The lesson plan provides guidance for teaching second grade students about reading comprehension and writing skills. It includes standards and benchmarks for literary texts, the writing process, writing applications, and a sample lesson. The sample lesson has students work in groups to take photos, write original stories inspired by the photos, and bind their stories and photos into books to share with the class.

1. Lesson in Reading Comprehension
and Writing Skills for Second
Grade

2.  Literary Text Standard (K-3)
Students enhance their understanding of the human story by reading literary texts
that represent a variety of authors, cultures and eras. They learn to apply the
reading process to the various genres of literature, including fables, folk tales, short
stories, novels, poetry and drama. They demonstrate their comprehension by
describing and discussing the elements of literature (e.g., setting, character and
plot), analyzing the author’s use of language (e.g., word choice and figurative
language), comparing and contrasting texts, inferring theme and meaning and
responding to text in critical and creative ways. Strategic readers learn to explain,
analyze and critique literary text to achieve deep understanding.
 Benchmark: B
 Use supporting details to identify and describe main ideas, characters and
setting.
 Indicators:
2. Describe Characters and Setting
3. Retell the plot of a story

3.  Writing Process Standard (K-3)
Students’ writing develops when they regularly engage in the major phases of the writing
process. The writing process includes the phases of prewriting, drafting, revising and
editing and publishing. They learn to plan their writing for different purposes and
audiences. They learn to apply their writing skills in increasingly sophisticated ways to
create and produce compositions that reflect effective word and grammatical choices.
Students develop revision strategies to improve the content, organization and language of
their writing. Students also develop editing skills to improve writing conventions.
 Benchmark: A
 Generate ideas for written compositions
 Benchmark: G
 Publish writing samples for display or sharing with others, using techniques such
as electronic resources and graphics
 Indicators:
1. Generate writing ideas through discussions with others. 9. Use available technology to compose text.
2. Develop a main idea for writing. 10. Reread and assess writing for clarity, using a variety of
3. Develop a purpose and audience for writing. methods (e.g., writer’s circle or author’s chair).
4. Use organizational strategies (e.g., brainstorming, lists, 11. Add descriptive words and details and delete extraneous
webs and Venn diagrams) to plan writing. information.
5. Organize writing with a developed beginning, middle 12. Use resources (e.g., word wall, beginner’s dictionary and
and end. word bank) to select effective vocabulary.
6. Use a range of complete sentences, including declarative, 13. Proofread writing to improve conventions (e.g., grammar,
interrogative and exclamatory. spelling, punctuation and capitalization).
Include transitional words and phrases. 14. Apply tools (e.g., rubric, checklist and feedback) to judge
8. Use language for writing that is different from oral the quality of writing.
language, mimicking writing style of books when 15. Rewrite and illustrate writing samples for display and
appropriate. for sharing with others.

4.  Writing Application Standard (K-2)
 Benchmark: A
 Compose writings that convey a clear message and include well-
chosen details
 Indicators:
1. Write stories that convey a clear message, include details, use vivid language and move
through a logical sequence of steps and events.

5.  Students will practice using their knowledge of
story elements to create an original written story as
a small group. The story will be bound into a book
format, and evaluated by the class for appropriate
story elements.
 Students will take photos with a digital camera – these
pictures will become their inspiration for the story and
ultimately the illustrations
 Students will generate a story to go with their selected
photos
 Students will cut and paste their story on to pages that
will become a book to share and display to other classes
 Students will evaluate each other’s books to determine
character, plot and setting.

6.  Digital Camera, Color Printer, binding machine
and plastic binding combs or hole punch and
yarn, construction paper, glue sticks, internet
capable computers, Google account, flash drive
to store photos from cameras
 For students: Construction paper, glue sticks,
scissors, digital cameras

7.  Plot
 Character
 Story Elements
 Setting
 Conflict
 Resolution

8.  Pre-assessment will consist of a group
discussion during which the teacher will
evaluate how much students recall about what
basic story elements are (Setting, characters,
plot including conflict/resolution).

9.  “Refresher” lesson (preferably in a common area, on
the rug, etc.) to remember what we know and have
already learned about story elements.
 Have students summarize a favorite or popular movie
 Movies are stories that are acted out, they have story
elements
 Brainstorm the Setting, Characters and Plot of the movie as a
group
 Analyze story elements in Cinderella
 Have students name Setting, Characters and Plot as teacher
completes graphic organizer of story elements on the board

10. Story Elements – Cinderella
Characters Setting Plot
(Where/When)
Cinderella Cinderella’s house Cinderella wants to go to
the ball, but gets locked in
Wicked Stepmother The Palace her room
Mice A Faraway Kingdom Fairy Godmother comes
to help, she falls in love
Stepsisters with Prince Charming.
Prince Prince can’t find
Fairy Godmother Cinderella
Prince finds Cinderella
and they get married.

