindergarten and expanded in First Grade. As children grow, their awareness of their environment begins to expand. At first, they are aware only of the members of their immediate family. Later, they begin to interact with close friends and neighbors. Gradually their spatial awareness increases to include their immediate neighborhood, a section of town, and later the entire town or city in which they live. Only in the latter stages of their growth do they begin to grasp what is meant by a state, a country, or the world.

At this stage in a child’s growth, their local community is still the focus for their activities. They may have visited other cities, states or even countries, but their local community is what they have integrated in terms of spatial awareness. In earlier grades, we developed an awareness of community by focusing upon the locations of certain buildings, parks, houses etc., that were of interest to your child, and encouraged them to remember their location in relation to their own house. We suggested playing games of “How do you get to..?” while driving the car, to help your child develop a geographical awareness of their surroundings. Also, we suggested that you focus your child’s awareness upon the different workers that are in your community and the different kinds of work that they do. All of these activities help to develop your child’s awareness of their local community, the people who live in it, and the ways in which they work together to make the community a nice place to live.

In First Grade, we urged Home Teachers to avoid being critical of these elements as they presently are, but to look at the ideal behind

the imperfect form. Children are learning attitudes about the world each day of their lives, and they develop these attitudes largely by imitation of the attitudes of those around them. To teach a child by example that we should always try to look for the best in people helps them establish an attitude that will be a great help to them in later life. Of course, this doesn’t mean we should ignore elements in society that need improvement, but that we should look upon these elements with an attitude of helpfulness, and not pointless criticism. Continue to help your child become more involved with the local community. When possible, let them help with the shopping, pump


gas at the gas station, mail your letters, and assist with the other errands which you do every day. This will help to give them a sense of involvement in the life of the community, and will increase their sense of self-worth.

In addition to the individual activities, look for opportunities to involve your child in group projects. It is a tremendous benefit to a child if they learn early in life how to work together with others to accomplish a particular job. At first, it is quite sufficient if you involve them in activities which the family does as a group, such as household chores. Later, they can be included in a community group, such as a food coop, a religious organization, a club, or another such group. The difficulty with children and group activities is that many people place the product ahead of the process. This is why it is better to initiate your child into group activity through the family at first, and only later into community groups. In the beginning of such activities, the adults who are involved in the activity must be constantly aware that helping the child to feel useful and a part of the group is much more important than the amount of work which they accomplish. Also, a child needs constant support in the early stages, whereas later on they will be able to work on a particular part of the project without needing such support.

It is a great help if they are often told that they are doing a wonderful job, that they are a big help, that the work is so much easier because they are helping, and other such comments. Often, in the beginning, children cannot do a separate project of their own, even if it is a small part of a project that you are doing. You may have to do it with them; later, they will be able to work more independently. Learning to work together as a family in this way is a tremendous help in your child’s growth. It provides them with opportunities to work with adults, doing adult jobs, which in turn helps greatly to build their sense of acceptance in the world and their sense of value as human beings.

SCIENCE

We will continue our study of animals this trimester. Animals have always helped humans. They provide food, clothing, and services for us.

Your child will continue to record work in their Main Lesson Book.

ART

In the First Grade Art curriculum, we introduced a series of line exercises developed by the Austrian educator Rudolf Steiner. These exercises are called “form drawing,” because they help develop an awareness of symmetry in form. For those who did not complete the First Grade course, refer to the Home Teacher’s Process Manual for complete instructions in form drawing. Please review this summary and practice the exercises until you and your child have become familiar with the concepts involved. These are most helpful when played as a game together, but a child will often enjoy creating repetitious or symmetrical forms on their own once they are familiar with the process. In addition, form drawing will lead quite naturally into cursive handwriting in the third grade.

After you have experimented with some of the basic forms and have begun to create forms of your own, try integrating color into these forms, using the understanding of the nature of different colors which you have been developing in your painting and drawing work. From the experiences 208 Oak Meadow Second Grade Course Book

gas at the gas station, mail your letters, and assist with the other errands which you do every day. This will help to give them a sense of involvement in the life of the community, and will increase their sense of self-worth.

In addition to the individual activities, look for opportunities to involve your child in group projects. It is a tremendous benefit to a child if they learn early in life how to work together with others to accomplish a particular job. At first, it is quite sufficient if you involve them in activities which the family does as a group, such as household chores. Later, they can be included in a community group, such as a food coop, a religious organization, a club, or another such group. The difficulty with children and group activities is that many people place the product ahead of the process. This is why it is better to initiate your child into group activity through the family at first, and only later into community groups. In the beginning of such activities, the adults who are involved in the activity must be constantly aware that helping the child to feel useful and a part of the group is much more important than the amount of work which they accomplish. Also, a child needs constant support in the early stages, whereas later on they will be able to work on a particular part of the project without needing such support.

