Course Overview:
In 2nd Grade Reading and Composition, students will strengthen their understanding of patterns in texts. Each Unit provides a combination of literary and informational texts. Students will learn how a poem, a story, and an informational text can convey different messages about the same topic. The course provides a variety of literature, including fun and classic pieces such as “The Lion and the Mouse” and “Cinderella.” It also provides contemporary informational texts such as a news article from 2020 about Baby Yoda. Students will build effective reading habits by practicing reading strategies before, during, and after reading. Before reading, students will learn vocabulary words that appear in the text and reflect on their background knowledge of the text’s genre. During reading, students will confirm predictions and answer questions. After reading, students will discuss the author’s purpose and make connections. At the end of each Unit, students will apply their learning to their own lives by investigating a topic or composing a text.
Prerequisites:
Grade 1 (Recommended)
Required Materials:
- printer paper
- pencils
- colored pencils, markers, or crayons
- animal books or animal websites
- 1 video recording device
- 1 timer
- 1 writing journal
- 1 children’s dictionary
- 1 book from reading log
- 1 book (students choice)
- 1 photograph of personal experience (for personal narrative)
- 2 poster boards (optional)
- 3-5 pictures of family, friends, or your favorite things (optional)
- 1 magazine (optional)
- construction paper (optional)
- 1 pack notecards (optional)
Syllabus:
Unit 1 - Texts About Friends
- Poems
- Point of View
- Word Choice
- Story Elements
- Fables
- Theme
- Informational Text
- Reading Informational Texts
- Figurative Language
Unit 2 - Texts About Joy
- Compounds Words
- Setting
- Descriptive Language
- Character Traits
- Dialogue
- Retelling Stories
- Ideas and Evidence
- Text Features
- Idioms
Unit 3 - Texts about Kindness
- Synonyms
- Context Clues
- Point of View
- Fairy Tales
- Chronological Order
- End of “Cinderella”
- Affixes
- Informational Texts
- Organizational Patterns
Unit 4: Texts About Helpfulness
- Folktales
- Momotarō
- Retelling “Momotarō”
- Compare and Contrast
- “The Lark and Her Young Ones”
- “The Little Red Hen”
- Persuasive Texts
- Facts Versus Opinions
- “MLK Day of Service”
Unit 5: Texts About Perseverance
- “The Gingerbread Boy”
- Version Two
- Compare and Contrast
- Drama
- Repetition
- Stage Directions
- “The Life of Theodore Roosevelt”
- “Teddy Roosevelt”
- “Roosevelt’s Pets”
Unit 6:Texts About Life Underwater
- Reading Strategies
- Edith Widder
- Author’s Purpose
- Hans Christian Andersen
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2 and 3
- Chapter 4 and 5
- Chapter 6 and 7
- Chapter 8
Unit 7: Texts About Weather
- “Falling Snow”
- Alliteration
- “The Storm”
- “Time and the Seasons”
- “The Rabbit’s Message”
- Curious about Robins
- “Prepare with Pedro”
- Floods and Tornadoes
- Earthquakes and Hurricanes
Unit 8: Texts About Plants
- “A Four-Leaf Clover” and Writing Journal 14
- “Trees”
- "Trouble in the Greenhouse” and Writing Journal 16
- Asking and Telling
- "The Judgment of the Flowers”
- "The Story of the Morning Glory Seed”
- “What Is Arbor Day?”
- “Celebrate Arbor Day!”
- Compare and contrast
Unit 9:Texts About Animals
- “The Power of Pets”
- “Endangered Species”
- “Live and Let Live”
- Cave Explorers, Chapter 1 and Writing Journal #21
- Cave Explorers, Chapter 2
- Cave Explorers, Chapter 3
- Cave Explorers, Chapter 4
- Cave Explorers, Chapter 5
- Cave Explorers, Chapter 6
Unit 10: Texts That Tell True Stories
- Biographies
- Autobiographies
- Diaries and Letters
- Personal Narratives
- Photographs and Writing Journal 25
- Source of True Stories
- Secondary Sources about School
- Primary Sources about School and Writing Journal 27
