Looking for some fun 2nd grade ELA activities that work on important skills and keep your students engaged? Look no further! Here’s a roundup of some of our great bundles and activity packs to incorporate into your reading and writing block.

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Enhance Literacy with Embedded Grammar Lessons

Research on the Science of Reading (SOR) dating back to the 1970s shows that teaching grammar as isolated rules doesn't effectively transfer to writing and speaking. What works better is embedding grammar within the context of writing. This is why our writing program Lucky to Learn Writing (LTLW) includes grammar skills integrated into writing lessons. This approach ensures that the same skills and standards are met, but in a meaningful context that connects with the rest of the literacy curriculum.

We also recognize the value of targeted practice and intervention to reinforce these skills. That's why we've compiled a list of our favorite grammar activities that provide additional practice and intervention opportunities. These activities are designed to complement our integrated approach, ensuring students have a well-rounded understanding of grammar concepts. Let's dive into these engaging and effective activities!

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These resources are sure to keep your kids excited about learning phonics, grammar, and vocabulary while working on some tricky reading comprehension skills.

Grammar Day by Day 

Dedicated grammar instruction can be easy to sideline. If including grammar in your ELA lesson plans is something you struggle with then look no further. This is a full year (38 skills!) of daily no-prep grammar worksheets. These worksheets are scaffolded to continuously challenge your students as the week progresses. They’re a quick way to make sure your students are getting a daily dose of grammar practice and a great supplement to any existing grammar curriculum.  The daily activities are interactive and can be done independently making this a simple yet effective ELA center. They can also be used as homework to support what students are learning in class. If you have distance learners or simply prefer digital assignments there are also Google Slides and Seesaw versions included in this bundle. 

Phonics Day by Day

Phonics, phonics, phonics. Is there a more important skill at this grade level? Incorporating phonics into 2nd grade ELA activities is vital to student growth in reading and writing. Whether your students are still working on CVC words and short vowels or are ready for multi-syllable words these worksheets are just what your students need! You can use the 52 phonics patterns in any order. Similar to Grammar Day by Day, your students are always being challenged because practice of each pattern increases in complexity as the week progresses.

The best thing about this resource is it can be used flexibly with your students. Each child can be assigned work that meets them where they are and move through the phonics patterns at the pace you choose. These are especially great for those students you get partially through the school year. You can find out where their gaps in knowledge are and address them individually.

Literacy Mysteries

Do your students need a break from the average ELA activity? Let them try our Literacy Mysteries. These are so fun. Your students will use all those phonics, sight word, and grammar skills to discover what the mystery picture is. These are great for early finishers, for homework, or as a center. Students solve and color to create their works of art. To make this activity self-checking, print the in-color answer key one before handing them out to students. Then, students can compare their own coloring to the key for immediate feedback.

Literacy Mysteries are great when combined with other ELA activities like Grammar Day by Day or Phonics Day by Day. Teach a grammar or phonics lesson, complete a corresponding Day by Day activity, then reinforce with a Literacy Mystery! Also, they serve as an excellent supplement to an existing ELA curriculum.

Sentence Fixers

Let’s fix some sentences! Asking students to correct sentences with mistakes is an awesome way for them to apply everything they know about writing conventions. These Sentence Fixers are great for assessment. After your students complete a page look through their work and find which errors they fix and which they don’t. This can give you a quick snapshot of where instruction should be focused. They can also be used during whole group lessons. Your class can work through these together to work on skills as a class. There is also a set of Sentence Fixers with midlines, so they can double as handwriting practice. 

These Sentence Fixers also make a great center activity. They can be self-correcting! Leave a copy of the fixed sentences so students can check and correct their own work. First, they can fix sentences on their own with a pencil. Then, when they’re ready, they can grab a pen or color pencil and correct their own work! If students are struggling try the Punctuation and Conventions Toothy task cards for some extra practice.

Vocabulary Activities

Do you have vocabulary lists to work through with your students each week? Finding new ways to keep vocabulary instruction engaging for students can be tiresome. You can use any vocabulary list with these activities. It includes a bulletin board display, templates, graphic organizers, and worksheets. There are also games and activities to make learning new vocabulary words fun for your students. Your students will love playing Bingo, drawing, and acting. All you need to do is plug in your own vocabulary words and go!

Main Idea Activities

Looking for some fun ways to work on main idea? This is such a challenging skill for so many students and practicing in as many different ways as possible is a great way to appeal to all of your learners. This Main Idea Pack comes with print-and-go activities as well as graphic organizers that can be used with your own text and curriculum. Your students can work on the crafts as a class, in small groups, or as a fun center activity.

Looking for more tips on teaching main idea and supporting details? Take a look at the following posts:

• Main Idea & Details activities – including free Mystery Bag downloadable lesson materials!

• How to help kids struggling to grasp Main Idea

• How to Use the 5Ws to Get to the Main Idea

Reading Comprehension and Fluency Passages

Second grade is a bit of a wild one year in terms of reading fluency and comprehension. Inevitably some students in your class are ready for big challenges while some are still struggling with the basics. These reading comprehension and fluency passages are a smart addition to your instruction because they are written on three levels, allowing for easy differentiation. Also, they include word count and fluency trackers. These passages can be used in so many different ways. They can be used in class with partners or small groups, as homework, or even as assessments.

The comprehension questions that go with each passage are focused on the reading skills that second graders need to master. The passages focus on specific skills. Need to work on cause & effect, text evidence, or compare & contrast? Don't worry there are passages that are focused on those specific skills with more coming. This is a growing bundle that has new passages constantly being added.

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