Second Grade - ELA
1: Community
Unit 1: Communities Around the World
Lesson 1
Exploring a Community
Students are asked to read or listen to "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse" and to read through the story at least two times, and they may attempt to read the story aloud. Students are asked to locate and read labels on the "Map of a Community" and to choose labels for buildings on the "Places in the Community" page, deciding on a label based on their own experiences. The guidance to encourage sounding out each syllable when writing provides practice with decoding strategies.
Lesson 3
Goods and Services
Students are asked to read If You Give a Pig a Pancake and to read the story a second time, providing an opportunity to reread text. Students read each word problem in the "Math in the Market" activity and answer questions, and many activity pages include illustrations (milk carton, shoes, etc.) that students can use as contextual support. The skills list explicitly names "Read aloud independently with fluency and comprehension," indicating students will practice reading connected text aloud.
Lesson 10
Communities Change
Students are asked to attempt to read The Little House (including reading the title and author) and then listen as the story is read aloud. Students are prompted to analyze pictures on each page and to use prior knowledge to make meaning of the text (skills list includes "Use prior knowledge to make meaning of text"). The text explicitly directs students to "Reread the pages about seasons in the book."
Lesson 12
Rules and Laws
Students are asked to read sentences on the Spelling activity page and choose the correct word from a provided word box to complete each sentence, which requires using sentence context to confirm meaning. The Spelling directions also ask students to decide whether a word needs an "s," using sentence context to determine number. In Activity 3 students read Situation 1 aloud and discuss it before writing consequences for other situations, providing opportunities to use contextual meaning to interpret short passages.
Unit 3: Plants and Animals
Lesson 2
Animal Structure
Students draw lines matching body-part names to pictures (Activity 3), which requires them to use images as context to identify vocabulary. Activity 1 asks students to look at pictures of animals with exoskeletons and to discuss unfamiliar terms like "exoskeleton," prompting use of visual context to understand word meaning. Option 2 and other activities instruct students to locate pictures of unfamiliar animals in books or online and discuss their body coverings, which engages them in using surrounding information to determine word/meaning.
Lesson 10
Life Cycles
Students are asked to read boxes and clues (Option 2: "ask your child to read each box and draw"; Activity 4: "let your child read the clues on the ‘Life Cycle Logic' page and decide the length of each animal's life cycle"). The diamante activity instructs students to consult texts if they cannot think of a word ("If your child cannot think of a word, go back and read more about the animal"), encouraging rereading. Several student pages require reading directions and clues to complete matching, sequencing, and puzzle tasks.
2: Matter and Movement
Unit 1: States of Matter
Lesson 2
Solids
Students are explicitly asked to reread pages 9–10 of What Is the World Made Of?, providing direct practice with rereading. Students record spelling words three times and are asked to use each word in a sentence, and students write sentences about solids in the Investigating Solids activity, which requires reading and producing contextual sentences. Students also label pictures and put them in order in the Weight of Solids activity, which requires reading and matching words to images.
Lesson 3
Liquids
Students are asked to read pages 12-13 of a book and to describe what a liquid is, providing a text context for word recognition. Students are encouraged to read labels on containers in Activity 4 and to read the ingredients and directions of the milkshake recipe in Activity 10. These tasks require students to read words in context (labels, recipe steps) while performing related science tasks.
Lesson 4
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
Students are asked to read True/False statements (Option 1 and Option 2) and decide whether each statement matches the story, which requires them to read and check comprehension. Activity 5 directs students to reread the story and then write and insert a new ending, explicitly instructing rereading as part of the task. Students also read portions aloud when prompted (e.g., reading provided statements and examples) and answer detailed comprehension questions about characters, events, and problem/solution.
Lesson 7
Exploring Solids and Liquids
Students are asked to reread specific pages of the story (pages 32–35 and 36–39) and to read the book What's the Matter in Mr. Whiskers' Room?, then write three sentences about events. Students are asked to read the labels on the Natural Resources sheet and circle and color items, and to complete the Dancing Raisins page with a written hypothesis and recorded results. The spelling activity asks students to circle letters, put words in alphabetical order, look up definitions of unfamiliar words, and write each word multiple times.
