RF.2.4: Read Smoothly, with Expression and Sense
Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.4 · Cluster: Fluency.
The Official Wording
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 2, Reading: Foundational Skills · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What RF.2.4 Means in Plain English
Second graders read their books with a purpose and understand them, read aloud more smoothly and with more expression on each try, and reread when a word does not make sense. Fixing sprinkles to sprinkler because the sentence needs it is the skill.
In 1st grade (RF.1.4) children did the same with simpler books, where reading often starts word by word. Second grade text is longer, with more dialogue and punctuation to read with feeling. In 3rd grade (RF.3.4) poetry is named alongside prose, and the books grow longer again.
RF.2.4 I Can Statements
- I can read to find out something I want to know.
- I can read smoothly and with feeling after a few tries.
- I can go back and fix a word that does not make sense.
RF.2.4 Worked Example
A short sprinkler story read three times, with the thinking behind each read, including a misread word fixed from context.
Read this story aloud to a partner: It was the hottest day of the summer, so Tavi turned on the sprinkler. She counted, “One, two, three!” and ran right through it. The water was icy cold! “Eek!” she squealed. Then her dog, Pickles, ran through too and shook his wet fur all over her. Tavi laughed. Now she was even wetter!
- Before reading, set the purpose from the first line: find out what happens when Tavi runs through the sprinkler.Purpose: What happens in the sprinkler?
- First read, slow and careful. I read “Tavi turned on the sprinkles.” Sprinkles go on cupcakes, and nobody turns them on, so I go back and look at the letters again.sprinkles? No. s-p-r-i-n-k-l-er, sprinkler. Reread the sentence.
- Second read, steadier. I read in phrases and stop at each period instead of going word by word.She counted, / “One, two, three!” / and ran right through it.
- Tavi squeals “Eek!” because the water is icy, so it sounds high and surprised. In the last lines she laughs, so my voice turns happy and silly.“EEK!” she squealed. … Now she was even wetter!
- Third read for my partner: no stops this time, and my voice matches what Tavi feels.Read 1: 1 mistake, choppy | Read 3: no mistakes, smooth, with feeling
Check it: Ask “Why was Tavi even wetter at the end?” If the reader answers “Pickles shook his fur on her” without looking back, the smooth reading carried the meaning too.
Common Mistakes with RF.2.4
Reading past a word that makes no sense
Reads “Tavi turned on the sprinkles” and keeps going
Try this: Teach a stop-and-check habit: at the end of each sentence, ask “Did that make sense?” and reread if not.
Word-by-word reading
“She. Counted. One. Two. Three.”
Try this: Scoop phrases with a finger under the words, model the scoop first, and have the child echo each phrase before reading alone.
Racing for speed
Reads the whole story in one breath, with no pause at the exclamation points
Try this: Praise the pauses as much as the pace, and time the third read only after expression and phrasing are in place.
Where RF.2.4 Fits
Practice RF.2.4
Quick Check
- What should the reader do after reading “Tavi turned on the sprinkles”?
- How should “Eek!” be read?
- Why was Tavi even wetter at the end?