English Language Arts — Grade 2

African Masks (Pre-Visit)

This lesson will observe and describe several masks from different parts of Africa housed in the Smithsonian Institute (National Museum of African Art) Washington, D.C. Students will use the internet to view the Smithsonian's virtual exhibits. There are two lessons to follow this pre-visit. In the first, the students will explore African masks at the Ackland Art museum in Chapel Hill. In a culminating activity the students will make their own masks with some personal materials brought from home. (Post-visit activity)

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

By Debra Johnson-Morse.

An integrated lesson comparing the butterfly and frog life cycles

Students will build on their prior knowledge about the butterfly life cycle to compare and contrast the life cycles of butterflies and frogs. Students will locate butterflies on the school grounds and create pictographs and models of fractions to explain their findings mathematically. Students will also use a variety of resources to read about and study the food, space and air needed by butterflies and frogs to grow. They will create visual and written products to demonstrate their findings.

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

By Martha Dobson and Margaret Monds.

The Key to a Map

The students will use a map of the classroom to strengthen their map reading skills. They will work in groups and use a prepared map of the classroom to find hidden messages.

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

By Melissa Lasher.

Making Equal Shares

This activity is designed to connect literature and math. The students will use manipulatives and literature to reinforce the concept of equal sharing.

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

By Tara Almeida.

Moravian Migration: Before a Visit to Bethabara

Students investigate NCECHO site to "read all about" the 1753 Moravian settlement of Bethabara within our social studies curriculum topic on Life Long Ago. The Historic Bethabara Park website has historic background in narrative and diary form. After reading and discussing this information in teams with the teacher, student teams present information to classmates in some visual product in one of five categories. Students also will visit the photos on NCECHO and answer analytical questions to increase understanding of the past as compared to today.

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

By Wrenna Haigler.

Rules and Reasons

Through active participation in a game without rules, students will discover the reason for rules and laws in our neighborhood and community. They will design a poster and write a story about rules.

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

By Jeannette Renas.

Subject Search in Card Catalog

This lesson encourages students to engage in independent research through providing them with experience in accessing the variety of library materials available to them. This lesson is good for those schools who do not have online catalogs.

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

By Jennisen Lucas.

Surprise Box Descriptions

Students will learn to give oral definitions and descriptions. Each student will take a turn describing the contents of a plastic egg with a category plus attribute format. Other members in the group will have an opprtunity to guess the contents of the egg after listening to the description.

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

By Susan Karcher.

Using K-W-L to confirm what you know

Students will learn to use a K-W-L to activate their prior knowledge and help them set a purpose for reading and recording what they learned. They will also extend their K-W-L chart to confirm the accuracy of their prior knowledge and of what they learn.

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

By Kathleen Neff.

Vessels in Greek Art, Pre-Visit

This lesson will focus on what vessels are, where we can find them in our everyday world, and the concept that vessels are containers that hold something. This lesson is the first lesson of two.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Information Skills, English Language Arts, and Visual Arts Education)

By Katie O'Connor.

Visit to Ackland Art Museum (African Masks Exhibit)

This lesson will focus on the different African masks at the Ackland Art Museum. Students will discuss the different moods and facial expressions of the masks.

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

By Debra Johnson-Morse.

Lesson plans on the web

Acrostic poems: All about me and my favorite things

Introduces students to acrostic poetry. They create poems using their names as a starting point for writing about themselves. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Action ABC's: Learning vocabulary with verbs

Students review the definition of a verb and then expand their vocabulary by using verbs they already know in sentences. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Active Reading Using The Enormous Watermelon

Students engage in word recognition activities using character names and high-frequency words from the predictable texts of nursery rhymes and the big book The Enormous Watermelon. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

All Together Now: Collaborations in Poetry Writing

This is a set of three lesson plans to make poetry exciting for your students as they listen to, write and recite poems that are sure to please. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts)

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

Ancient flood stories

In this lesson, students will discuss ancient flood stories, including the story of Noah's Ark. They will also discuss the evidence of a flood that's been found in the Black Sea. Students will then write stories about what it might have been like immediately before and during this flood. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts)

Provider: National Geographic

As slippery as an eel: An ocean unit exploring simile and metaphor

Students explore simile and metaphor in fiction and nonfiction ocean books. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Book buddy biographies: Intermediate and primary students working together

Students create a personalized biography for their reading buddy. Each child is the author, illustrator, and editor. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Choosing one word: Summarizing Shel Silverstein's “Sick”

This lesson uses Shel Silverstein's poem “Sick” to challenge emergent readers to select the most important word in a text and to justify their selection. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE

Collaborating on a class book: Exploring before-during-after sequences

Students and the teacher produce a class book through a group-writing activity focusing on a basic before-during-after sequence of events. (Learn more)

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

Provider: IRA/NCTE