Language Arts

Grade 2: Writing	Planning: Term # Tracking: Ach. Level
Overall Expectations	1	2	3	4
1. generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience;
2. draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience;
3. use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively;
4. reflect on and identify their strengths as writers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful at different stages in the writing process.
Specific Expectations
1. Developing and Organizing
Purpose and Audience: 1.1 identify the topic, purpose, audience, and form for writing (e.g., a fairy tale to entertain another class; the procedure for fire drills to inform the class; a poster to promote a favourite book or movie). Teacher prompts: "What is your writing about?" "Why are you writing?" "Whom are you writing for?"
Developing Ideas: 1.2 generate ideas about a potential topic, using a variety of strategies and resources (e.g., formulate and ask questions such as the five W's [who, what, when, where, why] to identify personal experiences, prior knowledge, and information needs; brainstorm ideas with a partner)
Research: 1.3 gather information to support ideas for writing in a variety of ways and/or from a variety of sources (e.g., from discussions with family and friends; from a variety of texts, including teacher readalouds, mentor texts, shared-, guided-, and independent-reading texts, and media texts)
Classifying Ideas: 1.4 sort ideas and information for their writing in a variety of ways, with support and direction (e.g., by using simple graphic organizers such as webs or a Venn diagram)
Organizing Ideas: 1.5 identify and order main ideas and supporting details, using graphic organizers (e.g., a story grammar: characters, setting, problem, solution; a sequential chart: first, then, next, finally) and organizational patterns (e.g., problem-solution, chronological order)
Review: 1.6 determine whether the ideas and information they have gathered are suitable for the purpose, and gather new material if necessary (e.g., use a graphic organizer to explain their material to a classmate and ask for feedback to identify gaps)
2. Using Knowledge of Form and Style in Writing
Form: 2.1 write short texts using several simple forms (e.g., a friendly letter; a factual recount of a scientific or mathematical investigation; a recipe describing the procedure for cooking a favourite food; directions for playing a game; a paragraph describing the physical characteristics of an animal; an original story or an extension of a familiar story, modelled on stories read; their own variation on a patterned poem; an advertisement for a toy)
Voice: 2.2 establish a personal voice in their writing, with a focus on using familiar words that convey their attitude or feeling towards the subject or audience (e.g., words that convey admiration for a character: a cool person)
Word Choice: 2.3 use familiar words and phrases to communicate relevant details (e.g., a sequence of adjectives: The big, brown bear...)
Sentence Fluency: 2.4 use a variety of sentence types (e.g., questions, statements, exclamations)
Point of View: 2.5 identify, initially with support and direction, their point of view and one or more possible different points of view about the topic. Teacher prompt: "How do you feel about this topic? How do you think other people - such as children from a different country or grandparents - might feel about this topic? How will you share these feelings in your writing?"
Preparing for Revision: 2.6 identify elements of their writing that need improvement, using feedback from the teacher and peers, with a focus on content and word choice. Teacher prompts: "Do you have enough information to support your ideas?" "Are there any other words that you could use to create a better word picture for your audience?"
Revision: 2.7 make simple revisions to improve the content, clarity, and interest of their written work, using several types of strategies (e.g., reordering sentences to present information in a more logical sequence; adding linking words to connect ideas; replacing general words with concrete, specific words/phrases). Teacher prompt: "What linking words could you use to connect two ideas?" "What words could you add to create a more vivid picture for the reader?"
Producing Drafts: 2.8 produce revised, draft pieces of writing to meet criteria identified by the teacher, based on the expectations
3. Applying Knowledge of Language Conventions and Presenting Written Work Effectively
Spelling Familiar Words: 3.1 spell many high-frequency words correctly (e.g., words from their oral vocabulary, anchor charts, the class word wall, and shared-, guided-, and independent-reading texts)
Spelling Unfamiliar Words: 3.2 spell unfamiliar words using a variety of strategies that involve understanding sound-symbol relationships, word structures, word meanings, and generalizations about spelling (e.g., spell words out loud; segment words into clusters of letters to hear onset and rime; sort words by common sound patterns and/or letter sequences; link letters to words: You hear with your ear; follow rules for adding endings to base words when the spelling doesn't change; use word meanings to help spell simple contractions and homophones: bear/bare)
Vocabulary: 3.3 confirm spellings and word meanings or word choice using a few different types of resources (e.g., locate words in alphabetical order by using first and second letters in a primary dictionary, on a word wall, or in an online picture dictionary)
Punctuation: 3.4 use punctuation to help communicate their intended meaning, with a focus on the use of: question marks, periods, or exclamation marks at the end of a sentence; commas to mark pauses; and some uses of quotation marks
Grammar: 3.5 use parts of speech appropriately to communicate their meaning clearly, with a focus on the use of: proper nouns for local, provincial, and national place names and for holidays; the personal object pronouns me, you, him, her, us, them; adjectives to describe a noun; verbs in the simple present and past tenses; joining words (e.g., and, but); simple prepositions of place and time (e.g., under, with, before, after)
Proofreading: 3.6 proofread and correct their writing using a simple checklist or a few guiding questions developed with the teacher and posted for reference (e.g., Does each sentence make sense? Are the ideas and information presented in a logical order? Does each sentence begin with a capital letter and end with a period, question mark, or exclamation mark? What resources can I use to check the spelling of a word if it doesn't look right?)
Publishing: 3.7 use some appropriate elements of effective presentation in the finished product, including print, different fonts, graphics, and layout (e.g., use legible printing, spacing, margins, varied print size, and colour for emphasis; include a simple labelled diagram in a report; supply a caption for a photograph or illustration)
Producing Finished Works: 3.8 produce pieces of published work to meet criteria identified by the teacher, based on the expectations
4. Reflecting on Writing Skills and Strategies
Metacognition: 4.1 identify some strategies they found helpful before, during, and after writing (e.g., use a writer's notebook to record ideas for writing, new and interesting words, graphic organizers that could be used again). Teacher prompts: "How do you generate your ideas for writing?" "What helps you to get organized for writing?"
Interconnected Skills: 4.2 describe, with prompting by the teacher, how some of their skills in listening, speaking, reading, viewing, and representing help in their development as writers. Teacher prompts: "How does your conventions notebook help you as a writer?" "How does listening to stories help you when you are writing?" "How might the television programs you watch help you as a writer?"
Portfolio: 4.3 select pieces of writing that they think show their best work and explain the reasons for their selection

Expectations: Copyright The Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2006.  Format: Copyright B.Phillips, 1998.