DEIJ in Second Grade

My commitment this year has been to take the powerful ideas and themes in the school's DEIJ plan, and integrate them into our 2nd grade learning experiences across subject areas. Below you can find some examples from the past semester, as well as some tie ins we are looking forward to this spring.

Language Arts
This fall, one of our main areas of focus in reading was developing strategies to deepen comprehension. Students did a close reading of the book Milo Imagines the World. This book brings up profound questions about stereotypes. Students were able to determine the author's message and think beyond the text to apply it to real world experiences. As we read the book, we analyzed and recorded the character traits of Milo. We did the same thing with our next class read, Juana and Lucas. By comparing and discussing the characters of Milo and Juana, we were able to address questions and misconceptions about identity.

As the year has progressed, we have added words to our Identity and Community Word Wall. One of our goals for the 2nd graders is to develop accurate and respectful language to describe human diversity.

Math
Right now, around our classroom, you will see photographs with captions and the date, month, and year. These photographs are all connected to movements, people, and moments in Black history. 2nd graders have many ways to approach this provocation to inquiry. They might ask, what order can I put these dates in? How are all these pictures connected? How many years between one event and another?

Science
We began the year by asking, "what does a scientist doing science look like?" Over the course of the year, we read picture book biographies of scientists from diverse backgrounds and from a wide range of scientific disciplines. At the end of the year, we will ask the question again and see how the children's drawings and descriptions have shifted.

This February, we are beginning our most intensive scientific exploration of the year called Our Changing Earth. We'll begin with geology and landforms, and move into human caused change. This is where we will talk about how groups of people can come together to demand a safe and healthy planet.

Social Studies
Our study of community is year long endeavor. We began by designing our own communities as part of our Storyline project. Our next phase is to take what we have learned about identity and equity, and see what changes need to be made to create a welcoming community for all. Our work in Science will ofcourse tie into this.