Bet Shraga Hebrew Academy

Language Arts
The Second Grade General Studies Language Arts curriculum includes the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series, A Legacy of Literacy. This is a research-based approach that employs multiple strategies to facilitate skill in understanding meaning, reading, writing, and spelling. The primary goal of language arts in Second Grade is the increased development of reading fluency, as well as more precise writing skills. Students will be exposed to a variety of fine literature through individual reading, group sharing, self-selected reading times, and integrated curriculum activities. Students will learn to analyze story structure, characterization, writing techniques, and descriptive elements in literature. They will then begin to apply what they have learned in their writing. Students will explore writing through poetry, narratives, creative fiction, and non-fiction reports. As students acquire greater ease with the written word, reading with expression will be emphasized.

Math
The Second Grade Mathematics Program includes Everyday Mathematics.
Students will continue to learn through a variety of activities, and manipulatives will be incorporated as needed. Math facts games, board games, and learning to use graphing/table data will be incorporated frequently. Multi-digit addition and subtraction skills will be developed, along with regrouping skills. Telling time to the minute, writing fractions and basic percents, and practice in graphing are other areas of focus. The Second Grade math program also includes fact families, place value, patterns, and measurement. Algebra will be introduced in the form of missing numbers in number models, puzzles, and “What’s My Rule?” problems.

Science
The Second Grade Science curriculum will focus on the study of soil. Rocks and minerals, earth and the seasons, Polar Regions, and the solar system will be studied also. Students will have the opportunity to explore these topics in depth. The inquiry method of learning will be developed to help students construct scientific concepts. Throughout the topics, students will sharpen their powers of observation. They will learn to study results, sort and classify items according to specific criteria, and record their findings.

Social Studies
The Social Studies curriculum in Second Grade focuses on the history of individual families and of America. A unit on the indigenous people of North America will also be included. As these topics are explored, the development of map reading skills, reading time lines, and research skills are emphasized. Ideas are explored through a variety of genre, which allow the students to view history from many perspectives.

We use the new TalAm curriculum for Second Grade. The goal of TalAm is to develop Jewish children who are literate, skilled and committed to live Jewishly. TalAm 2 continues the work begun in first Grade, and is organized along three inter-related tracks: The Jewish Year, Torah and Prayer.

The Jewish Year
Second Graders will increase their active and passive vocabularies, and will become more comfortable expressing themselves in Hebrew. They will learn to construct sentences and write simple compositions. Basic grammatical forms, present and past tense verb forms and correct syntax will be introduced. Early in the year, the children will begin to read and write in script.

The goals of the Hebrew Reading Program include developing fluency in reading, learning to answer oral and written comprehension questions in Hebrew and increasing vocabulary. TalAm readers and workbooks, as well as grammar text Yesodot HaLashon, will be used to support the development of language and reading skills. Music, dance, art and games will reinforce what has been taught.

Students will learn the language, historical background, blessings and prayers of each Holiday. Customs and traditions will be learned and experienced. Crafts, projects, songs and stories will add to our anticipation and joy as a holiday approaches.

Torah
The structure of the Humash is introduced. Students will become acquainted with the divisions of the Chumash into books, weekly portions, chapters and verses. We will study Parashot Bereshit and Noach utilizing the TalAm materials. Students will begin to develop a Biblical Hebrew vocabulary, and will be introduced to basic Biblical Hebrew Grammar. Emphasis will be placed on deriving meaning fro the text and understandings the ethical lessons to be learned. Art music and drama will enhance our lessons.

Prayer
We will build on the foundation established in first grade by adding more complex prayers from the Shacharit service. The children will be introduced to the background and main ideas of the prayers in order to make Tefillah a personally meaningful experience. We will express our ideas through discussions, music and art. Blessings before eating, selections from grace after meals and blessings connected to holiday celebrations and special events will be taught. Each week we will discuss the weekly parasha (Torah portion that is read in synagogue). The narrative of each parasha will be presented in simple Modern Hebrew.