Second Grade Reading Curriculum
Unit 1- September
Careful Readers Have Good Habits: Reading with Stamina, Engagement, Fluency,
Accuracy and Comprehension
Goals for September Unit:
•Routines, procedures, and expectations for reading time in second grade
•Strategies for staying focused and building stamina for reading
•Strategies for being a careful reader- reading just-right books with accuracy,
fluency, and comprehension
•Ways to read and talk about books with partners
Suggested Mini Lessons:
•Routines, procedures, and expectations for reading time in second grade
•Readers will get to reading quickly by going to their reading spot and finding a book
quickly
•Readers will choose appropriate books by selecting just-right books
•Readers take care of classroom books by keeping them in their bag (basket/container)
and handling books carefully
•Readers follow procedures by shopping for books at appropriate times
•Readers will respect fellow readers by using whisper voices
•Readers will show respect for fellow readers by not interrupting the teacher when he/she
is working with others
•Readers will follow procedures by reading for the whole time. If they think they are
finished, they reread
•Strategies for staying focused and building stamina for reading
•Readers will increase stamina by setting a goal of how many
pages to read
•Readers will increase stamina by setting a goal to read for increasing amounts of
minutes
•Readers will increase their focus by stopping and thinking about the story
•Readers will increase their focus by finding books that interest them
•Readers will increase their focus by rereading
•Readers will increase their focus by making a mental image
•Strategies for being a careful reader- reading just-right books with accuracy,
fluency, and comprehension
•Readers will monitor for meaning by stopping and thinking
•Readers will monitor for meaning by creating pictures in their heads
•Readers will monitor for meaning by rereading what they don’t understand
•Readers will monitor for meaning by retelling
•Readers make sure their reading sounds smooth by rereading “bumpy spots.”
•Ways to read and talk about books with partners
•Reading partners read by sitting hip-to-hip and reading with one book in between them
•Reading partners read by deciding who goes first and learning to take turns
•Reading partners read together by using echo reading, choral reading and rereading
books together
•Reading partners read together by choosing roles
•Reading partners share their reading by retelling their partner’s stories
•Reading partners share their reading by sharing opinions about books
•Reading partners share their reading by asking questions
•Reading partners share their reading by making connections
•Reading partners show active listening by nodding, smiling, and asking, “Can you tell
me more?”
•Reading partners talk about their books to learn more detail by asking for clarification
•Reading partners look for evidence in their books to support their ideas
•Reading partners retell their stories
Professional Literature to Support this Unit of Study
•Reading With Meaning by Debbie Miller (Chapters 3 and 4)
•Growing Readers by Kathy Collins (Chapters 3 and 4)
•The Art of Teaching Reading by Lucy M. Calkins (Chapter 17)
•2007-2008 DRAFT Teachers College Binder (Gr. 2 Curriculum Calendar pages 6-12)
Second Grade Reading Curriculum
Unit 2- October
Readers Use Strategies to Figure Out Words and to Understand Their Stories
Goals for October Unit:
•Strategies for decoding tricky words that often may be polysyllabic
•Strategies for figuring out the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases
•Strategies for monitoring for meaning and having thoughts while reading
•Ways to read and talk about books with partners
Suggested Mini Lessons
•Strategies for decoding tricky words that often may be polysyllabic
•Readers will decode by reading through a word part-by-part, from left to right
•Readers will decode by looking for familiar words within the word
•Readers will decode by reading through the whole word
•Readers will decode by “playing with the word in their mouths” (trying different
pronunciations)
•Readers will decode by using what they know about other words to help figure out
unfamiliar words
•Readers will decode by asking themselves, “What would make sense here?” (meaning)
•Readers make sure the word they’re reading sounds right by asking themselves, “Can I
say it that way?” (structure /syntax)
•Strategies for figuring out the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases
•Readers will show that they are curious about words by trying their best to figure out
what words and phrases mean as they read
•Readers will figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases by reading back
and reading ahead and using the context to figure out the word or phrase in question
•Readers will figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases by replacing
unfamiliar vocabulary with synonyms to help them hold onto meaning by thinking about
what would make sense and substituting a word
•Strategies for monitoring for meaning and having thoughts while reading
•Readers get their minds ready to read by thinking about the cover
•Readers get ready to read by taking a “book walk”
•Readers make sure they are getting the story by retelling it to themselves at different
points along the way. They can retell across their fingers by using cue words such as
“first,” “then,” “after that,” and “finally.”
