- Can I recommend some age appropriate books for motivation and interest?
- What is typical second grade behavior?
- How many vocabulary words can children learn each year?
- How can I help my child at home with word reading?
- How often will newsletters and changes to this site occur?
- When should students be expected to know their math facts? How can parents help?
- How do I know which level books my child should be reading?
Can I recommend some age appropriate books for motivation and interest?
Here are popular titles and authors of books that your children can borrow. Teachers and students have recommended many of these. Some of these titles are in the library or in the classroom for daily reading and home borrowing:
A to Z Mysteries (a series) are about children who know how to solve crimes!
Bailey School Kids (a series) have adventures in school with others who may be real or not!
Boxcar Children (a series)- What is it like to live in a boxcar? Do you know what a boxcar is?
Stink (a series) (a relative of Judy Moody)-Caution: These characters are not polite-like Junie B. Jones books
James Howe books (various levels-some scary)
Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke is by a Nigeria-born author and is about a girl living in Africa who experiences many of the same things we do in America
Clementine series of books by Sara Pennypacker is about a mischievous girl
Toys Go Out and other books (one year this was a favorite read aloud-recommended by a reading specialist)
Black Lagoon adventure series are funny and adventurous tales about school
Amelia Bedelia funny series (helps teach homophones)-enjoyed by those who speak a second language
Choose Your Own Adventure books (Last year's favorite! -some challenging levels)
Lois Lowry books (of various levels) wrote books about an unusual second grader named Goony Bird Greene
ANY book by Gail Gibbons (she is our mentor author for our non fiction writing)-like The Art Box and How a House is Built
Horrible Harry series (a student last year read every one!) is about a third grader and his friends
Fancy Nancy books by Jane O'Connor are about girls being dressed up and their adventures
Beatrix Potter traditional books (lots of vocabulary and "she" visited Bowman School last year!)
Geronimo Stilton series is about a mouse- he was a favorite a few years ago
Akimbo and the Elephants by Alexander McCall Smith (A reading specialist likes this)
Ant Plays Bear and other books by Betsy Byers
Books by Mo Willems a new and funny picture book series
Fly Guy series by Tedd Arnold (loved by a student who spoke another language)
Any book by William Steig (lots of vocabulary)
Books by David Weisner (NO words!)
Magic Tree House Research Guides and their other realistic fiction types
Books by Sneed Collard or Steve Jenkins (great challenging leveled science books!)
Ann Morris' books like, Hats, Hats, Hats and Houses and Homes
Bill Peet books are entertaining and funny (A student last year enjoyed them)
Cam Jansen books-about being a detective-an entertaining series for everyone
Mercer Meyer's funny books are about things that happened to him when he was little or about things that happen now as a grownup.
Cynthia Rylant books including the famous series about the pig named Poppleton and Mr. Putter and Tabby series (various levels, a favorite by a librarian!)
Ivy and Bean books are a series about best friends who are opposites
Dan Gutman books (silly)
Books by Stephen Kellogg-funny!
Books by Rosemary Wells-featuring animals like McDuff
Pat Cummings gets ideas for her books and illustrations from things around her or her dreams!
Martha Speaks, Martha Calling and Martha Walks the Dog and other books by Susan Meddaugh
Are You My Friend Today? By Gyo Jujikawa
Rabbit and Hare Divide an Apple by Harriet Ziefert
One of Each by MaryAnn Hoberman- Before she could write, she started asking her older brother to write down the stories, poems and songs that she had in her head.
She still writes from ideas about her past.
James Marshall books like the Miss Nelson and George and Martha series
Homes and Homes by Ann Morris and other non-fiction titles
The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey- A perfect example of what we are asking our writers to do at the beginning of the year when we ask to write about a small moment in their lives
D.W. Rides Again and other titles by Marc Brown
Charlotte Zolotow is a great author who writes about friendship- see, My Friend John
What is typical second grade behavior?
Kindergarten Teacher Ellen Day wrote this for Big Backyard Volunteers and it reminds us of what a second grader can be like:
Grade 2
* Learning to listen to more complex multi-step directions.
* Vocabulary is expanding.
* Works slowly and thoughtfully needs time to synthesize information.
* Enjoys learning how systems and cycles work.
* Relies on adult help to get started and transitions.
* Needs constant and positive reinforcement.
* Needs closure and wait time to complete phases of learning
* Thrives in the inquiry based setting
** Clear guidelines and routines are a must
How many vocabulary words can children learn each year?
A second grader can learn 3,000 new words a year. These words can come from school,
as well as from reading, home reading every night, a book being read aloud, new experiences and conversation.
How can I help my child at home with word reading?
Some of the methods are:
1. Sound out the word—You might know the word but not recognize it in print.
2. “Chunk” the word—Break up the word. Is there a root word, a prefix, or a suffix?
