Daycroft’s Elementary Grades 1-2 Curriculum

Language Arts

Daycroft takes a multi-method approach to language arts in grades 1-2. Your child will use trade books, whole language, SRA reading lab, basal readers, and phonetic approaches during small and large group lessons. Journal and creative writing happens twice a week. Basic rules of grammar, punctuation, and parts of speech, along with word study and reference skills, are incorporated into daily work. Weekly spelling lessons and tests reinforce language and vocabulary skills. Writer’s Workshop, choral readings, oral reports and presentations, and the Spring Language Performance enhance the language arts curriculum.

Mathematics

Montessori Mathematics materials include the Golden Beads, Squared and Cubed Chains, 1-10 Colored Beads, Stamp Game, Teen and Ten Boards, 100 Board, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division Boards, Fraction Templates, Geometric Solids, and Geometric Cabinet. These “hands-on” materials help demonstrate abstract math principles. Your child will understand and memorize the decimal system, odd and even numbers, greater than and less than, combinations of ten, place value, expanded notation, operations of addition and subtraction, multiplication and division with four-digit numbers, skip counting, telling time, counting money, and understanding story problems.

“Daycroft lets me work at my own pace. Nothing is too hard or too easy. The best thing is the culture of kindness.”

—Liza, Grade 2

Science and Cultural Studies

Montessori’s Five Great Lessons (Creation of the Universe, Coming of Life on Earth, Timeline of Man, History of Numbers, and History of Writing) form the core of the cultural studies curriculum in grades 1-2. Your child will also study:

Geography – Maps, globes, and other hands-on materials help your child learn about the universe, the seven continents and four oceans, rocks and minerals, Earth’s layers, land and water forms, and geographical regions.
History – Subjects include explorers, Historical Halloween, Native and Colonial Americans, holidays and festivals around the world, ancient civilizations, and the Needs of People.
Science – Lessons and experiments in life science, earth science, and physical science occur in both the classroom and the science lab.

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