•Readers can monitor for meaning by touching each page and retelling the big thing that
is happening on each page
•Readers can monitor for meaning by using illustrations to remind them of the story
•Readers can monitor for meaning by making pictures in their minds of the characters,
the actions, the setting, and the sounds of the scene.
•When readers “lose” their mental image, they go back and reread the part in order to
picture it
•Readers monitor for meaning by asking themselves things like, “What is this character
thinking right now?”
•Readers have thoughts while reading by making text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-toworld connections.
•Ways to read and talk about books with partners
•Partners help each other with words by offering helpful prompts rather than simply
calling out the word in question. Some examples of prompts are, “Look at the picture.”
“What would make sense?” “What would sound right?” “Look at the beginning letter.”
•Partners talk about books with partners by using prompts such as:
“I agree because…”
“I disagree because…”
“A part that confuses me is…”
“I liked this part because…”
“I disliked this part because…”
Professional Literature to Support this Unit of Study
•Reading With Meaning by Debbie Miller (Chapters 5 and 6)
•Growing Readers by Kathy Collins (Chapters 5 and 6)
•2007-2008 DRAFT Teachers College Binder (Gr. 2 Curriculum Calendar pages 12-16)
Second Grade Reading Curriculum
Unit 3- November
Readers Think and Talk About the Characters in Their Books and They Can
Become Experts About Characters in Character Centers
Goals for November Unit:
•Strategies readers use to get to know the characters in their books
•Grow ideas and theories about characters
•Group books according to traits of their characters
Suggested Mini Lessons:
•Strategies readers use to get to know the characters in their books
•Readers will get to know the characters in their books by paying close attention to what
characters say and do, then think about what these things teach us about the characters
•Readers will get to know the characters in their books by identifying the important parts
of the book or moments in the character’s life
•Readers will get to know the characters in their books by paying attention to the parts
where the character experiences conflicts or problems
•Readers will get to understand the characters in their books by paying attention to the
places in their books when the character acts ‘out of character’
•Readers will get to know the characters in their books by paying attention to ways that
characters solve their problems and to consider what this says about the character
•Grow ideas and theories about characters
•Reader will grow ideas and theories about characters by accumulating the story across
pages and chapters of books, and asking themselves, “What is going on with my
character so far?” or “What do I know about my character so far?”
•Reader will grow ideas and theories about characters by using some sort of graphic
organizer, such as a T-chart, to keep track of their thoughts
•Reader will grow ideas and theories about characters by listing theories about characters
and jotting evidence to support particular theories on post-its
•Group books according to traits of their characters
•Readers will group books according to traits of their characters by reading and talking
about characters that go together in some way
•Readers will group books according to traits of their characters by using graphic
organizers and post-its to support their talk
•Readers will group books according to traits of their characters by rereading passages in
order to compare them and revising their theories in light of new evidence
Professional Literature to Support this Unit of Study
•Growing Readers by Kathy Collins (p. 200-203, 231-234)
•2007-2008 DRAFT Teachers’ College Binder (Gr. 2 Curriculum Calendar pages 17-22)
Second Grade Reading Curriculum
Unit 4- December
Careful Readers Build Comprehension by Reading with Fluency, and Pay Attention
to the Story Elements / Careful Readers Monitor for Meaning as They Read- A
Possible Extension/Variation for This Unit of Study
Goals for December Unit:
•Most stories have certain story elements in common: characters, setting, problem
and solution, and time change
•Read with fluency
•Monitor for meaning as they read and learn how to use strategies to fix their
comprehension when it breaks down
“You may decide that it makes more sense for your students to spend extra time
learning how to monitor for meaning as they read and learning how to use strategies to
fix comprehension when it breaks down. If this is the case, you may decide to begin
this unit with the work on fluency sessions. Without spending the days on story
elements during this unit, you will have more time to work on having your students
understand their texts well.” You may want to address story elements during your
“Read Aloud” time.
