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2nd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 4 of 17

Word Power

Compound words and opposites

What your child practices

Building compound words, finding opposites and spelling plurals (-s and -es).

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 2L4; 2L5 · compound words and opposites

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A compound word is two words joined together: rain + bow = rainbow.
  2. Opposites mean very different things: hot and cold, win and lose.
  3. Say both small words to check a compound word makes sense.

Example: Put the two words together: sun + flower. What new word do you make? Join the two words with no space. sun + flower = sunflower. Answer: sunflower

Word Power in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 4 of 17 in 2nd grade English Language Arts, after Story Builders and before Book Explorers.

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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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

    What is the opposite of “loud”?

    • fast
    • dry
    • quiet

  2. Question 2

    Put the two words together. What new word do you make?

    butter + fly

    • ⛄snowman
    • 🫐blueberry
    • 🦋butterfly

  3. Question 3

    What is the opposite of “closed”?

    • open
    • clean
    • fast

  4. Question 4

    What is the opposite of “sad”?

    • slow
    • small
    • happy

  5. Question 5

    One watch, two…

    ⌚ ⌚
    • watchs
    • watch
    • watches

  6. Question 6

    Put the two words together. What new word do you make?

    back + pack

    • 👣footprint
    • 🎒backpack
    • 🧥raincoat

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