Lower School Faculty - Jennifer Middlemas

Teacher Bio

Jennifer Middlemas has been a second grade teacher at Carolina Day School for three years.  Previous to that she taught at the Key School and worked with the first- through third-grade team.  She has a bachelors’ degree from Appalachian State University and has been teaching for fifteen years.  In addition to teaching at CDS, Jennifer has taught for Buncombe County and Gwinnett County in Atlanta.   Aside from teaching, Jennifer spends her time with her husband, Robert, her children Nolan (ten years old) and McKaylee (ten years old), and her five dogs.

Email Mrs. Middlemas by clicking on this link: jmiddlemas@cdschool.org

Curriculum

Language Arts

In second grade, reading instruction is evenly balanced between decoding/phonics and comprehension strategies. We guide students through the reading of both fiction and nonfiction texts, with ample opportunities to strengthen comprehension skills through both oral and written responses. Whole-class, small-group, and independent reading occur on a daily basis. Resources include the Open Court Grade Two Anthology, class sets of tradebooks and novels, and well-stocked classroom libraries.

Students will learn the writing process by exploring several types of writing throughout the year.  Narratives, research reports, journals, letters, interviews, descriptive pieces, and poetry are among the types of writing that students will complete. The LowerSchool will be using a writing series called Strategies for Writers as the primary resource this year. Students will learn grammar and punctuation through a guided program called Framing Your Thoughts, as well as through revision and editing of their own pieces. Both our reading and writing assignments will often be integrated with our social studies and science units.

Second graders will use cursive writing on all assignments. After completing a review of the lower case letters, they will then learn and use capital letters.

We use a multisensory spelling program that emphasizes spelling patterns rather than rote memorization of a list of words. Each week, the pattern will be introduced on Monday and a list of example words will be sent home. During the week, students will employ visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning modes to internalize the pattern, with a test on Friday. The ultimate goal is not a perfect score on the test, but rather a greater understanding of the rules of English and the ability to apply that pattern in both reading and written expression.

Math

The goals of the second grade math curriculum are that children will enjoy math, that they will acquire an understanding of concepts, facts, skills and problem-solving, and that they will be able to apply mathematics to their everyday lives. We use the Everyday Math series to help us achieve these goals. Through a fast-paced, spiraled approach, students will practice challenging math concepts embedded in real-world contexts and captivating games. Students will become secure with the following skills during second grade: understanding place value to the thousands, automatically recalling addition and subtraction facts to 18, adding and subtracting two-digit numbers, reading an analog clock, adding coin totals above $1.00, and multiplying and dividing using concrete models. They will also be introduced to several other concepts in the areas of fractions, geometry, and measurement, but mastery is not expected at this age.

Science

In science we have four primary units of study: Rocks and Minerals, Sound, Plant Growth, and Nutrition. These units, developed by Carolina Biological Supply, engage students in “real science” through hands-on experiments using the scientific method. Not only will students learn important facts about each topic, but they will also learn science process skills such as classifying, measuring, observing, recording, hypothesizing, performing tests, and interpreting results.

Social Studies

We use Core Knowledge for our social studies program. E.D. Hirsh, founder of the Core Knowldge curriculum, developed this content to provide students with a solid history and geography foundation. The content takes advantage of children’s natural curiosity and broadens their horizon by introducing them to a wide range of knowledge about people, places, and times. Our units are as follows: Geography of the Americas, Making the Constitution, The War of 1812, Americans Move West, The Civil War, Immigration and Citizenship, Civli Rights leaders, Ancient India, China, and Greece, and Modern Japan.

Character Education/Discipline

Our one school rule is The Golden Rule: “Treat others the way that you would like to be treated.” This simple rule offers the foundation for our classroom code of ethics and is the basis for all other standards of behavior. In our classrooms, rewards are not given for expected behaviors, just as society does not give external rewards for behaving properly. In turn, irresponsible behavior is seen as an opportunity for growth, rather than for punishment. Our approach encourages students to exercise self-discipline through reflection and self-evaluation. Students will learn to control their own behavior, rather than always relying on the teacher for control.

In addition, our character tenet in focus this year is “Thirst for Personal Excellence." Students will learn about the character tenet through discussions, personal reflection, and learning about role models who embody excellence.