Lesson 8
Our Bodies and Our World
Students are asked to read a short story twice (Option 1), with the second reading used to circle solids, liquids, and gases, which requires returning to the text to confirm meanings. In Option 2, students must fill in blanks with the solid, liquid, or gas that makes sense in the story, requiring them to use sentence context to choose appropriate words. Activity 6 asks students to read a list of words and label each as S, L, or G, which provides additional practice using word meaning and surrounding cues to classify items.
Final Project
States of Matter
The test directions instruct that if a student misses an answer they should "reread the question and attempt it again," and that if they do not know an answer they should locate information from previous activities to discover the answer. The parent guidance also directs reviewing missed items, discussing each problem, and giving the test again the next day, which prompts students to reread and use prior context to arrive at correct answers.
Unit 2: Earth
Lesson 4
From the Earth
The lesson lists "Self-monitor composition by rereading (LA)" as a skill and instructs the child to "read each sentence and see if there are any changes she wants or needs to make." Activity 5 has students write sentences, identify nouns, and then read each sentence to make revisions. Students are also directed to read short informational web pages and record information in a journal, which requires reading connected text and re-engaging with text content.
Lesson 5
Rocks
Students are asked to attempt to read Everybody Needs a Rock aloud and then listen as it is read to them, giving practice with reading and rereading. Students are directed to analyze illustrations and look for pictures in the rocks, using pictures and surrounding information to support meaning. Activity 7 explicitly instructs students to cut out rules, reread the story, and then put the rules in order, which requires returning to the text to confirm understanding. Activity 10 asks students to write spelling words and dictate sentences that use the words in context.
Lesson 6
Water, Water Everywhere
Students are asked to reread pages 12–15 in You're Aboard Spaceship Earth (Activity 7), which provides explicit instruction to reread text. Students are also asked to read names of resources on the "Resources from the Sea" sheet and to help read depths and numbers on the "Salt Water" activity (Activity 1), which requires reading labeled words and numbers. Multiple activities require students to read labels, words in a word box to color and label animals, and write short sentences describing their work.
Lesson 7
Taking Care of the Earth
Students are asked to read materials lists and directions aloud for the 'Making Paper' activity and then follow those directions step by step, which requires decoding and checking comprehension. On the 'Air Pollution' sheet students read through a list of actions and circle those they or their family could do, engaging with word meanings in context. In the 'Pollution' activity students are directed to look back at the picture after an initial pass to decide if they missed any examples, prompting a review of their initial reading/observation.
Final Project
Earth Exhibit
The introduction explicitly tells students to "Reread the book, You're Aboard Spaceship Earth" and to "review the materials and states of matter," which requires rereading. Students are asked to "look at individual exhibits" and "look at examples of exhibit cards," and to read and write description and directions on activity cards, requiring them to read and refer back to text and examples.
Unit 3: Balance and Motion
Lesson 1
What Is Balance?
Students are asked to attempt to read the book aloud with assistance as needed, and they are instructed to reread the book if they cannot answer comprehension questions. The lesson directs students to read their written step-by-step directions aloud and to make corrections if something does not make sense. Several activities require students to reread or check their answers (e.g., rereading the book, checking balances, and revising directions after reading aloud).
Lesson 2
What Can Be Balanced?
In Activity 3 students are instructed to decide whether each sentence is missing a noun or a verb, record an appropriate word in the blank, and then reread each sentence and mark the noun and verb. The initial Getting Started step asks the student to read the definition of the word "balance" in a dictionary. Activity 4 asks the student to "share and read about other examples" on the Internet and to write a paragraph about one example read.
Lesson 4
Force and Motion
Students are asked to reread pages 16-19 in the Move It! book when building tracks, providing explicit practice with rereading. Students read the Move It! story aloud and are encouraged to answer questions from the text, engaging comprehension while reading. Students complete a spelling page that requires selecting the correct word (force, push, pull, move) to fill sentence blanks, which uses sentence context to choose meaningfully.
