Search

STAFF LOGIN   

ARKANSAS WITS

Grade 2

WITS & The Standards   COMMON CORE ALIGNMENT
Select: Language | Reading | Speaking & Listening | Writing

 
Grade 2 Common Core Language Standards Alignment

Conventions of Standard English:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Students will be able to write poems that incorporate these conventions of English grammar and usage.

Conventions of Standard English, continued:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Students will be able to write poems that incorporate aspects of English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. Visiting writers give prompts that require students to utilize the epistolary form, in which they practice the conventions of letter writing. Visiting writers also incorporate classroom dictionaries and reference materials into prompts and exercises as well.

Knowledge of Language:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Students will be able to write poems that incorporate and call attention to formal and informal uses of English.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4 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.

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4.a Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4.a Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4.a Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell).
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4.c Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4.d Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf, notebook, bookmark).
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.4.e Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases.
WITS ALIGNMENT:

By using word banks and other vocabulary development tools, visiting writers introduce students to unfamiliar words. Students will be able to determine the meaning of these words, and also practice usage by incorporating these new words into their poems.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use, part 2:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.5 Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.5.a Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.5.b Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny).
WITS ALIGNMENT:

WITS prompts are designed so that students will be able to identify connections between language and reality. Also, our program emphasizes specificify; students are encouraged to be as nuanced and specific as possible with their language.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use, part 3:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.6 Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy).

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers read model poems aloud to the students and call attention to the use of adjectives and adverbs. Students will then be able to incorporate vocabulary (and also imitate phrases) from these works within their own poems. Students will also be able to respond to model poems by referencing their own experiences and observations, and will focus on using adjectives and adverbs in their descriptions.

Select: Language | Reading | Speaking & Listening | Writing

Grade 2 Common Core Reading Standards Alignment: Foundational Skills & Literature

Foundational Skills – Phonics and Word Recognition:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

By using word banks and other tools, visiting writers require students to be able to identify and decode both familiar and unfamiliar words.

Foundational Skills – Fluency:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.2.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

At the conclusion of each prompt, students are encouraged to take turns reading their poems aloud to the class.

Literature – Key Ideas and Details:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers develop prompts using published poems as models. These activities will require students to recall important information and identify key details within the model poems. Students will then be able to imitate these storytelling techniques within their own writing.

Literature – Key Ideas and Details, continued:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.2: Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
Visiting writers ask students to write poems based on familiar stories, fables, and folktales.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers ask students to write poems based on familiar stories, fables, and folktales.

Literature – Craft and Structure:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers present model poems, prompts, and forms that emphasize the use of repetition and other poetic devices.

Literature – Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers emphasize the importance of word choice and descriptive language to communicate meaning within a poem.

Literature – Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers introduce students to poems both at grade-level and above grade-level. This contributes to students reading, comprehending, and seeking out advanced texts by the end of the academic year.

Select: Language | Reading | Speaking & Listening | Writing

Grade 2 Common Core Speaking & Listening Standards Alignment

Comprehension and Collaboration:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1.a Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1.b Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.1.c Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.
WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers lead a discussion about poetry, poetic terms, and creative writing with the students. Students are asked to listen to the writers, participate in guided discussion, and ask questions for clarification. Students also have the opportunity to take turns sharing their work aloud after each exercise. Visiting writers emphasize the importance of careful and respectful listening while fellow students are reading aloud.

Comprehension and Collaboration, part 2:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers read model poems aloud to the students. Students are then asked to recount key ideas and details from the work.

Comprehension and Collaboration, part 3:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers encourage students to ask for clarification, additional information, and foster conversation leading toward a deeper understanding of language and poetry.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.4 Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Many prompts are designed for students to draw upon their own knowledge, experiences, and observations. At the conclusion of each prompt, students are given the opportunity to read their poems aloud to the class.

Select: Language | Reading | Speaking & Listening | Writing

Grade 2 Common Core Writing Standards Alignment

Text Types and Purposes:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3
Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers present prompts that ask students to write narrative poems and encourage the use of descriptive details, thoughts, feelings, linear or non-linear sequencing, and/or a conclusion. Specificity is emphasized and encouraged. Many prompts are designed so that students can choose from a bank of temporal words and phrases, calling attention to the relationship between events or thoughts (or the relationship between thought and event), and signaling closure at the poem’s conclusion.

Production and Distribution of Writing:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.5 With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers walk around the room and spend one-on-one time with students as they work on their poems. Visiting writers introduce students to revision techniques such as replacing weak, vague verbs with strong, specific verbs, improving descriptions by choosing more specific language, and/or removing unneeded lines from their poems. Students are also encouraged to play with syntax and re-order their lines. Many WITS prompts are designed with a built-in revision component.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Visiting writers introduce prompts that are designed for collaborative work (in small groups, large groups, or together as a class).

Research to Build and Present Knowledge, continued:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

WITS ALIGNMENT:

Many prompts are designed for students to draw upon their own knowledge, experiences, and observations. Students synthesize their own experiences and knowledge with forms and techniques presented in model poems.