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Common Core ELA2nd GradeReading: Literature

RL.2.10: Read Grade 2 and 3 Stories and Poems

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.10 · Cluster: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity.

All 40 2nd Grade ELA Standards

The Official Wording

By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 2, Reading: Literature · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What RL.2.10 Means in Plain English

By year’s end, second graders read and understand stories and poems written for grades 2 and 3, with help saved for the hardest ones. Early chapter books are the reach: longer pages with no pictures, and clues the reader has to add up.

In 1st grade (RL.1.10) children read prose and poetry for their grade with prompting and support. Second grade raises the level to the grades 2 to 3 band. In 3rd grade (RL.3.10) students read at the top of that same band on their own.

RL.2.10 I Can Statements

  • I can read a 2nd grade chapter book and tell what happened.
  • I can put clues together when the story doesn’t say something.
  • I can reread or ask for help when a part is hard.

RL.2.10 Worked Example

A page from an early chapter book where nothing is said outright, and two answers about what is going on.

Read the Story
Chapter 2: The Quiet HouseWhen Arlo got home from school, the house was much too quiet.Grandma’s swim cap was gone from its hook, and so were her goggles and her flip-flops.A note was stuck to the fridge with a magnet: Back by five. Do NOT let Pepper chew my slippers again!Under the table, Pepper thumped his tail and kept chewing on something soft and fuzzy.
A short passage written for this page.
Question: Where did Grandma go, and who is Pepper? Use clues from the story.
Not Yet“Grandma went to the store, and Pepper is Arlo’s brother.”Both are guesses. The story never mentions a store, and a brother does not thump his tail under the table.
Meets the Standard“Grandma went swimming, because her swim cap, goggles and flip-flops are all gone. Pepper is a dog: he thumps his tail, and the note says not to let him chew slippers. I think the soft, fuzzy thing he is chewing is Grandma’s slippers!”It adds up clues from three sentences to answer what the story never says outright, and it catches the joke at the end.
Question Stems to Use
What is happening so far?What does the story not say out loud?Which clues go together?Which part did you reread? What helped?What do you think happens when Grandma gets home?

Common Mistakes with RL.2.10

Reading every word and missing the point

Reads the page smoothly, then says “Nothing happens, he just gets home.”

Try this: Ask one question that needs two sentences put together after each page, like “Who is Pepper?” before turning to the next.

Only reading easy books

A whole year of books from the same bin, all below the grades 2 to 3 band

Try this: Mix in one stretch book a week from the top of the 2 to 3 band, read with a partner or in a small group.

Giving help before it is needed

The teacher explains every clue before the child has tried the page

Try this: Let the child read the page alone first, then help only with the part they marked as confusing with a sticky note.

Where RL.2.10 Fits

Comes BeforeRL.1.10Read prose and poetry of the right complexity for grade 1, with prompting and support.
AlongsideRI.2.10The same grades 2 to 3 band for history, science and technical texts.RF.2.4Read with enough accuracy and fluency to understand the text.
Comes NextRL.3.10Read literature at the high end of the grades 2 to 3 band on their own.

Practice RL.2.10

Quick Check

  1. What three things of Grandma’s are missing?
  2. What does Grandma’s note tell Arlo?
  3. What is Pepper probably chewing? How do you know?

RL.2.10: Other Names

RL.2.10CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.10

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.