Second Grader
Select books that have a topic that is interesting to your child or are part of a series that your child has read. Book series are really great for encouraging children to make predictions about the book. Your child could make a prediction about a new book based on the book title, cover illustration, and the last book she read in the series. She could also make a prediction while she is reading. Ask your child, “Why did you make that prediction?”
Take turns reading with your child. Read sentences with expression in your voice. Tell your child why you read a sentence with a certain tone of voice. For example, you might say, “This sentence is about being invited to a party, and it has an exclamation point at the end. So I am going to read it with an excited voice!” Reinforce positive things about how your child is reading. Say, “Wow, you put a lot of effort into reading that part with a happy voice! That made me excited to listen to the story too!”
Encourage your child to read every day on their own and with you. After reading a few pages or a short chapter, have your child retell details from the story. She might share many details about the characters, setting, or events in the story. Prompt your child by saying, “What else do you remember about the part you just read?”
Point out interesting vocabulary in books, magazines, newspapers, signs, advertisements, or on television. Ask your child to make a prediction about the meaning of an unfamiliar word using clues in the sentences around that word. Cover up the word and ask your child to think of another word that could also make sense in the sentence. This will help develop your child’s vocabulary.
Book Suggestions (Classic and Contemporary) for Second Graders:
- Cole, H., Henry’s Garden
- DePaola, T. Strega Nona
- Desclot, M., Sleeping Beauty / La bella durmiente
- Lewis, E. B., Coming on Home Soon
- Lobel, A., Frog and Toad are Friends
- Magic School Bus Series
- Magic Treehouse Series
- McDermott, G., Arrow to the Sun
- Parish, P., Amelia Bedelia
- Rey, H. A., Curious George
- Rylant, C. Henry and Mudge Series
- Silverstein, S., The Giving Tree
- Yolen, J., Owl Moon