Suggested Mini Lessons:
•Most stories have certain story elements in common: characters, setting, problem
and solution, and time change
•Readers will identify setting by paying attention to place words that tell a reader where
the action is happening
•Readers will notice when the scene changes within their books by identifying evidence
that reveals the setting and scene changes, such as illustrations, location words, and
prepositional phrases
•Readers will identify the problem and solution in the stories they read by putting a postit on the page the problem appears and a post-it on the page where the problem is
resolved
•Readers can begin to predict or expect what the problem might be by noticing that some
events in a story reoccur, and this can led to a problem.
•Readers can integrate story elements by paying attention to how the character deals with
the problem, because that reveals important information about the character.
•Readers will find clues for the problems in their stories by looking for places where the
main character has some sort of negative feelings
•Readers will figure out when time is changing in a text by using changing details in
illustrations
•Readers will figure out when time is changing in a text by paying attention to the
language an author uses to indicate change in time (e.g. “later that day,” “early one
morning,” “meanwhile,” etc.)
•Read with fluency
(You may choose to do “Readers’ Theatre” with this unit during “Shared Reading” time.)
•Readers will read with fluency by ‘reading’ the punctuation by pausing, stopping,
inflecting, and exclaiming
•Readers will read with fluency by making their reading voice match the tome and mood
of the story
•Readers will read with fluency by reading dialogue with an understanding of who is
talking and with a voice that expresses the feeling or mood of the character
•Readers will read with fluency by bringing out the meaning and sound of the text by
using punctuation marks for guidance
•Monitor for meaning as they read and learn how to use strategies to fix their
comprehension when it breaks down
(A Possible Extension/Variation for This Unit of Study)
•Readers will monitor for meaning by talking about what it feels like when they truly
understand a story and what it feels like when they ‘sort of’ understand a story
•Readers will monitor for meaning by noticing that they are no longer following the story
when:
-They are no longer picturing what is going on in the story
-They can’t retell the story or part of the story
-Their minds are focusing on other things
•Readers will get their comprehension back on track by rereading parts to make sure they
understand what’s going on
•Readers will get their comprehension back on track by reading a confusing part aloud
•Readers will get their comprehension back on track by going back and rereading the
beginning of the book
•Readers will get their comprehension back on track by paying close attention to the
characters the authors introduce, and jotting down on post-it’s the characters’ names and
relationships with each other
•Readers will get their comprehension back on track by co-creating a class chart called,
“Strategies Readers Use When They Get Confused” or “What We Can Do to Help
Ourselves Understand Our Books”
•Readers make predictions about text and confirm or contradict their predictions as they
read on*
Readers use their prior knowledge and textual clues to draw conclusions and form unique
interpretations of text*
•Readers know to infer when the answers to their questions are not explicitly stated in the
text*
•Readers create interpretations to enrich and deepen their experience in a text*
•Readers purposely and spontaneously ask questions before, during, and after reading*
•Readers ask questions for many reasons*
•Readers determine whether the answers to their questions can be found in the text or
whether they will need to infer the answer from the text, their background knowledge,
and/or an outside source*
•Readers understand that many of the most intriguing questions are not answered
explicitly in the text, but are left to the reader’s interpretation*
•Readers understand that hearing others’ questions inspires new ones of their own;
likewise, listening to others’ answers can also inspire new thinking*
Professional Literature to Support this Unit of Study
•Reading With Meaning by Debbie Miller (Chapter 8*)
•Growing Readers by Kathy Collins (p. 130-133, 178-186)
•2007-2008 DRAFT Teachers’ College Binder (Gr. 2 Curriculum Calendar pages 22-27)
Second Grade Reading Curriculum
Unit 5- January
Nonfiction Reading Strategies: Readers Can Get Information and Grow Ideas from
Nonfiction Texts, and They Can Gather Books on a Topic of Interest in a Reading
Center
(Please note: Research shows that children often read 2 levels below their regular level
when they read nonfiction texts.)
Goals for January Unit:
•Getting their minds ready to read nonfiction texts
•Strategies for reading to learn
•Read books across a topic
•Strategies for accumulating information
•Strategies for dealing with nonfiction difficulty
Suggested Mini Lessons:
•Getting their minds ready to read nonfiction texts
•Readers will activate prior knowledge about the topic by thinking to themselves, “What
do I already know about _______?”
