Strengthening Foundational Skills – Grades 2 and 3

This page will guide you in helping your child meet second- and third-grade reading expectations. These recommendations are based on the science of reading. 

Home support plays a critical role in a child’s reading development. By positively engaging in your child’s learning, you can reinforce what is taught in school, boost their confidence, and help establish strong learning habits. The resources here will provide practical tools to make learning at home fun, effective, and meaningful.

Table of Contents

  1. Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
  2. Phonics
  3. Orthographic Mapping
  4. Decodable Texts and Fluency
  5. Sight Words
  6. Vocabulary
  7. Spelling
  8. Reading and Listening Comprehension
  9. DIBELS 8 – Our Dyslexia Screener
  10. Tech Option
  11. Grade 2 and 3 ELA Common Core State Standards

 

Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you purchase at no additional cost to you. This helps support free content on the site.

1. Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

Master phonological and phonemic awareness. These activities should be done with eyes closed—no printed text should be in front of the child. Print and follow this guide. If children cannot hear and manipulate sounds in their heads, they will struggle to read and spell.

Blending and segmenting are the most important phonemic awareness activities because they directly correlate to reading and spelling. You can blend and segment any word! For example, ask your child to blend these sounds into a word: /s//p/ /l/ /a/ /t/.

To segment, have your child break a word into its individual sounds. For example, the word “bathroom” can be segmented into /b/ /a/ /th/ /r/ /oo/ /m/.

2. Phonics

Check out phonics by grade level. Be sure your child has mastered the K and Grade 1 columns as well.

Please also read my Wilson Fundations page to learn about 2nd- and 3rd-grade phonics expectations. Your child’s school may use a different curriculum, but all curricula tend to cover the same content.

Correct Letter Formation Matters
Forming letters correctly from top to bottom and left to right is more than neat handwriting—it supports faster writing, better spelling, and easier transition to cursive. Children who develop incorrect habits, such as starting letters in the wrong place or reversing them, can retrain their brains by practicing slowly, tracing correctly, and consistently modeling the right formation. Short, focused daily practice with visual cues and immediate correction helps replace old habits with accurate, automatic movements.

3. Orthographic Mapping

Orthographic mapping is the mental process by which the brain stores words in long-term memory so they can be read and spelled automatically. Here I will talk about word chains and heart words.

Word Chains

Teach tapping and blending sounds to spell words. Here is an excellent activity: Say it, → Stretch it, → Write it, → Change it. Word lists are included below. You will need Elkonin box sheets (templates provided) that match the number of sounds in each word.

Use these templates:

Directions

Say it
Adult: “Say ship.”
Child: “ship.”

Stretch it
Adult: “Stretch it.”
Child: “/sh/ /i/ /p/.” (One finger per sound.)

Write it
Adult: “Write it.”
The child repeats the sounds while placing one letter (or sound) into each Elkonin box. “Sh” goes in the same box, as it is one sound.

Change it
Adult: “We’re going to change ship to whip.”
Repeat the steps above. After the child writes whip, ask, “What sound did you change?” The child should respond with the first sound. Continue in this manner.

Word Lists Appropriate for Grades 2-3

Go down each list. My templates don’t work with all lists because some lists mix 3- and 4-letter words. For example, “pop.” Change “pop” to “plop.”

Heart Words and Orthographic Mapping

You can use Elkonin boxes to map any word. Not all words can be fully sounded out—such as “the”—but most words contain at least some decodable parts. We use orthographic mapping to help students remember how to spell these words. We put a heart on the part that must be memorized.

4. Read Decodable Texts—Tap and Blend to Figure Out Unknown Words!

Children must be able to read words accurately and automatically before true comprehension can happen. When a child is struggling to sound out words, their brain is too busy to think about what the sentence means. Strong decoding frees up mental energy for understanding.

Read, reread, reread, and reread decodable passages. Talk about the stories as a quick comprehension check.

How to Read a New Passage:

  • Discuss the new phonics concept introduced in the passage.

  • Read the passage aloud while your child follows along, and you point to each word.

  • Echo read the passage, sentence by sentence, continuing to point to the words.

  • Read together chorally (reading at the same time), still pointing as you go.

  • Have your child read the passage independently, repeating the reading until it becomes fluent. Ensure your child continues pointing so you can confirm they are reading, not reciting from memory.

  • OPTIONAL:  Ask your child to highlight words that contain the new phonics pattern, and assess spelling on the pattern.

When your child encounters an unfamiliar word, always prompt:
“Sound it out.”

Most words contain at least some decodable elements, even if not fully phonetic.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.


The Orton-Gillingham 13-book decodable series progresses systematically from CVC short-vowel stories to compounds and multisyllabic words. These affordable readers are helpful for parents and teachers as they map out an entire phonics sequence.

I also found that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt provides decodable grade-level resources online through the Sweet Home School District’swebsite. They have 2nd-grade decodable passages.

My favorite free passages, however, are from UFLI.UFLI decodables align with systematic phonics instruction. Every word can be decoded and should also be written, reinforcing sound–spelling patterns through reading and writing. As skills grow, students develop accuracy, fluency, and confidence with connected text.

