Elementary Plans for a Creative Kid: 2nd Grade – 4th Grade

My youngest child is finishing up 1st grade now and to get an overall picture of what we will cover in the next few years, I did some long-term plans for her. This child is a highly creative visual-spatial learner.  This typically requires some kind of creative approach to each subject.  Sometimes I use an item as intended and other times I adapt it to fit my kid.  This child also loves documentaries so I will be using them heavily in our unit study approach to science and history.

I use an eclectic approach to learning and often use bits of one thing and pieces of another and mesh them together into something that works.  Right now I’m taking a dabbling approach to foreign languages.  She has been learning Greek, Arabic, and Mandarin for a couple years and in 2nd grade I’m adding French and German.  When she gets closer to middle school we will cut down her languages to French plus one or two languages that she prefers.

The grade levels listed are just general guidelines.  We will just get done what gets done.  If we don’t have time for something, we will drop it or bump it to the next year.

Math

• Singapore Standards Edition textbook and workbook – 2nd grade – 4th grade
• Singapore Challenging Word Problems 2 and up – 2nd grade – 4th grade
• Double Tangoes, Math War Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication Wrap-Ups, Multiplication Match, Math apps, living math books
• Zometools Lesson Plans – 2nd-4th

Science

I’m not sure we will make it through all of these.  If not, I’ll bump them and we’ll finish them in 5th grade along with a microbiology unit study.

• Finish Magic School Bus unit study – 2nd grade
• Oceans unit study – 2nd
• Amphibians and Reptiles unit study – 2nd
• Human body unit study – 3rd
• Food chains, Ecology, and Biomes unit study – 3rd
• Fish unit study – 3rd
• Space unit study – 3rd
• Earthquakes and Volcanoes – 3rd
• Birds unit study – 4th
• Botany unit study – 4th
• Mammals classification unit study – 4th
• Invertebrates unit study – 4th
• Weather unit study – 4th
• Electricity with Snap Circuits – 4th

 

History and Geography

• Central and South America unit studies – 2nd
• Arctic and North America unit studies – 3rd
• Europe unit studies – 4th
• Maps, Charts, and Graphs: United States and Its Neighbors Level E – 2nd
• Maps, Chart, and Graphs:  United States Past and Present Level H – 3rd
• Mapping the World with Art – 4th+
• Story of the World 1 audio with activity book – 2nd (finish)
• Story of the World 2 audio with activity book – 3rd-4th

Language Arts

• The Word Snoop – 2nd
• Vocabulary Cartoons and 101 Doodle Definitions – 3rd
• Excavating English – 4th
• Steck-Vaughn Phonics C and D – 2nd
• Handwriting – Startwrite software – 2nd -4th grade
• Just Write 1  – 2nd
• Just Write 2 – 3rd
• Classical Writing Aesop – 4th
• Rod and Staff Spelling by Sound and Structure – 2nd-4th
• Rod and Staff English 2 (grammar only) – 2nd-3rd
• Rod and Staff English 4 (grammar only) – 4th+

Read Alouds

2nd grade – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, Peter Pan, The Reluctant Dragon, American Tall Tales, Heidi, Runny Babbit, James and the Giant Peach, Just So Stories, The Jungle Book, and The Little Princess

3rd grade – The Secret Garden, The Tale of Despereaux, Dr. Dolittle, Black Beauty, Mary Poppins, Pollyanna, Wind in the Willows, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Anne of Green Gables, and Lassie Come Home

4th grade – The Prince and the Pauper, The Incredible Journey, The Indian in the Cupboard, Little Women, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Swiss Family Robinson, The Story of My Life, Christmas Carol, and Gentle Ben

Readers

Finish this list before moving on to Henry Huggins, Paddle to the Sea, My Father’s Dragon trilogy, The Hundred Dresses, The Apple and the Arrow, Number the Stars, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, The Enormous Crocodile, Yearling, Phantom Tollbooth, Caddie Woodlawn, BFG, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Misty of Chincoteague, Johnny Tremain, A Wrinkle in Time, Matilda, Wizard of Oz, Old Yeller, and Adventures of Tom Sawyer

 

Foreign Language

Greek

• Song School Greek – 2nd-3rd
• Athenaze – 3rd+

Arabic

• Sinbad – 2nd-4th
• Alif Baa – 2nd+

Chinese

• My First Chinese Words – 2nd+
• My First Chinese Reader 1 – 2nd-4th

French

• French for Kids Level 1 part 1 and French for Kids Level 1 part 2 – 2nd grade
• Bilingual Songs French/English Vol 1-3 – 2nd-4th grade
• French with Abby and Zak – 2nd-3rd grade
• Ecoutez Parlez 1 – 4th

German

• German for Kids Level 1 Vol 1 and German for Kids Level 1 Vol 2 – 2nd grade-3rd grade
• Talk German  – 2nd-3rd grade
• Get Started in German 3rd-4th grade

Fine Arts

• Music Ace Deluxe – 2nd-3rd grade
• Piano – 2nd+
• Music Appreciation – 3rd
• Sewing – Make stuffed toys – 2nd
• Sewing – 3rd+
• Art Appreciation – 2nd
• The Art of Digital Photography – 3rd
• Phonics of Drawing – 4th
• Cooking Competitions

 

Bible

• Jesus Storybook Bible – 2nd (Reader)
• 52 Names of God study– 2nd
• Missionary biographies read alouds – 2nd-3rd
• Bible story videos – 2nd
• The Illustrated ICB Bible (Reader) – 3rd -4th
• Visual Bible Matthew, John, and Acts – 3rd
• Fruit of the Spirit picture book study – 3rd
• I Want to Know: Bible Stories, Articles, Facts, and Fun About God, Jesus, the Bible, and Prayer – 3rd
• The War is Over – 4th
• The Gospel According to TL and Daisy – 4th

Logic

• Dot to Dot Super Challenge – 2nd
• The Amazing 50 States Maze Book – 2nd
• Ultimate Maze Book – 2nd
• Chess Academy for Kids by Geek Kids iPad app – 2nd+
• Grid Perplexors A – 3rd
• Logic Countdown – 3rd
• Grid Perplexors B – 4th
• Logic Liftoff – 4th

 

Computer skills

• Scratch programming – 2nd+
• Mavis Beacon Typing 2nd+