Grade 2 English Language Arts: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 2 english language arts in the Prince Edward Island Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Speaking and Listening. Students will speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences.
- Speaking and Listening. Students will be able to communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond personally and critically.
- Speaking and Listening. Students will interact with sensitivity and respect, considering the situation, audience, and purpose.
- Reading and Viewing. Students will be expected to select, read, and view with understanding a range of literature, information, media, and visual texts.
- Reading and Viewing. Students will be expected to interpret, select, and combine information using a variety of strategies, resources, and technologies.
- Reading and Viewing. Students will be expected to respond personally to a range of texts.
- Reading and Viewing. Students will be expected to respond critically to a range of texts, applying their knowledge of language, form, and genre.
- Writing and Other Ways of Representing. Students will be expected to use writing and other forms of representation to explore, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings; and to use their imaginations.
- Writing and Other Ways of Representing. Students will be expected to create texts collaboratively and independently, using a variety of forms for a range of audiences and purposes.
- Writing and Other Ways of Representing. Students will be expected to use a range of strategies to develop effective writing and media products to enhance their clarity, precision, and effectiveness.
Easy ways to practise english language arts at home
- Take turns reading a page aloud, and chat about what happened and why.
- Keep a short journal, with one or two sentences a day to start.
- Hunt for a new word a day and use it at dinner.
- Ask for a prediction before turning the page: “What do you think happens next?”
What each unit covers
Listening, Asking and Polite Talk
Using non-verbal cues to show listening, asking questions to learn more, adding to others' ideas and changing how you talk for different people.
Listen and Speak
Listening with care, taking turns, asking politely when you did not hear, and using a clear voice that fits the place and the people. These habits help friendships and learning.
Text Features
Using a table of contents, charts and icons to find information, and following order words in steps and journal entries.
Sound Detectives
Letter teams that make one sound (sh, ch, th, wh, ee, ai, oa) and clapping syllables.
Rhyme Time
Hearing rhymes and spotting word families (-at, -ig, -op). Both help with reading and spelling new words.
Sight Words and Reading with Expression
Recognizing common words quickly and noticing punctuation to read in phrases with the right pausing and expression.
Story Builders
Reading short stories, then naming the character and setting, explaining why things happened, and retelling events in order.
Media, Trust and Who Is in the Story
Recognizing media, deciding with guidance whether a source or character can be trusted, and noticing who is shown or missing in texts.
Reading Detectives
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.
Word Pictures
Spotting similes (comparisons with like or as) and repeated consonant sounds, and what they add to a text.
Plan, Write and Make It Better
Planning with lists and webs, different types of writing for different readers, revising unclear writing, and combining words, pictures and sound.
Build Sentences
Telling the four sentence types apart, spotting complete sentences, and joining two ideas into a compound sentence.
Word Power
Building compound words, finding opposites and spelling plurals (-s and -es).
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the PEI report card guide.
Common questions
Take turns reading a page aloud, and chat about what happened and why. Keep a short journal, with one or two sentences a day to start. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Prince Edward Island Curriculum Grade 2 english language arts units include listening, asking and polite talk, listen and speak, text features, sound detectives, rhyme time, sight words and reading with expression.
Free printable Grade 2 english language arts practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.