Curriculum themes for Class Two
Children in Class Two are developing a heightened awareness of the world around them and are attracted to challenge and adventure, while remaining in a vivid world of pictorial imagination.
In this year, children extend their reading and writing abilities, and move to more complex mathematical work.
Thinking is further awakened through an artistic approach which builds on the love of pictures, colour and music.
Stories reflecting a stronger connection with the world
- While Class 1 stories focussed on the wholeness of the human, animal and natural worlds and the heavens; Class 2 stories are chosen to reflect a differentiation between these kingdoms.
- Folk stories gradually give way to myths and legends, often from Celtic traditions
- Animal legends and folk tales of all cultures, including Native American Indian
- Animal fables, which often emphasise moral qualities.
- Stories of individual courage and idealism
- Stories showing the ennoblement of moral, emotional and personality characteristics
- Stories of Saints or holy people of a variety of cultures, emphasising goodness and courage and often also a relationship between human and animal worlds (e.g. St Francis of Assisi)
- Stories of physical challenge and striving, with underlying spiritual metaphors and truths (e.g. the Irish King of Ireland’s Son)
- Exercises to help develop thinking
- Symmetry exercises with an emphasis on axis, mirroring, above/below
- Four-sided symmetries with rounded forms and their metamorphosis into angular forms
Themes for Main Lessons
- Celtic stories – King of Ireland’s Son, Celtic Dragon Myth
- Mathemagics – Number Patterns and forms
- The Saints and other holy people, past and current
- Nature stories, the four seasons, the four elements
- Animals and their qualiies (lion/courage, fox/cunning etc) through fables
- Mathematics – the Four processes in vertical/column form through stories
Practice (subject) lessons
- Times tables, mental arithmetic, working with the four processes
- Games, activities and creative tasks to help social interaction
- Word games with phonemes, common sight words
- Artistic work, modelling etc. on main lesson themes that reinforce the beauty of nature
Possible Main Lessons in Class Two
The King of Ireland’s Son (English)
Number Patterns (Mathematics)
Air and Water (Science)
Animal Fables (English)
Place Value (Mathematics)
Fire and Rock (Science)
Saint Stories (English)
Aboriginal Stories and Camp (English)
Celtic Stories (English)
Class Play (English, Creative Arts)