Academics
Lower School

2nd Grade

Second Grade

Structures & Stories

Print to cursive, sentences to paragraphs.

Cursive begins.

Students review print and learn cursive. By spring, most assignments can be completed in cursive and students read cursive writing.

IB Units of Inquiry

List of 6 items.

  • Who We Are

    An inquiry into how individuals can enhance a community.

  • Where We Are in Time & Place

    An inquiry into observable patterns and how they help us make predictions for future events.

  • Sharing Our Planet

    An inquiry into how organisms use light and sound to make sense of the world around them.

  • How the World Works

    An inquiry into how structures are designed to meet specific needs.

  • How We Express Ourselves

    An inquiry into our written and verbal expression and how it can help us connect with others.

  • How We Organize Ourselves

    An inquiry into how choices impact outcomes.

Explore Lower School

Voice, Revision, and a Writer's Ear

List of 3 items.

  • Reading

    Second grade is a year of growth into fluent, thoughtful, independent readers. Personalized small-group instruction and rich discussion strengthen word recognition while students tackle increasingly complex texts, building empathy and the ability to discuss ideas.

  • Writing & Handwriting

    Second graders write multi-paragraph pieces with richer detail, stronger voice, and thoughtful organization, learning to revise through teacher and peer feedback. As print handwriting is refined, cursive is introduced as another tool.

  • Math

    Students build place value to 1,000, strengthen addition and subtraction strategies, and apply math to measurement, money, time, and data. Through repeated addition, arrays, and partitioning shapes, they build the foundation for multiplication and fractions.

Specials

List of 6 items.

  • Frontiers

    Second graders think like scientists and problem-solvers, investigating the scientific method, how plants and animals adapt, geometric shapes, and math puzzles, building the language of mathematics.

  • Music

    Pitch through vocal warmups, echo and unison songs as ensembles and soloists, percussion and orchestral instruments, and rhythm and melody through the Orff approach.

  • Spanish

    Greetings, numbers to twenty, colors, parts of the face and body, clothing, animals, weather, family, and the home, building listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

  • Art

    Students study Albrecht Dürer, Ted Harrison, and Mary Blair, learn value and perspective, and work in 2D and 3D media, selecting favorite pieces for the annual exhibition.

  • PE

    Heart-rate warmups open each class before fundamentals of throwing, catching, kicking, striking, jumping, volleying, dribbling, and rolling, with teamwork and respectful conflict resolution.

  • Library

    Second graders transition to the "big" library, learning to locate books, explore genres, and build research skills, and vote in the South Carolina Picture Book Award program.
Established in 1957, Spartanburg Day School is a nationally accredited independent school for students from 2K to 12th grade.