THE CALIFORNIA LANGUAGE ARTS CONTENT STANDARDS - GRADE 2

READING

1. WORD ANALYSIS, FLUENCY, AND SYSTEMATIC VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: Students understand the basic features of a reading. They select and know how to translate letter patterns into spoken language using phonics, syllabication, and word parts. They apply this knowledge to achieve fluent oral and silent reading.

Decoding and Word Recognition:

• recognize and use knowledge of spelling patterns (e.g., diphthongs, special vowel spellings) when reading
• apply knowledge of basic syllabication rules when reading (e.g., v/cv = su/per; vc/cv = sup/per)
• decode two-syllable nonsense words and regular multi-syllable words
• recognize common abbreviations (e.g., Jan., Sun., Rt., St.)
• identify and correctly use regular plurals (e.g., -s, -es, -ies) and irregular plurals (e.g., fly/flies, wife/wives)
• read aloud with fluency and accuracy, and with appropriate intonation and expression

Vocabulary and Concept Development:

• understand and explain common antonyms and synonyms
• use knowledge of individual words in unknown compound words to predict meaning
• know the meaning of simple prefixes and suffixes (e.g., over-, un-, -ing, -ly)
• identify simple multiple-meaning words

Back to top

2. READING COMPREHENSION: Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They draw upon a variety of comprehension strategies as needed, including generating and responding to essential questions, making predictions, and comparing information from several sources. The quality and complexity of the material to be read by students are illustrated in the California Reading List. In addition to their regular school reading, by grade 4, students read one-half million words annually, including a good representation of narrative (e.g. classic and contemporary literature) and expository (e.g. magazines, newspapers, on-line information) text appropriate for each grade.

Structural Features of Informational Materials:

• use titles, tables of contents, and chapter headings to locate information in expository text

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text:

• state purpose engaging in reading (i.e., tell what information the student is seeking)

• use knowledge of author’s purpose(s) to comprehend informational text

• ask clarifying questions concerning essential textual elements of exposition (e.g., why, what-if, how)

• restate facts and details in text to clarify and organize ideas

• recognize cause and effect relationships in text

• interpret information from diagrams, charts and graphs

• follow two-step written directions

Back to top

3. LITERARY RESPONSE AND ANALYSIS: Students read and respond to a wide variety of significant works of children’s literature. They distinguish between the structural features of text and the literary terms or elements (i.e., theme, plot, setting, and characters). They quality and complexity of the materials to be read by the students are illustrated in the California Reading List.

Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text:

• compare and contrast plots, settings, and characters presented by different authors

• generate alternative endings to plots, and identify reason(s) for, and impact of, the alternatives

• compare and contrast different versions of the same stories that reflect different cultures

• identify rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration in poetry

Back to top

WRITING

1. WRITING STRATEGIES: Students write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Their writing considers audience and purpose. They successfully use the stages of the writing process (i.e., pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing successive versions).

Organization and Focus:

• group together related ideas, and maintain a consistent focus

Penmanship:

• create readable documents with legible handwriting

Research:

• understand the purposes of various reference materials (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, atlas)

Revising and Editing Strategies:

• revise original drafts to improve sequence and provide more descriptive detail

Back to top

2. WRITING APPLICATIONS (GENRES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS): Students write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard English and the drafting, research, and organizational strategies outlined in Writing Standard One.

Using the Grade 2 writing strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1, students:

• write brief narratives based on their experience that

• move through a logical sequence of events and

• describe the setting, characters, objects, and events in detail

• write a friendly letter complete with date, salutation, body, closing, signature

WRITTEN AND ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS

1. WRITTEN AND ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS: Students write and speak with a command of standard English conventions that are appropriate to each grade level.

Sentence Structure:

• distinguish between complete and incomplete sentences and recognize and use correct word order in written sentences

Grammar:

• identify and correctly use various parts of speech, including nouns and verbs, in writing and speaking

Punctuation:

• use commas in the greeting and closure of a letter and with dates and words in a series

• use quotation marks correctly

Capitalization:

• capitalize all proper nouns, words at beginning of sentences and in greetings, months and days of the week, and titles and initials of people

Spelling:

• spell frequently used, irregular words correctly (e.g., who, what, why)

• spell basic short-vowel, long-vowel, r-controlled, and consonant-blend patterns correctly

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

1. LISTENING AND SPEAKING STRATEGIES: Students listen and respond critically to oral communication. They speak in a manner that guides and informs the listener’s understanding of key ideas, using appropriate phrasing, pitch, and modulation.

