2nd Grade Unit 1
Updated: February 12, 2016
2nd Grade Unit 1
Story Elements- Picture Books
Overview:
The first three weeks of school is a crucial time. Setting the foundations for effective reading group structures and processes
are at the heart of accomplishing all of the grade level expectations. In order to invest students in their work as readers, they must be
provided with the appropriate tools and structures to be successful. In addition, they need to develop independent reader behaviors
and be active participants in their learning process. This unit enables students to begin successfully on this path.
This unit will build the foundation of a community of learners working together to enjoy books. Students will be able to
describe what good readers do, including genuine reading, thinking about books, and responding to text. Students will develop an
understanding of their own learner profile and take responsibility for their development. They will understand the ways they can
influence their own learning and hold themselves accountable for progress.
In addition, this unit will help teachers collect data on scholar’s understanding of narrative text and help them to firm up their
understanding of basic narrative text structure and elements of a story. Gathering this data in this unit will be crucial to help guide the
direction subsequent units.
Common Core Standards:
RF 2.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what where, when why and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
RL 2.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters,
setting, or plot.
RL.2.8 Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story by different authors
Unit Goals:
Habits


Readers will understand the goals and expectations for 2nd grade reading and describe what proficient 2nd grade reading looks
and sounds like.
Establish their own reading goals and create a plan for achieving these goals.
Strategy Goals:
 Identify and describe the elements of a story (character, setting, problem, events, solution)
 Ask questions to identify key details in text.
 Retell story including important elements
Essential Questions:
Habits

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Skills
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Why do people use routines and strategies to grow as readers?
Why do readers record their thinking about text?
What are the important parts of the story that I need to pay attention to when I read?
Enduring Understandings:
Habits
Students will understand that:

readers utilize a variety of skills, strategies, and routines to support reading.

