Weeks 1-9 • Focus: Stories, Communities, and Numbers
The first quarter is dedicated to establishing strong academic and homeschool routines. Learning is anchored in the familiar and concrete: the universal language of stories, the geography of the local community, and the tangible properties of matter. This quarter provides the foundation for the important "second-grade leap" from concrete to more abstract thinking that will develop throughout the year.
Academic Skills:
Content Knowledge:
Launching the year with hands-on science investigations
What Is a Scientist?
by Barbara Lehn
Matter: Physical Science for Kids
by Andi Diehn
"The Fisherman and His Wife"
from CKLA Domain 1
Read What Is a Scientist? Discuss what scientists do (observe, ask questions, test ideas). 2R1
Establish "Science Safety Rules" for your homeschool (e.g., "Always ask permission," "Handle materials carefully"). 2.3b
Begin with a fun warm-up: count by 10s to 100, then by 5s. Introduce Math with Confidence (MWC) and play the first addition fact game. NY-2.NBT.2
Introduce the concept of "matter" and "properties." Go on a "Property Hunt" around the house or yard. Collect 5-10 interesting objects (a rock, a leaf, a spoon, a crayon, a rubber band). Use a magnifying glass to observe them closely. 2-PS1-1
Create a chart to record observations. For each object, describe its properties (color, texture, hardness, etc.). This practices descriptive language and organizing information.
Conduct a "Sink or Float" investigation. Before testing each object from yesterday, have the child make a prediction (hypothesis). Record predictions and results. 2-PS1-1
Focus on "making ten" to add. Use a ten-frame and counters to solve problems like 9+4 by thinking "9+1=10, and 3 more makes 13." Practice with MWC or Zearn. NY-2.OA.2
Introduce solids and liquids. Sort pictures or household items into a "Solid" or "Liquid" T-chart. Discuss the properties of each (e.g., solids keep their shape, liquids take the shape of their container).
Read the CKLA fairy tale "The Fisherman and His Wife." Ask "who, what, where" questions to check for understanding. 2R1
Practice subtraction fluency within 20 using the relationship to addition (e.g., "If I know 8+5=13, then I also know 13−5=8"). Play a subtraction card game. NY-2.OA.2
Review the week's science concepts. Ask: "What is a property? What is the difference between a solid and a liquid?"
Pose a design challenge: "We need to build a boat that can hold 10 pennies without sinking. Which material would be best?" Brainstorm possible materials (aluminum foil, construction paper, clay). Discuss the properties needed (e.g., waterproof, strong). 2-PS1-2
Test the materials. Have the child build a small "boat" from each material and test how many pennies it can hold in a tub of water. Analyze the data: which material worked best and why? 2-PS1-2
Continue MWC lessons, focusing on mental math strategies. Introduce skip counting by 100s to 1000. NY-2.NBT.2
Reread "The Fisherman and His Wife." Work together to identify the main idea of the story (e.g., being greedy doesn't lead to happiness) and retell the key events in order. 2R2
Write one or two sentences summarizing the story.
Conduct a "Flexibility Test." Gather different objects (paper clip, popsicle stick, cooked noodle, straw) and test which ones can bend without breaking. This is another investigation into material properties. 2-PS1-1
Use Zearn for a 15-20 minute digital lesson on addition/subtraction fluency. NY-2.OA.2
Revisit the boat design challenge. Ask the child to explain which material was best and why, using the vocabulary of properties. 2-PS1-2
Play a favorite math game from the past two weeks to reinforce fluency.
Science Materials:
Videos & Online Resources:
Learning to map and understand different types of communities
Me on the Map
by Joan Sweeney
Follow That Map!
by Scot Ritchie
A Place Called Home
by Lonely Planet Kids
Read Me on the Map. Discuss the concept of scale, from a room to a house, street, town, state, country, continent, and planet. Begin a "Me on the Map" layered flipbook project.
Introduce place value to 1000. Use base-ten blocks to build three-digit numbers (e.g., 247 is 2 hundreds flats, 4 tens rods, 7 ones cubes). This makes the abstract concept of place value tangible. NY-2.NBT.1
Introduce common nouns (a city, a state) vs. proper nouns (New York City, New York). Go on a "Proper Noun Hunt" in books and on maps. 2L1c
Continue the flipbook. Use Google Maps to find your home and zoom out to the town and state level, identifying the proper nouns.
Read Follow That Map!. Discuss how the maps and illustrations in the book help us understand the story. 2R6
Introduce the compass rose and cardinal directions (N, S, E, W). Label the walls of your learning space. Go outside for a "Compass Walk." The core project begins: create a map of the backyard or a local park. 2.5d, 2-ESS2-2
Introduce comparing three-digit numbers. Model with base-ten blocks first (e.g., "Is 312 greater or less than 289?") before introducing the symbols > and <. Practice with MWC workbook pages. NY-2.NBT.4
Add a map key/legend to the map project. Discuss why maps need legends.