Lesson 5
Gravity
Students are asked to read aloud (e.g., read the book title, read the book aloud, and read each True/False statement), and specific pages are reread ("Reread pages 20-21" and investigation pages 22-23). The lesson includes listening and vocabulary activities ("Listen responsively to stories and other text read aloud" and "Discuss unfamiliar vocabulary after listening to text"). Students also write a short paragraph and explain gravity, providing opportunities for reading, re-reading, and discussing text.
Final Project
A Wordless Skit
Students plan and work with specific vocabulary cards labeled Balance, Push, Pull, Gravity, and Friction and fill graphic organizers with actions and props for each word. The lesson tells students to "reread the books on balance and motion to gather ideas" and asks them to "read through the ideas" they wrote for the skit. The skills list includes "Select and use new vocabulary in speech and writing," indicating students will encounter and use domain words.
3: Culture
Unit 1: Geography
Lesson 1
Using Maps and Globes
Activity 1 asks students to read The Armadillo from Amarillo aloud and encourages them to stop when they find a word they do not understand; it tells them to reread the sentence and then reread the book as the child listens. Activity 7 asks the child to read directions aloud on a map activity page, giving additional opportunities to notice words while reading aloud.
Lesson 3
Landforms and Bodies of Water
Students read definitions and match labeled pictures to those definitions on the "Bodies of Water and Landforms" activity, connecting words to pictures and short definitions. Students are instructed to read pages about rivers and lakes in The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas and to read more about unfamiliar bodies of water in books or on the Internet, exposing them to surrounding text. Students complete matching and fill-in-the-blank tasks on the "Life Near the Water" pages that require linking descriptive phrases to the correct body of water.
Lesson 5
Habitats and Geography
Students are directed to read pages 14–21 of The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas and to reread those pages in Activity 4. Students are asked to read information about animals in an encyclopedia or on the Internet to find details for labeling and writing sentences. Students read and write sentences about habitats and resources (e.g., labeling habitat boxes, writing a sentence beneath each box, and composing a short poem about an animal).
Lesson 7
The Seven Continents
Students are prompted to read the book and then look back at the page if they do not remember an answer, with explicit encouragement to "look back at the page in the book." Students are reminded that "readers use pictures and words to help them find information," and they are asked to point to map pages to locate answers. Students flip through the book again to match animals to continents by pointing to the correct page, using picture context to confirm understanding.
Unit 2: People Around the World
Lesson 7
History of America
Students are asked to read aloud or independently: Activity 5 directs the child to "read the names of foods" and Activity 7/Colonial Construction asks the child to "read each problem" and answer questions. Activity 3 instructs an adult to "Read the book Three Young Pilgrims to your child" and Activity 8 explicitly tells the child to "Reread the story of Three Young Pilgrims." The Skills section lists that students will "Read fiction, nonfiction, and poetry," indicating multiple reading opportunities.
Lesson 8
Asian Culture
The lesson instructs the student to "reread Explore Asia" (Activity 8), which asks the student to read again for understanding. The lesson repeatedly asks the student to read the Explore Asia book and the Chinese Zodiac sheets and to "look at the pictures to understand more about the continent and culture" (Activity 1 and Activity 2), encouraging use of illustrations as context. Several activities ask the student to read directions (e.g., Panda Mask) and to read descriptions of animals and traits, providing opportunities to check meaning against accompanying pictures and charts.
Lesson 9
African Culture
Students are asked to "listen to the words and look at the pictures to find similarities and differences," which prompts them to use picture context to understand text. Students identify nations mentioned in the read-aloud on their map, linking words in the text to labeled map features. Students are directed to use information from the book to fill in a guidebook and may seek additional information if needed, which can require rereading or checking text details.
Lesson 10
South American Culture
Students are asked to read Explore South America independently and then read it aloud a second time, and several activities explicitly tell students to reread specific pages (Activities 1, 2, 3, and 5). Students are directed to "use the book to help her answer the questions" and to reread the Amazon journey before cutting and ordering events, which requires checking the text for sequence details. The guidebook and research activity ask students to use information from books and other sources to complete tasks, implying they will return to texts to confirm details.
