Orange Board of Education ELA/Grade 2
Unit I:
Topic:
Journeys
Unit 4
“Heroes
and
Helpers”
CCSS:
Goals: The Standards that are to be mastered by the end of this unit.
RL.2.1
RL.2.7
Answer questions such as who, what, where, when, and how about key details in a text.
Write a description of characters, setting, or plot using information from illustrations and
key words from the text (print or digital).
Apply the writing process to develop a narrative using learned spelling patterns to write
words including temporal and frequently occurring past tense irregular verbs, and a closing
sentence.
Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., feet, children)
Predict the meaning of compound words based on grade two reading and content using
the meaning of individual words (e.g., birdhouse).
Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names.
Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text.
Make connections with other key words in a text to determine the meaning of words and
phrases using sentence level context.
W.2.3; L.2.1.d;
L.2.2.d
L.2.1.b
L.2.4.b
L.2.2.a
RI.2.2
RI.2.4; L.2.4.a
Projected # of
days
35
Essential Questions: *When might a character need help solving a problem? *What words show the order of events in a story? *What makes a
character interesting? *What can you learn from signs in your community? *How can stories be alike and different?
Enduring Understandings:
 Good readers employ strategies to help them understand text. Strategic readers can develop, select, and apply strategies to enhance
their comprehension.
 Readers use language structure and context clues to identify the intended meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text.
Assessments:
Formative: Journeys Day 3 Skill Checks,
Summative: Model Curriculum Unit 1
Authentic: (Portfolio Requirement): Narrative
Journeys Guided Reading Skill Checks,
Assessment; Journeys Weekly Assessment;
Piece; Open-Ended Response to Literature
Orange Board of Education ELA/Grade 2
Anecdotal Records, Running Records;
Journeys Unit 4 Assessment; Narrative Piece
Teacher-made assessments; Narrative Piece
Final Draft; Open-Ended Response to
Rough Draft
Literature
Interdisciplinary Connections: Science /Social Studies – Use the textbook to have students identify the main idea of various paragraphs/pages
for the topic that is being studied
Technology Integration: www.brainpop.com (main idea video) www.studyisland.com (main idea practice), www.spellingcity.com (spelling
practice/compound words) www.thinkcentral.com (Journeys resources), www.rubistar.com (for struggling readers),
http://www.quia.com/rr/6516.html (irregular plural nouns millionaire game)
Key Vocabulary: Journeys Unit 4 Vocabulary and main idea, details, characters, setting, plot, compound word, narrative
Useful Sites:
http://www.ezschool.com/Games/CompoundWords.html (compound words game)
www.smartexchange.com (past tense irregular words smart board lessons)
http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/storymap3.pdf (story map for narrative)
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1083/lettersamples.pdf (sample friendly letter)
Primary Documents: (This section to be completed for RI only)
Text Crosswalk: Reading – Journeys p. T68 “Read to Connect”; Writing – Journeys p. T69 “Extend Through Research”; Listening and Language –
Journeys p. T69 “Listening and Speaking”
Orange Board of Education ELA/Grade 2
Unit 2:
Topic:
Journeys
Unit 3
“Tell Me
About It”
CCSS:
Goals: The standards that are to be mastered by the end of the unit.
RL.2.3
RL.2.7
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
Examine the illustrations, individual word choices or phrases within a story (print or digital)
to describe character traits, setting or plot.
Ask and answer questions pertaining to who, what, when, and where using key details or
facts from the text.
Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs
within the text.
Identify and use various text features (e.g., captions), to locate key facts or information and
to determine the meaning of words and phrases relevant to a grade two topic.
Describe an image (e.g., picture, graphic) from a text and explain how the image
contributes and clarifies the text.
Read regularly spelled one-syllable words correctly by distinguishing long and short vowels.
Compose a friendly letter in which commas are used correctly in a greeting and closing.
RI.2.1
RI.2.2
RI.2.4; RI.2.5
RI.2.7
RF.2.3.a
L.2.2.b
Projected # of
days
36
Essential Questions: *What helps you make a decision about a character? *How do you find important story characters? *Why do authors write
different kinds of texts? *How do you know when story ideas are important? *What might cause a story character to change?
