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Tennessee Standards

Tennessee 2nd Grade ELA Standards

All 41 Tennessee English language arts standards for 2nd grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is one click away under each one.

41 standards

Foundational Literacy: Phonics and Word Recognition

1 standard
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills when decoding isolated words and in connected text.
2.FL.PWR.3
Tell long from short vowels, read more vowel teams, two-syllable words like rainbow, and words with prefixes and suffixes, plus odd spellings and tricky words, in grade-level text.
Official wording
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills when decoding isolated words and in connected text.aDistinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words.bKnow spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.cDecode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.dDecode words with common prefixes and suffixes.eIdentify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.fRecognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.gDecode grade-level texts with purpose and understanding.

Foundational Literacy: Word Composition

1 standard
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills when encoding words; write legibly.
2.FL.WC.4
Spell words with blends, vowel teams, contractions, homophones, and possessives, longer words with prefixes and suffixes like hopping, check spelling in a dictionary, and begin cursive.
Official wording
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills when encoding words; write legibly.aUse conventional spelling for one-syllable words including position-based patterns, complex consonant blends, less common vowel teams for long vowels, vowel-r combinations, contractions, homophones, plurals, and possessives.bUse conventional spelling for regular two- and three-syllable words containing combined syllable types, compounds, and common prefixes and derivational suffixes.cSpell words with suffixes that require consonant doubling, dropping silent -e, and changing y to i.dWrite most common, frequently used words and most irregular words.eConsult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, to check and correct spelling.fPrint legibly in manuscript; write many upper and lowercase letters in cursive.

Foundational Literacy: Fluency

1 standard
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
2.FL.F.5
Read 1st-grade books aloud smoothly and accurately with expression, understand them, and reread when a word or sentence does not make sense.
Official wording
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.aRead grade-level text with purpose and understanding.bRead grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.cUse context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding of words; reread as necessary.
Common Core RF.1.4

Foundational Literacy: Sentence Composition

1 standard
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when speaking and conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including capitalization and punctuation, when writing.
2.FL.SC.6
Use group nouns, irregular plurals like mice, words like myself, irregular past verbs, and adverbs, capitalize holidays and places, use apostrophes, and with help build a short paragraph.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when speaking and conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including capitalization and punctuation, when writing.aUse collective nouns.bForm and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns.cUse reflexive pronouns, such as myself and ourselves.dForm and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs.eUse adjectives and adverbs correctly.fProduce, expand, and rearrange simple and compound sentences.gUse common coordinating conjunctions.hCapitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names.iUse commas in the greeting and closing of a letter.jUse an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives.kWith prompting and support, link sentences into a simple, cohesive paragraph with a main idea or topic.

Foundational Literacy: Vocabulary Acquisition

3 standards
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
2.FL.VA.7a
Figure out a new word in 2nd grade reading from its sentence, a prefix like un- in unhappy, a root like add in addition, its parts like birdhouse, or a dictionary.
Official wording
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.iUse sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.iiDetermine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word.iiiUse a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root.ivUse knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words.vUse glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases.
Common Core L.2.4
2.FL.VA.7b
Connect words to real life, like naming foods that are spicy or juicy, and tell apart close words like toss, throw and hurl or thin, slender and scrawny.
Official wording
Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.iIdentify real-life connections between words and their use.iiDistinguish shades of meaning among closely related words.
Common Core L.2.5
2.FL.VA.7c
Use new words picked up from talk and books, including describing words like enormous and quietly.
Official wording
Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe.

Reading: Key Ideas and Details

6 standards
Read closely to determine what a text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2.RL.KID.1
Ask and answer who, what, where, when, why and how questions about a story on your own, like why the fox tricked the hen.
Official wording
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
Common Core RL.2.1
2.RI.KID.1
Ask and answer who, what, where, when, why and how questions about a story on your own, like why the fox tricked the hen.
Official wording
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
Common Core RL.2.1
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
2.RL.KID.2
Retell a fable or folktale from another culture, like The Tortoise and the Hare, and say what lesson or moral it teaches.
Official wording
Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
Common Core RL.2.2
2.RI.KID.2
Name what a text with several paragraphs is mostly about and what each paragraph focuses on.
Official wording
Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within a text.
Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
2.RL.KID.3
Explain how a character deals with a big event or problem in a story, like what a lost puppy does to find its way home.
Official wording
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
Common Core RL.2.3
2.RI.KID.3
Describe how a set of history events, science ideas, or steps in a process connect, like the stages of a butterfly's life.
Official wording
Describe the connections between a series of historical events, scientific ideas, or steps in a process in a text.

