On to the next!
If you missed it, yesterday I shared all the curriculum my Kindergartener will use for the new school year. You can read that HERE. Today I’m sharing what my son will be using for his upcoming 2nd grade year.
Looking back on his 1st grade year (see all that curriculum HERE) he really had an amazing year. Everything seemed to fit him just right, he grew a lot, and learned so much. So, most of his core curriculum this year is staying the same, he will just be using the next level up.
This is all his core curriculum that we like to try to have completed before lunch. It really only takes about an hour-hour and a half to get everything done. In the afternoon is when we do our science or history studies. I’ll be sharing the curriculum we are using for those subjects next week, since we do them all together as a family.
Language Arts- The Good and the Beautiful Level 2
We love The Good and the Beautiful for early elementary Language Arts. He has used them since preschool, and they have given him a strong foundation for reading and grammar. Last year he used Level 1 and is now moving on to Level 2. We love the short lessons, different ways of learning spread throughout (visual, hands-on, auditory) and readers that go with this curriculum.
Phonics- Explode the Code Book 3
Explode the Code is what we use for a little bit of extra phonics practice. My kids love these books, and they are very simple to do. They have also greatly helped with decoding words, reading, and spelling practice. You do not need the teacher manual to go with these, they are very self-explanatory. He is about halfway through Book 3 and will continue on to Book 4 whenever he completes it. I typically have him complete 2 pages each day.
Writing- Brave Writer Jot It Down
This will not be part of our everyday curriculum, but something we will be using throughout the year probably once a month. Jot It Down has 10 different writing projects that are so fun and get your child learning to brainstorm and creatively write. Some of the projects include letters, fairytale narrations, posters, mini-books, lists, and body art. This program is geared toward ages 5-7, but I know my 9-year-old daughter will want to join us too. There is a writing program for ages 8-10 called Partnership Writing that I hope to use next. I’m excited to use this throughout the year to teach my kids that writing can be fun!
Spelling- A Reason For Spelling Level A
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This will be our first year using a complete spelling curriculum and I’m excited to use this program. The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts does include spelling in the course book, but it is very sporadic throughout and not focused on enough. I’m excited we will have a more guided spelling curriculum that can easily be implemented each day. We will do the pre-test at the beginning of the week, one page each day to practice any words missed, and the game/activity at the end of the week.
Level A is technically the 1st grade level, but spelling has been a little more challenging for him so we are going to start at the beginning. You DO need to have the teacher guide to go with this curriculum because it has all of the spelling words in it as well as instructions on how to complete some of these activities.
Math- Simply Good and Beautiful Math Level 2
We LOVE math from The Good and the Beautiful. All my kids use it and say it’s their favorite subject. It is full of great games and fun ways to teach math concepts. The lessons are short and he is able to complete the review section on his own each day. Since my daughter used this level for 2nd grade as well, we already had the box set of manipulatives and I was able to print the free pdf of the curriculum at home. When printing the free PDF’s I usually just print one unit at a time. THIS is the binding machine I have and surprisingly use it often! I love that it uses snap together spines so I can reuse the binding for each unit.
Handwriting- A Reason For Handwriting Level B
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For handwriting this year we are trying something new from A Reason For. I really love that it uses Bible verses and scripture for handwriting practice. It is broken into 4 short sections each week, so we just complete one section each day. There are beautiful, blank handwriting pages in the back that they can write the full scripture on at the end of the week as copy work. This book is self explanatory, so I don’t think you need the teacher guide to go with it.
Reading- Dash Into Learning Set 3
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This past year my son has become much more confident in reading. We will continue to read Set 3 from Dash Into Learning as well as many other early readers from the library. He is slowly starting to get into beginner chapter books. Here are lists of great books for BOYS and GIRLS.
Bible- Acension Press: Renewed First Reconciliation & Received First Communion
This year we are using a new bible curriculum and I’m really excited for it! We use a simple Bible curriculum all together as a family (that I’ll share next week) as well as read a story from The Gospel Storybook Bible before bed each night. But at this age, my kids also do their own Bible study/catechism as they prepare for certain sacraments. This year my son will be getting ready for his First Reconciliation and First Communion next spring. We opt to do his catechism classes at home instead of at our church, so this year we are trying the new curriculum from Ascension Press. It has a simple workbook and great videos to go with each lesson. We only do these lessons together once a week, usually while his sister is in dance class.
For history, science, and geography, we love to do family studies. It is so much easier for me to teach multiple grades if we do many of these subjects together. I’ll be sharing our plans for these subjects next week!
One thing that really helped my kids this past year were THESE independent check lists. My kids did a LOT less complaining when they saw everything laid out in a list for them. These are also super helpful for me, so they can get started on their own and know what to work on while I am doing a lesson with someone else. He is able to complete handwriting, explode the code, some spelling, and the review section for math all on his own. You can read more about how I implement independent work HERE.
2nd grade is looking to be a great year ahead of us and I can’t wait! Be sure to come back tomorrow as I share all the curriculum choices for my 4th grader!
– Lindsay
2nd Grade Curriculum Roundup:
Language Arts- The Good and the Beautiful Level 2
Spelling- A Reason For Level A
Writing- Brave Writer Jot It Down
Math- The Good and the Beautiful Level 2
Handwriting- A Reason For Level B
Reading- Dash Into Learning Set 3
Bible- Acension Press: Renewed First Reconciliation & Received First Communion
Thank you so much for sharing! Next year I will have a 4th grader, 2nd grader, and Kindergartener and I have officially decided to pull them all out and homeschool next year. I am so excited and also overwhelmed. Your posts have been so helpful.
That’s so exciting! I’m so happy to help in any way. I hope you have a great first year!
Thank you for sharing! I have a new 2nd grader this year also and really need a good spelling book!! Also I notice you are in Central Valley Northern California!! We are as well!! Stockton for us!
Yes, very close to us! We are in the Modesto area!