Top 3 Reading Resources for Second Graders

Second grade is an important time for your child’s reading skills. Your child will develop
comprehension, reading speed, and hopefully, learn to enjoy reading as well!

According to Great Schools , two main skills that second graders learn are decoding and fluency.
Decoding is the ability to sound out words and use patterns to decode words. This is practiced
more as their vocabulary expands and they cannot rely on memorizing words or sight-reading
for reading comprehension. Fluency is how fast and accurate your child can read. The publisher
Scholastic states that second graders should be reading about 50 to 60 words per minute at the
beginning of second grade and 90 words per minute towards the end of the year.

Second graders also start learning more about storylines and plots. Being able to understand
the main topic of a paragraph and answer the five W’s (who, what, when, where, why) are all
practiced in second grade reading.

One of the best ways to master these skills is by practicing reading. Practicing reading doesn’t
only mean picking up a book. Here are three other resources for second graders that you and
your child can use.

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1) Second-Grade Reading Activities

Retelling and summarizing is a skill that can be exercised in many different ways.
Education.com provides reading activities for your child that are unique ways of recalling what
happened in a story, or characters within a story.

Some examples of activities are painting to retell a story, and making a reading bookmark to
highlight strong reading strategies.

These activities can give your child a larger purpose to fulfill while reading a story and gives
them the freedom to use their imagination and critical thinking skills to complete an activity. You
can also draw inspiration from suggested activities online, and create your own activity with your
child or family.

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2) Second-Grade Reading Games

Reading games are another fun way to learn new reading skills. PBS Kids offers a variety of
games for your child to play. These games are mainly focused on storytelling. When playing
these games, your child can create a story, expand their vocabulary, and practice their spelling.
Kids can also play games from classic children’s shows like “Arthur” or “Clifford the Big Red
Dog.” If your child is curious about nature, PBS Kids has a great series called “Molly of Denali”
that not only practices reading but also teaches your child about the outdoors.

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3) Second-Grade Reading App

Khan Academy Kids is a great app for second graders to practice skills through games and
storytelling. The app is entirely free and has won several awards. On this app, your child can
practice vowel sounds and blends (both great for decoding practice) as well as sight words,
spelling, and reading full stories.

Each activity comes with thorough explanations for your child, making it easy for them to begin
to grasp new concepts. For example, to practice vowel sounds, your child can play several
games such as matching, word search, completing sentences, and identifying words with the
same sounds within a sentence.

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Live Reading Classes for Second Graders

If you want your child to be a part of a fun, interactive, and engaging read-aloud class, join
ZipSchool. ZipSchool second grade reading classes encourage the development of essential
reading skills such as basic rhyming, word patterns, and sight words. Second graders also have
a chance to practice reading aloud, expanding their vocabulary, and strengthen their fluency.
Learn more about ZipSchool classes here!

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