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2nd Grade Overview

In grades K–2, our district uses Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA), 3rd Edition for core literacy instruction. CKLA is built on decades of research and is designed to develop strong readers, writers, and thinkers through two integrated components: Skills and Knowledge.  

CKLA Skills Units (Foundational Reading Skills): The Skills component focuses on how children learn to read and write. Instruction follows a structured, explicit progression that supports all learners as they build foundational literacy skills. Students develop: 

  • Phonological and phonemic awareness
  • Decoding and encoding (reading and spelling words)
  • Reading fluency and accuracy

Instruction includes direct teaching of the 150 spellings for the 44 sounds of the English language, helping students to develop a strong foundation for reading, spelling, and writing. 

Second Grade Skills Resources:

CKLA Knowledge Domains (Background Knowledge and Comprehension): The Knowledge component builds students’ background knowledge and academic vocabulary, key factors in strong listening and reading comprehension. Through engaging read-alouds, discussion, and writing activities, students: 

  • Develop listening comprehension and oral language skills
  • Build vocabulary and content knowledge across a wide range of topics
  • Learn to write in three text types: narrative, informative, and opinion

Second Grade Knowledge Resources:

What Students Do Throughout the Knowledge Domains:

Across all domains, students regularly:  

  • Ask and answer questions about details from the Read-Aloud text
  • Clarify understanding of words, phrases, and texts
  • Respond to questions requiring literal, inferential, and evaluative judgments
  • Actively participate in interactive Read-Aloud discussions and other topical activities
  • Build vocabulary and content knowledge in each of the domain topics
  • Respond to questions and prompts orally and in writing
  • Practice generating, expanding, and combining sentences.
  • Write in all three text types: narrative, informative, and opinion

Together, the CKLA Skills and Knowledge components ensure that students not only learn how to read, but also build the background knowledge and vocabulary they need to understand what they read.