Enduring Understandings:
 Good readers compare, infer, synthesize, and make connections (text to text, text to world, text to self) to make text personally relevant
and useful.
 Good writers develop and refine their ideas for thinking, learning, communicating, and aesthetic expression.
Assessments:
Formative: Journeys Day 3 Skill Checks,
Summative: Model Curriculum Unit 2
Authentic: (Portfolio Requirements)
Journeys Guided Reading Skill Checks,
Assessment; Journeys Weekly Assessment;
 Informative/Explanatory Piece
Orange Board of Education ELA/Grade 2
Anecdotal Records, Running Records;
Journeys Unit 4 Assessment; Informative
 Open-Ended Response to
Teacher-made assessments; Informative
Piece Final Draft; Open-Ended Response to
Informational Text
Piece Rough Draft
Informational Text
Interdisciplinary Connections: Science (Foss) Connection; Text Feature Scavenger Hunt - Use textbook to have students do a text feature hunt.
Technology Integration: www.studyisland.com (text feature practice), www.spellingcity.com (spelling practice) www.thinkcentral.com (Journeys
resources), www.rubistar.com (for struggling readers)
Key Vocabulary: Journeys Unit Vocabulary and character trait, fact, text feature, photograph, caption, heading, sub-heading, bold print,
glossary, index
Useful Sites:
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson175/traits.pdf (list of character trait words)
http://www.teachingoasis.com/NF%20Scavenger%20Hunt.pdf (text feature graphic organizer for scavenger hunt)
http://www.timeforkids.com (informational texts for teaching text features and main idea)
Primary Documents: (This section to be completed for RI only)
Text Crosswalk: Journeys p. T66 “Read to Connect”; Writing – Journeys p. T67 “Extend Through Research”; Listening and Language – Journeys p.
T67 “Listening and Speaking”
Orange Board of Education ELA/Grade 2
Unit 3:
Topic:
CCSS:
Journeys
RL.2.1
Unit 5:
“Changes,
RL.2.2
Changes
Everywhere” RL.2.3
RL.2.4
RL.2.5
W.2.3; L.2.1.b,d
L.2.2.a
L.2.2.c
Goals: The standards that are to be mastered by the end of the unit.
Describe key details of a read text by asking questions such as who, what, where, when,
why, and how.
Recall and describe the central message, lesson, or moral of a story including fables and
folktales from diverse cultures.
Describe how characters respond to major story events and challenges.
Describe the feeling and tone words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliterations, rhymes,
repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
Describe the structure of a story including a description of the introduction and closing
action.
Apply the writing process to develop a narrative paragraph that includes an event or series
of events, including details describing actions, thoughts and feelings and a concluding
statement. Use time order words, irregular plural nouns, and past tense irregular verbs.
Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names.
Use an apostrophe to form contractions and common possessives.
Projected # of
days
36
Essential Questions: *How do you know which facts are important?* *What can you learn from a character’s words and actions * * What helps
you make a decision about a character?* * How can one event in a story cause another to happen?*
Enduring Understandings:
 Fluent readers group words quickly to help them gain meaning from what they read.
 Rules, conventions of language, help readers understand what is being communicated.
 Questioning and contributing help speakers convey their message, explore issues and clarify their thinking.
 A speaker’s choice of words and style set a tone and define the message.
Assessments:
Formative: Journeys Reading Practice Book
Summative: Model Curriculum Unit 3
Authentic:
Orange Board of Education ELA/Grade 2
Day 3 Skill Checks; Journeys Guided Reading
Skill Checks, Anecdotal Records, Running
Records; Teacher-made assessments;
Opinion Piece Rough Draft
Assessment, Journeys Weekly Assessments;
Journeys Unit Assessment
 Opinion Writing Piece,
 Narrative,
 Open-Ended Response to
Informational Text,
 Informational Paragraph (T265)
 Write to Inform (T169)
Interdisciplinary Connections: Science: Penguin Fact Hunt (T42), Super Soil (T444) How to Make a Kite (T238) Social Studies: Text To World
(T157); Basket Weaving (T252)
Technology Integration: www.studyisland.com (story structure practice), www.spellingcity.com (spelling practice) www.thinkcentral.com
(Journeys resources)
Key Vocabulary: Journeys Unit Vocabulary and moral, lesson, message, fable, main idea, details
Useful Sites:
http://lightupyourbrain.com/stories/ (free audio books for struggling readers)
http://storytimeforme.com/ (additional stories)
www.gigglepoetry.com (poetry website for kids)
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/stacks/games/?esp=CORPHP/ib/////NAV/Kids/Tab/STACKSGames//// (interactive writing)
Primary Documents: (This section to be completed for RI only)
Text Crosswalk: Connect to Poetry: “Animal Poems” Journeys (T60) Traditional Tales: “The Lion & The Mouse” Journeys (T300-302)
Orange Board of Education ELA/Grade 2
Unit 4:
Topic:
Journeys Unit 2:
“Nature Watch”
CCSS:
Goals: The standards that are to be mastered by the end of the unit.
RL.2.5
Describe the structure of a story, including a description of the
introduction and closing action.
Use print or digital text and illustrations to develop understanding of a
story’s characters, setting, or plot.
Describe the similarities and differences between two or more
versions of the same story written from the perspective of two
different cultures or authors.
RL.2.7
RL.2.9
RI.2.1
RI.2.3
RI.2.4; RI.2.5
RI.2.8
RI.2.9
RF.2.3.d
W.2.2
Projected # of days
34
Show comprehension of an event found in an informational text by asking
and answering questions about key details such as who, what, where, when,
why, and how.
Using informational texts, describe connections between scientific ideas or
concepts.
Know and use text features (e.g., glossary) to locate key facts or information
in a text and to determine the meaning of words and phrases relevant to a
grade two topic or subject.
Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.
Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on
the same topic.
Decode words with common prefixes (e.g., un-, dis-, re-, pre-, mis-) and
suffixes (e.g., -ful, -less, -er)
Apply the writing process to develop an informative/explanatory
composition that introduces the topic, provides researched facts and
definitions to develop specific points, and includes a closing sentence.
Essential Questions: *How can chapter headings help you?* *”What helps you make decisions about a character?”* *How do you know what a
Orange Board of Education ELA/Grade 2
story is mostly about?”* * What can you learn from the way a character acts?”* *How do you know if something is a fact or an opinion?”*
Enduring Understandings:
 Understanding of a text’s features, structures, and characteristics facilitate the reader’s ability to make meaning of the text.
 Letters and letter combinations represent sounds.
 Oral discussion helps to build connections to others and create opportunities for learning.
Assessments:
Formative: Journeys Reading Practice Book
Day 3 Skill Checks; Journeys Guided Reading
Skill Checks, Anecdotal Records, Running
Records; Teacher-made assessments;
Informative Piece Rough Draft
Summative: Model Curriculum Unit 4
Assessment, Journeys Weekly Assessments;
Journeys Unit Assessment
Authentic:
 Opinion Writing Piece
 Informative/Explanatory Writing
Piece
 Research: Gather information from
provided sources to answer
questions
Interdisciplinary Connections: Drama Hiding at the Pond Journeys TE (182) Science: Super Storms Journeys TE (230) Social Studies: Meet
Norbert Wu Journeys TE (310-312)
Technology Integration: www.studyisland.com (text feature practice & reading comprehension practice), www.spellingcity.com (spelling
practice) www.thinkcentral.com (Journeys resources)
Key Vocabulary: Journeys Unit Vocabulary and nature, tradition, tale, dialogue, research, report
Useful Sites:
http://www.timeforkids.com/ (know and use text features)
http://storytimeforme.com/ (online stories for kids)
http://lightupyourbrain.com/stories/ (free audio books)
www.starfall.com (basic or emerging readers- phonics help)
Primary Documents: (This section to be completed for RI only)
Text Crosswalk: “Weather Poems” (TE 246) Informational Text: “They Really Are GIANT!” Journeys TE 218 Traditional Tales: “Why Rabbits Have
Short Tails” Journeys (TE280)
Orange Board of Education ELA/Grade 2
Unit 5:
Topic:
CCSS:
Journeys Unit 1 RL.2.1
“Neighborhood
Visits”
RL.2.2
RL.2.3
RL.2.5
RL.2.9
RI.2.2; RI.2.6
RI.2.3
RI.2.9
W.2.1
W.2.8
L.2.2.c
Goals: The standards that are to be mastered by the end of the unit.
