Second Grade

Walk for Water encourages second grade boys to experience the task of fetching clean drinking water and carrying it a distance to their homes. They walk 3 miles with gallons of water, cheered on by their pre-kindergarten buddies and the rest of the Lower School community.

The boys also work to raise money to help build wells in Africa, and take a trip to Fairmount Water Works to learn the importance of being careful stewards of our resources.

Favorite characters come to life in the Lower School library, where our boys develop a love of reading. While listening and responding to stories, the boys practice a number of important skills, including:

• How to ask a question
• How to think about their reading preferences
• How to locate books within the library

Second grade is a pivotal year for literacy skills, as it is the last of the early elementary years that are dedicated to "learning to read" before "reading to learn."

In second grade, boys engage in literacy lessons that build off of the first grade literacy curriculum. Second grade boys learn new phonics and spelling skills, including less common letter-sound combinations, sound spelling patterns, and structural word analysis skills. Boys apply their reading and comprehension skills and strategies to authentic fiction and informational texts that are longer and more complex. They also apply their writing skills and understanding of the writing process to write longer, more structured narratives, informational texts, and opinion pieces.  

By the end of second grade, the goal is for students to have solid foundational literacy skills that allow them to be fluent readers and confident writers. With these skills in place, as they transition into the later elementary years, their focus can shift toward using these skills to develop higher order comprehension and more sophisticated writing skills. 

Hands-on learning activities are aimed at helping boys cement their math skills and understanding. Boys are engaged in lessons that will develop computational and conceptual skills. A strong emphasis is placed on the student’s ability to explain his mathematical thinking in written and oral form. Haverford's math program is differentiated by assessing each boy’s abilities and targeting instruction according to his learning needs.

Haverford uses the Kódaly approach to teach boys to read basic melodic and rhythmic notation through a rich variety of authentic folk music from America and around the world. Every second grade boy participates in The Coro Primo which is our youngest choir in the School. Boys may also elect to participate in beginning string ensembles.

Our Physical Education Department and sports programs not only promote athleticism, but camaraderie, sportsmanship, fair play, and good competition. The major areas of focus in the first grade program include:

• Foot-eye and hand-eye coordination
• Cooperative games implementing physical skills
• Cardiovascular endurance
• Muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility

All activities in our curriculum are designed to foster the skills necessary for our boys to be successful in their athletic interests, develop character through sportsmanship and cooperation, and promote participation and enthusiasm.

Boys learn the importance of the scientific attitudes of curiosity, critical thinking, and persistence as necessary traits for scientific investigation. They study the following units: Biological, Chemical, Physical, Earth and Space, and Health Sciences. Lessons include games, activities, and experiments where boys learn to practice the Scientific Method and hone their scientific attitudes. Topics include:

• Animals, Dinosaurs
• Matter & Magnetism
• Energy (Mechanical, Heat, Light, Electrical)
• Space
• Environmental (Ecology, Plants)
• Weather Systems

Second grade boys are immersed in rich experiential trimester themes that includes in-depth study of the 50 United States and cultural studies of India and Africa. Highlights for these units of study include: a second grade student State Fair, field trip to Pennsylvania’s State Fair, two-month foreign language study of Hindi, Walk for Water service project, creation of African stories and walking sticks, and an eight-week study and performance in African drumming and dance. Literature read in class is used to create reflection and class discussion on character. Second grade boys are also given the responsibility of mentoring pre-kindergarten "buddies."

Performing arts is an integral part of the Lower School experience, beginning in kindergarten with the rehearsal and performance of a show illustrating American symbols. As students progress through Lower School, they engage in signature programs like the second grade African drumming and dance. Each boy receives instruction in music, dance, and performance art as part of The Haverford School curriculum, preparing him for the burgeoning Middle and Upper School theater programs.

Our first and second graders build upon the skills that they’ve learned and developed in earlier grades. Motor activities such as gluing, cutting, and gripping are further practiced and perfected as they delve into various projects.

In second grade the boys study Africa in their classroom so we spend a unit in art studying the work of Renos Towanameso, who carves storytelling walking sticks. In turn, each boy creates his own story telling walking stick out of wood and paper mache. When drawing, painting, printing, and sculpting, students continue to build upon elements of art such as depth, texture, color theory, line, and rendering. As they create they are taught and encouraged to speak about their own work and to offer constructive insights concerning the work of others. Above all, our aim is to cultivate a love of creative exploration and expression.