2nd grade reading book reports
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Learn how to teach children to write informational text through the use of focused read-alouds that include discussions of information book genre elements, features, and organizational structure.
See examples of book compositions by second-grade authors that demonstrate how read-alouds can support young writers' genre knowledge development. Leon thought for a minute and then nodded in agreement, "I'm making a table of contents at the beginning, but I'm going to wait on the index until I see how much I fill up in my book. Their teacher, Mrs. Strickland, a year veteran with national board certification, explained,. My second graders love information books, because they are interested in the topics and like to read facts.
I regularly introduce a range of informational books during science units. We explore books, write book reports, and construct projects, but my students have never had the chance to create their very own information books from scratch.
Such conversations between Linda first author and Mrs. Strickland began when Linda was supervising preservice teachers at Winterville Elementary School, which serves lower to middle class students with diverse backgrounds and has experienced teachers who are enthusiastic about working with the local university. Strickland about her students' writing. These conversations led to an examination of the information book compositions of 13 of her students within a science unit focusing on the writing of informational texts.
Like Mrs. So, we were thrilled when she expressed interest in incorporating informational writing in an upcoming unit that led to the instruction and student writing we present in this article. We provide a clear example of focused instruction designed to support primary-grade students' reading and writing of informational texts.
We begin with a brief overview of the information book genre, followed by examples of students' information book compositions. Although Mrs. Strickland's class had previously written responses to information texts in science and simple one-page informational reports of facts, these students had not had the opportunity to write more extended informational texts on their own.
They also had no previous instruction addressing how authors organize or use language in specific ways in information books. We know that primary- grade teachers are becoming aware of the importance of using information books in their classrooms, and our understanding of the potential of information books for young readers and writers is growing tremendously. Some researchers are studying the impact of information book use in science e.
Over the past 10 years, interest in information book use acros s elementary-grade levels has grown. University and teacher researchers have examined information book use and informational writing in elementary schools with increased frequency e. We know that elementary students have knowledge of the information book genre typical of informational picture books e.
Information books are those with the major purpose of reporting facts about the general nature of a thing or an animal, such as Gail Gibbons's Weather Words and What They Mean. These types of books include certain elements and features. Pappas has identified four obligatory elements of information books i.
The additional aspects of information books that we refer to as features include table of contents, headings, index, pictures and photographs, diagrams, captions, technical vocabulary, generic nouns, and timeless present tense.
So, we asked Mrs. Strickland's second graders to write their first information book compositions to determine what they already knew about the genre and what they might learn from explicit attention to genre elements and features during information book read-alouds.
Blank books were used to encourage students to demonstrate their knowledge about a topic of interest and a typical information book's format, elements, and features. Because our focus was on the use of genre knowledge, we asked students to write on familiar topics. We wanted to see their growth in use of genre knowledge following the fairly easy addition of focused information book read-alouds to a science unit. We were looking specifically for how students would incorporate typical information book elements, including a topic presentation, descriptive attributes, characteristic events, comparisons, and a final summary.
See Table 1 for examples of each element in a read-aloud text and student composition. Table 1: Information book elements in a sample text and second-grade authors' compositions. Pappas, , in Reading Research Quarterly, 41 2 , Gibbons, , New York: Holiday House. Reprinted with permission. In addition, we wanted to see how students would include typical features of information books i. The language we used to code elements and features in student compositions matched the language we used with students during instruction see Table 1.
Our figure arrows in student compositions point to specific words, clauses, or illustrations that provide examples of how students used information book elements and features.
Figure 1: Isaiah's first informational composition in second grade. These are two representative pages of Isaiah's six-page composition. He also included a cover and other pages with facts on unrelated topics. In these first compositions, students demonstrated awareness of elements and features that differentiate information books from other school genres.
No student wrote a fictional story or personal recount, and all students included facts about the topic and subtopics they chose. Most students used some generic nouns e. They can bite you. They are a mammal. This supports earlier work showing that by second grade, students have a sense of the different language structures appropriate for different purposes Donovan, ; Kamberelis, The students' compositions varied greatly, though, in their inclusion of elements and the ways they selected and organized information.
Two pages of Isaiah's first composition are shown in Figure 1. He has written on five different topics, one for each page of the text. He includes three typical information book elements: descriptive attributes "They have fur and soft. Isaiah has headings on each page and includes a labeled picture for "sprwes" [spinner wheels]. He mixes the stance between third person "They spins. Thus, he demonstrates knowledge that information books provide facts on topics, usually in third person.
Isaiah's book is similar to four others, in which students produced compositions on several different topics. In comparison, Michael's first composition see Figure 2 demonstrates more sophisticated use of language, elements, and features. He identifies his overarching topic, animals, and then introduces a new animal on each page. His clauses that represent typical information book elements, specifically descriptive attributes "Some Native Americans used it's poison to kill animals.
Three labeled pictures serve as headings for his entire composition, and he uses third person throughout. Michael's book is similar to the first books of six other students, who demonstrated that typical information books focus on a single general topic with specific, detailed subtopics. Figure 2: Michael's first informational composition in second grade. These are two representative pages from Michael's book of four pages.