3. Link the word to a known word—Do you know other words that look or sound like this one?
(Example: studious looks and sounds like study)
4. Look for smaller words that you recognize—Is the word made up of a smaller word you know?
(Example: compound words)
5. Use context clues—Use clues from the sentence or surrounding sentences.
6. Think about what makes sense—Ask yourself, “What would make sense in the sentence?”
From: Quality Comprehension: A Strategic Model of Reading Instruction Using Read-Along Guides, Grades 3–6 by Sandra K. Athans and Denise
Ashe Devine. © 2008 by the International Reading Association.
How often will newsletters and changes to this site occur?
Newsletters and changes to this site should occur at least every 2 weeks.
When should students be expected to know their math facts? How can parents help?
They should know facts to twenty by the end of grade 2.
Pure memorization does not help children gain an understanding of the concept of number.
Parents can help in the following ways, which will lead to a child's success with larger numbers:
TEN FRAMES: Parents can help in a way that is similar to our "Words their Way" (the word cards that come home), spelling program. Just as with word patterns, students should relate concepts and expand patterns. They should easily break apart numbers (knowing all the combinations that make any number). They should quickly recognize an array of 10 and when three is missing from that array, they should quickly know that 7 are left. Further application is easily recording, 10-3=7 and 7+3=10 or 3+7=10.
DOMINOES: For a child to work with dominoes, 2 rows of 3 should instantly be recognized as 6 dots in total. Therefore, the equations for 6 that is illustrated by the domino, 3+3=6, 2+2+2=6, 6-3 =3 and so on has more meaning.
BREAKING APART NUMBERS: Students should also be easily able to break apart numbers. An example of this skill is when a child is shown a ten frame of 7, and given 5 more, they should readily be able to break apart that 5 so that they use 3 more to fill the ten frame and "the leftovers" would be 2, making a total of 12. When students firmly grasp breaking apart numbers, fact triangles can also provide practice for fact mastery or "Tact Power".
FACT TRIANGLES can be printed out from the "Helpful Links" section of this webpage or from past homework. After fact triangles are cut out, a student can name all of the connected or related facts (also called a "Fact Family"), from each triangle. For example if the fact triangle had the numbers, 4, 6, and 10, the student would be able to see that 4+6=10, 6+4=10, 10-6=4 and 10-4=6. For additional practice a partner can cover one number in the fact triangle and the student can reveal the covered number through giving all of the equations (also called "number sentences"), using all of the numbers as well as addition and subtraction facts that are represented by the triangle.
TEN FRAMES: RECOGNIZING TEN MORE: Students fill one "Ten Frame" and then make another; they should quickly see that together they make 20. Practice can continue by leaving one ten frame intact and then taking away numbers on the second ten frame and the student recognizing "ten more" without counting. For example, one ten frame is intact while the other frame has only 5, the students sees 15 instantly. Next, practice adding another ten to 15 for the student to "see" 25. The ten frames as visual aids can fade after awhile.
How do I know which level books my child should be reading?
Around conference time, I sent home the following guides were individualized for each student and sent home:
A book at home should be comfortably read with enjoyment, understanding and few errors
End of Grade 1 to Beginning of Grade 2 (approximately) Text Characteristics
o Sentence Patterns are longer, varied and more complex
o Greater use of literary or story language: Once upon a time…Long, long ago…
o May include repeated pattern in cumulative form with more and more text added
to each page
o Low picture support
o There will be more unfamiliar and often complex vocabulary
Characteristics of the Reader
o Rereading and self-correcting regularly
o Reading with fluency
o Integrating a balance of sources of information
o Monitoring for meaning: checking to make sure what has been read makes sense
and sounds right and what looks right
o Demonstrate fluent phrasing of longer passages
o Uses a repertoire of graphophonic (letter/sound) strategies to problem solve
through text
Sample Titles at this Level
Albert the Albatross (Hoff)
Are You My Mother (Eastman)
Because a Little Bug Went Ka-choo (Stone)
Big Dog, Little Dog (Eastman)
Charlie Needs a Cloak (DePaola)
Danny and the Dinosaur (Hoff)
Father Bear Comes Home (Minarik)
George Shrinks (Joyce)
Goodnight Moon (Brown)
Grizzwold (Hoff)
Hattie and the Fox (Fox)
Morris the Moose (Wiseman)
Most Titles in the Little Critters Series (Mayer)
Mrs. Brice’s Mice (Fox)
Old Hat, New Hat (Berenstain)
Ten, Nine, Eight (Bang)
The Big Hungry Bear (Wood)
The Very Busy Spider (Carle)
We are Best Friends (Aliki)
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (Rosen)
Grade 2 (approximately) Level Text Characteristics
o Longer, slightly more complex chapter books with more characters
o Most vocabulary words known by children through oral language or reading
o Variety in layout, reflecting different genres
o Wide range of high frequency words
o Some complex spelling patterns
o Variation in placement of subject, verb, adjectives, and adverbs
o Ample space between lines
o Sentences carrying over two to three lines and some over two pages
o Print and illustrations integrated in many texts
Characteristics of the Reader
o Use letter sound relationships in sequence to solve more complex words
o Use known words to solve new words
o Follow and remember a series of events over a longer text in order to understand
the ending
o Bring knowledge from personal experiences to the interpretation of characters and
events.
