2nd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 3 of 12
Story Builders
Characters, settings and order
What your child practices
Reading short stories, then naming the character and setting, explaining why things happened, and retelling events in order.
Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 2.RL.3; 2.RL.5 · characters, settings and the order of events
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- The main character is who the story is mostly about.
- The setting is where and when the story happens.
- Events happen in order: beginning, middle and end.
Example: Jay forgot his lunch at school. His teacher shared her apple. Where does this story happen? Look for place words. The story happens at school. Answer: at school
Story Builders in Arizona
In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 3 of 12 in 2nd grade English Language Arts, after Sound Detectives and before Word Power.
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.
- 2nd grade guide for Arizona parents
- Printable 2nd grade English Language Arts sheet
- Arizona report cards explained
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.
Question 1
Who is the main character in this story?
Sam found a feather on the trail.
It was blue with a black stripe.
Sam showed it to a park ranger.
The ranger said it came from a Steller's jay.
- 🐦a jay
- 🌲a tree
- 🧑Sam
🧑 Sam
Hint: The main character is who the story is mostly about.
Question 2
Where does this story happen? (the setting)
Sam found a feather on the trail.
It was blue with a black stripe.
Sam showed it to a park ranger.
The ranger said it came from a Steller's jay.
- 🥐at a bakery
- 🎭in a theater
- 🥾on a trail
🥾 on a trail
Hint: The setting is where a story happens. Look for clues in the first sentence.
Question 3
What did the ranger help Sam learn?
Sam found a feather on the trail.
It was blue with a black stripe.
Sam showed it to a park ranger.
The ranger said it came from a Steller's jay.
- 🔢How to count to ten
- 🐦Which bird the feather came from
- 🎂How to bake a cake
🐦 Which bird the feather came from
Hint: The last sentence tells what the ranger said.
Question 4
Tap what happened, from the beginning to the end.
Sam found a feather on the trail.
It was blue with a black stripe.
Sam showed it to a park ranger.
The ranger said it came from a Steller's jay.
- The ranger named the bird.
- It was blue.
- Sam showed a ranger.
- Sam found a feather.
Sam found a feather. → It was blue. → Sam showed a ranger. → The ranger named the bird.
Hint: Read the story again from the top. What happened first?
Question 5
Who is the main character in this story?
Maya's team was playing soccer in the park.
Maya kicked the ball, but it rolled into a puddle.
Her teammate Ravi helped her dry the ball.
They both laughed and kept on playing.
- 🥅a goalpost
- 👧Maya
- 🧑⚖️a referee
👧 Maya
Hint: The main character is who the story is mostly about.
Question 6
Where does this story happen? (the setting)
Maya's team was playing soccer in the park.
Maya kicked the ball, but it rolled into a puddle.
Her teammate Ravi helped her dry the ball.
They both laughed and kept on playing.
- 🍽️at a restaurant
- 🌳at the park
- 🏛️in a museum
🌳 at the park
Hint: The setting is where a story happens. Look for clues in the first sentence.