2nd Grade Reading & Writing
▶️ Video ✎ Printable Resource 💻 Electronic Resource 🧑💻LCPS Student Links
Advanced Skills:
SOUND MANIPULATING
SOUND BLENDING
SOUND SEGMENTING
SOUND SEGMENTING & BLENDING
Encoding and Decoding
After you child understands the alphabetic principle– how to attach sounds to letters and vise versa, they move through the 💻 LCPS Sequence of Instruction, reading and spelling increasingly complex words. Check out these phonics activities and the activities below to support all stages of learning in first grade.
💻 Create a free account on EPIC. Read That Cat! and complete the ✎ Word Hunt (answer key)
LETTER-SOUND CORRESPONDENCE
MIXED PRACTICE
✎ Giraffes, Goats, Cats, and Centipedes
✎ Jar Sort
Fluency is the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. In order to understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently.
For more information, please visit Fluency with Text. One way we practice fluency in first grade is by learning Red Words...
All About Red Words
Red Words are sight words. They are words that cannot be decoded (sounded out) either because they do not follow the spelling rules of English OR they follow rules that your child is not yet ready to be instructed in. About 15% of the English language is irregular, meaning it does not follow an expected rule or pattern.
For example:
Said can not be written or read as it sounds and it does not follow the rules of the “ai” sound.
Out is a red word for first graders who have not yet learned the rules of the sound the vowel team ou makes together. It is taught to them as a Red Word because it is a common word that first graders are likely to come across in text.
Red Words are Taught Differently than Decodable Words!
Teachers follow a specific sequence and instruct on reading AND spelling red words daily.
There is a special multi-sensory method used to help students map out and remember the words. For example, students tap the letters down their arm while spelling, write in sand, and spell the word aloud, letter by letter, as they are practicing.
Tips to Practice Red Words at Home
If your child’s teacher sends home a list of Red Words, practice reading and spelling them each night, or practice from the list by grade level (below).
Hunt for red words in books.
Put red words on sticky notes and post up on a wall. Have your child use a flashlight or pointer to “find” red words that you call out.
Write red words in shaving cream, sand, salt, or finger paint.
Build red words with play-doh.
Trace red words over sandpaper or a bumpy surface.
CLICK HERE to see Red Words by Grade Level
CLICK HERE to read about how we teach Red Words at LCPS.
SIGHT WORDS
LETTER RECOGNITION
WORD PARTS
CONNECTED TEXT
EXPRESSION
First grade students should review letter formation as needed and continuously work on handwriting. Below is a list of writing skills students cover throughout the year.
We are currently adding resources for the following 2nd Grade Writing Standards:
Cursive
💻 Create your own Cursive Name Worksheet
Maintain legible printing and begin to make the transition to cursive.
Begin to write capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet in cursive.
Begin to sign his/her first and last names.
Grammar
Produce and expand complete sentences, both simple and compound.
Use indefinite (e.g., anybody, anything) reflexive (e.g., yourself, herself) pronouns.
Form and use regular and frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., men, teeth).
Use frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g., and, but, or, so, because).
Use proper verb tense, including for frequently occurring irregular verbs (e.g., ran, told, went).
Use subject-verb agreement in simple sentences.
Use common abbreviations.
Use contractions and singular possessives.
Eliminate double negatives when speaking.
Composition
Use complete sentences.
Write narratives, informative/expository texts, opinion texts, and write in response to what has been read.
Write a clear topic sentence focusing on the main idea.
Identify the audience and purpose of the writing.
Develope, select, and organize ideas and details relevant to the topic, purpose, and genre.
Provide a concluding statement or section.
Mechanics
Identify statements, questions, and commands and use correct ending punctuation (e.g., period, question mark,
and exclamation points).
Use commas in salutation and closing of a letter.
Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words.
First grade students develop vocabulary primarily through conversations and listening to and reading a variety of texts. Students can use text clues such as words, word parts, or pictures to discern meanings of unknown words.
Reading comprehension can be practiced simply by reading and discussing what has been read. Listed below are some additional activities to support comprehension. For even more practice, visit Achieve3000 Literacy Printable Packets and check out these reading comprehension activities.
💻Visit FlyLeaf Publishing. Read the decodable books then click the ✎ Homework button for activities. For a second grade level, recommend starting with books at Part 10.
💻 Create a free account on EPIC. Read a book and complete an activity. For example:
NARRATIVE TEXT STRUCTURE
EXPOSITORY TEXT STRUCTURE
MONITORING FOR UNDERSTANDING
Reading Comprehension: Literary
✎ Bobby Gets a Doggy - passage and questions
Bobby Gets a Doggy - answer key
✎ The Wishing Tree - passage and questions
✎ Flip it - passage and questions
✎ Playtime in the Snow - passage and questions
Playtime in the Snow - answer key
✎ Marvin’s Trip to Mars book-decodable book
Marvin’s Trip to Mars - practice pages
✎ The Case of the Buried Treasure
✎ Fables, Folk Tales, and Myths
✎ Compare and Contrast- Short Stories
Reading Comprehension: Informational
✎ Full Speed Ahead: Time for Kids - passage
✎Time for Kids: Learning from Home - passage
Learning from Home - questions
✎ Time for Kids: The BTS Effect - passage
✎ Time for Kids: Project Penguin - passage
Project Penguin Comprehension - questions
✎Time for Kids- Dive In Magazine
Time for Kids: Gone Bananas Quiz
Additional Resources
Literacy Apps That Work Without Internet
The following list contains resources for grades K-2 that are free to parents and students at all times.
Unite for Literacy- Free digital access to picture books for early elementary grades, printed in English with narration available in 47 different languages
National Center for Improving Literacy- information for families and KIDSZONE with at home reading activities
Starfall- free interactive phonics resources
Kiddle Search Engine- student-friendly search engine for research
Khan Academy- provides free online lessons in every subject
Wonderopolis- student friendly website that promotes research and exploration through sparking student interest and inquiry
Librivox- Free, public domain books read by volunteers from around the world that can be downloaded and listened to on any device
Literacy Information
National Center on Improving Literacy offers ideas to help your beginning reader read and write with practical ideas and strategies based on what works.
Reading Partners provides some resources to stay educated and informed about early literacy.
Meadows Center offers tips and resources on a variety of topics to help parents with learning at home.
SUPPORTING YOUNG ENGLISH LEARNERS AT HOME
Developed by the team at the Regional Educational Laboratory—West, Regional Educational Laboratory—Northeast & Islands, and Regional Educational Laboratory—Northwest, these activity sheets are designed to provide simple, fun activities families and caregivers can use with children at home. The activities are available in both English and Spanish and can help strengthen language development in either the home language or English. The activities were created activities based on the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School.
Developed by the team at the National Center on Improving Literacy, these toolkits provide practical help for educators, parents, and caregivers who are implementing recommended literacy practices. Multiple toolkits are available and include topics like Understanding Dyslexia, Learning about Your Child’s Reading Development, and Families and Schools Partnering for Children’s Literacy Success.
Developed by the team at FCRR and the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon, CBM at home is designed to help educators, parents, and caregivers understand their children's risk for developing reading difficulties in the future. CBM stands for Curriculum-Based Measure. The CBMs are short timed tests that measure important early reading skills, and are available in English and Spanish.
SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S READING AT HOME
Developed by the team at the Regional Educational Laboratory—Southeast. This site contains additional family activities and videos to help your child develop language, link sounds to letters, blend letters and word parts to read and write words and read for understanding. The activities were created activities based on the What Works Clearinghouse practice guides, Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade.