← All Standards

Grade 2

• Language

  • 2.L.1
  • 2.L.1.a
  • 2.L.1.b
  • 2.L.1.c
  • 2.L.1.d
  • 2.L.1.e
  • 2.L.1.f
  • 2.L.1.g
  • 2.L.1.h
  • 2.L.1.i
  • 2.L.2
  • 2.L.2.c
  • 2.L.2.d
  • 2.L.3
  • 2.L.4
  • 2.L.4.a
  • 2.L.4.b
  • 2.L.4.c
  • 2.L.4.d
  • 2.L.4.e
  • 2.L.5
  • 2.L.5.a
  • 2.L.5.b
  • 2.L.6

• Reading: Foundational Skills

  • 2.RF.3
  • 2.RF.3.b
  • 2.RF.3.c
  • 2.RF.3.d
  • 2.RF.3.e
  • 2.RF.3.f
  • 2.RF.4.a
  • 2.RF.4.c

• Reading: Informational

  • 2.RI.1
  • 2.RI.2
  • 2.RI.3
  • 2.RI.4
  • 2.RI.5
  • 2.RI.6
  • 2.RI.7
  • 2.RI.8
  • 2.RI.9
  • 2.RI.10

• Reading: Literature

  • 2.RL.1
  • 2.RL.2
  • 2.RL.3
  • 2.RL.4
  • 2.RL.5
  • 2.RL.6
  • 2.RL.7
  • 2.RL.9
  • 2.RL.10

• Speaking & Listening

  • 2.SL.1
  • 2.SL.1.a
  • 2.SL.1.b
  • 2.SL.1.c
  • 2.SL.2
  • 2.SL.3
  • 2.SL.4
  • 2.SL.5
  • 2.SL.6

• Writing

  • 2.W.1
  • 2.W.2
  • 2.W.3
  • 2.W.4
  • 2.W.5
  • 2.W.6
  • 2.W.7
  • 2.W.8

• Writing Foundational Skills

  • 2.WF.1
  • 2.WF.1.a
  • 2.WF.1.b
  • 2.WF.2
  • 2.WF.2.a
  • 2.WF.2.a.1
  • 2.WF.2.a.2
  • 2.WF.3
  • 2.WF.3.a
  • 2.WF.3.a.1
  • 2.WF.3.a.2
  • 2.WF.3.a.4
  • 2.WF.3.a.6
  • 2.WF.3.a.7
  • 2.WF.3.b
  • 2.WF.3.b.1
  • 2.WF.3.b.2
  • 2.WF.3.b.3
  • 2.WF.3.c
  • 2.WF.3.c.1
  • 2.WF.3.c.2
  • 2.WF.3.c.3
  • 2.WF.3.d
  • 2.WF.3.d.1
  • 2.WF.3.d.2

Arizona ELA Standard: 2.W.7

Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).

Holiday Worksheets

Writing prompts, non-fiction analysis, and science topics related to Christmas and Hanukkah.

Who has more power: the Queen Bee or the Hive?

Who really runs the hive: the queen, or the thousands of bees around her?

Indirect Power – Lighthouse vs Magnetism

Students explore the idea of indirect power – which can be both visible (a lighthouse) or invisible (magnetism).

Power – Blue Whale vs Krill

Sure, a Blue Whale is huge. But does a tiny krill have more power?

Founding The Colonies

13 colonies activities including a word search and task cards packed with facts. Plus, students will create their own colony with a name, story, and map!

Hero or Not A Hero?

Students will determine what makes a hero a hero.

Two Animals Switch Biomes

What if a capybara and a kangaroo rat switched homes? Would their adaptations be helpful at all?

Tournament of Mythological Creatures

Who will win the tournament of mythological creatures!?

Tournament of Not-So-Famous Inventors

Which inventor and invention will win the tournament?

Not Like The Others: Rivers

Four rivers. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Cephalopods

Four cephalopods. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Flowers

Four flowers. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: 19th Century Presidents

Four 19th century presidents. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: 20th Century Presidents – Group B

Four 20th century presidents. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: 20th Century Presidents – Group A

Four 20th century presidents. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Domesticated Animals Tournament

Which domesticated animal will win the tournament?