Comprehension:

• determine the purpose(s) for listening (e.g., to get information, to solve problems, for enjoyment)

• ask for clarification and explanation of stories and ideas

• paraphrase information that has been shared orally by others

• give and follow three- and four-step directions

Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication:

• organize presentations to maintain clear focus

• speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of communication (e.g., informal discussion. report to class

• recount experiences in logical sequence

• retell stories, including characters, setting, plot

• report on a topic, including supportive facts and details

Back to top

2. SPEAKING APPLICATIONS (GENRES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS): Students deliver brief recitations oral presentations about familiar experiences or interests that are organized around a coherent thesis statement. Student speaking demonstrates a command of standard English and the organization and delivery strategies outlined in Listening and Speaking Standard One.

Using the Grade 2 speaking strategies outlined in Listening and Speaking Standard 1, students

• recount experiences or present stories that

  • move through a logical sequence of events

  • describe story elements (e.g., characters, plot, setting)

• report on a topic with facts and details, drawing from several sources of information

By the end of second grade, students understand place value and number relationships as they add and subtract and they use simple concepts of multiplication. They measure quantities with appropriate units. They classify and see relationships among shapes by paying attention to the elements that compose them.

NUMBER SENSE

1. Students understand the relationship among numbers, quantities and place value in whole numbers up to 1000.

• count, read, write whole numbers to 1,000 and identify the place value of each digit

• use words, models and expanded form to represent numbers (to 1,000)

• order and compare whole numbers up to 1,000 using the symbols <, =, >

2. Students estimate, calculate and solve problems involving addition and subtraction of two-and-three digit numbers.

• understand and use the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction (e.g., and opposite number sentence for 8+6=14 is 14-6=8) to solve problems and check solutions

• find the sum or difference of two whole numbers up to three digits long

• use mental arithmetic to find the sum or difference of two 2-digit numbers

3. Students model and solve simple problems involving multiplication and division.

• use repeated addition, arrays, counting by multiples to do multiplication

• use repeated subtraction, equal sharing and forming equal groups to do division with remainders

• know the multiplication tables of 2s, 5s, and 10s (to "times 10) and commit to memory

4. Students understand that fractions and decimals can refer to parts of a set and parts of a whole.

• recognize, name and compare unit fractions up to 1/12

• recognize fractions of a whole or parts of a group (e.g., ¼ of a pie, 2/3 of 15 balls)

• know that when all fractional parts are included, such as four-fourths, the result is equal the whole and to one

5. Students model and solve problems by representing, adding and subtracting amounts of money.

• solve problems using combinations of coins and bills

• know and use the decimal notation and the dollar and cents symbols for money

6. Students use estimation strategies in computation and problem solving that involve numbers that use the ones, tens, hundreds and thousands places.

• recognize when an estimate is reasonable in measurements (e.g., closest inch)

Back to top

ALGEBRA AND FUNCTIONS

1. Students model, represent and interpret number relationships to create and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.

• use the commutative and associative rules to simplify mental calculations and check results

• relate problem situations and number sentences involving addition and subtraction

• solve addition and subtraction problems using data from simple charts, picture graphs and number sentences

Back to top

MEASUREMENT AND GEOMETRY

1. Students understand that measurement is accomplished by identifying a unit of measure, iterating (repeating) that unit and comparing it the item measured.

• measure the length of objects by iterating (repeating) an non-standard or standard unit

• use different units to measure the same object and predict whether the measure will be greater or smaller when a different unit is used

• measure the length of an object to nearest inch and/or centimeter

• tell time to the nearest quarter hour and know time relationships (e.g., minutes in an hour, days in a month, weeks in a year)

• determine the duration of time intervals in hours (e.g., 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

• order and compare whole numbers up to 1,000 using the symbols <, =, >

2. Students identify and describe the elements that compose the common figures in the plane and common objects in space.

• describe and classify plane and solid geometric shapes (e.g., circle, triangle, square, rectangle. Sphere, pyramid, cube, rectangular prism) according to the number and shape of faces, edges and vertices

• put shapes together and take them apart to form other shapes (e.g., two congruent right triangles can form a rectangle

Back to top

STATISTICS, DATA ANALYSIS AND PROBABILITY

1. Students collect, record, organize, display and interpret numerical data on bar graphs and other representations.

• record numerical data in systematic ways, keeping track of what/who has been counted

• represent the same date set in more than one way (e.g., charts with tallies, and bar graphs)

• identify features of data sets (range and mode)

• ask and answer simple questions related to data presentations

2. Students demonstrate an understanding of patterns and how they grow, and describe them in general ways.

• recognize, describe, extend and explain how to get the next term in linear patterns (e.g., 4, 8, 12, ___; the number of ears on 1 horse, 2 horses, 3 horses, 4 horses)

• solve problems involving simple number patterns

Back to top

MATHEMATICAL REASONING

1. Students make decisions about how to set up a problem.

• decide the approach, materials and strategies to use

• use tools such as manipulatives or sketches to model problems

2. Students solve problems and justify their reasoning.

• defend the reasoning used and justify the procedures selected

• make precise calculations and check the validity of the results from the context of the problem

3. Students note the connections between one problem and another.

Back to top

PEOPLE WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Students in grade two explore the lives of actual people who make a difference in their everyday lives and learn the stories of extraordinary people from history whose achievements have touched them, directly or indirectly. The study of contemporary people who supply goods and services aids in understanding the complex interdependence in our free-market system.