•Readers get their minds ready to read nonfiction texts by thinking, “What do I want to
learn about __________?”
•Readers will think about what they are going to learn in nonfiction texts by taking a
book walk
•Strategies for reading to learn
•Readers will synthesize text by putting what they learned into their own words
•Readers find information by using the features of nonfiction texts (Table of Contents,
index, diagrams, photographs, captions, section headings, cutaways, different kinds of
print)
•Readers read nonfiction in special ways to learn about their topic by going straight to a
particular part of the book to read specific sections
•Readers decide where to start reading on a nonfiction page by identifying text boxes,
illustrations, and captions as well as text paragraphs, and making a plan
•Read books across a topic
•Readers research their topics by starting with the easiest books in the collection of
nonfiction books (grouped by topic)
•Readers accumulate information about their topics by looking at different books
•Readers will extend their thinking about their topic by having thoughts as they gather
information (Example: “Hmm. I learned whales are mammals. I didn’t know they were
mammals because I thought they were fish.”)
•Strategies for accumulating information
•Readers consider why particular information is important to their understanding of the
topic by stopping and thinking about the important thing that they picked up as they read
the text
•Readers don’t just collect information, they also think about it by asking themselves,
“Hmm…what does this make me think about?”
•Readers grow new ideas by saying, “Hmm…I learned that…and it makes me
wonder/think/want to know more about…” (Readers can use post-its to mark places in
their books where they learned new information.)
•Readers think about the information they collect by using it to find new questions
•Readers use the information they collect by connecting it with other things they know
•Readers make theories about their information by trying to answer the question, “Why?”
•Strategies for dealing with nonfiction difficulty
•Readers deal with nonfiction difficulties by rereading
•Readers deal with nonfiction difficulties by checking the illustrations
•Readers deal with nonfiction difficulties by rereading the confusing part out loud
Professional Literature to Support this Unit of Study
•Growing Readers by Kathy Collins (p. 194-196, 206-226)
•2007-2008 DRAFT Teachers’ College Binder (Gr. 2 Curriculum Calendar pages 27-32)
Second Grade Reading Curriculum
Unit 6- February
Readers Have Strategies for Monitoring for Meaning, Problem-Solving Words, and
Maintaining Fluency:
Readers read with word power and build their vocabulary
Goals for February Unit:
•Strengthen ability to decode tricky words
•Strategies for dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary and phrases
•Improving partner talk
Suggested Mini Lessons:
•Strengthen ability to decode tricky words
•Readers will decode tricky polysyllabic words by starting at the left and moving to the
right as they try to decode parts of the words
•Readers will decode tricky polysyllabic words by thinking about other words they know
that look like the word in question and to always think about what would make sense in a
particular part of the story
•Readers will decode tricky polysyllabic words by considering different ways the vowels
might sound when they “try out the word in their mouths”
•Readers can ask somebody for help with tricky words after trying their own strategies
first, by asking quietly without disturbing other readers
•Strategies for dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary and phrases
•Readers will use context to figure out what words mean by reading back and reading on
•Readers will substitute a tricky word with a synonym that fits by envisioning what is
going on in the story
•Readers will “collect” new vocabulary by writing their new word they’ve learned on a
post-it with their name on it, putting it on a piece of chart paper, at the end of the week
tell the rest of the class what it means
•Improving partner talk
•Readers will hold themselves accountable for understanding what their partners are
talking about by saying things like, “Wait, I’m confused. Can you explain to me what
you mean?” Or “Would you say more about that?”
•Readers will hold each other accountable for using text evidence by teaching them to say
things like, “Can you show me the part where that happens?” or “Let me show you the
part I’m thinking of,” or “For example, in the part where…”
•Readers will plan for their conversations during their private reading time by putting
post-its on parts they want to talk about.