Types of Energy Tournament

Which type of energy will win the tournament!?

Slow Motion Popcorn

What surprises can you spot when a kernel pops in super slow-mo?

Compare and Create New Year’s Traditions

Hey! Our New Year traditions have a lot in common.

Phobia-ology

What strange new fears are hiding inside Greek and Latin roots?

Greek and Latin Inventions

What useful or ridiculous inventions are hiding inside Greek and Latin roots?

Greek and Latin Spellbook

What happens when Greek and Latin roots become magic spells?

Create A Civ: Capital City

Every great capital is part geography, part human design. Research real ones, then build your own from scratch.

Not Like The Others: African Nations

Four African nations. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Categorize and Re-Categorize Countries

Put these countries into groups. Then do it again. Then… do it one more time. How does re-re-grouping the same places reveal new patterns and give new insights?

Categorize and Re-Categorize Animals

Put these animals into groups. Then do it again. Then… do it one more time. How does re-re-grouping the same creatures reveal new patterns and give new insights?

Not Like The Others: US National Parks

Four US national parks. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Famous Structures

The Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House — group them, pick the best from each group, then design your own.

Back to School: Rewriting The Beatles’ “Help!”

Can your students come up with a one-syllable word to sum up their time away from school? And then rewrite The Beatles’ song Help!?

Chess Variant: Monster Chess

What if you had really weak chess pieces, but you could always move twice?

Not Like The Others: Types of Diseases

Four diseases. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Birds of the Desert

Four desert birds. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Penguins

Four penguins. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Microstates of Europe

Four of the tiniest countries in Europe. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Microorganisms

Four microorganisms. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Drawing An Impossible Triangle

Here’s how you can draw The Penrose Triangle, an example of an impossible shape.

Plant Adaptation Tournament

Who will win in a tournament of eight plants with Interesting adaptations!?

Horde Chess Variant

What if one player had, say, 32 pawns?

Tournament: 8 Wonders of the Solar System

Which location is the most wondrous place in the solar system?

Not Like The Others: Ants of the World!

Four ants from around the world. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

The 8th Wonder of the World Tournament

Which of these eight wonders deserves to become the Eighth Wonder of the World!?

Exploration Technology Tournament

Which of these pieces of exploration technology is most important? Most underrated? Most long-lasting?

Precipitation Tournament

Eight types of precipitation battle it out in this tournament.

Parabolic Curve Art

Create mathematical art with curves that, well, aren’t curvy.

Tournament of Ancient Inventions

Which of these inventions of the ancient world is most influential? Least useful today? Most taken-for-granted?

Animal Adaptation Tournament

Which animal has the most interesting, most valuable, or strangest adaptations?

Habitable Planets and Moons Tournament

Which object in the solar system is most habitable?

Parts of Speech Tournament

Which part of speech is most useful? Interesting? Strange?

Not Like The Others: Types of Volcanoes

Which of these types of volcanoes is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Types of Rocks

Igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic — and one that doesn’t fit. But which one? Depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Snakes of the Rainforest

Four rainforest snakes. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Deserts

Which of these deserts is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Rainforests

Which of these rainforests is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Stars

How is each of these stars not like the others?

Not Like The Others: US States

How is each of these states not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Mountains

Which of these mountains is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Birds of the Tropical Rainforest

Which of these four birds is not like the others?

Not Like The Others: Branches of the US Government

How is each part of the United States Government not like the other parts?

New Uses for a Paperclip

So what are some new ways to use a paperclip?

Create A Civilization: Currency

What type of currency will your civilization use? What symbols will be on it? Why are they significant?

Create A Civilization: Design A Flag

What makes for a good flag? What makes a bad flag?

Tournament of Presidents

So who was the strangest of these eight presidents?

Ultimate (or Inception) Tic Tac Toe

What if each square on a Tic-Tac-Toe board had another Tic-Tac-Toe board inside of it?

