Free Grade 2 Daily Common Core Reading Practice

Click Here To Access This Free Resource

Try out a week for free!  Review the Common Core Reading Standards in a few minutes each day.  There is a passage for each day of the school week. The Common Core Standard is next to each question to make it easier to track student progress.

Click Here To Access This Free Resource

This works well as morning practice work or as a bellringer.

Different Types of Main Idea Questions

I am a stickler for making sure that students understand what questions are asking them to do.  When I work with students across grade levels, I spend part of the time on question comprehension.  Understanding what a question is asking one to do is the first step.  There are several ways to word a main idea question.  These are the most common formats and also the ones that can be tricky for students.

I begin the unit with main idea manipulatives to help students conceptualize what main idea means.  I use several manipulatives that I create using bean bags, puzzles, etc. After years of seeing so many math counters, fraction circles, etc., I started developing my own reading comprehension skill manipulatives.  I have only posted main idea manipulatives so far and will soon be posting other skills. Click Here for Main Idea Manipulatives

As students read, they have to highlight information in the text that helps them to identify the main idea of a text.  

To reinforce main idea and other Common Core reading skills, students complete quick, daily Common Core practice.  I developed very short paragraphs with two Common Core questions for daily five minute review when students first enter the classroom.  I have always used bell ringers and the math problem of the day  I could not find anything like that for comprehension to keep skills sharp so I created my own for the different grade levels that I see daily.Click Here for Daily Common Core Reading Practice

When students rotate to their learning centers, they do main idea task cards.  Since I work with so many grade levels and students vary in ability levels, I made differentiated task cards to cover all bases.Click Here for Differentiated Main Idea Task Cards

Guided Reading Task Cards That Are Organized By Lexile Level and Guided Reading Level

Click Here for Guided Reading Levels A to I

Click Here For Lexile Ranges 500-699 and Guided Reading Levels N,O,P

Click Here

(****Follow any link to access additional levels and reading comprehension topics****)

Just released!  Thank you guys so much for the feedback about the task cards.  As a fellow educator, I understand what it is like to look for materials that meet the needs of each student.  

These task cards are unique because they are organized by guided reading levels.  Plus, they are also organized by Lexile levels too. This makes it much easier to monitor student progress and help students at their individual levels.  Click the link to access these task cards and more at other levels too.Click Here

Click Here For Compare and Contrast Cards

Click Here For Inference Guided Reading Levels 

J,K,L, and M

Make Retell Sticks

Making classroom tools from household items is a lot of fun.  This is a literacy center activity that you can make using objects that you most likely already have in your home.

If you have done painting in your home, you just might have a few leftover paint sticks.  If not, your local hardware store might hand you a few sticks free of charge.  

I began by dividing the paint stick into three parts.  They are labeled: beginning, middle, and end.

On some clothespins, I wrote events that occurred in a story that was recently read to the class.  (Put a few wrote details in the mix to test comprehension.)  Students then have to place the clothespins in the correct section on the paint stick.

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Differentiated Common Core Literacy Centers

Younger students can range so widely in ability.  If your school district has made the transition to Common Core then you probably have wondered how to meet the needs of beginning readers and those that are still learning basic sight words and still focus on Common Core.

Click Here To Access It

This resource has been so helpful for both my students and myself.  It allows students to work at their own levels and meet the demands of Common Core at the same time. It is such a time saver for teachers too.  Level 1 contains sight words and pictures that students can use as reference points as they locate details.  Level 2 contains longer sentences and words that contain long vowels and short vowel sounds.  Students practice Common Core Standard RL.1 Details and learn how to locate details in the text and closely read.  All of this is done at their own reading levels.

(Inferences) Close Reading Dry Erase Task Cards That Are Differentiated

This inference version of close reading task cards helps students infer and support their ideas with details from the text.  Students use dry erase markers to identify key text details. They use the blank line(s) on each card to write down their answers.  Click Here To Access It

What makes these cards close reading cards? These task cards are unique because they include a special annotated answer key that shows the important text details that should be identified in the text to answer the question. The answer key also includes the full written answer that should be written. This makes assessing close reading quick and easy.  It also helps students identify important information to help them build inference skills.

Click Here To Access It

Dry Erase Close Reading Task Cards Informational Text

Close reading practice has made its way to task cards. These task cards enable students to do a close reading directly on the task cards. Students can highlight, underline, or circle the text details that help them determine their answer.  The blank lines on each task card enables students to explain their ideas too. For more information, Click Here

The task cards are differentiated so that students can reinforce close reading skills at their own reading levels.  A detailed answer key shows the text clues that students should have identified in the text.  The task cards can be easily added to a literacy center station to reinforce reading strategies.

The colorful pictures support the informational text passage that is on each card.  Students learn about social studies and science topics as they practice supporting their answers.  A fully annotated answer key has been included that both shows the important details that should be identified in the text and has the written explanation on the blank lines.

Guided Reading Task Cards That Are Organized By Level (Main Idea Levels N-P)

This document saves so much time and makes differentiating instruction so much easier.  Trying to prepare lesson plans and literacy center activities for students that read at the same level is no easy task.  One day, I shook my head in frustration when I saw that the differentiated task cards that were two different levels were fine for two levels of students.  They just did not meet the needs of my early readers and students at different levels.  I wondered why books were organized by guided reading level but task cards were not organized this same way.  Later that evening, I got busy creating task cards that are organized by guided reading levels.  

