A Deeper Dive with Mrs. Palmieri

From the creation of a Lenape Village to showcasing their knowledge on local agriculture at the Red Bank Farmers Market, RCDS second graders developed reading, writing, research, design thinking, and public speaking skills by engaging in the yearlong curriculum theme, “New Jersey Past and Present.” Bailey Palmieri, who has taught in the Lower School for 10 years, shares highlights from the enhanced second-grade curriculum that fosters critical thinking and connections that students utilize as they progress through RCDS and beyond. 

RCDS second graders spend the academic year immersed in the curriculum theme, “New Jersey Past and Present”. Can you describe the theme and its purpose?

“New Jersey Past and Present” is part of the curriculum enhancement we instituted in the Lower School with in-depth, overarching themes from Beginners to Grade 4. It’s a progression from first grade, when students study “The Community of the School.” We connect all subjects — literature, writing, research, class plays, social studies, science, music, and art — into the theme with a lot of hands-on learning projects. We believe that when projects are interdisciplinary and interactive, that it increases student engagement,  their retention of material,  increases collaboration and helps to develop critical thinking skills. We begin the year by examining our community and familiar surroundings, and then move on to compare and contrast them with different times, places, and cultures in New Jersey. 

What skills do second graders build when they compare and contrast?

It’s the foundation for critical thinking. For example, the class compared and contrasted images of Newark, N.J., spanning over 100 years and arranged them in chronological order. We discussed the differences in the photos and how the Industrial Revolution impacted the state. Allowing second graders to see change, explain it, and make sense of it provides a strong basis for critical thinking. It also helps them understand how the past shaped the present day. They make a personal connection with what they’re learning, which deepens their understanding of how the community around them was formed. 

Before “New Jersey’s Past and Present” was introduced this year, second graders did an in-depth study on Native Americans. How was that study integrated into the curriculum theme?

The Lenape and Native Americans have been our social studies topic for many years. With the overarching theme introduced this year, we expanded our focus to the history of New Jersey, the Lenape, and how it relates to the present day. As in previous years, the class compared tribes from the Southwest to the Pacific Northwest and the Eastern Woodlands. We put considerable emphasis on the Lenni Lenape, who inhabited New Jersey, and the students became experts on the tribe.

I’d say two notable enrichments were introduced to the Native American study this year. Second graders had the opportunity to utilize the Innovation Lab to create a model of the Lenape Village. It was very hands-on, and they had access to every material under the sun. Design thinking played a big role in the project. Students needed to consider the portion of the village they were creating, develop a design plan, identify the materials required for their portion, and then execute it with a partner. The partners also had to communicate with other teams and coordinate logistics. For example, the team working on the landscape must collaborate on placing the river with the team building the longhouse, as those two elements impact each other. 

The theme also extended to our class play — every grade in the Lower School puts on a play each year. Our play was The Story of Rainbow Crow, which is based on a Lenape legend. That was another meaningful moment for the students. We referenced the tale a lot in our research, and when the second graders designed and built the Lenape Village. 

The second grade also dove into an agricultural study as part of the curriculum theme. How did that come about? 

The class had studied how the Lenape took care of the land and looked at the ways we continue to do the same in current-day New Jersey. That presented the opportunity to circle back to focus on farming and agriculture and how it makes the Garden State unique. We spent six weeks on the study, which was amazing. Using primary source materials from the New Jersey Agricultural Society, students were assigned a specific New Jersey crop to research, become an expert on, and present to their classmates. We’ve also made new connections. Midge and John Hauser from Hauser Hill Farms, a local family farm, visited our class. Then, the students were able to reconnect with Midge and John and other local farmers at the Red Bank Farmers Market. 

To prepare for the farmers market, students utilized the Innovation Lab again. The projects were more design-based. They created illustrations and digital images of New Jersey crops along with some fun facts they’d researched for fliers. Students also came up with slogans about Jersey produce that were printed out on reusable shopping bags that they gave away with the fliers. The students proudly represented their school and themselves. They were excited to be there and eager to share what they’d learned about New Jersey agriculture.

In the Lenape and agricultural study, you spoke about students becoming experts on a topic. What does becoming an expert on a subject mean for a second grader?

A second-grade expert is someone who can talk about their knowledge and share it. Throughout the entirety of this theme, whether it was the Lenape or the agriculture unit, second graders developed research skills, the foundation for being an expert. They became comfortable with what research is and learned how to use reliable databases with Director of Library, Research & Media Learning Lisa Fallon. These competencies go hand-in-hand with developing reading and writing skills. 

For instance, a second-grade expert on New Jersey agriculture can synthesize what they’ve read and researched to write about where cranberries are grown, and the nutrients and soil conditions the crop needs to be harvested successfully. They can also make connections between the crop’s growth and the pollination process they studied in science. A second-grade expert can apply their knowledge on a topic to a range of projects and present what they’ve learned in more ways than one. 

How does that impact second graders’ learning in the long term?

It helps learning stick with our students. They are having meaningful learning experiences across multiple disciplines in the classroom, the Innovation Lab, music class, the art studios, and the Library. The content comes alive right in front of them, which makes learning more concrete. The knowledge and understanding that students take from these experiences stay with them for a long time. As they move into third and fourth grade, second graders will continue to build on the knowledge and skills gained through this curriculum theme, deepening their understanding and applying what they’ve learned in more complex and meaningful ways throughout the Lower School.

A faculty member at The Rumson Country Day School since 2013, Bailey Palmieri currently teaches second grade. Mrs. Palmieri holds a bachelor’s degree in both Elementary and Special Education from Providence College, and M.A. from Montclair State University in Reading. She is a state certified Reading Specialist, K-12 Teacher and Teacher of Students with Disabilities.