Phonological awareness refers to the bigger “chunks” or “parts” of language. When we ask students to rhyme, blend small words to make a compound word, break words apart into syllables or onset-rime, we are working at the phonological awareness level. Phonological awareness focuses on sounds and does not include written letters or words.

In 2nd grade, readers might still need support with phonological awareness skills such as blending together individual sounds to make a word, breaking apart each individual sound in a word, deleting a sound in a word, and changing a sound in a word. Learn more about phonological awareness and how you can help your child at home.

Phonics refers to the ability to learn the individual sounds in spoken language and map those sounds to specific written letters in the English language. Students who have strong phonics skills are able to connect individual sounds with letters and use those sounds to read words. 

In 2nd grade, readers can distinguish long and short vowels when reading, read regularly spelled words with long vowels, read words with common prefixes and suffixes, and recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words. Learn more about phonics and how you can help your child at home.

Fluency is the ability to read accurately with reasonable speed and expression while understanding what is read.

In 2nd grade, readers should be able to read the same way that they talk, easily using expression and accurate language. Learn more about fluency and how you can help your child at home.

Vocabulary refers to knowledge of the meanings of individual words being read. Vocabulary knowledge is important to a student’s ability to read and comprehend what is read. 

In 2nd grade, readers should strive to learn as many new words and their meanings as possible. Additionally, second graders should be able to figure out the meaning of unknown words for their grade level, including homophones (words that sound alike but have different meanings). Learn more about vocabulary and how you can help your child at home.

Reading comprehension refers to the ability to understand what one reads. It is the ultimate goal of reading instruction.

In 2nd grade, readers are able to demonstrate knowledge of what they read. This may include sharing specific information on characters, describing important events from the book, and/or accurately acting out a text. Learn more about comprehension and how you can help your child at home.