Language Arts
Wayland Union Schools utilizes Bookworms Reading and Writing as the basis of our Language Arts program. We are excited to share the list of books your child will be reading this year as part of our 2nd grade Bookworms Reading and Writing program. Bookworms is a research-based curriculum that builds strong reading skills, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and writing through engaging, high-quality literature.
Your child will read books during two main parts of their ELA block:
✅ Shared Reading – books students read together with the teacher to build reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies.
✅ ELA – chapter books read aloud by the teacher to build listening comprehension, vocabulary, and writing connections.
Students will also participate in a Differentiated Instruction Block to receive diagnostically-driven, Science of Reading-aligned instruction targeting foundational reading skills.
Below are the texts your child will read this year:
Shared Reading Texts
- Arthur's Back to School Day by Lillian Hoba
- Henry and Mudge: The First Book by Cynthia Rylant
- Pinky and Rex by James Howe
- Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows
- Tale of a Tadpole by Karen Wallace
- From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer
- Caterpillar to Butterfly by Laura Marsh
- Great Migrations: Butterflies by Laura Marsh
- The Hopi People by Therese Shea
- The Cheyenne People by Shalini Saxena
- The Cherokee People by Sarah Machajewski
- The Mohawk People by Ryan Nagelhout
- A-Z Mysteries: The Kidnapped King by Ron Roy
- Cam Jansen Case #27: The Mystery Writer Mystery by David A. Adler
- Practice Makes Perfect for Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos
- Judy Moody Saves the World by Megan McDonald
- Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator by Augusta Stevenson
- Jackie Robinson by Sally M. Walker
- Mummies by Joyce Milton
- The Mystery of the Mummy's Curse by Gertrude Chandler Warner
- Magic Tree House: Day of the Dragon King by Mary Pope Osborne
- China: Land of the Emperor's Great Wall by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce
- Time Warp Trio: It's All Greek to Me by Jon Scieszka
- Magic Tree House: Fact Tracker: Ancient Greece and the Olympics by Mary Pope Osborne
ELA (Read-Aloud) Texts
- A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert
- Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry
- Magnets Push, Magnets Pull by Mark Weakland
- Sounds All Around by Wendy Pfeffer
- Clang! Ernst Chladni's Sound Experiments by Darcy Pattison
- Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed…and Revealed by David M. Schwartz
- Camouflage: Changing to Hide by Bobbie Kalman
- Going Home: The Mystery of Animal Migration by Marianne Berkes
- Tornado by Betsey Byars
- Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
- The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
- The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas by Tomi dePaola
- Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott
- Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst
- Who’s Buying? Who’s Selling?: Understanding Consumers and Producers by Jennifer S. Larson
- My Rows and Piles of Coins by Tololwa M. Mollel
- Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
- Hellen Keller: Break Down the Walls by Margaret Fetty
- Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride by Pam Muñoz Ryan
- Mudball by Matt Tavares
- Dad, Jackie, and Me by Myron Uhlberg
- The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles
- My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers: Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Christine King Farris
- Poppy by Avi
- The Flag We Love by Pam Muñoz Ryan
- The Wall by Eve Bunting
- Cinderella by Marcia Brown
- The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Brown
- The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo
- Starry Messenger by Peter Sis
- Startstruck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil deGrasse Tyson by Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer
- Cracking Up: A Story About Erosion by Jacqui Bailey
- How a Plant Grows by Bobbie Kalman
- How Do You Raise a Raisin? by Pam Muñoz Ryan
These books will spark rich conversations and writing activities to deepen your child’s learning. If you would like to borrow any of these texts to read at home with your child, please let their teacher know.
Essential Standards for Second Grade Language Arts:
- Ask and answer questions such as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate an understanding of key details in a text.
- Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
- With guidance from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
- Use knowledge of language when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
- Know and use various text features to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
- Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills for decoding words.
In accordance with Michigan's new Third Grade Reading Law, all students must be within one grade level of reading proficiency at the end of their Third Grade year. To read about how you can help your child reach reading proficiency, please check out our Read At Home Plan.
Mathematics
Essential Standards for Second Grade Math:
- Read and write numbers to 1,000.
- Skip count by 2s, 5s, 10s, and 100s.
- Compare numbers as greater than, less than, or equal to other numbers.
- Add and subtract numbers within 100 with or without regrouping.
- Identify place value for ones, tens, and hundreds.
- Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to the nearest five minutes, using a.m. and p.m.
- Can identify each of the coin names and their values. Also, count coin amount up to $1.00
Parents looking to help their child with math at home might find the following resources useful.
Science
In second grade, students dive deeper into science concepts, exploring how plants grow, how weather affects our lives, and how materials can change. Through questions like "What do plants need to grow?" and "How can we change materials?" students gain a practical understanding of biology, earth science, and physical science. Mystery Science encourages them to observe patterns and relationships in nature and explore the environment around them, setting a foundation for understanding ecosystems and cycles in nature.
Social Studies
In second grade, students dive deeper into the idea of communities by studying how communities are similar and different from one another. They’ll explore geography and maps more thoroughly, including understanding landforms and regions. Social Studies Weekly introduces them to early American history, basic economic concepts, and how cultures have both similarities and differences. Through discussions on famous Americans, civic duties, and landmarks, students begin to understand the diversity within the United States and learn about the importance of community and citizenship.
