Unquestionably children move at their own rate through this arduous process and they are entitled to teachers sensitive to their needs. Getting them launched successfully is a delicate, complicated task. If they are rushed or stressed, they will not work with great confidence or enthusiasm.

We are able to challenge all the children in their areas of strength with top level material and at the same time support them in weaker areas. It is important to note that a child who is reading advanced material, for example, may not yet be a fluid writer or confident speaker. With children moving into different task groupings according to their skills rather than their age, feelings of negative competition are greatly reduced. Cooperative learning and individual confidence become the norm Reading

Reading is taught using a wide variety of methods; we allow the individual to concentrate on his strengths to promote a feeling of success. When the child has developed a large enough mastery of instantly recognizable words, he enters into commercial readers. Basal readers are actually surprisingly literary and relevant. They build on a carefully planned repertoire of sight words, giving a secure base to the beginner.

Some reading instruction is done for large class groupings. At the same time, we also meet with the children in small groups, organized according to skill, not age. This allows for great individualization and maximum progress. The teacher attends to each child's particular mode of reading, sight word vocabulary and attack skills. Children also have a chance to read aloud to their groups to enhance oral confidence.

Phonics is an essential part of the program; it is introduced gradually to give the child an important aid in deciphering words. By the end of the year, children have been exposed to all the essential phonetic elements necessary for independent reading. Advanced students will be taught the more challenging rules of phonetics which govern such things as when to double final consonants and drop the silent e.

As the child is able to decode the letter symbols that form words more fluently, he is able to focus on words as the conveyors of ideas. Getting all the words correctly deciphered in a sentence is a huge undertaking for a novice reader. However, understanding the thought of the whole sentence is crucial so that children know there is deeper meaning in the reading process. To promote the value and excitement of reading for meaning, we encourage the use of regular storybooks and move the children out of the readers into pure literature as soon as they no longer need the carefully planned reading vocabulary.

We hope to move all students through the early level readers in a basal series indicating a mastery of grade level expectations. If a child seems not to be prospering, we may decide, along with the parent, to get professional testing and additional help. Every child can learn to read these days. No child need "slip through the cracks." We keep careful track of each student, seek consultation when appropriate and communicate regularly with the family.

Upper primary readers and early advanced readers who have moved beyond the first level will be able to focus on comprehension, a higher level intellectual activity. Once the process of decoding is more automatic, reading becomes a means to an end: seeking information, appreciating style, enjoying a good story. The children learn to recall the material presented in the text. Again, this is a skill which requires time and repetition to develop; each child progresses at his or her own rate. Fluent reading does not automatically include good comprehension. Therefore, each year, we pay more and more attention to reviewing and monitoring this important foundation to upper level learning, using both standardized and individualized materials.

Other advanced skills will be taught to those children ready for more challenge. These include the structural analysis of complicated words, the study of prefixes and suffixes and syllabification. They will learn about alphabetizing and start to think of words in terms of parts of speech.

A period of daily silent reading is an important part of each day. Children are encouraged to sustain their focus and to use the time to read books that are of particular interest to them. Titles are varied in the classroom to reflect changing topics of study. Novice readers are asked to spend time quietly with picture/word books; advanced readers may choose to read books by a particular author such as Beverly Cleary or to use silent reading to find selections for books reports to be shared with the class.

Writing and Spelling

Writing is a close corollary to the reading process; they are the opposite sides of the same coin. Yet as with so many areas of child development, the acquisition of this basic skill happens at variable rates in any group of children. Those quick to decode words may not be those so comfortable putting their ideas into print. With the support of good reading instruction and plenty of time and encouragement to write creatively, the children will make the leap to sustained compositions.

Throughout the primary years, the children are encouraged to use invented spelling to help the flow of ideas and joy in self-expression. As they mature in both reading and writing they will naturally begin to use correct spelling and punctuation. Even the very earliest readers quickly understand the concept of sentences having beginning capital letters and ending periods. They are quite aware of the need to spell accurately even before they can achieve it themselves. Establishing spelling standards is symbolically important for the new writer but it remains secondary to self-confident expression in the primary years.

For those ready to move toward standardized spelling and correct grammar, teachers will introduce the notion of rough drafts and revisions as well as more specific punctuation rules. Both standardized spelling lists and those generated from the students' own work will appear on weekly spelling tests for the second graders. Their understanding of the phonetic rules in reading will begin to sustain their written spelling as well. However, the child's ability to incorporate these words into fluent writing will come more slowly and again on an individual developmental basis.

Of course part of writing with ease comes with confident penmanship. As the children reach for longer and more complicated expression, they will continue to practice and review good penmanship. As always, there is great variation in the acquisition of this fine motor skill, and we strive to give individual attention to those needing more support.

French

Primary room children meet in small groups with Gail Mensher, our French teacher, once a week. They learn to carry on short conversations focused on greetings, health, clothing, colors and numbers. They study a number of topics throughout the year which usually include wild and domestic animals and their habitats, the house, the market and village, and families. They build vocabulary and expand their basic words of description to fit the need of the current topic. The teacher leads them in singing and playing games and encourages them to speak aloud their first French word groupings. Their receptive vocabulary is still much greater than their spoken language but they develop a good base for more sophisticated vocabulary, word study and reading in the upper grades. As always, French is taught in a non-stressful way so that foreign language acquisition is a happy experience. It is also a wonderful way to help children expand their English vocabulary as we talk about similar Latin-based words in English and French.

