Second Grade Standards

Reading             Writing   

Reading

R1 – Print-Sound Code (how letters stand for sounds and how letters put together make up a string of sounds to form a word)

By the end of second grade, children should be able to:

• Read regularly spelled one-and two-syllable words

• Recognize or figure out most irregularly spelled words, including those with special vowel sounds (ex. boy, cow, day)  

R2 – Getting the Meaning (words in a text say something specific)

By the end of second grade, students should be able to:

• Independently read aloud unfamiliar Level L (Guided Reading Level) books, recognizing at least 90% of the words and using intonation and pauses to show meaning

• Use punctuation to guide them in getting the meaning and to help them read more smoothly

• Know when they don’t understand a paragraph and look for clues within the reading

• Use what they read before to figure out how it makes sense with what they are reading now

• Combine information from different parts of the text

• Infer cause and effect relationships that are not stated

• Compare the author’s observations to their own observations when reading nonfiction

• Discuss how, why, and what-if questions about nonfiction

• Discuss or write about the themes or messages of a book

• Trace characters and plots across chapters, even when read on several successive days

• Relate later parts of the story to earlier parts

R3 –Habits (things to do daily)

Second grade students should:

• Read one or two short books or long chapters daily and discuss what is read with another student or group

• Read several books by the same author and be able to discuss the differences and similarities

• Reread favorite books to gain deeper understanding and knowledge

• Read various types of books, such as narratives, responses to literature (written by others about a book), informational writing (announcements, labels, signs, etc.), reports, poetry, plays, etc.

• Read their own writing and the writing of classmates

• Hear a variety of types of things read to them, including at least one story that is longer and more difficult than they can read on their own

• Compare works by the same author

• Paraphrase or summarize what a speaker says and check to see if that is what the speaker meant

• Politely correct someone who paraphrases their own ideas incorrectly (ex.  “That’s not what I meant…”)

• Recognize when they don’t know what a word means and try to figure out what it means by how it is used in the reading

• Talk about the meaning of new words

• Notice unfamiliar words in texts that are read to them

• Know how to talk about what nouns mean in terms of function (“An apple is something you eat.), features (“An apple is red.”), and category (“An apple is a fruit.”)

• Learn new words daily  

 Writing

W1 – Habits (things to do daily)

Second grade students should:

• Write daily

• Come up with their own topics and decide which pieces to work on for longer periods of time

• Regularly seek and give feedback on writings

• Pattern their writing after the writings of authors that have been discussed in class

• Reread, revise, edit, proofread, and evaluate their work

• Polish and publish at least 10 pieces throughout the year

W2 – Narrative Writing (writings that include both fictional and autobiographical works)

• By the end of second grade, students should be able to:

• Use some “writing” language that does not sound like speech (ex. “Slowly, slowly he turned,” “For days and weeks and months, I’ve worked for this moment”)

• Create a believable world using characters and specific details about them, settings, motives and moods

• Develop internal and external events (ex. tell not only what happens to a character but what that character is thinking)

• Write in first (I, we) and third person (he/she they)

• Use dialogue when appropriate

W2 – Report or Informational Writing

By the end of second grade, students should be able to:

• Have an obvious organizational structure to their work

• Communicate main ideas, theories, insights that are further explained or illustrated through facts, details, quotations, statistics and other information

• Usually have a concluding sentence or section

• Use diagrams, charts or illustrations that go with the text

W2 – Functional Writing (writing a procedure)

By the end of second grade, students should be able to produce narrative procedures that:

• Identify the topic

• Show steps in an action in enough detail to follow them

• Include all relevant information

• Use language that is straightforward and clear

• Frequently use pictures to illustrate steps in the procedure

W2 – Producing and Responding to Literature

By the end of second grade, students should be able to:

• Write stories, poems, memoirs, etc using styles learned from studying authors and genres

• Retell a story

• Write letters to the author telling what they thought of the story and asking questions

• Discuss what they read and offer evidence from the text as support

• Write variations on what they have read, changing the setting or a crucial character, telling it from a different viewpoint or rewriting the ending

• Make connections between the text and their own ideas and lives

W3 – Language Use and Conventions

By the end of second grade, students should be able to:

• Use all sentence patterns typical of spoken language

• Use transitions words and phrases

• Use varying sentence patterns and length to slow down or speed up reading to create mood

• Use literary language (describing words, similes, metaphors, etc) when appropriate

• Use words from their speaking vocabulary in their writing, including words learned from reading and class discussions

• Choose words based on whether those words accurately convey the intended meaning

• Extend their writing vocabulary by using specialized words related to the topic or setting  (ex. use the names of kinds of trees when writing about the forest)

• Produce writing in which most high-frequency words are spelled correctly

• Correctly spell plurals and verb tenses

• Use correct spelling patterns and rules most of the time

• Use specific spelling strategies during the writing process (ex. consult the word wall, think about the base word, prefixes and suffixes they know, etc.)

• Edit their work, perhaps with a partner, to correct spelling errors

• Use capital letters at the beginnings of sentences

• Use periods and question marks to end sentences

• Approximate the use of quotation marks

• Use common contractions

• Use capital letters and exclamation marks for emphasis

 Highlights
and
Upcoming Events

Congratulations to the 2009-2010
Teacher of the Year
Mrs. Jill Bragan

Teacher Planning Day
NO SCHOOL

Monday, October 26th.

Fall Festival

November 6th
6-9 PM

Early Release

 October 21st   1:45