This resource accompanies our Rethink 2nd Grade ELA course. It includes ideas for use, ways to support exceptional children, ways to extend learning, digital resources and tools, tips for supporting English Language Learners and students with visual and hearing impairments. There are also ideas for offline learning.  

This unit was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 2nd Grade ELA in Writing.

This parent guide supports parents in helping their child at home with the 2nd Grade English Language Arts content.

In this lesson, students will write free-verse acrostic poems about themselves using the letters of their names to begin each line. They then write an additional acrostic poem about something that is important to them. After proofreading, both poems are recopied or typed and illustrated and then mounted on construction paper for display. Several opportunities for sharing and peer review are incorporated.

Students will soon figure out algorithms are part of the many things they do everyday from planning their day, working on a project to writing code. An algorithm is a detailed step-by-step instruction set or formula for solving a problem or completing a task.

In this lesson students will research 3 different ways to use a bank using the book from EPIC! Where Do We Keep Money?: How Banks Work. They will plan their research, fill in a graphic organizer, write their research, revise it, and then read their finished works on Flipgrid.

Students will write a biography about someone they consider a hero and then use Voki to create a digital version of their biography with an avatar and voice recording.

Students will learn about the characteristics of butterflies and will engage in multiple activities to build their understanding of how a butterfly’s characteristics help it survive and interact with its environment. In this CCSS lesson students will use text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

Students will create an original fable using Book Creator.  They will have the option of working with a partner or on their own.

After the whole class science unit of study on sound, which includes biographical information about Helen Keller, the AIG students will select an additional famous person with a disability to research. They will engage in research and write a short biography of their selected notable person to be compiled in a class e-book. They will also increase their leadership and social skills through presenting to the whole class. This lesson was developed by NCDPI as part of the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project. This lesson plan has been vetted at the state level for standards alignment, AIG focus, and content accuracy.

Seesaw is a web-based and application platform where students can post pictures from the classroom, annotate, speak their mind, and create electronic portfolios that connect school and home. Parents are able to see student work as soon as it is posted.
In this activity, students will take a common problem and use the design process to come up with a solution.

After discussing how people have different perspectives on the same topic/event/movement in a fun way by using a familiar fairy tale, higher level students will be asked to read portions of a book or articles from the internet to find out at least 2 differing perspectives of a historical event/movement. Students will get a R.A.F.T. so they may write with different ROLES in mind to different AUDIENCES in a particular FORMAT and on a TOPIC.  Next students will share their writings with other students in the class. I am giving examples of how to use this activity with the attacks of 9/11, but other historical events/movements could be used (Civil War, prohibition, American Revolution, Civil Rights Movement, etc.). This lesson was developed by NCDPI as part of the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project. This lesson plan has been vetted at the state level for standards alignment, AIG focus, and content accuracy.

As a way to support teachers with English Language Arts (ELA) instruction during the pandemic, the NCDPI ELA team created choice boards featuring standards-aligned ELA activities.The intended purpose of these choice boards is to provide a way for students to continue standards-based learning while schools are closed. Each activity can be adapted and modified to be completed with or without the use of digital tools. Many activities can also be repeated with different texts. These standards-based activities are meant to be a low-stress approach to reinforcing and enriching the skills learned during the 2019-2020 school year. The choice boards are to be used flexibly by teachers, parents, and students in order to meet the unique needs of each learner.Exploration activities are provided for a more self-directed or guided approach to independent learning for students. These activities and sites should be used as a way to explore concepts, topics, skills, and social and emotional competencies that interest the learner. 

Students are given their "Global Folders" and the teacher explains to them how it will be used throughout this learning unit. The teacher introduces the global issue of: challenges children face in trying to go to school around the world. This lesson was taught to my dual language students in English during their social studies content time. All available resources are provided in English.This lesson was developed by Gabriela Bermingham as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

In this lesson students work together to plant a garden and study its growth using the inquiry process of questioning and exploring. As they research and study, students record their observations in a field journal, to be shared with others.

Students will learn how to use the Internet to find facts about their topic. Students will be searching safe sites that are credible, teaching students that finding accurate information is very important when being an investigator.

In this unit, students will begin their inquiry by comparing fiction and nonfiction books about animals, using a Venn diagram. They will list things they want to know about animals on a chart. As a class, students will vote on an animal to research. They will revise their question list, and then research the animal using prompts from an online graphic organizer. After several sessions of research, students will revisit their original questions and evaluate the information they have gathered. Finally, students will revise and edit their work and prepare to present their findings to an authentic audience.

This inquiry engages students in expanding their understandings of our increasingly interconnected world. The inquiry allows students to uncover political, economic, and social connections across cultures and analyze the implications of those connections.

Students will read a prompt and probing questions in order to write an essay about a man who is important to them. This resource supports English language development for English language learners.