•Readers will jot on post-it’s the ideas that they want to talk about because sometimes
when they go back to a blank post-it, they forget what they wanted to say
Professional Literature to Support this Unit of Study
•Growing Readers by Kathy Collins (Chapter 5)
•2007-2008 DRAFT Teachers’ College Binder (Gr. 2 Curriculum Calendar pages 34-37)
Second Grade Reading Curriculum
Unit 7- March
Readers Become Experts about Series They Love By Looking Closely at Character
Relationships
Goals for March Unit:
•Writing about reading
•Thinking across books in a series
•How secondary characters affect the main characters in a series
•Cause and effect in series books
Suggested Mini Lessons:
•Writing about reading
•Readers think about characters by jotting on a post-it the character’s feelings and reason
why
•Readers think about characters by jotting on a post-it character change and reason why
•Readers think about a new idea from the series and evidence to support it by jotting it on
a post-it
•Readers think about new learning or lessons from the story and evidence to support it by
jotting it on a post-it
•Readers make note of character relationships, the difficulties the characters experience,
and the way characters change by jotting these ideas on post-its to hold onto them for
writing about their reading
•Thinking across books in a series
•Readers think across books in a series by accumulating knowledge of the main character
and asking questions such as, “Has the character learned from the problems she
encountered in one book, and carried these lessons as she moves forward into the next
book?”
•Readers think across books in a series by accumulating knowledge about the secondary
characters and the relationships among the characters in the books
•Readers predict how a book will go by thinking about their prior reading (“Oh, here it
comes again…this is just like the problem he had with __________.”)
•How secondary characters affect the main characters in a series
•Readers notice the effects the secondary characters in the story have on the main
characters and then consider the underlying causes by telling why they think the character
had this effect. (“When Lily moves into the neighborhood, Chester and Wilson get
secretive and act sort of aloof because…”)
•Cause and effect in series books
•Readers notice warning signs that a problem is about to begin by establishing recurring
causes and effects in their books
Professional Literature to Support this Unit of Study
•Growing Readers by Kathy Collins (p. 231-235)
•The Art of Teaching Reading by Lucy M. Calkins (Chapter 24)
•2007-2008 DRAFT Teachers’ College Binder (Gr. 2 Curriculum Calendar pages 37-41)
Second Grade Reading Curriculum
Unit 8- April
Readers Read Just Right Fiction Books in Theme-Based Centers: Partners learn to
grow ideas as they read a collection of related books
Goals for April Unit:
•Sort books into “texts-that-go-together”
•Think and talk across books
•Reading comprehension strategies to deepen thinking
Suggested Mini Lessons:
•Sort books into “texts-that-go-together”
•Readers will sort books into baskets of like books by answering the question, “How do
these books go together?”
•Readers will sort books by deciding how they are different
•Readers will sort books into baskets of like books by marking pages in one book that
remind them of another book
•Think and talk across books
•Readers will compare like books by opening pages in two books that go together and
talking between them
•Readers will make big ideas about the texts by looking at them closely, and support
those big ideas with specific text references
•Readers will ask questions that evoke higher thinking by saying things such as, “I
wonder why…” or “I bet this is true because…” or “Why would…” or “How could…”
•Readers learn that they develop expertise on something by reading books that go
together
•Readers learn that any one book can be read with “different lenses” by discussing their
big ideas with other readers
•Reading comprehension strategies to deepen thinking
•Readers will make connections that help them understand the character or story better by
telling why the connection helps them understand
•Readers will infer by naming characters’ feelings and thinking based on what the author
provides in the text
•Readers will determine meanings of unknown words by using their schema, paying
attention to textual and picture clues, rereading, and engaging in conversations with
others
•Readers tell about reactions when they read by putting post-its on parts of the stories
where they had reactions and by jotting the reaction and the reason for it on the post-it
(similar experience, prior knowledge, what is inferred, what is envisioned)
Professional Literature to Support this Unit of Study
•Growing Readers by Kathy Collins (Chapter 7)
•2007-2008 DRAFT Teachers’ College Binder (Gr. 2 Curriculum Calendar pages 41-43)
Second Grade Reading Curriculum
Unit 9- May
Readers Read Nonfiction (Either Within Social Studies or Science or in Interest
Centers) or Readers Find Authors They Love and Get to Know Their Books or
Readers Read Poetry with Expression, Fluency and Understanding
(Please note: Research shows that children often read 2 levels below their regular level
when they read nonfiction texts.)