o Connect words that mean the same or almost the same to help in understanding
o Read dialogue with phrasing and expression
o Summarize a longer narrative text with multiple episodes.
o Demonstrates fluent phrasing of longer passages
Sample Titles at this Level
Arthur the Moose Series (Hoban)
Blackboard Bear (Alexander)
Bony-Legs (Cole)
Cat in the Hat (Suess)
Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs, Hop on Pop (Suess)
Commander Toad (Yolen)
Farmer Boy Birthday, A (Wilder)
Frog and Toad Series (Lobel)
Froggy Learns to Swim (London)
Harry Hates Shopping! (Armitage)
Home in the Sky (Backer)
Hooray for the Golly Sisters! (Byars)
Hop on Pop (Suess)
Jamaica Series (Havill)
Little Bear Series (Minarik)
Little Bill Series (Cosby)
Mitchell is Moving (Cole)
Nate the Great Series (Sharmat)
Poppleton, Henry and Mudge Series (Rylant)
There’s Something in My Attic (Mayer)
Text Characteristics of approximately an End of Grade 2 Level
o Episodic and cumulative chapters
o Limited picture support
o Limited spacing
o Multiple story lines and characters
o More complex themes and characters to follow and develop
o Question in dialogue (fiction) and questions and answers (nonfiction)
o Words with a wide variety of very complex spelling patterns
o Complex plots with numerous episodes and time passing
o Variety in the layout of the print
Characteristics of the Reader
o Solve content specific words, using graphics and definitions in the text
o Use chapter titles to foreshadow content
o Summarize a longer narrative, either orally or in writing
o Bring knowledge from personal experiences to the interpretation of characters and
events
o Understand the relationship between the setting and the plot of a story
o Differentiate between what is known and new information
o Notice aspects of a writer’s style
o Infer the big ideas or message
Sample Titles at this Level
Amelia Bedelia Series (Parish)
Arthur the Aardvark Series (Brown)
Cam Jansen Series (Adler)
George and Martha Series (Marshall)
Horrible Harry Series (Kline)
Jenny Archer Series (Conford)
Junie B. Jones (Park)
Look Who’s Playing First Base (Christopher)
Magic Treehouse Series (Osbourne)
Most books by Matt Christopher (sports themes)
Pinky and Rex Series (Howe)
Polk Street School Series (Giff)
Russell Series (Hurwitz)
The Littles Series (Petersen)
Three Smart Pals (Rocklin)
Tooter Pepperday (Spinelli)
Zack Files Series (Greenburg)
Text Characteristics of approximately a Grade 3 Level
o More complex sentence structure
o New vocabulary in fiction texts largely unexplained
o Complex spelling patterns complex plots with numerous episodes and time
passing
o Texts with multiple points of view revealed through characters behaviors
o Use of words in italics, bold or all capitals to indicate emphasis, level of
importance, or signal other meaning
o Descriptive and figurative language that is important to understanding the plot
o Black and white illustrations
o Full range of punctuation
o No or minimal illustrations
Characteristics of the Reader
o Begin to notice new and interesting words, and add them to speaking or writing
vocabulary
o Process a wide range of dialogue
o Respond to plot tension or suspense by reading on to seek resolution
o Read dialogue with phrasing and expression that reflects understanding of
characters and events
o Make connections between texts and other texts that have been read or heard
o Demonstrate changing perspective as events in a story unfold
o See changes in characters across time and articulate possible reasons for
development
o Demonstrate understanding of characters, using evidence to support statements
Sample Titles at this Level
A to Z Mysteries (Roy)
Amber Brown Series (Danziger)
Babysitters’ Club Series (Martin)
Boxcar Children Series (Warner)
Catwings Series (Le Guin)
Chocolate Fever (Smith)
Class Clown (Hurwitz)
Enormous Crocodile, The (Dahl)
Herbie Jones Series (Kline)
Invisible Stanley (Brown)
Julian and Huey Series (Cameron)
Leftovers, The (Howard)
Pony Pal Series (Betancourt)
Ramona Series (Cleary)
South Orangetown Central School District
Scholastic also offers a Book Leveling site: http://www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/