Second Grade
Review all of the grammar skills introduced in First Grade. Repeat any activities, as needed.
Nouns
- Complete grammar sheet “Identifying Basic Nouns” independently as a formative assessment tool.
- Extra Engagement: Use the noun activities listed under the first grade section of the digital plan (“Hands-On Basic Noun Sort” and “Sorting Basic Nouns”) as review or “I do” and “We do” activities to review and support this skill before completing the independent grammar sheet.
Proper Nouns
- Complete grammar sheets“Identifying More Proper Nouns.”
- Extra Engagement: Use the information presented within the sheet to model sentences on a whiteboard or smartboard to create a whole class lesson. Cut the sheet apart, gluing the related answers from the answer key on the back to use within a cooperative learning structure or as a self-checking center activity.
Adjectives
- Complete grammar sheet “Identifying Adjectives (Primary)."
- Extra Engagement: Use the information presented within the sheet to model sentences on a whiteboard or smartboard to create a whole class lesson. Cut the sheet apart, gluing the related answers from the answer key on the back to use within a cooperative learning structure or as a self-checking center activity.
- Emphasize that adjectives are needed when writing to create a clearer picture for your reader.
- Optional warm up activity: Demonstrate this by choosing a simple object/common noun to place in a paper bag (like a box, or candle). Describe the object/noun while allowing the students to draw pictures of what you are describing. “My box is little. It has a red and blue striped lid. The sides have big yellow dots. It has a fluffy pink bow on top. The bottom ….....” (Create an example that works for you.) When the pictures are shown, and the actual object is revealed, emphasize that the adjectives helped to describe the object even when it couldn't be seen.
- Extension: Invite students to bring their own objects in as an “adjective show and tell.” Students should keep the items hidden and describe them (perhaps to a partner) as others imagine or draw them. Hopefully, the more descriptive the adjectives used, the more accurate the students' imaginations/drawings will be.
- Write sentences and circle the adjectives. Introduce the use of a thesaurus to look for common adjectives like “nice” or “pretty” and 'juice them up' into adjectives like “caring” and “gorgeous.”
Pronouns
- Complete the grammar sheet “Replacing Subjects with Pronouns.”
- Extra Engagement: Use the recommended activities within the first-grade section of the digital plan as “warm-ups” before completing the independent grammar sheet.
- Alternative: Use the sentences and information within the independent grammar sheet “Replacing Subjects with Pronouns” as a whole class activity on the whiteboard or smartboard. Then, allow students to create their own sentences with subjects to be replaced by pronouns. They can partner with other students over and over to decide the pronoun that would best replace the subject in each others' sentences.
Beware of Contractions
- Play“Contraction Match” and "Contraction with Not Match" and independently complete grammar sheet “Using Contractions (Primary)”. Point out contractions in books you read together, and define which two words are being joined together to make the contraction. Which letters did the apostrophe “eat”?
- Extra Engagement: Print out and play “Contraction Bingo” matching a variety of contractions to the words that form them.
- Review action verbs. Emphasize that all sentences have verbs, and that action verbs are words that tell what someone or something does.
Linking Verbs
- When reading together, pull sentences out of books and identify the verbs in various sentences. Discuss whether the verb is action or linking.
- Extra Engagement: Cut apart “Printable Verb Cards.” Allow students to use the cards within a cooperative learning structure or as a partner or independent center activity. Students will look at the verbs printed on the card to determine if the verb is action or linking. Hint: Remind students that if they can do it, it's an action verb.
- Complete grammar sheets “Using Linking Verbs” and “Identifying Linking Verbs.”
- Extra Engagement: Use the information presented within the sheet to model sentences on a whiteboard or smartboard to create a whole class lesson. Cut the sheet apart, gluing the related answers from the answer key on the back to use within a cooperative learning structure or as a self-checking center activity.
Complete Sentences
- Draw your child's attention to the fact that complete sentences have 2 parts, a subject and a predicate. The predicate always contains the verb.
- Play “Subject and Predicate Matching Game” and grammar sheet “Subject and Predicate Match.” Allow the child to make his/her own subject and predicate matching game by creating 10 sentences. For each sentence, he/she should write the subject on one index card, and the predicate on the other. He/she should flip all of the cards over to play his/her own matching game. (Point out that the verb in the sentence is always the beginning of the predicate.) There is always great fun in playing subject/predicate matching games when the subject and predicate are not a match. For example, "The football player drank the bottle of warm milk" can be a funny combination when subjects and predicated don't match up!
Antonym Blues
- Print out, cut apart, and play “Simple Antonym Match.”
- Allow your children or students to make their own antonym matching games.
- Extra Engagement: Use the printable matching game or the “Antonym Game Cards” within a cooperative learning structure. For example, distribute one game card to each student and conduct a “Silent Search.” Without talking, students walk around the room holding up their game card for all to see. Partners visually look for their matching partner and stand together or “come together to the rug” or another area of the classroom designated. Once all partners have found their matches, facilitate an oral check by allowing each partner pair to present their match to be validated by the other students.
- Complete grammar sheet “Linking Antonyms.”
Synonym Symphony
Play “Synonym Matching Game.” Allow your children or students to make their own synonym matching games.
- Extra Engagement: Use the printable matching game or “Synonym Game Cards” within a cooperative learning structure. For example, distribute one game card to each student and conduct a “Silent Search.” Without talking, student walk around the room holding up their game card for all to see. Partners visually look for their matching partner and stand together or “come together to the rug” or another area of the classroom designated. Once all partners have found their matches, facilitate an oral check by allowing each partner pair to present their match to be validated by the other students.
- Complete grammar sheet “Linking Synonyms.”
- Extra Engagement: Use the information presented within the sheet to model sentences on a whiteboard or smartboard to create a whole class lesson. Cut the sheet apart, gluing the related answers from the answer key on the back to use within a cooperative learning structure or as a self-checking center activity.
Context Clues
- Encourage your child to skip over an unfamiliar word when reading (if he or she can't sound it out) and to use context clues as a natural way of figuring out unfamiliar words.
- Extra Engagement: Practice using context clues in a real world way by using sticky notes to cover up words in big books or when participating in choral reading or smartboard activities.
Prefix Mix
- Begin looking for prefixes in words when reading. Discuss how prefixes change the meanings of root/base words. Use “Prefix Game Cards” to practice matching prefixes with definitions from the song.
Main Idea
- Complete grammar sheet “Main Idea (Primary).” Reinforce summarizing the main idea in books and basal texts you may read.