Mathematics

The second grade math program stresses problem solving and the application of mathematics to actual problems and interests. Sometimes we pose a mathematical question based on children's literature, asking them to calculate, for example, how many feet are in a story called "The Napping House" or why, in Charlotte's Web, Charlotte said that it sounded as though there were three ganders, three geese and 21 goslings at a barnyard meeting when there were really only nine. They might solve another imaginary but compelling multiplication problem: there are four lambs and three chickens in the farmyard; how many feet and tails are there? They use place value to examine large numbers such as Johnny Appleseed's age or the number of M&Ms in a jar. We strive to ensure that children both learn the computation skills and develop a strong understanding of math processes. We are always mindful that in math, as in every academic area, children learn by doing.

The second grade math program continues to be based on problem solving situations, both theoretical and practical. The goal is for the students to see the power and beauty of mathematics rather than for them to experience math as a rote paper and pencil memorization of facts. The understanding of pattern, the inherent fabric of mathematics, and the understanding of the equation and its importance in every level of mathematics continue to be key concepts.

Basic addition and subtraction facts to 20 are memorized after the student demonstrates true comprehension. Multiple digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping are covered in second grade. A firm understanding of place value is an integral part of learning regrouping in addition and subtraction. Students will read large numbers, make up and break down large numbers, play a chip trading game which facilitates thinking in systems other than base ten, and demonstrate regrouping with a wide variety of manipulatives.

The students will begin multiplication and division through "real life" and posed situations. If we have three dozen cookies, how many can each child have? If everyone brings five apples, how many apples will we have for applesauce? Manipulatives are used at all levels and with each concept to insure this understanding. We encourage children to create their own system for each operation in order to truly make sense of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Individual ability levels will determine the amount of time second grade students will spend on multiplication and division.

Spatial math activities including tangrams, pentominos and pattern blocks are a part of the second grade math program. Telling time, measuring, temperature reading, cooking, sewing, and making change are also covered. Simple graphing in conjunction with a science observation unit is also a typical second grade math activity.

Social Studies

Social studies curriculum will vary each year, depending upon current events, classroom influences and the enthusiasms of the particular class. Because we are a school that strives for integration between the disciplines, social studies class is often the time when this can most successfully be accomplished. Units will often include art projects, music, science, geography, dramatic presentations and even math. Field trips are frequently arranged to coincide with the main topic under investigation.

They might tie into a science unit about animal habitats existing right in their own backyards or on the Valley School playfield. Observing and counting species of birds and mammals will lead to more graphing and estimating. They might discover the migratory or hibernation patterns of these animals. Environmental concerns can be addressed on a level of personal connection that will appeal quite directly to the experience of the children during these investigations. A study of the animals of Northwest native peoples in myth and art is another rich vein to explore. Possibilities for hands-on art and craft projects are endless: bird houses, detail nature drawings, clay animals, paper sculptures of city landmarks, map making, Native American masks, clothing and costumes. The richer these connections, the more exciting and meaningful is the learning.

The Valley School also encourages an in-depth study of an ancient culture during each school year. We are particularly interested in Western civilizations upon which American institutions, sciences and mathematics are based. Again, the actual topic will change each year and care is taken not to repeat a similar unit in two elementary years. By the time children graduate from the Valley School, they will have investigated Greece and Rome as well as other less distant cultures such as, for example, that of ancient and modern Mexico. History, social institutions, architecture, mathematical systems and art are again wonderful ways to pull together the children's skills in writing, reading, block building, painting, and sculpting in wonderful and expressive ways.

Science

In the primary room, science is a hands-on experience. As indicated above, science can be integrated into the social studies curriculum in very meaningful ways. Tapping into the children's natural curiosity about the world around them leads to keen observations, predictions and experiments to measure and test hypotheses. Science is enriched by art and drama projects which give children other ways to express their discoveries.

In this way, during the course of the primary years, the children will be introduced to the scientific process. They will have opportunities to predict, observe and record physical phenomena and chemical reactions. They will be called on to make connections with their own experiences with ice, light, water, steam, magnets and simple machines, for example.

The Afternoon Program

Once a week the children meet in two small groups to learn beginning French. The teacher concentrates on basic conversation including names, ages and feelings, and adds colors and counting whenever possible. Units vary from wild animals, to food to clothing, among many others. An emphasis is put on games, songs and interactive methods to keep the children engaged. As the students are able, the games and activities become more sophisticated and the units more expansive.

Music, art and physical education specialists provide additional learning experiences for the second graders. Second grade students use art to express many of the concepts they are learning in the classroom, and they also meet for 55 minutes with an art specialist to explore basic concepts and create mixed media works. Vocal music, musical instruments, song games and drama are all part of the weekly music sessions with a specialist. The second grade participates in an elementary physical education rotation and will receive instruction in group games and fitness during the school year.

Second graders visit the library once a week to check out books, learn about the collection and listen to stories read by the librarian. They participate in choosing the winner of the annual Valley School Book Award given to a children's author.