11.  Read-aloud of picture book such as Three Billy
Goats Gruff or The Tale of Peter Rabbit
 Have students listen for Characters, Setting, Conflict and
Resolution
 When a student identifies a story element, have them whisper
to a partner what they think it is during the reading
 Following reading, students and teacher discuss what they
identified as conflict, resolution, characters, setting
 Teacher will be assessing the conversation for comprehension
of story element concepts

12.  Engage students in a common area. Ask students to share with
the class if they have ever authored or illustrated a written work.
 We can all be authors and illustrators because we all know the
necessary parts of a story (review story elements)
 Today, we are going to be authors and illustrators for our own books.
 Explain steps:
 Take pictures that will be illustrations and idea-starters
(approx. 25 min)
 One picture with a person/people
 One picture with no people
 One picture of something close-up
 One picture of something far away
 Select pictures to use
 Brainstorm, and compose an original story on Google Docs
 Cut and Paste pictures and text into a book format

14. Picasa Web Featured Photos

15.  Teacher has assembled all pictures – those taken by students and
supplemental teacher pictures from Picasa featured photos to a
Google Docs presentation.
 Students will browse the photos in their groups and select 5-7 to
print in color for use in their story
 Students will then brainstorm and compose their original story on
Google Docs.
 Each story must contain identifiable story elements
 Story may be about anything (appropriate for school). Students should
use their imaginations!
 This may take more than one day depending on progress made.
 Teacher will visit each group to assess their progress, and help with
any roadblocks
 Students will share the Google Document with the teacher
 Following composition, students will review final product for any last
editing changes

16.  Students will print the text from their story
 Using scissors and glue sticks, students will cut and paste their
text and illustrations onto paper that can be bound as a book.
 Final product will look something like this:
 Have each group read their story aloud for the class.
 Following each group’s story, the class will complete a graphic
organizer for story elements together.
 Teacher can use this as an assessment of how the entire class
understands the concepts

17. Once upon a time there was a man who lived in California. He was looking at his oldest dog. Not that the dog didn’t look
good, because he did even though he was old. The transformer didn’t know what else to do, so he stared at the dog too, to
make sure he was safe.
Then all of a sudden the dolphins from the beach nearby started going crazy because the volcano was going to explode. The
man saw them out of his window. He could see the darkness of them in the water and they were jumping out 100 times.
The man had a lot of cardboard at his house; it almost filled the whole thing up. He placed it around the house and over the
top of the house and covered it in lots of layers. Of course he always had a lot of cardboard because there were so many
earthquakes. His job gives him a lot of money, because he does something important and that’s a great way to recycle the
cardboard (using it to protect your house).
The volcano became closer and closer to exploding. Good thing the man had some extra cardboard to block the rest of his
house and keep it full with cardboard.
After about 20 minutes, after he saw the dolphins go crazy, he looked at the volcano shooting up a bunch of flaming ashes
and it erupted. He went upstairs because if the lava came to his house it was the safest place to be. His house was safe from
the lava because it was protected with cardboard.
After the volcano erupted his cardboard was melted. They were giving out more free cardboard and he got a ton of it, and
then he went to go eat pizza with his dog, and some dog food and they ate together.
The End.

19. Story Elements – Group 1
Characters Setting Plot
(Where/When)
The Man California A Volcano is going to
The Dolphins The man’s house erupt
Dolphins warn the
man
Man protects his
house with
cardboard
Volcano Erupts
Man goes to eat
dinner with dog

20.  Post-Assessment will be a multiple choice quiz to evaluate
comprehension of story elements.
 The Assessment will be grouped into three sets of 5 questions for
each story element – characters, plot (conflict/resolution), and
setting.
 The questions will be based on books we have read in class, and will
include a short story to read and identify elements.
 If students score 80% or higher in one category (missing one
question), they will be assessed to have mastered the content.
Students who miss two questions will be noted to revisit the content
in small-group or one-on-one instruction. Students who miss more
than two questions in one story element category are assessed to
have not mastered the content and will receive individual follow-up
to gain a better understanding of the material.

21.  Students struggling with the content..
 will be scaffolded by students in their group who
have greater mastery of the concepts
 Will re-visit concepts during small-group exercises,
during read-alouds and individually with
educational software

22.  Students who have mastered the content..
 Will be challenged to describe each element in
greater detail
 Determine central idea or lesson of the plot
 Describe characters in greater detail, their feelings and
motivations
 May be paired with a student who is struggling to
scaffold their learning and help explain concepts
differently one-on-one

23.  At home, students may utilize software online such as
carnegielibrary.org which has an application to create
stories using various elements
 Students can use a printout to record elements of a
story after reading at home with a family member
http://www.teachervision.fen.com
 Students are encouraged to identify and discuss story
elements at home when reading with family. A teacher
blog post and a section of the newsletter that is sent
home each week will detail what we have learned in
class so that parents can reinforce concepts with
students when reading at home

24.  ART!
 Students are using many artistic concepts for the
layout and design of their story
 Social Science/Science
 Students are using skills necessary for collaboration:
listening to others, being aware of fellow students
feelings and ideas, listening
 Students are interacting with subjects they
photograph and exploring the natural world
artistically

25.  This article
details the benefits of cooperative learning and how it enhances student
comprehension as well as the classroom environment.

26. Thank you for your attention!