Suggestions for Planning Your 2
ndGrade Curriculum
Compiled by Janet Langley and Patti Connolly
The soul theme of Second Grade is one of duality as the children experience the “little birth” of their astral bodies. It is our task to guide them to feel and work inwardly with this polarity. How do we do this? By alternating our storytelling between stories of the enlightened beings who transform our “animal nature” with those of the fables, which describe animals who
demonstrate the lower qualities of human nature.
Main Lesson Block Rotation Planning
September: Math and Native American Animal Legends
1. In your form drawing class – choose running forms to prepare for cursive. Use fables, Native American animal tales, nature stories, or an umbrella story of your own creation to provide imaginations for the various forms.
2. Choose stories, poems, drawings, and perhaps a play to celebrate Michaelmas (September 29th). Especially tell the story of St. George and the Dragon.
a. Once students have memorized the Michaelmas play (if you do one), use the play text for memory reading activities in your language arts practice classes. Have the students identify known sight words, decode words that use learned phonics rules, etc.
b. In the practice classes during this block, students could also write part of the play to practice handwriting (upper/lower case) and review capitalization for proper names and first words in a sentence, plus review use of period.
3. Do Autumn nature crafts to include during this main lesson
October: Language Arts and Stories of Saintly People
1. Tell the stories of Saints Jerome, Elizabeth of Hungary, and Christopher. 2. Introduce cursive writing in conjunction with the Story of St. Jerome.
3. Include Halloween poems/songs (use for memory reading or as a source for sight words). 4. Visit a pumpkin patch- carve pumpkins with older grade buddies.
5. Design/construct a scarecrow for the garden.
November: Math and Native American Legends and Fables
Festivals: Martinmas and Thanksgiving
1. Tell stories of Saint Martin and Tolstoy’s “Where Love Is, God Is,” which has a similar gesture. (This story can be found in William Bennett’s Book of Virtues.)
2. Celebrate Martinmas with lantern making and evening lantern walk with families. 3. Do a clothing drive in conjunction with Martinmas.
4. Include Eugene Schwartz’s “Saint Martin” poem, Thanksgiving poems/songs/crafts.
December: Language Arts Main Lesson (Holiday activities/stories)
Festivals: Santa Lucia, St. Nicholas, Celebrations of Light (Advent, Kwanzaa, Hanukah, Diwali, etc.), Christmas (could also include story of St. Bride)
1. Tell the stories of Saint Nicholas and Santa Lucia.
2. Include Advent verses/wreath; holiday songs/poems to sing and recite. Week one honors the gifts of the mineral world.
Week two honors the gifts of the plant world. Week three honors the gifts of the animal world. Week four honors the gifts of humanity.
3. Celebrate St. Nicholas day (Dec. 6) by putting out the children’s shoes for tangerines and walnuts and Santa Lucia Day by baking Santa Lucia buns and delivering them to other classes (Dec. 13).
4. Make gifts/decorations and design holiday cards including composing messages.
January: Math and Fables and Jataka Tales
Festivals: Ephiphany/Three Kings Day, Martin Luther King Day 1. Tell Martin Luther King’s story in an age appropriate manner.
2. Introduce the class play ten weeks before performance. (Begin learning dialogue, dances, songs, etc. as part of opening segment of main lesson–Don’t let this segment go over 15 min. You can also practice during Eurythmy, and as transitions for practice classes.)
February: Language Arts and Stories of Saintly People
Festival: Valentine’s Day
1. Tell the stories of Saints Valentine, Columba, Brendan, John. 2. Make valentines for special subject teachers, staff, and parents. 3. Paint 2 heart-shaped paintings to make a big envelope for valentines. 4. Practice play lines/songs.
5. Go on a snow day trip, if possible, then write about it.
March: Math and Finn McCool or King of Ireland’s Son
Festivals: St. Patrick’s Day, Easter
1. Tell stories of Saint Patrick and Saint Bridget. 2. Recite poetry and music of the coming of spring. 3. Practice and perform the Class Play .