readers capture and record their thinking about text before, during, and after reading.
Skills
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Readers are aware of story elements and know how to use them to gain greater understanding of the text.
Readers are able to use these elements to talk about a text.
Updated: February 12, 2016
2nd Grade Unit 1
LESSON TYPES:
This unit is comprised of two main lesson types: habit lessons, skills lessons. The unit was designed to incorporate varying
lesson structures in order to provide students with:
 Strong standards aligned instruction of grade level specific reading skills
 Opportunities for lots of accountable time in text both as a class during close reading and independently
during the independent reading portion of skills lessons.
 Multiple ways for students to respond to rigorous standards align questions.
 Time for students to become familiar with the routines, procedures and expectations of the reading
classroom.
Habit Lesson:
These lessons are unique to the first unit of the year. Habit lessons are designed to follow a typical model, guided,
independent approach to introducing classroom procedures, routines and expectations of the reading classroom. Since it is
so important to build a strong foundation for reading at the beginning of the year, these lessons provide teachers time to
clearly communicate goals and expectations and to help develop a strong reading culture in their classrooms. These two or
three lessons will continue to be referenced throughout the unit and in future units throughout the year.
Skills Lesson:
These lessons follow a typical Model-Guided-Independent approach to introducing a new skill. Teachers will conduct a readaloud or shared reading and a think-aloud or model of the skill after providing context for the lesson. The model text should
be instructional (according to F&P) for the majority of the scholars in the class, relatively concise in length and conducive to
providing two or more strong examples of the skill. During the guided practice, teachers should release responsibility
gradually, building in multiple whole class checks for understanding before releasing scholars into independent practice.
Guided practice will most often be completed using the remainder of the model text, so that the class text (short story or
novel) can be used independently and allow for transferability from instruction to practice. During guided practice, scholars
might engage in turn-and-talks or other partner work. Most of the class should be allotted for independent practice of the
skill. Scholars might work in a common text or in leveled-texts, according to their independent (F&P) levels. Texts should be
chosen that allow for multiple at-bats with the skill. The teacher should actively circulate during this time, checking in with
scholars who continued to struggle during guided practice and/or giving advanced scholars an extra challenge. The
independent work should be collected and reviewed for mastery of the skill, given specific feedback and returned to scholars
the next day. Teachers should also give scholars real-time feedback and guidance. An exit ticket can be used to supplement
the independent practice data, as necessary.
SUGGESTED TEXTS TO BE USED WITH SKILLS LESSONS:
Small Pig by Arnold Lobel
-Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel*
-Corduroy by Don Freeman*
-Pinky and Rex by James Howe*
-George and Martha by James Marshall*
-The Meanest Thing to Say by Bill Crosby*
-Poppleton and Friends by Cynthia Rylant*
-Houndsley And Catina by James Howe
-Fox on Stage by James Vance Marshall
Updated: February 12, 2016
-B-E-S-T Friends by Patricia Reilly Giff
-The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
-Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
-Big Al by Andrew Clements
-King of the Playground by Phillis Reynolds Naylor
-Second Grade – Friends Again! By Miriam Cohen
-We are Best Friends by Aliki
-Best Friends by Steven Kellogg
2nd Grade Unit 1
AIMS CALENDAR
Day 1
Day 2
Habits Lesson: .
GOALS:
SWBAT define their reading level
miles on the page goal for both
the end of the year and the midyear point in their personal goal
tracker.
Close
Reading/
Guided
Reading
SWBAT write 3 important habits
that good readers use to reach
their goals, and why these habits
are important.
Habits Lesson
GOALS:
SWBAT write a personal
mission statement with 3
commitments for how he
/ she will achieve reading
goals this year.
Day 3
Close
Reading/
Guided
Reading
Skills Lesson
SWBAT notice
difficult words
and solve them
by using one of
the 4 word
solving key
strategies
Day 4
Close
Readin
g/
Guided
Readin
g
TEACHER/ CREATE
SCHOOL ROUTINES AND
PROCEDURE AIMS
Skills Lesson
SWBAT make
predictions
about a story by
using the
illustrations and
title to answer
questions such
as who, what,
where, when,
why and how.
Day 5
Close
Reading/
Guided
Reading
Skills Lesson
SWBAT retell
details about a
story in order, by
telling the events
of a story across
their fingers with
sequence words.
Close
Reading/
Guided
Reading
TEACHER/ CREATE SCHOOL
ROUTINES AND PROCEDURE
AIMS
Day 6
Skills Lesson
SWBAT identify the
main and supporting
characters in a story by
figuring out which
person/ animal/ thing
the story is MOSTLY
about and which just
helps the story along.
Day 7
Close Reading/
Guided Reading
SKILLS
SWBAT identify the
setting at the story of
the story and identify
points where the
setting changes using
details about time and
place
Day 11
Skills Lesson
SWBAT describe the
character’s actions in
the story by
explaining what the
character does and
the action’s outcome.
Day 8
Close
Reading/
Guided
Reading
Day 12
Close Reading/
Guided Reading
Updated: February 12, 2016
Skills
SWBAT
describe the
resolution in the
story by
explaining how
the problem
was solved
Close Reading/
Guided Reading
Skill Lesson:
SWBAT describe
the problem in
the story by
explaining the
character’s
challenges.
Day 9
Close
Readin
g/
Guided
Readin
g
Day 13
Skills
SWBAT write a
short retell of a
story by telling
what happened
first, next and
finally.
Skills Lesson
SWBAT
describe how a
character feels
by thinking
about what the
character does
says, thinks
Day 10 (Extend/ Review)
Close
Reading/
Guided
Reading
Day 14
Close
Readin
g/
Guided
Readin
g
Skills
SWBAT compare
and contrast two
versions of a
similar story by
identifying
similarities and
differences in the
character, setting
and plots
Day 15 (Extend/ Review)
Close
Reading/
Guided
Reading
2nd Grade Unit 1
Unit Assessments
Below are descriptions of and links to the diagnostic, formative and summative assessments for Unit 2. The formative
assessments are suggestions that may be used daily, weekly, and in combination to measure scholars’ progress toward
unit goals. The diagnostic exam is directly aligned to the summative assessment, which should be delivered uniformly
across the grade in order to accurately measure scholars’ achievement.
Diagnostic
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F&P scores
ELA State Test scores
IA 5 data (per standard)
Formative
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Updated: February 12, 2016
Do Nows
Class work artifacts from
reading notebooks,
graphic organizers, class
or small-group
discussions, etc.
Scholar-teacher
conferences
Weekly Quizzes
Homework
Exit tickets
Summative

Unit 2 Summative
Assessment
2nd Grade Unit 1
Mastery Tracker
Use this spreadsheet to log and track your scholars’ progress throughout the unit. The summative assessment is aligned to the aims for the unit. However, you
should analyze diagnostic data before beginning the unit to determine which (if any) aims need to be modified, dropped or included to make the unit fit the
needs of your scholars. Additionally, you should regularly collect formative data on your scholars’ progress, especially for aims that may be tested infrequently
on the summative assessment. More data points per aim will give you a clearer picture of your students’ progress. The spreadsheet is formatted as an Excel
spreadsheet that you can manipulate directly inside of this document or cut and paste into your Excel program. Type in your scholars’ names and scores
according to the assessment type (diagnostic, formative, and summative).
Aims
Assessment Type
Scholars
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