Not only do they review comprehension skills, the task cards are research based because they provide systematic phonics instruction. Students are gradually introduced to more phonics sounds as they review comprehension skills.  Students are able to work on the same skill but at their own reading level.  The task cards cover informational and literature topics across the levels.  The phonics skills align throughout this series.  So, students can continue to reinforce phonics skills at their level no matter if they are reviewing main idea or inference skills.  This almost shaved so much time off my planning time.  

Brand new~ Guided Reading Levels N-P~ Scroll down to access additional guided reading levels.

Main Idea Guided Reading Levels N-P


Main Idea Task Cards Organized By Guided Reading Level Main Idea Guided Reading Levels A-I
Main Idea Guided Reading Levels J-M
Main Idea Guided Reading Levels N-P
Main Idea Guided Reading Levels Q-R


Inference Task Cards Organized By Guided Reading Level
Inference Guided Reading Levels A-I
Inference Guided Reading Levels J, K, L, M

What Does Close Reading Look Like?

Some students truly do not understand what close reading should look like.  These students often fall into one of two camps.  They either highlight everything or nothing at all.

This example of what students should pay attention to while they read is from my Common Core Close Reading Practice passages Click Here.  To help students figure out that is important in a text, I often tell them to look for details that show or tell a character's traits or motive, details that show cause and effect relationships, and details in a plot that elude to a theme.

It takes practice, but after while many students begin to understand what to do.

Close reading can also be done with younger students Click Here.  This is a great skill to develop in the younger grade levels too.

Guided Reading Ideas

Managing students while you work with another guided reading group can be tricky. I have always told students that when I am working with a group, no one should talk to me unless it is an actual emergency. 

Placing a tap light on the table beside you is a huge help.  Students will know that when the light is on, no one outside of the small group that you are working with can talk to you.  This is a gentle reminder of guided reading time rules.

Click Here For Daily Common Core Reading Practice (A Quick Passage For Each School Day)

Click Here For Task Cards That Are Organized By Guided Reading Level

Click Here For Differentiated Monthly Close Reading (4 Reading Levels Per Passage)

Task Cards That Are Organized By Guided Reading Level - Guided Reading Made Easier!

Reading books are organized by guided reading level.  The problem is that it was impossible to find task cards that were organized in this way.  Having one set of lower reading level and one set of higher reading level task cards just did not meet the needs of all the students within my classroom. As a result, I began to make task cards that are organized by guided reading level.  

What makes these task cards unique? These task cards are organized by guided reading level and teach comprehension skills with words that focus on specific phonics sounds. As students progress to higher task card levels, they are introduced to new sounds and review previously introduced phonics sounds. All of this occurs as students practice specific comprehension skills.

These task cards have saved me so much time with lesson planning and have made guided reading instruction so much easier.

Inference Task Cards 

Click Here for Inference Task Cards Levels A to I Bundle

Main Idea Task Cards

Click Here for Main Idea Task Cards Levels A to I Bundle

Click Here for the Levels J to M Bundle
Click Here for the Levels N to P Bundle

More resources will be released soon.

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Differentiated Monthly Close Reading Passages

Transitioning to Common Core and meeting the needs of students that read at different levels within your classroom has just become easier.  This document contains 10 different reading passages that are differentiated to meet the needs of students that read at four different reading level ranges (40 passages in all).  Click Here To Access It

Literature and informational text passages are both included.  On day one, students read a passage and answer questions.  On day two, students do a close reading of the passage and write a longer response.  This is a convenient way to integrate Common Core reading and writing skills.  For added convenience, each passage has been differentiated so that if you have students that read at the kindergarten, first, second, and third grade reading level ranges all within your classroom, everyone will have a passage that covers the same topic but is written at their own reading level.  The Lexile number is written on each passage.  Students practice closely reading text, inferring, locating details, character analysis, and more skills but at their own ability levels.  

Students learn about the past, animals, and review realistic fiction with these monthly close reading passages.

Click Here To Access It

Clothespin Punctuation

I am back to share a grammar teaching strategy.  Clothespins are handy little items to use to help students understand punctuation.

This is extremely useful if you have students that love to move around.  To reproduce this activity, write sentences onto paint sticks.  Do not include the punctuation.  Use a permanent marker to write punctuation marks onto clothespins.  Students then place the punctuation marks in the proper location.

Inference Learning Center Games and Task Cards

Do you have students that read at different ability levels in your classroom but still need to teach inference skills?  This document contains inference task cards at TWO LEVELS.  Level A is for students reading at the 1st-2nd grade reading range.  Level B is for students reading at the 3rd-5th grade reading range.  Everything is aligned to ELA Common Core Standards RL.1 and RI.2.  Common Core resources for different ability levels all in one document!

The task cards are so thorough that they review the different types of inferences a student would make while reading.  This entire document is aligned to Common Core Standards RL.1 and RI.1.

The complete bundle includes 40 inference task cards at two levels, 2 inference learning centers, an inference chart, 3 inference worksheets, and answer keys!  Click on the link for more information.   Click Here

Make a Rhyming Ring Toss Game

**Click Here For The Close Reading Passages Tips**

Don't you just love Dollar Tree? This blog post discusses how you can create a ring toss game for two dollars (or for free) by using objects from the dollar store.  

Materials
shower curtain rings
an expandable drying rack 
a permanent marker

Write different words on the knobs of the drying rack.  Write words that rhyme with these words onto each individual shower curtain ring.

How to Play

Take turns tossing the ring that rhymes onto its matching knob.

Click Here For More DIY Instructional Ideas