As students become more sophisticated writers, they begin to understand that words have different “jobs” in a sentence. These jobs can be thought of as parts of speech. In this word study unit, students will learn about the work that transition words, prepositions, verbs, adverbs and adjectives do. Students will also explore how certain kinds of words work together, like verbs and adverbs.

As students begin to read more sophisticated texts, understanding how authors use figurative language becomes critical. In this unit, students will revisit some of the figurative language they learned in fourth grade and also study some new ones too, including onomatopoeia, hyperbole, puns and oxymorons. Analyzing how figurative language is used in texts will help readers apply what they have learned.

Words are like legos - they can have interchangeable parts. In this unit students will study the construction of words including roots, prefixes and suffixes. Students will also explore how to modify words to make them possessive, a different part of speech and adjust to signify singular and plural. Understanding the basic building blocks of words, will increase students’ vocabulary, improve their spelling and add strategies for decoding unfamiliar words.

The story "How the Camel Got His Hump" will help students learn their letters. Kids will practice both alphabet and phonics skills, as they work on identifying these letters in the story and understanding the sounds they represent. Targeted practice such as this helps with retention of these skills, as preschoolers begin their journey towards reading mastery.

The classic song "Down by the Bay" provides a wonderful example for kids learning the letters X, V, and F. Kids will practice both alphabet and phonics skills, as they work on identifying these letters in the story and understanding the sounds they represent. Targeted practice such as this helps with retention of these skills, as preschoolers begin their journey towards reading mastery.

Second grade phonics covers more advanced rules that build upon kids' foundational reading skills, such as vowel pairs (ai, ee, ea, oo), long and short vowels, and the silent E. This guided lesson covers these three areas in order to enhance kids' skills with decoding more challenging texts. You can boost reading fluency further by printing the phonics worksheets that go with this lesson.

"The Lion and the Rat," a popular story for boys and girls, gives kids a chance to practice the letters A, T, Y and O in this guided lesson. Kids will practice both alphabet and phonics skills, as they work on identifying these letters in the story and understanding the sounds they represent. Targeted practice such as this helps with retention of these skills, as preschoolers begin their journey towards reading mastery.

"The Three Little Pigs," a popular story for boys and girls, gives kids a chance to practice the letters A, T, Y and O in this guided lesson. Kids will practice both alphabet and phonics skills, as they work on identifying these letters in the story and understanding the sounds they represent. Targeted practice such as this helps with retention of these skills, as preschoolers begin their journey towards reading mastery.

"The Ugly Duckling," a popular story for boys and girls, gives kids a chance to practice the letters A, T, Y and O in this guided lesson. Kids will practice both alphabet and phonics skills, as they work on identifying these letters in the story and understanding the sounds they represent. Targeted practice such as this helps with retention of these skills, as preschoolers begin their journey towards reading mastery.

"Anansi and the Turtle", a popular story for boys and girls, gives kids a chance to practice the letters A, T, Y and O in this guided lesson. Kids will practice both alphabet and phonics skills, as they work on identifying these letters in the story and understanding the sounds they represent. Targeted practice such as this helps with retention of these skills, as preschoolers begin their journey towards reading mastery.

Learning how to read fluently includes more than just piecing letters together to form words. Kids also have to read from left to right and notice spacing between words. Help your child become a fluent reader by tackling these skills.

Learning common constructions for words is one way that third graders can get traction on their spelling and reading comprehension skills. This guided lesson in word structure introduces kids to the idea that most words are made up of smaller words, and provides opportunities to apply this learning with practical examples. For more printable practice with word structure, check out our recommended worksheets.

Vocabulary development helps second graders advance their reading and writing skills. This guided lesson uses exercises and techniques targeted to building vocabulary. Kids will be tasked with using descriptive adjectives, distinguishing between similar verbs and adjectives, and using context clues to determine the meaning of a word phrase. For more vocabulary boosters, check out the worksheets that align with this lesson.

This guided lesson focuses on short U, as in jump, sun, and duck. Kids learn how to recognize and read this sound, then practice with short U words. Breaking up lessons based on vowel sounds helps kids chunk concepts together, easing retention and boosting phonics skills. Once you are through with the lesson, consider downloading some of the accompanying short U printables for extended learning.

Now that reading skills are more developed, second graders will move on to comprehension of informational text. This guided lesson supports this through an exploration of the main idea of a text, as well as the other text features, such as: captions, photographs, maps headings, subheadings, glossary, index, icons and graphs. Kids will look at two texts that cover the same topic, but in different ways.

Understanding how to pronounce the short I sound, such as in pill and film, is important for first graders encountering words they don't know. This guided lesson teaches kids all about the Short I sound, and provides lots of examples of short I words. Targeted practice like this helps to reinforce kids' understanding of short vowel sounds and boosts phonemic awareness, upon which lifelong reading skills are based.

Letter writing is a very engaging and authentic way to learn formatting, punctuation and grammar. The activities in this unit should be learned in tandem with actual letter writing to aunts, uncles or other special far-away people. That way, students can learn and practice the letter writing skills and then apply them in their own letters. It would be especially rich to include their thoughts about books they are reading.

In this unit, students are encouraged to write letters to family and friends about a book they are reading. In the letters the will apply the skills learned in this unit, including how to structure a letter, punctuating titles of books and short stories, using possessives (in reference to the characters or ideas in the book), contractions and addressing an envelope. Don’t forget to request a response - getting a personal letter in the mail in this electronic age can be a thrill!