By Prema Gammons
At Mount Madonna School, second grade students explore life events and family stories by creating personal timelines. This correlates to the different units students learn about across the curriculum, including social studies, math and language arts.
Students’ timelines and personal stories tie into their math lessons, as we revisit the concept of numerical order throughout the year by placing digits on number lines. For social studies, one primary unit involves having each student examine their own role, in the context of their family and the community they live in. Students seems to appreciate the chance to share about where they live and who is in their family, and to learn about the families of their friends and classmates.
In language arts second graders study non-fiction writing, including biographies. Throughout the year students explore the biographies of change makers and begin to understand the personal stories and the life events of other’s lives by using our own stories as a jumping-off point.
For their recent personal timeline project, I asked students to think of events that have happened in their lives. Their first date in their birth date; and we discuss other events, including younger siblings being born, moving from one home to another and trips taken.
Students work at home with their parents to discuss these events and collect photos to illustrate them. Once they are finished, students present their timeline in front of the class as a way of practicing public speaking.
“I liked making my timeline and writing the new big words I learned on it,” shared second grader Tamatoa Toulemonde Temanupaioura.
“I remembered when my sister was born by seeing the pictures,” said second grade Georgie Gelsinger.
“It was really fun working on the wood for the timeline with my dad,” shared classmate Kyra Pine.
“I liked presenting my timeline to my friends,” said second grader Jules Moutafian.
It’s always wonderful to see children making connections with each other, such as having visited the same places or seeing photos from earlier school years, including graduation ceremonies and Ramayana!. In addition to the confidence and self-esteem gained through presenting in front of others, each student seems to gain a stronger sense of personal identity, their role in their family, our class and in the larger community.
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Nestled among the redwoods on 375 acres, Mount Madonna School (MMS) is a diverse learning community dedicated to creative, intellectual, and ethical growth. MMS supports its students in becoming caring, self-aware, discerning and articulate individuals; and believe a fulfilling life includes personal accomplishments, meaningful relationships and service to society. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville. Founded in 1979.