2.1   Students differentiate between things that happened long ago and things that happened yesterday.

1. Trace the history of a family through the use of primary and secondary sources, including artifacts, photographs, interviews, and documents.

2. Compare and contrast their daily lives with those of their parents, grandparents, and/or guardians.

3. Place important events in their lives in the order in which they occurred (e.g., on a time line or    storyboard).

2.2   Students demonstrate map skills by describing the absolute and relative locations of people, places, and environments.

1. Locate on a simple letter-number grid system the specific locations and geographic features in their neighborhood or community (e.g., map of the classroom, the school).

2. Label from memory a simple map of the North American continent, including the countries, oceans, Great Lakes, major rivers, and mountain ranges. Identify the essential map elements: title, legend, directional indicator, scale, and date.

3. Locate on a map where their ancestors live(d), telling when the family moved to the local community and how and why they made the trip.

4. Compare and contrast basic land use in urban, suburban, and rural environments in California.

2.3   Students explain governmental institutions and practices in the United States and other countries.

1. Explain how the United States and other countries make laws, carry out laws, determine whether laws have been violated, and punish wrongdoers.

2. Describe the ways in which groups and nations interact with one another to try to resolve problems in such areas as trade, cultural contacts, treaties, diplomacy, and military force.

2.4   Students understand basic economic concepts and their individual roles in the economy and demonstrate basic economic reasoning skills.

1. Describe food production and consumption long ago and today, including the roles of farmers, processors, distributors, weather, and land and water resources.

2. Understand the role and interdependence of buyers (consumers) and sellers (producers) of goods and services.

3. Understand how limits on resources affect production and consumption (what to produce and what to consume).

2.5   Students understand the importance of individual action and character and explain how heroes from long ago and the recent past have made a difference in others’ lives (e.g., from biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Louis Pasteur, Sitting Bull, George Washington Carver, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Golda Meir, Jackie Robinson, Sally Ride).

PHYSICAL SCIENCES

1. The motion of objects can be observed and measured. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the position of an object can be described by locating it in relation to another object or to the background.

b. Students know an object’s motion can be described by recording the change in position of the object over time.

c. Students know the way to change how something is moving is by giving it a push or a pull. The size of the change is related to the strength, or the amount of force, of the push or pull.

d. Students know tools and machines are used to apply pushes and pulls (forces) to make things move.

e. Students know objects fall to the ground unless something holds them up.

f. Students know magnets can be used to make some objects move without being touched.

g. Students know sound is made by vibrating objects and can be described by its pitch and volume.

2. Plants and animals have predictable life cycles. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know that organisms reproduce offspring of their own kind and that the offspring resemble their parents and one another.

b. Students know the sequential stages of life cycles are different for different animals, such as butterflies, frogs, and mice.

c. Students know many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the parents. Some characteristics are caused or influenced by the environment.

d. Students know there is variation among individuals of one kind within a population.

e. Students know light, gravity, touch, or environmental stress can affect the germination, growth, and development of plants.

f. Students know flowers and fruits are associated with reproduction in plants.  

3. Earth is made of materials that have distinct properties and provide resources for human activities. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know how to compare the physical properties of different kinds of rocks and know that rock is composed of different combinations of minerals.

b. Students know smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of larger rocks.

c. Students know that soil is made partly from weathered rock and partly from organic materials and that soils differ in their color, texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many kinds of plants.

d. Students know that fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and that scientists learn about the past history of Earth by studying fossils.

e. Students know rock, water, plants, and soil provide many resources, including food, fuel, and building materials, that humans use.

Back to top

4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:

a. Make predictions based on observed patterns and not random guessing.

b. Measure length, weight, temperature, and liquid volume with appropriate tools and express those measurements in standard metric system units.

c. Compare and sort common objects according to two or more physical attributes (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight).

d. Write or draw descriptions of a sequence of steps, events, and observations.

e. Construct bar graphs to record data, using appropriately labeled axes.

f. Use magnifiers or microscopes to observe and draw descriptions of small objects or small features of objects.

g. Follow oral instructions for a scientific investigation.