Unit 3: Stories Around the World
Lesson 3
Story Setting
Students are asked to reread the story and listen for words that describe the setting (Activity 4), which models rereading as needed to support understanding. Students are prompted to provide specific examples from the text and to look at illustrations for clues about culture and geography (Activity 3), which requires using surrounding text and images to interpret meaning. Students compare their mental image of a setting to the book's illustrations (Activity 4), which encourages checking understanding against context.
Lesson 5
Folktales and Fairy Tales
Students are asked to look at illustrations and guess the continent and cultural setting before reading (Activity 1 and Activity 4), which has them use visual context to support understanding. Students are asked to attempt to read the story aloud and to read sentence strips and arrange them in sequence, with the suggestion "It might help to reread the story as she arranges the strips." The text also instructs rereading the story a second time while recording cultural examples, giving students opportunities to reread for comprehension.
Lesson 6
Cinderella Stories Around the World
The lesson instructs the student to "Reread Yeh-Shen" and to reread stories when reviewing cultural connections, which prompts students to reread text to confirm understanding. Students are told to "listen to the stories and use the pictures to help him identify each element," which directs them to use visual/contextual cues to support comprehension. The activities require students to look through pages, locate details, and answer comprehension questions, encouraging them to check meaning against context and illustrations.
Lesson 7
Theme
Activity 4 asks the child to read her dictated story aloud and decide if she wants to make any changes, which requires rereading and self-review. The Skills list includes "Read aloud with fluency and comprehension any text designed for emergent readers," indicating students will practice reading aloud for meaning. Activities 1 and 2 have students read fables and paraphrase the lesson/theme in their own words, which has students check understanding after reading.
Lesson 9
Poetry
Students are asked to fill charts using examples in the text and pictures (Activity 2), which requires using surrounding text and illustrations as context to determine meaning. Students are explicitly asked to reread selected poems (Activity 1) and to reread lines when breaking poems into syllables (Activity 5). Students are prompted to read nursery rhymes along with the adult and to compare text and pictures to answer comprehension questions about culture.
4: Relationships
Unit 1: Living Things and Their Environment
Lesson 1
Relationships Among Organisms
Students complete an "Inheritance Vocabulary" matching activity where they match words (Genetics, Offspring, Trait, Heredity) to definitions, and are instructed to use the videos to find words they cannot remember. The lesson tells an adult to "read the text aloud to your child as he watches the video," which exposes students to spoken context for word meanings. Students also categorize items as "Inherited" or "Learned" and read trait labels (eye color, tongue rolling, widow's peak, etc.) when completing charts and comparison pages.
Unit 2: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Lesson 1
Relationships
The lesson explicitly lists the skill "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary" in the Skills section. In Activity 1, students read sentences from the book, choose among three definitions based on sentence context, and if they choose incorrectly they substitute the definition into the sentence and reread to see if it makes sense. The Student Activity Page asks students to write definitions for seven underlined words taken from book sentences, and the wrap-up asks students to use each vocabulary word correctly in a sentence.
Lesson 2
Point of View
The lesson asks the child to interpret figurative language (Question #2 asks what the author means by comparing Pellegrina to a hawk), which requires using surrounding text to infer meaning. The stated skills include "Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings," which prompts students to derive word meaning from context. The reading and retelling tasks (retell Pellegrina's story; answer comprehension questions) require students to use textual information to understand words and passages.
Lesson 3
The Queen Mary
Students complete a 'Shades of Meaning' activity in which they substitute more descriptive words for underlined words in context-rich sentences about the Queen Mary and characters from the story. In the 'Wrapping Up' practice, students repeat sentences and replace an emphasized word with a more descriptive synonym, requiring them to use sentence context to choose appropriate words. During the Queen Mary research task, students follow text (or listen and follow along) and are prompted to notice bold titles and text features to understand and locate information.
