Choosing
Books for Independent Reading
Second grade is a wonderful time for
your child to begin independent reading. Most children by this grade have had a
fair amount of reading instruction. It is very important to choose books at the
appropriate level of difficulty. Choosing books at the correct level allows
your child to achieve fluency and gain confidence. Gaining confidence is a very
important step at this age because it will help develop a lifelong love of
reading. Tutti Frutti loves to reread books…is this ok? Yes! Because this is
another step in learning to read that builds confidence.
My Child
Makes Mistakes
Tutti
Frutti gets so frustrated when she makes a mistake! But, I have to reassure her
it’s OK! Mistakes are all part of a
normal learning to read process. Here are some steps to take when your child
makes mistakes during oral reading:
·
You
shouldn’t stop to correct every mistake your child makes.
·
If a
word is misread that is imperative to the story and your child gets confused,
step in and give the word. Otherwise let it go, often times children will
realize their mistake and come back to correct it.
·
If your
child struggles to read a word, don’t jump in to help immediately; give her a
chance to figure it out herself.
During
the reading process, sometimes Tutti Frutti loses confidence or enjoyment if
she makes too many mistakes. When I see this happening it is my cue to step in and
give her praise and encouragement. We will finish the book but, I always make a
mental note to choose an easier level next time.
The
Ultimate List of 2nd Grade Reading Books by Level of Difficulty:
Easy Readers 1 – written for children learning to read. They
have simple words and sentences with lots of pictures.
·
The Ugly Duckling - Harriet
Ziefert
·
The Magic Porridge Pot -
Harriet Ziefert
·
The Cat in the Hat – Dr.
Seuss
·
Green Eggs and Ham - Dr.
Seuss
·
One Fish, Two Fish, Three
Fish - Dr. Seuss
·
Mrs. Brice’s Mice – Syd Hoff
·
Stanley - Syd Hoff
·
Danny and the Dinosaur Go to
Camp - Syd Hoff
·
Are You My Mother – P.D.
Eastman
·
Joe and Betsy the Dinosaur –
Lillan Hobman
·
Ducks in a Row – Jackie
Urbanovic
·
Little Bears Friend – Else
Holmelund Minarik
·
Baa-Choo! – Sarah Weeks
·
Pip Squeak – Sarah Weeks
Easy
Readers 2 – written a little more advanced that Easy Readers 1. They have
more difficult vocabulary along with more text per page but still have lots of
pictures.
·
Fox Be Nibble – James
Marshall
·
Breakout at the Bug Lab –
Ruth Horowitz
·
Detective Dinosaur – James
Skofield
·
The Case of the Troublesome
Turtle – Cynthia Rylant
·
Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping
– Peggy Parish
·
The Best Seat in Second
Grade – Katherine Kenah
·
Arthur’s Birthday Party –
Lillian Hoban
·
Arthur’s Honey Bear –
Lillian Hoban
·
Here Comes the Strikeout –
Leonard Kessler
·
The Giant Jelly Bean Jar –
Marci Aboff
·
Buzby – Julia Hoban
·
Big Max – Kin Platt
·
Big Max and the Mystery of
the Missing Giraffe – Kin Platt
·
No Fighting, No Biting! –
Else Holmelund Minarik
·
Zack’s Alligator Goes to
School – Shirley Mozelle
·
Grasshopper on the Road –
Arnold Lobel
·
Frog and Toad All Year –
Arnold Lobel
·
Frog and Toad Are Friends –
Arnold Lobel
Transition
to Chapter Books
The next list of books bridges the gap
between easy readers and chapter books. This often seems to be a struggle point
for homeschooling parents of exactly when and how to begin chapter books. Most
children begin reading transition books between mid-second grade and early
third. But, a good indicator is when they read easy readers with little to no
difficulty. Ideally, your child should read eight to ten transition books
before moving on to chapter books.
Chapter
Books 1: These books are a step up in difficulty to transition books.
The sentences are longer and more complex, the story itself is richer – with
more complex plots and characters. The page range of chapter books 1 is
fifty-five to one hundred.
·
Pioneer Cat – William Hooks
·
A Toad for Tuesday – Russell
E. Erickson
·
Julian’s Glorious Summer –
Ann Cameron
·
Invisible Stanley – Jeff
Brown
·
Bears on Hemlock Mountain –
Alice Dagliesh
·
Stone Fox – John Reynolds
Gardiner
·
A Hare Raising Tail –
Elizabeth Levy
·
Sarah, Plain and Tall –
Patricia MacLachlan
·
The Time Warp Trio: Knights
of the Kitchen Table – Jon Scieszka (First Book in the Time Warp Trio Series)
·
McBroom’s Wonderful One-Acre
Farm – Sid Fleischman
·
Shoeshine Girl – Clyde
Robert Bulla
·
The Silver Balloon – Susan
Bonners
·
Cam Jansen: The Mystery of
Dinosaur Bones - David Adler
Chapter
Books 2: To really be ready for this next set of books, your child
should read ten to fifteen books from chapter books 1. These books are longer
and more difficult than chapter books 1. The paragraphs are longer and with
more dialogue. The page range of chapter books 2 is eighty to one hundred
forty. A good readiness indicator for chapter books 2 is that your child can
read silently and accurately for longer periods of time.
·
Encyclopedia Brown and the
Case of the Secret Pitch – Donald J. Sobol (There is many books available in
this series)
·
A Mouse Called Wolf – Dick
King-Smith
·
The Hoboken Chicken
Emergency – Daniel Pinkwater
·
Lady Lollipop – Dick King
Smith
·
The New Kid at School – Kate
McMullen ( #1 in the Dragon Slayers Academy Series)
·
Gooseberry Park – Cynthia
Rylant
·
The Talented Clementine –
Sara Pennypacker ( #2 in the Clementine Series)
·
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of
Mystery – James and Deborah Howe
·
Max and Maddy and the
Chocolate Money Mystery – Alexander McCall Smith ( one other book available)
·
Help! I’m a Prisoner in the
Library! Eth Clifford
·
Sable – Karen Hesse
· A
Lion to Guard us. – Clyde Robert Bulla
This
is the ultimate reading list I have for second grade. Tutti Frutti is working
hard on her list but, there is absolutely no pressure to complete it all. What
fun would it be if we were a slave to our list?
Do you have a favorite
book for second grade? If so, please share!
Have a child who doesn’t want to read?
Stay tuned for
next week. I will be sharing how to encourage a child
that
doesn’t want to read!
Where to Buy:
Don't Want to Purchase:
*Your local library is a great resource
*Borrow from other friends :)
Labels: Life in our Homeschool