It is a great help if they are often told that they are doing a wonderful job, that they are a big help, that the work is so much easier because they are helping, and other such comments. Often, in the beginning, children cannot do a separate project of their own, even if it is a small part of a project that you are doing. You may have to do it with them; later, they will be able to work more independently. Learning to work together as a family in this way is a tremendous help in your child’s growth. It provides them with opportunities to work with adults, doing adult jobs, which in turn helps greatly to build their sense of acceptance in the world and their sense of value as human beings.

SCIENCE

We will continue our study of animals this trimester. Animals have always helped humans. They provide food, clothing, and services for us.

Your child will continue to record work in their Main Lesson Book.

ART

In the First Grade Art curriculum, we introduced a series of line exercises developed by the Austrian educator Rudolf Steiner. These exercises are called “form drawing,” because they help develop an awareness of symmetry in form. For those who did not complete the First Grade course, refer to the Home Teacher’s Process Manual for complete instructions in form drawing. Please review this summary and practice the exercises until you and your child have become familiar with the concepts involved. These are most helpful when played as a game together, but a child will often enjoy creating repetitious or symmetrical forms on their own once they are familiar with the process. In addition, form drawing will lead quite naturally into cursive handwriting in the third grade.

After you have experimented with some of the basic forms and have begun to create forms of your own, try integrating color into these forms, using the understanding of the nature of different colors which you have been developing in your painting and drawing work. From the experiences


you have had with colors, it will become apparent that some colors do not relate to certain forms as well as others. For example, due to its strong, aggressive nature, red is more inclined to move in straight lines, whereas blue seems to prefer curves, which are more in harmony with its flowing nature.

As with colors, you must develop a sensitivity to line forms before you can help your child. The best way to proceed is through observation of yourself and your surroundings, as you did with colors. How do you feel when you are in a room of straight lines with many angles? If you look at a series of flowing curves, what feeling does that evoke? Where do straight lines occur? Where do you see curved lines? As you begin to experience the world of straight and curved lines, correlate this with the color experiences that you had earlier. If you had to express red as a series of lines and curves, how would you do it? What about blue? Purple?

After you have begun to develop a greater awareness of the qualitative values of forms, share this with your child as you practice form drawing. Try to evoke their imagination in creating forms and colors.

Gather together some of the most beautiful colored forms that your child has created and make a book of Form Drawings. Gradually, as they deepen in their understanding of color and form, they can add to this book and create a beautiful record of their progress in color and form. Form drawing also provides a delightful method of creating borders to decorate pages of the Main Lesson Book. Encourage your child to use their form drawing skills this way.

MUSIC

For this final trimester of the Second Grade Music curriculum, we introduce one new note on the recorder. If you have been following the curriculum for the last two trimesters, your child will have grown considerably in their ability to express themselves musically.

Introduce the note B-flat from your Intermediate Recorder book, and practice the songs following the introduction of this note.







MUSIC








MUSIC








MUSIC


Introduce the note B-flat from your Intermediate Recorder book, and practice the songs following the introduction of this note.210 Oak Meadow Second Grade Course Book

After completing all of the exercises, you and your child will have learned the C-scale from middle C to high C and also B-flat, which is the most commonly used flat. Practice these notes and the songs which you have learned, in preparation for continued development of recorder proficiency in the Third Grade course.

HEALTH

Continue exploring topics related to health and fitness using the activities in Healthy Living from the Start. Use these activities as a starting point for conversations that explore the topics in more detail. Support your child’s learning by involving the whole family in these health activities whenever possible, and by encouraging an active, healthy lifestyle.

17

From Clay Fun

Soap DishClayLarge dowelTexturesN e e d l e

Prepare clay.

1. Make a smooth ball thesize of an egg.

2. Flatten the ball androll out into a slab 1/2inch thick.

3. Add texture to one orboth sides.

4. Curve the edges upto make sides, ands h a p e .

5. Add more texture or de-signs with the needle.

6. Gently pry dish up fromthe table and dry on news-p a p e r.

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Curriculum Overview Sample Lessons - Oak Meadowoakmeadow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2_overview-2014.pdf · Curriculum Overview Sample Lessons SECOND GRADE Oak Meadow INDEPENDENT

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