Lesson 4
Pronouns
Students are asked to reread specific pages (read aloud p. 23 and then reread the last half of p. 69) to discuss changes in Edward's attitude, showing practice with rereading for understanding. Students are instructed to use information gained from illustrations and words to demonstrate understanding of characters, setting, or plot, which engages them in using surrounding text and images as context. In the pronouns activity, students hear sentences read with the nouns, complete pronoun substitutions, and then read the sentences again, providing an opportunity to compare wording and meaning before and after substitution.
Lesson 7
Figurative Language
Students read Chapters 15 and 16 aloud and answer comprehension questions, which provides opportunities to use surrounding text for meaning. In the Figurative Language activity, students examine quoted phrases, discuss their literal meanings, and infer what the author really means (e.g., 'She shone as bright...' and 'His heart soared...'), using context to determine nonliteral meanings. Option 1 asks students to copy a quote and circle the figurative phrase, and Option 2 asks students to write their own sentence with figurative language and identify the phrase.
Unit 3: Connecting with the Past
Lesson 1
Studying History
Students read a vocabulary box of chronology terms and read definitions, then are directed to "insert the correct word in each sentence" on the Chronology Vocabulary activity, which requires them to use sentence context to choose the appropriate word. The teacher prompt to "use each word in a sentence to help him better understand the terms" asks students to place and test words in contextual sentences. The Primary and Secondary Sources and matching activities require students to read item descriptions and classify them, which also engages contextual understanding of word meanings in short texts.
Lesson 4
Immigration
Students are instructed to read pages 1–25 of Ellis Island aloud and finish reading the book, answer comprehension questions, retell immigrant interview stories, and listen to recorded oral histories. The lesson explicitly tells students to re-read pp. 34–37 and includes repeated readings of portions of the text (read, finish reading, re-read). Students also engage in retelling and answering detailed questions about text content, which requires attending to meaning.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 1
Word Families and Long Vowel Review
The "Teaching Your Child to Sound Out Words" section instructs students to finish reading the sentence with an unfamiliar word, use illustrations and surrounding words as clues, and to "read the word again" while checking first and last sounds or syllables to decipher it. Shared Reading and reader activities ask students to point to words as they read and to use the context of the sentence or illustrations to help figure out unfamiliar words. The lesson's skills list explicitly states "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary," and the reader prompts reinforce using context during oral reading.
Lesson 2
Vowel Teams Review
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary," and it also lists "read grade-level text orally with accuracy... on successive readings." Activity 4.2 (Fill in the Blanks) asks students to identify pictured words and choose vowel teams, prompting them to confirm what each picture depicts before spelling. Activity 5.2 has students read a short story on their own and then aloud, with instructions to point to words as they read and to use sounding-out tips for words they aren't sure of.
Lesson 3
Complex Consonants Review
Students use picture clues to unscramble words in Activity 4.1 (Silent Starts), which requires them to identify words based on surrounding visual context. Activity 3.1 asks students to read a short story, then go back through it to underline and color-code words with c or g sounds, explicitly prompting rereading. Activity 5.2 has students read a short reader on their own before reading aloud and answer comprehension questions, and the Skills list explicitly names using context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding.
Lesson 4
R-Controlled Vowels Review
Students read a list of words and then match and write each word under a corresponding picture on the "Write the Bossy R Word" page, using the picture as a clue to confirm word meaning. The "Sentence Scramble" activity explicitly tells students they can use the provided picture for clues when rearranging words into a sentence. The Reader activity has students read The Big Race on their own and then read it aloud to an adult, which provides successive readings and opportunities to confirm or correct word recognition.
Lesson 5
More R-Controlled Vowels
The lesson's Skills list explicitly names "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." Activity 5.1 has the child read a short connected text (All About Storms) independently and then answer comprehension questions about meaning. Several activities prompt the child to read words or groups of words again (for example, "read the words again... on his own" and "read all of the words he's worked with today... as quickly as he can") and reference successive readings in the skills.
Lesson 6
Other Vowel Sounds
Activity 3.3 explicitly tells students, "If you're not sure how a word is pronounced, you can often use the context of a line to help you out," and asks students to use context clues in sentences to identify oo pronunciations. The lesson's Skills list names "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary," making that strategy an intended focus. Multiple activities require students to read texts aloud (Shared Reading, Reader #6) and to read sentences and words in context, providing opportunities to apply contextual clues while reading.
