Grade 2

Reading Standards for Literature

Reading Standards for Informational Text

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills 

Writing Standards

Writing Standards: Foundational Skills

Speaking and Listening Standards

Language Standards

Key Ideas and Details

Craft and Structure

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Key Ideas and Details

Craft and Structure

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Phonics and Word Recognition

Fluency

Text Types and Purposes

Production and Distribution of Writing

Range of Writing

Sound-letter basics and Handwriting

Comprehension and Collaboration

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Conventions of Standard English

Knowledge of Language

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. 

Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. 

Describe how words and phrases supply rhythm (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

Describe the overall structure of a story, including how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action. 

Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot. 

(Not applicable to literature)

Compare and contrast the characters and settings from two or more versions of the same story by different authors or from different cultures.

By the end of the year, proficiently and independently read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in a text complexity range determined by qualitative and quantitative measures appropriate to grade 2.

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

Identify and explain the main topic of a multi-paragraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.

With prompting and support, describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.

Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.

Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe. 

Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text. 

Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text. 

Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic. 

By the end of the year, proficiently and independently read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in a text complexity range determined by qualitative and quantitative measures appropriate to grade two.

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding one-syllable or two-syllable words. a. Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words. b. Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams. c. Identify and apply all six syllable types to decode appropriate grade-level text. d. Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes. e. Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences. f. Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words. 

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. b. Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section. 

Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events; include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings; use temporal words to signal event order and provide a sense of closure.

With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above). 

With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. 

With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. 

Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). 

Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.  

(Begins in grade 4)  

(Begins in grade 3) 

Demonstrate and apply handwriting skills. a. Write legibly in manuscript using correct letter formation. b. Transcribe ideas in manuscript with automaticity and proper spacing.  

Demonstrate and apply sound-letter concepts. a. Write the most common graphemes (letters or letter groups) for each phoneme. For example: 1. Consonants: /s/= s, ss, ce, ci, cy /f/= f, ff, ph /k/= c, k, ck 2. Vowels: /o/= o, o_e, oa, ow (long o) /a/= a, a_e, ai, ay, eigh (long a)

Know and apply phonics and word analysis skills when encoding words. a. Spell on-level, regular, single-syllable words that include: 1. Position-based patterns (e.g., ch, -tch; k, -ck; -ge, -dge). 2. Complex consonant blends (e.g., scr, str, squ). 3. Less common vowel teams for long vowels (e.g., ow, oo, au, ou, ue). 4. Vowel-r combinations (e.g., turn, star, third, four, for). 5. Contractions (e.g., we'll, I'm, they've, don't). 6. Homophones (e.g., bear, bare; past, passed). 7. Plurals and possessives (e.g., its, it's). b. With prompting and support, spell two- and three-syllable words that: 1. Combine closed, open, vowel teams, vowel-r, and CVe (Consonant-Vowel-silent e) syllables (e.g., compete, robot, violet, understand). 2. Include familiar compound words (e.g., houseboat, yellowtail). 3. Include the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes (e.g., un-, re-, en-, -ful, -ment, -less). c. With prompting and support, spell words with suffixes that require: 1. Consonant doubling (e.g., running, slipped). 2. Dropping silent e (e.g., smiled, paving). 3. Changing y to i (e.g., cried, babies). d. Spell grade-level appropriate words in English, as found in a research-based list (*See guidelines under Word Lists in the ELA Glossary), including: 1. Irregular words (e.g., against, many, enough, does). 2. Pattern-based words (e.g., which, kind, have). 

Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others. c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.

Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue. 

Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.

Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 2 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.) 

Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Use collective nouns (e.g., group). b. Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice, fish). c. Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves). d. Form and use the past, present, and future tenses of frequently occurring regular and irregular verbs (e.g. sat, hit, and told). e. Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified. f. Use interjections (e.g., Yes! That is mine; Yes, that is mine!) g. Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences using frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, yet, so). h. Identify and use declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. i. With assistance, link sentences into a simple, cohesive paragraph that contains: a main idea, supporting details, and a conclusion.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names. b. Use commas in greetings and closings of letters. c. Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives. d. Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil). e. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. a. Compare formal and informal uses of English.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies. a. Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell). b. Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional). c. Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf, notebook, bookmark). d. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. e. Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases.

Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. a. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy). b. Identify synonyms and antonyms to distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny).

Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy).

Answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions from stories.

Use details to recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures.

Determine the central message, lesson or moral from fables and folktales from diverse cultures.

Retell a favorite text, including key details.

 Describe or select a description of a major event or problem in a story.

Describe or select a description of how characters respond to major events or problems in a story.

No CCCs developed for this standard.

Describe or select the description of what happened (or key events from) in the beginning of the story.

 Describe or select the description of what happened (or key events from) in the end of the story.

Use signal words (e.g., then, while, because, when, after-before, later) to describe event sequence, actions, and interactions in a story.

Read books to examine how to write certain genres.

Use illustrations to answer questions about the characters, key events, the problem or solution in a story.

Use information gained from illustrations to describe elements within the setting.

Use information gained from illustrations to describe a character's feelings or what a character wanted.

Use information gained from illustrations to describe a relationships between characters (e.g., mother/daughter, love/hate).

Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

Not applicable

Compare and contrast illustrations or visuals between two versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.

Compare and contrast characters or events between two versions of the same story by different authors or from different cultures.

Choose information or narrative text or adapted text to read and reread, listen to, or view for leisure purposes.

Answer who, what, where, when, why, and how, questions from informational text.

 Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph informational text.

Identify the focus of a paragraph and the details that support the focus in an informational text.

Identify the sequence of events in an informational text.

 Identify the steps in a process in an informational text.

Identify the cause and effect relationships in an informational text.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.

Identify and use various text features (e.g., title, bold print, illustrations, glossaries) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.

Identify text features to aid comprehension.

Use text features to aid comprehension.

Identify the main purpose of a text, including what question the author is answering, explaining, or describing.

Explain or identify what specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) teach the reader to do or tell the reader.

Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe or identify its key ideas.

Identify the facts and details an author gives to support points in a text.

Describe how facts and details support specific points the author makes in a text.

Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.

Choose information or narrative text to read and reread, listen to, or view for leisure purposes. 

Choose text to read and reread, listen to, or view for informational purposes (e.g., to answer questions; understand the world around them).

Discuss key details and main topic of a preferred text.

Produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends.

Isolate and/or produce initial, medial vowel, and/or final sounds in consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words.

Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes).

Identify long and short vowels in regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words with long vowels. 

Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.

Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

Recognize and/or read grade appropriate irregularly spelled words.

Read or identify frequently occurring root words with and without inflectional endings.

Read grade-level text with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression (when applicable) on successive readings.

Identify grade level words with accuracy and on successive attempts.

Practice self-monitoring strategies to aid comprehension (e.g., reread, use visuals or cueing system, self-correct, ask questions, confirm predictions)

Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition.

State an opinion or preference about the topic or text and at least one reason for the opinion.

Connect gathered facts to an opinion using linking words in persuasive writing. 

Write, draw, or dictate an opinion statement, several reasons that support the opinion, and a concluding statement about a topic or book of interest.

Organize an opinion piece starting with a topical or opinion statement followed by related reasons with supporting evidence and ending with a concluding statement.

Write statements that name a topic and supplies some facts about the topic.

When writing information/explanatory texts represent facts and descriptions through the use of illustrations and captions. 

Order factual statements to describe a sequence of events or explain a procedure.

Provide a concluding statement or section to a permanent product.

Tell about a single event or a series of events that describes actions, thoughts, or feelings.

When appropriate, write about a series of events in the order in which they occurred using signal words (e.g., first, then, next).

Provide a title for writing that tells the central idea or focus.

Organize text providing information regarding who, what, and why while maintaining a single focus.

Write a narrative that includes a sense of closure.

No CCCs developed for this standard.

With guidance and support, use feedback on a topic (e.g., additional text, drawings, visual displays, labels) to strengthen informational writing.

With guidance and support, use feedback (e.g., elaborate on story elements) to strengthen narrative writing.

With guidance and support, use feedback (e.g., drawings, visual displays, labels) to strengthen persuasive writing.

With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools (e.g., word processing, internet) to produce and publish writing, including collaborating with peers.

Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).

Generate ideas and or opinions when participating in shared writing projects.

Recall information from experiences (e.g., highlight, quote or paraphrase from source) to answer a question.

With guidance and support from adults, gather information from provided sources (e.g., highlight) to answer a question.

Recall information from experiences to answer a question.

Recall information from experiences to answer a question.

Gather information from provided sources (e.g., highlight in text, quote, or paraphrase from text or discussion) to answer a question.

Use simple note-taking strategies (e.g., double entry journal, Venn diagram, t chart, discussion web) to record reasons for or against a topic.

Create a permanent product (e.g., t-chart, word sort) to distinguish facts and opinion.

Use simple note taking strategies or organizers (e.g., numbering, t-charts, graphic organizers) to gather information from provided sources.

Not applicable

Not applicable

No CCCs developed for this standard.

No CCCs developed for this standard.

No CCCs developed for this standard.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and text under discussion). 

Build on others' talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.

Engage in small or large group discussion of favorite texts presented orally or through other media.

Recount or describe key ideas or details from literary text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Ask questions about information presented (orally or in writing) in order to clarify something that is not understood.

Engage in small or large group discussions by sharing one's own writing.

Describe, orally or in writing, factual information about familiar people, places, things, and events with details orally or in writing.

Provide at least two facts for each subtopic identified for a larger topic.

Describe ideas about familiar people, places, things, and events.

Share a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details.

Describe a single event or a series of events that describes actions, thoughts, or feelings.

Describe familiar people, places, things, and events with details orally or in writing.

Use drawings or other visual displays to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Produce (through dictation, writing, word array, picture) complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.

Use collective and irregular plural nouns in writing.

Use past tense irregular verbs in writing. 

Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves) in writing.

Use adjectives and adverbs in writing.

Produce and expand upon simple or compound sentences. 

 Capitalize dates, name of people, holidays, product names, and geographic names.

Use end punctuation for sentences.

Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns.

Use end punctuation for sentences.

No CCCs written for this standard.

Use sentence context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Determine the meaning of a new word formed when a known prefix is added to the known word or root.

Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words.

Use a glossary or beginning dictionary to determine the meaning of a word.

Read or identify frequently occurring root words with and without inflectional endings.

Use newly acquired words in real-life context.

Distinguish shades of meaning among related verbs and adjectives by defining them or acting out their meaning.

With guidance and support from adults, distinguish shades of meaning among verbs differing in manner or adjectives differing intensity by defining them or acting out their meaning.

Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy).

Identify connections with previously understood words to acquire the meaning of a new word (e.g., weeping is like crying).

Use newly acquired words in real-life context.

Use adjectives to describe nouns. 

Use adverbs to describe verbs.