2nd grade Reading Non-Fiction Lesson Plans

Main Idea: It's in the Bag!

Help your class grasp the concept of "main idea" with this fun, hands-on lesson. Students will dive into mystery bags full of supportive detail clues to determine the main idea of each bag.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Using Context Clues to Understand Word Meanings

Lesson plan

Using Context Clues to Understand Word Meanings

This lesson will help your students use sentence level context clues to decode challenging words in a nonfiction text. Students will enjoy learning about maps and figuring out tricky words along the way!

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Main Idea and Details in Nonfiction Text

Lesson plan

Main Idea and Details in Nonfiction Text

Use this lesson to help your students learn how to find the main idea and details in a nonfiction text using a graphic organizer for support.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Reading Inventories

Lesson plan

Reading Inventories

Want to engage students in reading? Give them books that they want to read! This lesson will give you a chance to learn about your readers so that you can best support them to become fluent readers.

1st grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

The Very Hungry Caterpillar: A Butterfly's Life Cycle

Lesson plan

The Very Hungry Caterpillar: A Butterfly's Life Cycle

In this lesson, you will use “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to teach students about the butterfly life cycle. After listening to the story read aloud, students will use their knowledge to create their own butterfly life cycles!

1st grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Create a Nonfiction Text Summary

Lesson plan

Create a Nonfiction Text Summary

Give your students a chance to hone their reading comprehension skills by creating nonfiction text summaries in this introductory lesson.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Urban, Suburban, or Rural

Lesson plan

Urban, Suburban, or Rural

Students will have a blast as they engage in interactive projects to learn about the characteristics of urban, suburban, and rural communities. This lesson will help them develop both their writing and social-studies skills.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Nonfiction Text Features

Lesson plan

Nonfiction Text Features

Students will be able to use and identify nonfiction text features. It can be a stand-alone lesson or a support lesson to the How Many Features? lesson plan.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Main Idea or Topic? You Decide!

Lesson plan

Main Idea or Topic? You Decide!

Provide students with an opportunity to closely examine the difference between a topic and main idea in a nonfiction text. Use as a stand-alone activity or a support for the Finding the Main Idea and Details in a Nonfiction Text lesson.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Multiple-Meaning Words

Lesson plan

Multiple-Meaning Words

This lesson will help students understand multiple-meaning words through the use of artistic and theatrical representation! Use as a stand-alone activity or a support lesson for Let's Compare and Contrast Nonfiction Texts!

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Examining Author's Purpose in a Nonfiction Text

Lesson plan

Examining Author's Purpose in a Nonfiction Text

This lesson will help students identify the author's point of view and purpose for writing an informational text.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Point of View Frenzy

Lesson plan

Point of View Frenzy

Explore a day in the life of a pencil! Your students will practice different points of view by thinking outside the box and writing as though they are something else.

1st grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Learning About Text Features

Lesson plan

Learning About Text Features

In this lesson, students will read text features and discuss how each text feature relates to the main idea of a nonfiction text. Use a stand alone activity or a support for the Examining the Author's Purpose in a Nonfiction Text lesson.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Using Sentence Level Context to Decode Text

Lesson plan

Using Sentence Level Context to Decode Text

Use this lesson to reinforce using sentence level context clues to decode challenging words in a nonfiction text. This can be used as a stand alone activity or a support the Using Context Clues to Understand Word Meanings lesson.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

All About the Pledge of Allegiance

Lesson plan

All About the Pledge of Allegiance

In this lesson, your students will practice their reading comprehension and vocabulary with the Pledge of Allegiance. They will reflect on the meaning of the pledge.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Summarize a Nonfiction Text

Lesson plan

Summarize a Nonfiction Text

Use this lesson to help your ELs understand how to write effective nonfiction text summaries. It can be a stand-alone lesson or a support lesson to the Create a Non-fiction Text Summary lesson plan.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Unknown Words

Lesson plan

Unknown Words

Increase student comprehension by teaching your students strategies to figure out the meaning of unknown words. This lesson can be used as a stand alone activity or a support lesson for the Be a Nonfiction Detective lesson.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

First Day of School with Marley!

Lesson plan

First Day of School with Marley!

Help ease your students into the school year with this lesson that helps them share their feelings about the first day of school.

1st grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Let's Compare and Contrast Nonfiction Text!

Lesson plan

Let's Compare and Contrast Nonfiction Text!

This lesson provides students with the opportunity to compare and contrast two athletes who have been instrumental in changing the world of women's sports!

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Fact or Opinion

Lesson plan

Fact or Opinion

Help your ELs learn to understand and differentiate between fact and opinion through the analysis of nonfiction text. This can be a stand-alone lesson or a support lesson to the Fact or Opinion: Part 1 lesson plan.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

How Many Features?

Lesson plan

How Many Features?

What’s the deal with all of those text features? Use this handy lesson plan to help your second graders answer that very question.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Understanding Academic Vocabulary in a Nonfiction Text

Lesson plan

Understanding Academic Vocabulary in a Nonfiction Text

This lesson will provide students with an opportunity to become more comfortable with identifying and defining academic vocabulary words in a nonfiction text about a chicken's life cycle to support comprehension.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Who Was Alvin Ailey?

Lesson plan

Who Was Alvin Ailey?

In this lesson, students will use an informational text passage to ask and answer questions. Using biographies, your students will learn about two famous figures in history.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Why I Write

Lesson plan

Why I Write

Second grade students will step into the author’s shoes as they hunt for evidence to determine what a nonfiction author’s purpose might be.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

Fill in the Shape Notetaking

Lesson plan

Fill in the Shape Notetaking

Notetaking doesn’t just have to fit in a square! In this lesson, students will use different shapes to help them take notes and remember what they should be paying attention for as they read.

2nd grade

Reading & writing

Lesson plan

2nd grade Reading Non-Fiction Lesson Plans

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