Lesson 7
More Long Vowel Spellings
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." In Activity 2.1 (Long e Words) students read sentences, evaluate three word choices for each blank, and pick the best word based on sentence context. Shared reading and the reader activity (Activity 1.1 and Activity 5.2) ask students to reread passages/riddles and to read texts aloud, with prompts to reread and check understanding if needed.
Lesson 8
Vowel Sounds Review
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." Activities prompt students to reread texts and word lists (e.g., rereading readers before completing Word Hunt #1 and #2, and Reader Time where students reread a chosen reader aloud). Activity 1.1 instructs students to reread words on the cards as they decide which vowel columns they belong in and to check and correct their work against an answer key.
Lesson 9
Complex Consonants: dge vs. ge
In Activity 1.3 students are instructed to use the Sight Word Smash game and, if they do not know a word, to press "Say Word," use letter-sound knowledge, consider the words remaining on the board, and answer the prompt "Which word is it most likely to be based on the sounds in it?" Day 5 (Activity 5.1) explicitly tells students to reread the first half of Moose on the Loose before finishing the book. Throughout shared reading and activities teachers ask students to read words aloud, discuss word meanings (for example, showing a hinge to explain the word), and read words again as they sort and write them.
Lesson 10
Complex Consonants: tch vs. ch, ck vs. k
Students are prompted to identify pictures before writing words on the "Spelling Pictures" page and to correct mistakes using the picture cue (for example, if a child says "pond" instead of "lake," they are asked to think of a /ch/ or /k/ word that fits the picture). The plan explicitly tells students to reread sight-word cards and to "take their time and point to each word" when finishing The Egg at the Lake, and it directs the adult to ask the child to reread words on the cards. During several activities (Fill in the Blanks, Shared Reading, and reader practice) students read words aloud and are asked to read words again and explain or justify their choices.
Lesson 11
Final e: ce, ve, ze, se
Students are asked to reread items (for example, re-reading the riddle with words like "everything," "space," and "time") and to read texts aloud to the adult, pointing to words as they read. The Skills list explicitly names "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary," and activities have students read a short passage (Word Finding) and identify target words in context. Activities also prompt students to try alternate pronunciations (e.g., say a word with both /s/ and /z/ endings) and then choose the form that sounds correct.
Lesson 12
Homophones
Students read sentences and choose the correct homophone using context (Activity 1.3 asks them to use a process of elimination: "Which word works best?"; Activity 2.2 directs them to circle the word that makes the most sense in each sentence). Students read a short reader on their own and aloud and then locate homophones in connected text (Activity 5.1), and several activities ask students to read words aloud and discuss meanings to confirm understanding.
Lesson 13
Making Plurals
The Skills list explicitly includes "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." In Activity 4.2 (Pre-Reading) students look at the cover and first pages and are asked to predict what words they will find, using pictures and title as context. Multiple activities ask students to read pages on their own and then aloud (Activity 4.2 and Activity 5.1) and to repeat sight-word reading multiple times (Activity 1.3), providing opportunities for rereading.
Lesson 14
Uncommon Plurals
Students complete a Fill-in-the-Blanks activity where they must choose the correct plural word from a word box to fit each sentence, requiring them to use sentence context to select the appropriate form. During shared and independent reading (The Witches Go to the Beach; The Storm at the Barn) students are asked to read aloud, point to words, find plural forms in text, and answer questions about meaning, which gives opportunities to use surrounding text to confirm word meaning. The Skills list explicitly includes "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary," and several activities ask students to read lines, reread pages across days, or read aloud again to build accuracy and fluency.
Lesson 15
Words Ending with ed and ing
Students read sentences and sort them into Past, Present, and Future (Activity 1.2), using time words (is, are, will be) to decide when actions occur. In Activity 5.2 and other pages, students fill blanks and choose ing/ed forms, with explicit prompts to "pay attention to when the action in each sentence happens to figure out whether to add ing or ed." In Activity 2.1 and the base-word worksheet, students read sentences, underline or highlight the action word, say the base word aloud, and write the correct base form, using sentence context to identify the verb meaning and form.