Goals for May Unit:
•Whole Class Topic Centers / Interest Centers or
•Find Authors They Love and Get to Know Their Books or
•Read Poetry with Expression, Fluency and Understanding
Suggested Mini Lessons
•Whole Class Topic Centers/Interest Centers
•Readers will learn more about a content area by reading just-right books on a given topic
•Readers comprehend a nonfiction book by thinking about the main chunks of
information
•Readers accumulate knowledge about a topic by jotting down when they find a new fact
•Readers grow ideas about their topic by saying, “I learned that…and that makes me
think…”
•Readers will increase comprehension by reading a section (or a book) and pausing to
think, “What has the author taught me?”
•Readers will paraphrase the content of the text by saying to themselves, “The main thing
I learned here is…”
•Readers will teach partners the important things they learned by saying things like, “This
is weird because…” or “I am surprised that…” or “Then how come…”
•Find Authors They Love and Get to Know Their Books
•Readers show that they found an author they love by gathering and reading their texts
•Readers find trends and habits of authors by noticing similarities and differences among
the texts by authors they love
•Readers try to find out more about their favorite authors’ lives by researching other
books or looking on the Internet
•Readers wonder where authors get their ideas by asking questions such as, “I wonder if
the author experienced some of the events in the story?”
•Readers look for themes that run through favorite authors’ books by reading more books
by them
•Readers recommend favorite authors to other people by giving a “book talk” and by
sharing with other readers
•Read Poetry with Expression, Fluency and Understanding
•Readers find clues about how to read poems by noticing line breaks, tone, rhymes,
punctuation and shape
•Readers read poems aloud with feeling by thinking about the poem’s meaning and by
reading aloud to reflect on the meaning
•Readers discover that different poems need to be read in different ways
•Readers notice, appreciate word choice in poetry
•Readers notice, appreciate parts of poems that evoke pictures in the mind
•Readers notice, appreciate poems that change our thinking
•Readers find similarities and differences in poems by the same poet by comparing them
•Readers find similarities and differences in poems on
the same topic by comparing them
•Readers talk about why they love a poem and what they love about it
•Readers notice similarities across poems they love
•Readers notice the feelings poems evoke in them
Professional Literature to Support this Unit of Study
•Growing Readers by Kathy Collins (p.226-230, 234-237)
•2007-2008 DRAFT Teachers’ College Binder (Gr. 2 Curriculum Calendar pages 44-45)
Second Grade Reading Curriculum
Unit 9- June
Find your Niche as a Reader: Return to Your Old Favorites, Create Your Own
Reading Centers, and Make Plans for Your Reading Life
Goals for June Unit:
•Reflect on and celebrate growth as readers
•Invent and carry out independent reading studies
•Make plans for summer reading
Suggested Mini Lessons:
•Reflect on and celebrate growth as readers
•Readers reflect on growth by rereading old favorite books and trying to notice the new
thinking they’re having about the story
•Readers reflect on reading growth by comparing a book that was just-right at the
beginning of the year with a book that is just-right now
•Readers reflect on growth as a reader by comparing how long they used to read privately
with how long they now can read by themselves
Readers reflect on their growth as readers by looking for trends in their reading to see if
there is an author they seem to love, or a kind of book, or a genre
•Readers celebrate growth as readers by reading to kindergarten buddies
•Readers celebrate growth as readers by having a Bookmark-Making Party
•Readers celebrate growth as readers by having Year-End Book Clubs
•Invent and carry out independent reading studies
•Readers create their own reading projects and reading centers by pursuing topics of
interest
•Readers create their own reading projects and reading centers by choosing something
they want to get better at
•Readers create their own reading projects and reading centers by trying something new
•Make plans for summer reading
•Readers make plans for summer reading by setting goals of how many books to read or
how many minutes they will read each day
•Readers make plans for their summer reading by making Summer Reading Journals to
record their books, thoughts, questions, and new information as they do their summer
reading
•Readers make plans for their summer reading by getting library cards and making plans
to utilize the library and attend the summer reading programs
Professional Literature to Support this Unit of Study
•Growing Readers by Kathy Collins (Chapter 8)
•2007-2008 DRAFT Teachers’ College Binder (Gr. 2 Curriculum Calendar pages 46-48)