Show comprehension of an event found in an informational text by asking and
answering questions about key details such as who, what, where, when, why, and how.
Recall and describe the central message, lesson, or moral of a story, including fables
and folktales from diverse cultures.
Describe how characters respond to major story events and challenges.
Describe the structure of a story, including a description of the introduction and closing
action.
Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story written from the
perspective of two different cultures or authors.
Determine the focus of specific paragraphs within informational texts and the main
topic of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
Using informational texts, describe connections between technical procedures.
Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same
topic.
Write an opinion piece focused on a clearly stated opinion or a topic including reasons
supporting the opinion, linking words to connect ideas, and a closing sentence.
Write a response to a question based on experiences recalled or information gathered
from provided sources.
Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives when
writing.
Projected # of
days
35
Essential Questions: *Why is the order of events in a story important? *How are families alike and different? *Why might an author write a
story? *What might cause a story character to change? *What clues tell you where and when a story takes place?
Enduring Understandings:
 Good readers employ strategies to help them understand text. Strategic readers can develop, select, and apply strategies to enhance
their comprehension.
 Good writers use a repertoire of strategies that enables them to vary form and style, in order to write for different purposes, audiences,
Orange Board of Education ELA/Grade 2
and contexts.
 A writer selects a form based on audience and purpose.
Assessments:
Formative: Journeys Day 3 Skill Checks,
Summative: Model Curriculum Unit 5
Journeys Guided Reading Skill Checks,
Assessment; Journeys Weekly Assessment;
Anecdotal Records, Running Records;
Journeys Unit 1 Assessment; Opinion Piece
Teacher-made assessments; Opinion Piece
Final Draft; Open-Ended Response to
Rough Draft
Informational Text
Authentic: (Portfolio Requirements):
 Opinion Piece
 Narrative Piece
 Open-Ended Response to
Informational Text
Interdisciplinary Connections: Science Fair Connection: Have students write an opinion piece describing why they chose their science fair topic.
Math Connection: Using a Venn Diagram, have students compare and contrast plane shapes and solid shapes.
Technology Integration: www.studyisland.com (story structure), www.spellingcity.com (spelling practice) www.thinkcentral.com (Journeys
resources), www.rubistar.com (for struggling readers), http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/vocabulary_games/contractions.html
(contraction games)
Key Vocabulary: Journeys Unit 1 Vocabulary and central message, theme, moral, fable, folktale, compare, contrast, apostrophe, contractions,
possessive noun
Useful Sites:
http://exchange.smarttech.com/search.html?q=%22Compare%2FContrast%22&subject=All+subjects&grade=Grade+2&region=en_US (Useful
Smart Board lessons for compare and contrast, teachers must register to access the lessons)
http://www.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/l/lessonplans_graphicorg_pdfs_charactercompare1.pdf (Character comparison
graphic organizer)
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/graphic-organizer-venn-diagram (Venn Diagram download)
http://teacher.scholastic.com/LessonPlans/pdf/march05_unit/PersuasiveParagraph.qxd.pdf (Graphic Organizer for Opinion Piece)
www.brainpop.com (possessive noun video)
http://www.kids-pages.com/folders/stories/Aesops_Fables/page1.htm (Fables for students that can teach theme/moral/central message)
Primary Documents: (This section to be completed for RI only)
Text Crosswalk: Journeys p. T64 “Read to Connect”; Writing – Journeys p. T65 “Extend Through Research”; Listening and Language – Journeys p.
T65 “Listening and Speaking”
Orange Board of Education ELA/Grade 2
*Differentiation: www.marzanoresearch.com/free_resources/itembank.aspx