Lesson 16
Words Ending with er and est
The lesson explicitly lists the target skill under Skills: "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." In Shared Reading (Activity 1.1) students read with adult support, stop to discuss comprehension questions, and re-read the Parent riddle (the plan says to re-read the riddle after writing the hint word). In Activity 2.1 students fill sentence blanks by choosing adjectives from a word box, using guess-and-check and context of the sentence to determine the correct comparative word. In Day 5 and Activity 5.2 students read the reader independently, point to words as they read, and answer comprehension questions, which encourages confirming meaning from context.
Lesson 17
Semester Review
The Skills list explicitly includes "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." Activity 2.2 asks students to reread Reader #14 and then find plural words in the text, requiring rereading and using text context to locate and confirm word forms. The Fill in the Blank activity directs students to "read each sentence carefully and think about which word fits best," and suggests a guess-and-check approach, which asks students to use sentence context to choose and revise word choices. The Magic Hat activity asks students to read created words, identify nonsense words, and replace them with real words, prompting students to evaluate word meaning and self-correct.
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Compound Words
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes the phrase "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." Students are asked to read A Color of His Own aloud and answer comprehension questions, and Activity 4.1 tells students to "Reread those pages in the book." Activity 4.2 has students search the text to "find each of the words," which requires using the book context to locate and recognize words, and Activity 1.1 prompts discussion of alternate meanings of "blue."
Lesson 2
The Six Syllable Types
Students are asked to read theme words "using the images as clues" (Activity 2.1) and then to read the words again after the images are covered, which gives them practice confirming word recognition with and without pictorial context. Day 3 directs students to "reread A Color of His Own," and Activity 4.2 has students search the story text to find listed words, requiring them to use sentence/text context to locate and confirm words. Shared reading and the Word Hunt/Word ABC activities require students to read words aloud and are paired with prompts to assist as needed, modeling rereading and checking.
Lesson 3
Open and Closed Syllables
Students are asked to use images as clues to read theme words (Activity 2.2), explicitly using context to confirm word recognition. When dividing words, students are instructed to try the Tiger rule and "if that doesn't work" use the Camel rule (Activity 1.3), prompting them to self-correct pronunciation based on whether the word makes sense. In the Tiger/Camel Fill in the Blanks activity (Activity 3.3), students use sentence context and a guess-and-check strategy to choose and confirm words. Students also reread pages and passages (Activity 3.1, Activity 4.1, and repeated reading of words after division) as they practice reading and checking understanding.
Lesson 4
Syllables with R-Controlled Vowels
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." Activity 4.1 (Personification) tells students they "may want to reread some of the story," and Activity 4.2 asks students to search the text for specific words and notes that some words appear multiple times (encouraging comparison across contexts). Activity 1.3 asks the child to identify which sound "ear" makes in the sight word "earth," linking pronunciation choices to word meaning.
Lesson 5
Two-Syllable Words Ending in y
Students search the story (Activity 4.2) to find and record specific words and are asked to look through the text pages to locate two-syllable words that end in -y, which requires using the surrounding text to confirm word identity. In Activity 4.3 students choose words to complete sentences using sentence meaning and picture cues, prompting them to use context to confirm which word fits. Activity 4.1 and 5.1 explicitly tell students they may refer to the book as needed or use pictures/clues, indicating that students are expected to reread or use contextual cues to confirm or correct word recognition.
Lesson 6
Possessives
The lesson's Skills list explicitly names 'Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary,' indicating this is an intended student skill. In Activity 4.2 (Finding Words in the Text), students search Chapter 1 to locate specified words (e.g., 'thought,' 'between') and answer questions about what the words refer to, which requires using surrounding text to determine meaning. During shared reading and the Theme Words Paragraph activity, students read aloud, circle or highlight words, and answer comprehension questions about Chapters 1 and 2, giving opportunities to check word meaning in context.
