Continuing to build on the first four literacy stages, children should now be comfortable with the regular routine of school and will most likely be starting the second grade. Despite the continuation of a curriculum to guide their literacy, parents should still nurture literacy development outside of school.
The list below highlights some of the new developments that a parent can expect to see by the time their child finishes the second grade. Note: Children vary in how they develop and learn – some skills should develop in the next literacy stage in they are not achieved at this stage.
Most 7 year olds should be able to:
- continue to participate in, and even expand on, various literary activities voluntarily (i.e. choosing books to read, writing notes to friends, creating signs/posters).
Reading
- read and comprehend fiction and nonfiction at grade level
- reread sentences when meanings are not clear
- browse either fiction or nonfiction books voluntarily (based on interest)
- read nonfiction texts for a specific purpose
- make a connection or comparison from nonfiction texts
- interpret information from charts, graphs or even diagrams
- compare similarities or differences of characters, settings and events from several stories
Writing
- produce a variety of written works (e.g. creative stories, book reports, letter writing)
- discuss ways to refine her/his own writing through peer review
- make reasonable judgment about what to include in his/her writing
- understand how to use specific oral language patterns (e.g. dialogue using quotation marks) in her/his writing
- look for mistakes in spelling, punctuation and capitalization when reviewing final draft of written work
- practice how to do certain steps of the writing process (including conferencing, revising and editing) with assistance
- write informative (nonfiction) reports using a graphic organizer
Spelling
- spell previously learned words correctly
- identify spelling patterns in own writing
- recognize irregularly spelled words and spelling patterns (e.g. diphthongs, common word endings)
- decode regular multi-syllable or nonsense words (e.g. kangaroo, mumbo-jumbo)
Phonics
- understand how to sound out the beginning, middle and ending phonemes of a word
- correlate between the printed letter and its sound while decoding unknown words
Speaking / Listening
- recall details from fictional text or facts from nonfictional text
- participate in a creative response to literary texts (i.e. oral presentation, dramatization)
- attempt structured answers to what, why and how questions