This initial assessment of students' information book writing provided Linda and Mrs. Strickland an opportunity to consider the continuum of compositions in terms of genre element use, feature use, and organization. Most students used generic nouns, timeless present tense, and pictures in these first compositions. Many included descriptive attributes and characteristic events. Like Isaiah, some students' initial sense of information book organization seems to have been a collection of facts, which is a consistent organizational pattern for students' informational writing Donovan, ; Newkirk, , but others like Michael demonstrated more sophisticated organization.
Six of the students' compositions did not include headings, while seven incorporated headings within illustrations. Approximately half of the students included the optional element comparisons in some way; however, very few students included topic presentations or final summaries, which is reasonable based on the students' lack of prior experience composing an entire information book.
Therefore, along with Mrs. Strickland, we explored possibilities for increasing the students' competence with informational writing. Given that the work of those examining the reading-writing connection e. Strickland was enthusiastic to examine the students' writing for evidence of growth in their content and genre knowledge.
Linda served as a visiting science and writing teacher for three weeks with Mrs. Strickland's class during a unit on weather. In addition to providing content about weather, we designed this instructional unit to build knowledge of information book organization, genre elements, and text features. We selected typical information books Pappas, based on students' interests in weather. We made notes about genre-specific elements and features to introduce to students as well as interesting ways authors decided to organize information.
These objectives were woven together during nine minute instructional sessions see chart below that included focused readalouds of five information books, discussions to introduce and provide students with language for how information books work, and class activities in which students could explore the information book genre. Session 4: Read aloud Tornadoes by Seymour Simon. Session 7: Read aloud Lightning by Seymour Simon. Building knowledge regarding how authors make decisions about organization began during the first session.
Linda suggested that students "read and think like a writer. What did Gail Gibbons do to organize her thoughts? During the reading of Clouds, Rain, and Fog by Fred Biddulph and Jeanne Biddulph , Linda noted, "As we read, I want you to think like a writer about how these authors made decisions for the book. I notice something that is different from the very beginning of this book.
Linda: I think that's a really good observation. It is different from Gail Gibbons's book. This book has photographs. Hannah: It has clouds in the other book, and the other book has a sun and two and three [words] and stuff like that. Linda: I am noticing a pattern that these authors use on every page. What do these authors do to tell us they are about to start a new topic? Linda: Yes, they use a question as a heading to let us know each topic is beginning. Then, they In connection with our content focus on weather, we chose to emphasize the information book elements topic presentation, descriptive attributes, characteristic events, final summary, and comparisons Pappas,
Aug 24, - Explore brooks's board "2nd Grade Book Report Ideas" on Pinterest. See more ideas about 2nd grade books, Teaching reading and Book. Use this cute bubble gum book report with your first and second graders. This printable book report is simple, efficient, and a great book.
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Learn how to teach children to write informational text through the use of focused read-alouds that include discussions of information book genre elements, features, and organizational structure.
Comparing Numbers. Division Basic. Division Long Division.
Information Book Read-Alouds as Models for Second-Grade Authors
At Providence Christian Academy, our desire is not only for students to learn how to read, but also to acquire a passion for reading. The literature lists were developed to encourage reading while also allowing for individual choice and preference. Our hope at PCA is that parents and children will come to know and love some of the best authors and literature that exist, and develop a lifelong love of reading! Reading levels are recorded as a decimal. To interpret the reading level, the number to the left of the decimal indicates a grade level. The number to the right of the decimal indicates the number of months into the school year.
Favorite books for 2nd graders
Second grade is a magical reading time for many kids. Good thing Dory has an unbelievably wild imagination to keep her entertained. With its sharp-toothed robbers, bearded fairy godmothers, and a best friend who just happens to be a monster, this book is a real hoot. Ivy and Bean seem about as different as two young girls can be. But when Bean gets herself in a bit of trouble and Ivy helps her out, they have second thoughts about a friendship. Alvin Ho is scared of everything. Kids will love rooting for Alvin as he learns to conquer his many fears. Eleanor is devastated when her babysitter, Bibi, moves away to take care of her elderly father. Can Eleanor survive the summer and prepare for a new school year without Bibi?
Bored of traditional book reports? Use these twenty-five ideas to shake up your book-related activities.
Print book list. The year is and young Clara would like nothing more than to go to school with the other kids. However, life on the farm takes a lot of work and she is needed to help out with chores and her younger siblings. Can Clara and the librarian persuade father to let her learn to read?
Classroom Activities: 25 Book Report Alternatives
Can't find what you are looking for? Contact Us. Listen to my interview with Pernille Ripp transcript :. Sponsored by Kiddom and mysimpleshow. This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. I ask them what books they are reading in school, and a lot of times they give me a blank stare. What they do in reading, they tell me, is mostly worksheets about reading. Or computer programs that ask them to read passages, not books, and answer multiple-choice questions. The only thing that can do that is books. Reading actual books alongside other people reading actual books.
Book Report for Kids
These are great for first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade students reading comprehension. It is important to ensure that your Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grader are understanding what they are reading. Reading comprehension is a key homeschool skill that will serve them their entire life. Having kids complete book reports is just one of the ways we can check if they are understanding what they are reading. I created this free 1st grade book report to make it fun and easy to see how my child is doing. Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of Homeschool 4 Me. As a busy homeschooling mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! She has created over 1 million pages of printables to help teach kids ABCs, science, English grammar, history, math, and so much more! Beth is also the creator of 2 additional sites with even more educational activities and FREE printables - www. Thanks so much for making this available.