Lesson 7
Contractions
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes the phrase "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." Students are asked to finish reading Penny and Her Marble and answer comprehension questions, which requires attending to text meaning. In Activity 4.2 (Finding Words in the Text) students locate specific contractions within chapters, reading passages in context to find and record words.
Lesson 8
Two-Syllable Words with Silent e
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary," and activities require students to reread the story before giving an oral summary (Activity 4.1). Activity 4.3 has students read sentences aloud, highlight two-syllable silent-e words, sound out words, and then check and correct mistakes with help. Activity 1.3 asks students to try different vowel pronunciations from example words when unsure, and Activity 2.2 encourages trial-and-error while building words.
Lesson 9
Vowel Teams
Activity 5.2 (Complete the Sentence) asks students to choose words from a list to fill sentence blanks "using the word that makes the most sense in context," and encourages them to cross off words they know and use context to select the rest. The "Finding Words in the Text" activity has students locate target words in Frog and Toad and point to the sentence where each appears, requiring them to use surrounding text to confirm meanings. Several sorting and reading tasks (Lion vs. Weasel sorts, Weather forecast activity) require students to match words to situations or categories, which uses contextual information to determine correct usage or pronunciation.
Lesson 10
Consonant Teams
The lesson's Skills list explicitly states students will "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." In Activity 1.2 (The Panther Rule) students try alternative syllable groupings for "further," pronounce the results, note that "furt-her" is not a word, and then regroup and pronounce again, demonstrating self-correction based on meaning/pronunciation. In the Reading and Questions section students answer questions such as "In what season does 'The Surprise' take place? How do you know?" which requires using textual context clues to confirm understanding.
Lesson 11
Consonant + le Syllables
The lesson's skills list explicitly includes "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." Students match feeling pictures to theme words (Activity 2.1) and use textual evidence to make inferences about the story (Activity 3.1), which requires using surrounding context to derive meaning. In Activity 4.2 students search the book to find sight and theme words and record page numbers, which has them locate words in context within the text.
Lesson 12
Suffixes
The lesson's skill list explicitly names 'Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.' In Activity 4.2 (Finding Words in the Text), students fill in blanks from a passage using theme and sight words and are told that if they get stuck they can reread pages 22–24, which directs rereading to confirm word choices. Several fill-in-the-blank and cloze activities (Day 5 It's My Party; Activity 4.2) require students to choose words that fit the meaning of sentences, which asks them to use sentence context to select words.
Lesson 13
Prefixes
The lesson's listed Skills explicitly include "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." Students are asked to reread poems (Activity 4.1) and to reread the riddle after demonstrating the backwards/forwards word pair (Activity 1.1). In Activity 4.2 students search the text for target words and prefixes, requiring them to consult the surrounding text to locate and confirm word forms.
Lesson 14
Words Starting with q or a
Activity 4.1 explicitly tells students that they can use context clues to figure out pronunciation and meaning and gives them the "What Does It Mean?" page where they read lines aloud and infer the meanings of underlined words from surrounding text. Activity 5.2 requires students to choose words that "make the most sense" to complete sentences, which asks them to use sentence context to confirm word meaning. Activity 2.2 asks students to try pronouncing uncertain words in more than one way to see which pronunciation they recognize as a real word, supporting self-correction of word recognition.
Lesson 15
Semester Review
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary." Students are asked to read sentences aloud and are told to "read each sentence back to make sure his answer makes sense" in the Contractions/Possessives and Spelling activities. The Review of qu and a Words activity asks students to try different pronunciations if unsure and to "discuss any unfamiliar meanings as needed," and the book-choice activities have students read portions of a book over two days, providing opportunities to reread.
Final Project
Write Your Own Story
Students read sight word cards and theme word lists aloud in Activities 1.1 and 1.2, and are instructed to continue reviewing any words they have not mastered over the following days. Students write sentences using selected sight and theme words in Activities 2.2, 3.1 and then read through their notecards during Activity 4.1 where an adult helps correct spelling and grammar. Students are invited to read their finished book aloud to the family, providing an opportunity to reread their own text.