Reading: Craft and Structure

6 standards
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
2.RL.CS.4
Describe how word choices add meaning to a story, poem, or song, like rhyme, repeated lines, or a steady beat.
Official wording
Describe how words and phrases supply meaning in a story, poem, or song.
2.RI.CS.4
Figure out what a subject word in a 2nd grade science or social studies text means, like habitat in a book about animals.
Official wording
Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
Common Core RI.2.4
Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of a text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
2.RL.CS.5
Describe how a story is built, telling how the beginning sets things up and how the ending wraps up the action.
Official wording
Describe the overall structure of a story, including how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
2.RI.CS.5
Use text features like captions, bold print, glossaries, and indexes to find key facts in a text quickly.
Official wording
Know and use various text features to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
2.RL.CS.6
Notice when characters see the same thing in different ways, like two friends who feel differently about a move.
Official wording
Determine when characters have different points of view.
2.RI.CS.6
Name the main reason a text was written, like what question the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
Official wording
Identify the main purpose of a text, including what an author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

5 standards
Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
2.RL.IKI.7
Use what pictures and words in a print or digital story show to explain its characters, setting, or plot.
Official wording
Use information gained from illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
2.RI.IKI.7
Explain how pictures and words each add to a text and make it clearer, like a diagram showing the parts of a plant.
Official wording
Identify and explain how illustrations and words contribute to and clarify a text.
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
2.RI.IKI.8
Describe how an author's reasons back up the specific points made in a text.
Official wording
Describe how reasons support specific points an author makes in a text.
Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches an author takes.
2.RL.IKI.9
Compare two or more versions of the same story told by different authors or cultures, like Cinderella tales from around the world.
Official wording
Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story by different authors or different cultures.
2.RI.IKI.9
Read two informational texts on one topic, like two books about volcanoes, and tell where their most important points agree and where they differ.
Official wording
Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
Common Core RI.2.9

Reading: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

2 standards
Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
2.RL.RRTC.10
Read and understand stories and poems at the second and third grade level on their own, with help on the hardest ones.
Official wording
Read and comprehend stories and poems throughout the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding at the high end as needed.
2.RI.RRTC.10
Read and understand stories and nonfiction at the second and third grade level on their own, with help on the hardest texts.
Official wording
Read and comprehend stories and informational texts throughout the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding at the high end as needed.

Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration

3 standards
Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with varied partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing one’s own ideas clearly and persuasively.
2.SL.CC.1
Join in conversations about second grade topics and books with classmates and adults, in small groups or with the whole class.
Official wording
Participate with varied peers and adults in collaborative conversations in small or large groups about appropriate 2nd grade topics and texts.
Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media formats, such as visual, quantitative, and oral formats.
2.SL.CC.2
Retell the main ideas and details of a story read aloud, a talk or a video, like the steps shown in a video about making butter.
Official wording
Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Common Core SL.2.2
Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
2.SL.CC.3
Pose and respond to questions about a speaker's talk to learn more or clear up a confusing part, like asking a visitor what a word means.
Official wording
Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather information or clarify something that is not understood.

Speaking and Listening: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

3 standards
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning; the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
2.SL.PKI.4
Tell a story or share something that happened, like a trip to the zoo, with the right facts and vivid details, speaking clearly in sentences that hang together.
Official wording
Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
Common Core SL.2.4
Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.
2.SL.PKI.5
Add sound or pictures to stories or retellings of experiences when it helps make ideas and feelings clearer.
Official wording
Add audio or visual elements to stories or recounts of experiences, when appropriate, to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
Adapt speech to a variety of contents and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
2.SL.PKI.6
Speak in full sentences when the setting calls for it, to give details or explain something someone asked about.
Official wording
Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

Writing: Text Types and Protocol

3 standards
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
2.W.TTP.1
Write an opinion piece that names the topic or book, states an opinion, gives reasons tied in with words like because and also, and ends with a closing.
Official wording
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts.aIntroduce topic or text.bState an opinion.cSupply reasons to support the opinion.dUse linking words to connect the reasons to the opinion.eProvide a concluding statement or section.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
2.W.TTP.2
Write to teach about a topic, introducing it, sharing facts and definitions, and finishing with a closing.
Official wording
Write informative/explanatory texts.aIntroduce a topic.bUse facts and definitions to provide information.cProvide a concluding statement or section.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
2.W.TTP.3
Write about an event or a short series of events with details about actions and feelings, words like next and later to show order, and an ending.
Official wording
Write narratives recounting an event or short sequence of events.aInclude details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings.bUse time order words to signal event order.cProvide a sense of closure.

Writing: Production and Distribution of Writing

3 standards
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
2.W.PDW.4
With help, write clearly so the ideas, their order, and the wording suit the task, the reason for writing, and the reader.
Official wording
With guidance and support, produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
2.W.PDW.5
With adult help, stay on topic, listen to questions and ideas from classmates, and revise and edit to make writing stronger.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
2.W.PDW.6
With adult help and alongside classmates, use different digital tools to create writing and publish it.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, and in collaboration with peers, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing.

Writing: Research to Build and Present Knowledge

2 standards
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focus questions, demonstrating new understanding of the subject under investigation.
2.W.RBPK.7
Join in group research and writing projects, like reading several books on one topic or doing a science experiment and writing up a report.
Official wording
Participate in shared research and writing projects, such exploring a number of books on a single topic or engaging in science experiments to produce a report.
Integrate relevant and credible information from multiple print and digital sources while avoiding plagiarism.
2.W.RBPK.8
Answer a question by drawing on something you remember or by finding the facts in books or websites the teacher gives you.
Official wording
Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Common Core W.2.8

Writing: Range of Writing

1 standard
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
2.W.RW.10
With adult help, write regularly to build fluency, like keeping a daily journal.
Official wording
With guidance and support from adults, engage routinely in writing activities to promote writing fluency.

The official Tennessee documents

Tennessee Academic Standards for English Language Arts, Tennessee Department of Education, tn.gov/education.

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

The plain-English lines are EMStudio's own explanations, shown beside the official wording. They are not part of the standards.