Social Studies:
We achieve state and district standards using materials from Social Studies Alive!: My Community published by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute (TCI). Many of the learning experiences require students to work cooperatively in small groups. Students work in heterogeneous groups to create projects that require multiple abilities so that every student can contribute. Students authentically apply language arts skills as they use interactive student notebooks to show their understanding. Student notebooks, informal observation, rubrics, and traditional quizzes and tests are utilized to inform instruction and assess student learning.
Essential questions provide the focus for units of study in history, geography, economics, civics, and current events. In second grade, our essential questions include:
How do current events influence the decisions we make?
What can we learn from holiday observances?
What is a community?
How are communities different?
How do we use maps?
What is geography?
How do people use our environment?
How are goods made and brought to us?
Who provides services in a community?