The Marigolds
First and Second Grade
Daily Rhythm
Head
After greeting the students, the class teacher presents the core curriculum in a main lesson integrated with art, music, and movement. Subjects covered include:
Reading
- The alphabet is explored and reviewed through stories
- Emphasized more as skills grow
Science
- Nature observations
- Gardening
- Hands on science experiments
Writing
- Spelling
- Printing practice
- Form drawing
- Emphasized more as skills grow
Social Studies
- Fables
- Indigenous stories
- Fairy tales
- Legends
- Folk tales
- Nature stories
- Poetry
Math
- Addition
- Subtraction
- Multiplication and Division are introduced
- Word problems
Heart and Hands
The main lesson is followed by specialty subjects, including:
Music
- Pentatonic or diatonic recorder
- Vocal music
- Guitar
- Songs integrated into academic curriculum
Movement
- Physically engaging, teacher-led, collaborative, non-competitive games
- Circus class: tumbling, improvisation and theater, globe walking, plate spinning, juggling, and more.
- Two student-led outdoor recesses every day.
Art
- Watercolor painting
- Drawing integrated across subjects
- Beeswax figure modeling
- Handwork: crochet, knitting
Festival
- Seasonal festivals
- Students prepare festival-specific crafts, songs, and plays
- Family participation builds community and supports the life of the school