Begin an informative paragraph titled "My Community". Brainstorm facts together (e.g., "I live in a town called [Proper Noun]," "It is a [suburban/urban/rural] community," "It has a park and a library."). Model writing a topic sentence. 2W2
Play "Place Value War." Players draw three cards to make a three-digit number; the player with the greater number wins the cards. NY-2.NBT.4
Read A Place Called Home. Explicitly discuss the characteristics of urban (city), suburban, and rural (country) communities. Create a three-column chart to list features of each (e.g., tall buildings, big yards, farms). 2.1a
Continue drafting the "My Community" paragraph, adding 2-3 supporting facts from yesterday's chart. 2W2
Practice writing numbers in expanded form (e.g., 345=300+40+5). This reinforces the meaning of each digit's place value. NY-2.NBT.3
Introduce intermediate directions (NE, SE, SW, NW). Add more detail to the map project using these new directions. If there is a stream or pond nearby, model it on the map, connecting to the "bodies of water" part of the science standard. 2.5d, 2-ESS2-2
Reread the informative paragraph. Introduce the idea of a concluding sentence that restates the main idea. Revise the paragraph together.
Use Zearn for digital practice on comparing numbers and place value. NY-2.NBT.4
Create a 3D model (diorama) of the mapped area using a shoebox, clay, small rocks, and craft supplies. This elevates the 2D map into a more complex scientific model. 2-ESS2-2
Share the finished "My Community" paragraph with another family member.
Mapping Materials:
Math Materials & Resources:
Analyzing story structure and learning problem/solution patterns
"The Emperor's New Clothes"
from CKLA Domain 1
"Beauty and the Beast"
from CKLA Domain 1
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
by Ed Young
Read the CKLA version of "The Emperor's New Clothes". Introduce a "Story Elements" graphic organizer with sections for Characters, Setting, Problem, and Solution. Work together to fill it out for the story. Focus on how the characters (the emperor, the swindlers, the child) responded to the challenge of the "invisible" clothes. 2R3
Introduce "adding to" word problems. Use the story as a theme: "The Emperor had 28 outfits. He ordered 15 more. How many outfits does he have now?" Model solving with base-ten blocks or by drawing a picture. NY-2.OA.1
Discuss the "properties" of the magical cloth described by the swindlers. Was it real matter? Why or why not? This connects back to our properties of matter unit.
Read "Beauty and the Beast" from the CKLA reader. Compare the characters of Beauty and the Emperor. How did they each face a difficult situation? Discuss the concept of a story's "moral" or lesson. 2R3
Read Lon Po Po. Discuss how this is a version of a story many people know (Little Red Riding Hood) but from a different culture (China).
Explain that shared stories are part of what makes a community. Compare and contrast Lon Po Po with the traditional Red Riding Hood story using a Venn diagram. 2.2
Begin a short narrative writing piece. Give a prompt like, "Write a story about a character who receives a magical gift." Brainstorm ideas for the character, setting, and a simple problem/solution. Focus on writing the beginning of the story. 2W3
Graphic Organizers:
Supplemental Resources:
Exploring a uniquely American literary genre and the art of exaggeration
"Paul Bunyan"
from CKLA Domain 1
"Pecos Bill"
from CKLA Domain 1
Swamp Angel
by Anne Isaacs
Read the CKLA story "Paul Bunyan". Introduce the concept of a "tall tale." What makes it different from a fairy tale? Create a T-chart to compare the genres (Fairy Tale: magic, royalty, moral; Tall Tale: American frontier, exaggeration, humor).
Focus on exaggeration. Find examples in "Paul Bunyan" (e.g., Babe the Blue Ox creating the Great Lakes).
Have the child write a few "tall tale sentences" about themselves, using exaggeration (e.g., "I ate a pancake so big it covered the whole table.").
Introduce adding two-digit numbers without regrouping (e.g., 45+23). Use base-ten blocks to model adding the ones, then adding the tens. Connect to the theme: "Paul Bunyan chopped down 32 trees in the morning and 25 in the afternoon. How many did he chop down in all?" NY-2.NBT.5
Read the CKLA story "Pecos Bill." Add details about "Pecos Bill" to the Tall Tale side of the genre comparison chart.
