English Language Arts — Grade 2

What do you see?

This lesson is designed to teach color vocabulary and some basic animal names to novice level ESL students in grades 1-2 using Bill Martin's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 English Language Arts)

By Cindy Young.

"Twas the Night Before Christmas": Retelling through thinking maps

After reading and discussing “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” students will work together to create a Flow Map. Each student will then use the map they created individually to retell the story in his/her own words.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts)

By Amy Rhyne, Paulette Keys, and Sarah Carson.

Positively popcorn

This lesson should be used as a part of a unit on the three forms of matter. This is a fun activity on the process of how popcorn pops using gas as a form of matter.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts and Science)

By Jennifer Burton.

Landform adventure

This lesson will enable students to learn the types of landforms and bodies of water. Then they will use geographic terms to describe landforms and bodies of water in Mexico. Activities in this lesson can be taught during a period of 2-3 days.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Beth Edmonds.

Geography centers

A geography unit in which students investigate and compare their hometowns and other cities. The unit incorporates nine centers: math, science, social studies, reading, writing, computers, puzzles and games, art, and listening. They all have activities that are integrated with the geography unit.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies)

By Laurie Perry.

Economic resources using thinking maps

This lesson uses several literature selections in order to identify and classify natural, human, and capital resources. Students will work together in small groups to gather information and individually complete a Thinking Map. The assessment includes completing a Tree Map individually and sharing group information with the rest of the class. This lesson will take two days.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Robin Campbell.

Discovering how to take care of our natural resources

This lesson focuses on our natural resources and the effects our actions have on them. Students explore this concept through discussion, matching, literature, and writing.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts, English Language Development, and Social Studies)

By Jennifer Hicks and Alison Short.

Directed reading lesson: Dear Mr. Blueberry

This plan is a directed reading/thinking activity for the book Dear Mr. Blueberry with questioning and a follow-up written activity that focuses on the story elements. Another activity involves discussing facts about whales in the story and, then, finding other facts about whales that are used for a writing activity.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts)

By Candace Hall.

The Red-eyed Tree Frog and Hyperstudio

Students will read The Red-eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley then plan and put together a Hyperstudio which retells the story.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Computer/Technology Skills and English Language Arts)

By Jody Shaughnessy.

The Legend of the Blue Bonnet

Students will create their own version/retelling of The Legend of the Blue Bonnet by Tomie dePaola

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts)

By Shari Peacock.

Resources on the web

Word study with "Henry and Mudge"

Applying aspects of the small-group differentiated reading model to a systematic word study of the past tense marker –ed, this lesson helps students identify both base words and suffixes. After introducing students to Henry and... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Text Talk: "Julius, the Baby of the World"

This lesson from ReadWritethink helps young readers interact with and interpret text using Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes. The text talk strategy provides students with open-ended questions, which allow them to interpret the... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Poetry portfolios: Using poetry to teach reading and writing

Students learn to read and write when they have an active interest in what they are reading and writing about. This ReadWriteThink lesson supports students' exploration of language and writing skills as they read and dissect poetry. Through a weekly poem,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Martin Luther King, Jr. and me: Identifying with a hero

This lesson from ReadWriteThink explores ways to help students make connections to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities that not only provide a glimpse into Dr. King's life, but empower students to help... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Literature circles with primary students using self-selected reading

This lesson from ReadWriteThink is a structured guideline for helping students learn to think about the books they read, and to ask questions about books shared by other students. It is especially appropriate for mixed-age and upper primary classes, or... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Junie B. Jones introduces literacy mystery boxes

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, the teacher reads aloud the Junie B. Jones selection Junie B., First Grader (at last!). Students discuss the text with a partner, and then individually record key events from the story. Each student also... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

A journal for Corduroy: Responding to literature

This lesson from ReadWriteThink leads first-grade students to reflect on and respond to literature through journal writing. Students read books in the Corduroy series and interact with a stuffed bear to personalize their experiences. They also record their... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Integrating Language Arts Using "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"

This lesson from ReadWriteThink uses Laura Joffe Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie to combine word-skill work with prediction and sequencing practice. Students learn about cause-effect relationships during a shared reading of the book.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Have Journal...Will Travel: Promoting Family Involvement in Literacy

This lesson from ReadWriteThink is designed to engage families in shared literacy activities. The students take turns taking home a book bag that includes a stuffed toy, a book, art supplies, a topic to discuss with their families, and a journal to share... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Fact or fiction: Learning about worms using diary of a worm

This ReadWriteThink lesson focuses on the book Diary of a Worm, by Doreen Cronin. During a series of read-aloud sessions students focus attention on different features of the text. In this way, students develop strategies for differentiating... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink