2nd grade · Spelling
What a 2nd grade student learns in Spelling
Grade 2 spelling centers on building automatic recognition and accurate spelling of basic English words, expanding decoding/encoding skills, and applying consistent spelling strategies for grade-level writing, including patterns, common rules, and high-frequency words.
The skills for the year
- 1Spell commonly used high-frequency words accurately (second-grade word lists, Dolch/Fry lists)
- 2Apply spelling patterns for long and short vowel sounds (e.g., 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u')
- 3Spell words with r-controlled vowels (ar, er, ir, or, ur)
- 4Use vowel team patterns (ai, ea, ee, oa, oe, etc.) in spelling
- 5Spell words with consonant blends and digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh, ph, bl, st, cr, etc.)
- 6Identify and correctly spell inflectional endings (-ed, -ing, -s, -es)
- 7Understand and use spelling patterns for 'CVCe' (silent e) long vowel words (e.g., 'cake', 'note')
- 8Spell contractions with apostrophes (can't, don't, isn't, etc.)
- 9Correctly spell words with compound structures (mailbox, sunshine, etc.)
- 10Apply basic spelling rules for adding endings (e.g., doubling consonants, dropping 'e' before -ing)
- 11Spell frequently confused homophones (to/too/two, there/their/they’re) in context
- 12Use prefixes (un-, re-, dis-) and suffixes (-ful, -less, -ly, -er, -est) in spelling grade-level words
- 13Spell irregular words (words not following typical phonetic patterns) from second-grade sight word lists
- 14Apply syllable patterns for spelling longer two-syllable words (e.g., rabbit, basket)
- 15Use classroom resources (word walls, dictionaries) to check and correct spelling
- 16Edit and revise written work for correct spelling of learned patterns and words
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