A Lunar Survival Mission

A favorite of mine! This task is delightfully complex and ambiguous, forcing students to make choices without enough information and with no right answer. How will they survive on the moon for three days?

An Escher-Style Tessellation Project

Create a piece of repeating art in the style of MC Escher!

Self Portraits: Pointillism

Turn your students into a bunch of Monets with q-tips and some tempera paint.

The Pros and Cons of Producers and Consumers

Sure, students might know the difference between a producer and a consumer… but have they considered how they feel about each other? What, in a producer’s opinion, are the pros and cons of a consumer?

Not Like The Others: Natural Disasters

Four natural disasters. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: States of Matter

How is each of the states of matter not like the others?

Writing Sample: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Shrinking)

A passage from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Writing Sample: The Velveteen Rabbit (The Toys)

A passage from The Velveteen Rabbit to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Writing Sample: White Fang (The Wild)

A passage from White Fang to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Not Like The Others: Countries

How is each of these four countries not like the others?

SCAMPER: Scaffolding Creativity

Asking students to “think creatively” won’t get you far. They won’t know how to start, they’ll get stuck with simple ideas, or they’ll just go completely wild. SCAMPER is a tool for scaffolding the process of creativity.

Plurals: An Inductive Spelling Lesson

Plural nouns in English are deliciously fascinating. Yet most plural lessons are so dull! In this experience, students are given a pile of plurals and then inductively create groups and pull out rules and patterns.

How Renewable Is That Resource?

Which resource is more renewable? And which is easier to find?

Not Like The Others: Charlotte’s Web

Four Charlotte’s Web characters. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Creatures of the Tundra

Four tundra creatures. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: US Presidents

Four US presidents. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.

Not Like The Others: Planets

Which of these planets is not like others? Well, it sure looks simple at first. But each option could be the one that doesn’t fit in.

The Tournament of Biomes

Want to move beyond memorizing the characteristics of biomes? In this lesson, students work through a Tournament of Biomes, explaining which biome wins in each round (based on criteria you choose). In the end, they crown a 👑 Champion Biome!

Writing Sample: Moby Dick

A passage from Moby Dick to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Writing Sample: Peter Pan

A passage from “Peter Pan” to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Writing Sample: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

A passage from “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.

Fraction Ordering Tournament

Which set of fractions would be the trickiest to order from least to greatest? Let’s have a tournament!

The Personalities of Rocks

What would an igneous rock be like? Would it get along with a sedimentary rock? Could they handle the hot personality of a metamorphic rock?

Upgrade Research Questions With Depth and Complexity

Ever ask students to create research questions? Were their ideas a bit… blah? My own students had a very hard time writing questions they didn’t already know the answer to! This video is how I solved that problem: upgrade research questions with depth and complexity.

Investigating Christmas Trees

Start with facts about Christmas trees. Group them. Label them. Can you boil it all down to one big idea?

Chomp

Chomp away at your opponent in this grid-based strategy game.

Game: Notakto

What if you only played Tic-Tac-Toe with Xs and you could play on multiple boards?

Dots and Boxes

Who can make the most boxes from dots in this strategy game?

The Resiliency Tournament

Your students will set up a tournament to determine which person or character best demonstrated resiliency.

Create A Civilization: Calendars

Why 12 months? Why 30ish days? Why 7 days in a week? Your civilization could organize a year in any way you want!

Create A Civilization: From Hunter Gatherers to Farmers

What happens when your civilization suddenly has a surplus of food? Think of the possibilities!

Create A Civilization: The River

The Nile, the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Seine, the Thames, and now… your river!

Depth and Complexity: 📚 Across Disciplines

No topic is an island! With the 📚 Across Disciplines prompt, students note connections within and across multiple fields.

Create A Civilization Introduction

Your students build a civilization from scratch — rivers, flags, calendars, currency, government. Social studies, science, and writing woven into one year-long project.

Creating A Realistic Flower and Pollinator

Your students will create a new flower, designed to attract a specific pollinator.

Educational Valentines

Let’s make valentines with an educational twist!

How to Play Go

Ready to learn a 2,500-year-old Chinese board game? Let’s… Go!