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2nd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 9 of 12

Reading Detectives

Clues, feelings and who is telling it

What your child practices

Reading short texts to work out who is telling the story, what will happen next, how characters feel, and how things are the same and different.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 2.RL.6 · comparing characters and noticing who tells the story

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Use clues in the text to figure out why characters do things.
  2. If the story says “I”, a character is telling it. If it says “he” or “she”, someone outside the story is.
  3. Steps to follow use order words like first, next and last.

Example: Lena put bread down, added jam, then put the other slice on top. What did Lena do last? “then” shows what came last. The last step was the other slice. Answer: put the other slice on top

Reading Detectives in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 9 of 12 in 2nd grade English Language Arts, after Word Pictures and before Text Features.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Arizona Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    How are Mochi and Biscuit the same?

    Cat and Dog Day

    Jay has a cat named Mochi. Mochi likes to sit by the window and watch birds.

    Ana has a dog named Biscuit. Biscuit likes to dig in the garden.

    Both animals love treats.

    • Both watch birds.
    • Both dig in the garden.
    • Both love treats.

  2. Question 2

    How are Mochi and Biscuit different?

    Cat and Dog Day

    Jay has a cat named Mochi. Mochi likes to sit by the window and watch birds.

    Ana has a dog named Biscuit. Biscuit likes to dig in the garden.

    Both animals love treats.

    • Mochi watches birds. Biscuit digs.
    • They do the same things.
    • Mochi digs. Biscuit watches birds.

  3. Question 3

    Which animal is more likely to get muddy paws?

    Cat and Dog Day

    Jay has a cat named Mochi. Mochi likes to sit by the window and watch birds.

    Ana has a dog named Biscuit. Biscuit likes to dig in the garden.

    Both animals love treats.

    • Mochi
    • neither
    • Biscuit

  4. Question 4

    What kind of text is this?

    Making a Sandwich

    First, Lena put two slices of bread on a plate. Next, she spread butter on one slice.

    Then she added cheese and a leaf of lettuce.

    Finally, she put the other slice on top.

    • a poem
    • a made-up fairy tale
    • steps to follow in order

  5. Question 5

    What did Lena do right after she put bread on the plate?

    Making a Sandwich

    First, Lena put two slices of bread on a plate. Next, she spread butter on one slice.

    Then she added cheese and a leaf of lettuce.

    Finally, she put the other slice on top.

    • spread butter
    • put bread on top
    • added lettuce

  6. Question 6

    What did Lena do last?

    Making a Sandwich

    First, Lena put two slices of bread on a plate. Next, she spread butter on one slice.

    Then she added cheese and a leaf of lettuce.

    Finally, she put the other slice on top.

    • put the other slice on top
    • spread butter
    • added cheese

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