Discuss the setting of this story (the American West, a cattle ranch) and compare it to Paul Bunyan's logging camp. How were these communities different? 2.1b
Practice subtracting two-digit numbers without regrouping (e.g., 78−34). Use base-ten blocks again to model taking away the ones, then taking away the tens. NY-2.NBT.5
Connect to standard 2-PS1-3 with a building challenge. Give the child a set of LEGOs or building blocks. Have them build one object, then take it apart and build a completely new object with the same pieces. Discuss how the pieces are the same but the structure is different. 2-PS1-3
Read Swamp Angel. Discuss how this story features a female tall tale hero. Compare her exaggerated feats to those of Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill.
Introduce irregular past tense verbs. Create a matching game with present/past tense cards (e.g., grow/grew, eat/ate, know/knew, tell/told). Use them in sentences about the tall tales (e.g., "Paul Bunyan grew to be a giant."). 2L1f
Continue practicing addition and subtraction within 100 without regrouping, using a mix of word problems and equations. Use MWC or Zearn for varied practice. NY-2.NBT.5
Have the child create their own tall tale character. Use a character map to brainstorm a name, a location, and an exaggerated skill or quality. Write a few sentences describing the character.
Play "Tall Tale or Not a Tall Tale?" Read short descriptions and have the child identify which genre it belongs to and why.
Play a math game to review addition/subtraction within 100.
ELA Materials:
Supplemental Resources:
Understanding civics, government, and data representation
Grace for President
by Kelly DiPucchio
What's the Big Deal About Elections?
by Ruby Shamir
The Great Kapok Tree
by Lynne Cherry
Read Grace for President. Introduce the concept of elections and voting. Discuss the roles and responsibilities of a class president. Hold a mock election in your homeschool! Choose two candidates (stuffed animals work well) and discuss their "platforms" (e.g., "Teddy promises more read-aloud time," "Bunny promises more outdoor play."). 2.3a, 2.3c
Use the election as a context for data collection. Create a ballot and have family members vote. Tally the votes. Introduce a picture graph to represent the results. Each picture (e.g., a smiley face) represents one vote. NY-2.MD.10
Introduce bar graphs. Use the same election data to create a bar graph. Discuss the parts of the graph: title, labels for categories, and scale. Ask "compare" questions based on the graph: "How many more votes did Teddy get than Bunny?" "How many people voted in all?" NY-2.MD.10
Read What's the Big Deal About Elections?. Discuss the difference between rules (at home, in a game) and laws (in a community). Why do we need them? Connect this to the idea that government helps keep people safe and maintain order. 2.3b
Read The Great Kapok Tree. Discuss how the different animals tried to persuade the man not to cut down the tree. Pose a question: "Should the man cut down the tree?" Have the child state their opinion (e.g., "I think he should not cut down the tree") and give one reason (e.g., "because the animals need it for their home."). 2W1
Play a favorite math game from the quarter (e.g., Place Value War). Review addition and subtraction strategies.
Revisit the story elements graphic organizer. Choose a favorite story from the quarter and have the child retell it, identifying the characters, setting, problem, and solution.
Revisit the properties of matter. Play a "Guess the Object" game where you describe an object's properties (e.g., "I'm thinking of something that is solid, hard, and smooth") and the child guesses what it is.
Look at the maps created in Weeks 3-4. Ask the child to use the compass rose to describe the location of an object. Work together to add another reason and a concluding sentence to the opinion piece from Week 8.
Conduct informal assessments. Ask the child to solve a few math problems on a whiteboard, read a short passage aloud, and explain the purpose of a map legend. Select key work samples from the quarter (e.g., the community map, the tall tale sentences, a math workbook page) to include in their portfolio. Use these observations and work samples to write your first quarterly report.
Math Materials:
Assessment Materials:
| Title | Author | Week(s) Used |
|---|---|---|
| What Is a Scientist? | Barbara Lehn | Weeks 1-2 |
| Matter: Physical Science for Kids | Andi Diehn | Weeks 1-2 |
| Me on the Map | Joan Sweeney | Weeks 3-4 |
| Follow That Map! | Scot Ritchie | Weeks 3-4 |
| A Place Called Home | Lonely Planet Kids | Weeks 3-4 |
| Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China | Ed Young | Week 5 |
| Swamp Angel | Anne Isaacs | Weeks 6-7 |
| Grace for President | Kelly DiPucchio | Weeks 8-9 |
| What's the Big Deal About Elections? | Ruby Shamir | Weeks 8-9 |
| The Great Kapok Tree | Lynne Cherry | Weeks 8-9 |
| CKLA Domain 1 Selections: | Core Knowledge | Throughout |
Continue your homeschool journey with Quarter 2: Ancient Worlds, featuring early Asian civilizations, ancient Greece, and natural cycles.
Continue to Quarter 2