April: Language Skills and Stories of Saintly People
Festivals: Easter
1. Tell stories of Blessed Katiri, Saint Francis, St. Clare, Mother Theresa. 2. Include spring poems/songs.
3. Go on nature walks and write compositions about what you saw and did. 4. Include spring crafts.
May: Home Surroundings and Nature Stories
1. Tell Nature stories.
2. Go on nature walks and write compositions about what you saw and did. 3. Include nature songs and poems.
4. Include nature crafts and gardening.
Archetypal Saints
Use the cycle of the year to choose seasonal archetypal saints. Of course there are other enlightened beings, such as Saints Jerome and Valentine, who you may want to weave into the
Fall – Michaelmas
“Look around you” Melancholic mood
Archangel Michael George Martin Nicholas
Summer – Whitsun Winter -Christmas
“Receive the Light” “Guard yourself from evil”
Expansion Contraction Columba Odilia Christopher Brigid Brendan Eustache Spring – Easter “Know thyself” Birth and death
Patrick Elizabeth Francis and Clare
Considerations for ‘Saintly People’ Stories
The following people exemplify some of the noblest ideals found in humankind – generosity, compassion, courage, and champions of the downtrodden, as examples. They were all flawed human beings, but the changes they helped bring to their communities, country, and/or the world were remarkable and important. Sprinkling their stories in among the stories of the ‘saints’ will bring a balance to your curriculum and let the students know that anyone from the lowly farm worker to a rich Caliphate can bring light into the darkness. Here are a few examples: Jane Addams: A pioneer social worker in the U.S. was the second woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She was the founder of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. She also worked tirelessly to help the poor including running Hull House in Chicago, a shelter for the homeless that hosted 2,000 people every week. Jane also lobbied to stop the use of
children as industrial laborers. Even though Jane was born into a wealthy, influential family she at one time took on the official job of garbage inspector for the 19th Ward because she was so concerned about the sanitary conditions there. (As a child, Jane suffered from a congenital spinal defect that affected her all of her life.)
*Cesar Chavez (born March 31, 1927): Mexican American labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers labor union. Chavez fought to improve the deplorable working and living conditions of the migrant farm workers.
*Wangari Maathai (born April 1, 1940): Political activist, feminist, and leader of the Green Party movement in Kenya: Born in Kenya, Wangari’s fortitude, talent, and intelligence took her from the fields of her father’s Kenyan farm to an African boarding school (something few girls ever did at that time). She then earned a scholarship to the Univ. of Pittsburgh where she received a Master of biological sciences degree and then studied in Germany and Nairobi, where she received her PhD. Wangari returned to Kenya and became the leader of the Greenbelt
Movement, which fought against deforestation, the main cause of poverty in Kenya. (For this involvement she has been beaten, had at times had to go into hiding and forced to move about in disguises.) Wangari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She is belovedly known as ‘Tree Lady.’
Saladin (12th Century): Famous 12th C Caliphate, who defended his people from the Crusades defeating Richard the Lionheart. Upon his death, Saladin left all of his possessions to the poor. He was remembered far and wide for his kindness and generosity. History tells the story of how Saladin sent his personal physician to tend the ailing Richard the Lionheart, who at that time was leading a crusade against Saladin’s forces. Thus was his respect for his rival.
Inspirational individuals from around the world
*Gandhi*Martin L. King, Jr. Mother Teresa
Moses, the Strong Man: Ethiopia Benedict, the African
Rosa Parks *Clara Barton *Helen Keller
Sidi Ahmed el Kebir of Algeria Dalai Lama El Magharibi of Medea Desmond Tutu Joan of Arc Sitting Bull Mary Anning Harriet Tubman
*Nelson Mandela
Abraham Lincoln
*Brief biographies of these people can be found in Susan Cook’s small book: Biographies for 8th Grade History: Twenty Remarkable Men and Women. Published 2009 by AWSNA
Publications (Susan is an experienced Waldorf teacher.) You, of course, would need to adjust these bio-sketches to meet the developmental needs of the 2nd Grader.
Other biographies covered in this book include: Benito Juarez
Frederick Douglass Harriet Tubman
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Marie Curie John Harrison Eli Whitney Sequoyah Simon Bolivar Janusz Korczak Nien Cheng Jomo Kenyatta
Favorite Fables
There are a number of sources for the fables. One often uses only Aesop tales from Greece. Here are our favorites:
Raven and Swan Bear and Bees Wind and Sun Boy who cried wolf Dog and his reflections
Lion and Mouse Monkey and Camel Frog and Mouse
Two Frogs and the Cream Bowl Jataka Tales from India are another source. Here are three we especially liked: Deceitful Heron, Turtle and Geese, and Black Bull.
Consider sharing trickster stories with the children, either Anansi Tales from West Africa or Native American Coyote Tales, as the story content for any form drawing blocks you may plan for in September and/or January. Or weave them into your fable blocks.
More Suggestions for Teaching Second Grade
Continue to develop their senses: Use the 12 senses to help your students explore nature. (Perhaps you might focus on 1 per month–especially the lower senses.)
Storytelling: Include aspects of your story that will appeal to each of the four temperaments (e.g., action for the cholerics, color and variety for the sanguines, smells/food descriptions and repetition for the phlegmatics and some sadness or tragedy to feel/overcome for the melancholics).
Language Skills: If your class still needs help with the short vowel sounds, be sure to have posters up of objects that begin with each sound in your alphabet display. For example: short
ă with a picture of an apple, ŭ with an umbrella, etc. If you can use the edge of a cliff for ĕ
that is better than elephant or Eskimo, etc. because the E often blends with the following letter in a word and therefore does not render a clear ĕ sound. (Egg is also problematic as it often slides into long ā.)
Homework: Before 9 years old, homework should consist of will exercises. Perhaps a practice of writing straight columns of 3 or 4 numbers, practicing certain cursive letters/words, jumping rope, etc.
