Literacy

Our Grade 2 Literacy Program builds on foundational skills from first grade and helps students develop into confident, fluent, and thoughtful readers. Grounded in the Science of Reading, the program emphasizes systematic instruction in phonics, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies—the key building blocks of skilled reading. Throughout the year, students receive explicit instruction in how written language works, learning to decode multisyllabic words, build automatic word recognition, and use knowledge of morphology (like prefixes, suffixes, and base words) to unlock meaning. Fluency practice is woven into daily lessons, helping students move from sounding out words to reading with prosody, appropriate rate, and expression, which supports comprehension. Students also develop their oral language, background knowledge, and comprehension strategies through rich discussions, vocabulary study, and engaging texts.

Additionally, our Literacy Program helps students grow as writers by combining explicit, systematic instruction with plenty of opportunities for creative expression. Guided by the Science of Reading, we know that strong writing depends on oral language development, vocabulary knowledge, syntax, and the ability to communicate ideas clearly in text. Our writing instruction helps students develop these essential skills while building a love of writing. Throughout the year, students learn how to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish their work. They receive direct instruction in how to use precise language, organize ideas, and write sentences that are grammatically correct and meaningful. Writing is connected to reading and speaking: students discuss ideas with peers, learn from mentor texts, and read their own work aloud to ensure it makes sense.

The year is organized into five engaging units:

Unit 1: Young Poets

In this unit, Grade 2 students will become poets.  They will learn how to see the world through a poet’s eyes by finding ideas in their own observations and feelings.  Grade 2 poets will learn different ways to structure poems; how to use precise language; and how to use comparisons to create “word” pictures for their readers.  Writers will also learn how to read poetry in order to revise and edit their writing before presenting to an audience through a Poetry Slam.

Unit 2: Cinderella Around the World

In this unit, students explore multiple versions of the Cinderella fairy tale from various cultures. Through these stories, they examine how cultural settings influence plot and discover universal themes that connect people across the world. Students analyze characters, settings, and plot structure while comparing and contrasting different versions. The unit emphasizes discussion, oral discourse, and daily writing to develop comprehension and narrative skills. By the end, students gain a deeper appreciation for diversity and the power of storytelling.

Unit 3: Becoming Experts

In this unit, students become expert readers and writers by paying close attention to details, synthesizing information, and questioning texts to understand the author's purpose while reading texts about different cultures around the world. They develop vocabulary, explore the organization and text features of nonfiction, and learn to explain main ideas to effectively understand texts. Ultimately, students create examples of nonfiction writing, incorporating the components and text features they have explored, in order to teach others about their own cultures.

Unit 4: Exploring Habitats

In this unit, students explore different habitats (forest, desert, water, and rainforest) and investigate how different plants and animals survive in each habitat. Rather than just learning facts about the habitats, students examine the connection between parts of each habitat and how those connections are crucial for survival. Students learn how to use text features and text structure to think about how details are connected and to determine the main topic of a section of text. They use what they have learned about text features to include text features in their own informational writing, writing multiple pages in their own informational books about the different habitats they have studied. Finally, students write an opinion paragraph about plants and animals living in a habitat, supported by details, facts, and features.

Unit 5: Belonging and Friendship

In this unit, students grapple with common grade level topics through reading the easily relatable book series, Pinky and Rex. Through connecting with characters, students learn that it is okay to be different, to be proud of who they are, and what it truly means to be a good friend. Students are challenged to notice the descriptive details included to show how characters feel in response to different problems and challenges. They are also challenged to notice how a character's dialogue shows what they are truly feeling and how the different "said" words included deepens that understanding. By reading four books in the series, students also have the chance to see how characters develop over the course of multiple texts. When discussing the text with partners, in small groups, or as a whole group, students continue to work on engaging with the thinking of others. Students continue to build their writing fluency by responding to reading using a combination of simple and complex sentences, using different conjunctions when crafting answers, and developing their opinion and narrative writing skills. 

Across the year, we integrate word study, fluency practice, vocabulary development, and comprehension strategy instruction, aligned with the Science of Reading. Our goal is for every student to become an independent, fluent, and reflective reader—able to tackle complex texts with confidence and joy.

Additionally, students engage in rich discussions, build their vocabulary, develop sentence structure, and learn to communicate ideas clearly in writing. These skills support both reading comprehension and written expression, ensuring that our young writers are equipped with the tools they need to become confident, independent communicators.

Using UFLI Foundations, students in grade 2 build foundational decoding skills through a research-based phonics sequence.

Inquiry

Inquiry units are designed to offer students authentic experiences where they generate questions and tackle complex issues, as individuals and teams.  Social Studies based units are aligned to the American Education Reaches Out (AERO) standards, and they build understanding of concepts across the domains of the discipline - civics, economics, geography, and history.  Science phenomena-based units are aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which integrate core disciplinary ideas, cross-cutting concepts, and the practices of the discipline.

In Grade 2 Inquiry, students expand their understanding of responsibility in communities beyond the classroom.  They consider roles and responsibilities of different members of a community, as well as the goods and services that are needed in our local communities.  At the same time, in Science inquiry, students are exploring interdependent relationships in the natural world.  Through these experiences, students begin to understand how we are all connected.  Digging into the concept of culture through an inquiry into different traditions and celebrations, students also begin to understand similarities and differences among us, and finally how we can have a positive impact in our communities.  Students will also investigate slow and fast natural processes that shape our Earth, and the properties of different materials.

In all units, active questioning drives learning and concepts help us to organize our ideas.  Through concept-based inquiry, students develop transferable understanding around core ideas and practice the skills of the disciplines, including:

AERO Social Studies Practices

1. Develop Questions and Plan Inquiries

2. Evaluate the Credibility of the Sources and Relevance of the Information to the Inquiry

3. Construct Coherent, Reasoned Arguments and Explanations

4. Communicate Conclusions From an Inquiry

5. Take Informed Action for the Common Good

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices

1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems

2. Developing and Using Models

3. Planning and Carrying out Investigations

4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data

5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

6. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence

8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information