Meaning Making
Children in grade two demonstrate increasing independence in
gaining meaning from texts they read on their own and from the
texts they hear read aloud.
Literary and informational texts are selected in response to
children’s interests and, importantly, in alignment with other areas
of the curricula. In terms of content knowledge building, the
curricular themes/topics addressed in some of the content areas in
grade two include the following:
- Social Studies Content for Grade Two, People Who Make a
Difference: Students in grade two explore the lives of actual
people who make a difference in their everyday lives and
learn the stories of extraordinary people from history whose
achievements have touched them, directly or indirectly. The study of contemporary people who
supply goods and services aids in understanding the complex interdependence in our free-
market system. (California’s History–Social Science Content Standards) - Science for Grade Two: Students focus on Disciplinary Core Ideas, including ecosystems:
interactions, energy, and dynamics; biological evolution: unity and diversity; earth’s place in
the universe; earth’s systems; matter and its interactions; and engineering design; and Topics,
including earth’s systems: processes that shape the earth; structure and properties of matter;
and engineering design. (California’s Next Generation Science Standards) - Visual and Performing Arts for Grade Two: Students learn about and engage in dance, music,
theatre, and the visual arts, including historical and cultural contexts. (California’s Visual and
Performing Arts Content Standards)
Children independently read texts at their reading level.
They also engage with more difficult (but not excessively
difficult) texts with teacher support and instruction. It is
crucial that teachers provide all students with opportunities
to interact with more challenging and complex text so that
the children continue to grow in their language and literacy
abilities over the course of the school year. Teachers use
a variety of strategies and approaches to facilitate literal
and inferential comprehension. They engage students in
discussions, posing questions that take students back to
the text to identify the progression of an author’s ideas or
arguments or to note use of powerful or nuanced language
that impacts meaning. They prompt students to reread
sections of a text for different purposes, such as looking at what a particular character says or does,
examining how an author organized information, identifying an author’s purpose, retrieving a quote
that supports an interpretation, or finding words or phrases that influence readers’ interpretations.
They also teach students to carefully view images, such as diagrams and illustrations, in texts and
determine their contributions to the meaning of a text.
Teachers also ensure that students engage in discussing and writing for meaning making purposes.
Children learn to ask and answer questions of one another and of adults to clarify meaning (SL.2.1c;
SL.2.3). They revise written work to better convey their ideas and information based on responses
from adults and peers (W.2.5). (See the overview of the span and grade-three sections of this chapter
for more discussion on meaning making.)
It is crucial that teachers
provide all students with
opportunities to interact with
more challenging and complex
text so that the children
continue to grow in their
language and literacy abilities
over the course of the school
year.320 | Chapter 4 Grade 2