Research strongly supports the use of decodable texts as the most effective method for teaching early reading.

By grades 2–3, children should be building reading stamina—gradually increasing the time they can stay focused on reading. Start with 10 minutes of quiet reading and gradually increase to 20–30 minutes.

Fluency Guidelines

Aim for no more than 10 errors per 100 words, including words you provided.

Words Correct Per Minute

Formula:
Words read correctly ÷ seconds × 60 = WCPM

Example:
207 correct words ÷ 205 seconds ≈ 1 word per second × 60 = 60 WCPM.

Count as Errors:

  • Mispronunciations

  • Skipped words

  • Words out of order

  • Substitutions

  • Words not self-corrected within 3 seconds

Do NOT count:

  • Repetitions

  • Self-corrections (within a few seconds)

  • If your child skips a line, redirect them.

Grade 2: According to the chart, the average 2nd grader should be reading 100 correct words per minute by June.

Grade 3: According to this chart, the average 3rd grader should be reading 112 correct words per minute by June.

* WCPM = Words Correct Per Minute

5. Master Sight Words

Here are sight-word flashcards based on grade level! Practice just a few each day.

Please visit my Sight Words page. Here is a handy list. Second- and third-graders should instantly recognize all pre-primer (pre-K), primer (kindergarten), first-grade, and second-grade sight words. Third graders also need to know all of the third-grade words.

While students should be able to read sight words in isolation, they are best learned in context. The most effective approach is for children to read, reread, and then reread the sight word stories found here:

For more practice, write each sight word in your own simple sentence so your child can practice reading. Here are more sight word stories!

Parents, consider labeling items in your home, such as the desk, refrigerator, television, and bed. The more print your child encounters, the better! Additionally, you should implement closed captioning on TV and online read-alouds.

6. Vocabulary for 2nd and 3rd Graders

2nd and 3rd graders should learn the words from the Marzano list as well as the vocabulary listed under Words to Know by Grade Level (Grade 2, p. 4, and Grade 3, pp. 5 and 6).

 2nd Grade

3rd Grade

7. Spelling

  • 2nd- and 3rd-grade students should be able to spell all of the Dolch sight words for their grade level and below.
  • Refer to Step 3 above for practicing spelling with specific phonetic elements.
  • Teach decoding and spelling in this reading and spelling order. Please ensure each column is mastered before proceeding.
  • By the end of grade 3, students should recognize and spell the sounds of the 44 phonemes.
  • Starting in 3rd grade, children learn prefixes, suffixes, and base words/roots (like un-, re-, pre-, -ful, -less, heat/heat-ed/heat-ing). This helps students break longer words into smaller parts and boosts vocabulary and spelling.

8. Reading and Listening Comprehension

Decodable books are only used for practicing new phonics skills. Children should still enjoy rich picture books and chapter books read aloud to them every day—this builds vocabulary, comprehension, and a love of reading. All children benefit from listening to reading, not just struggling readers.

Read aloud to your child (not decodable texts), or have them listen to online books on topics they enjoy. Use the closed captioning so your child can follow along with the words. This builds a love of reading, strengthens listening comprehension, and increases vocabulary. At home, simply discussing the book together is an excellent and effective way to check comprehension.

In school, comprehension checks in 2nd and 3rd grade typically include:

2nd- and 3rd-grade comprehension relies on these strategies and standards

  • Making Connections—Links background knowledge and examples from the text to enhance comprehension.
  • Questioning involves asking and answering questions while finding evidence in the text to support them.
  • Visualizing/Sensory Imagery—Demonstrates multi-sensory images that extend and enrich the text; demonstration may be through any modality or medium.
  • Determining Importance—Identifies at least one key idea, theme, or concept, linking it to the text’s overall meaning. Uses supporting details from the text to explain why it is essential.
  • Monitoring Comprehension—Identifies difficulties. Articulates the need to solve the problem and identifies the appropriate strategy using meaning, visual, and structural cues. (Sound out words when stuck!)
  • Predicting/Inferring involves independently making predictions and interpretations, drawing conclusions, and clearly explaining connections using evidence from the text and personal knowledge, ideas, or beliefs.
  • Retelling/Summarizing/Synthesizing—Retells text elements in a logical sequence with some extension to the overall theme, message, or background knowledge; refers to characters by specific name and uses vocabulary from the text.

 

9. 2nd and 3rd Grade Dyslexia Screener

We administer DIBELS 8 to all students three times a year. These are FREE, and by following the link, you can print progress monitoring tests and assess your child yourself! These are various 1-minute subtests, but the MAZE is a 3-minute test.

2nd and 3rd graders are assessed in:

  • Nonsense Word Reading. These can be sounded out, for example, “sil,” “tob,” “paj,” “zev,” and “nud.” The goal is for the child to recognize these chunks automatically. Nonsense-word reading shows whether a child can apply phonics to any new word. If a child can read paf, mip, or tob, they can decode real unfamiliar words like raft, mild, or toboggan. This skill predicts future fluency.
  • Real Word Reading – reading sight words in isolation.
  • Oral Reading Fluency: With 96% accuracy by June, can the second-grade child read 94 words correctly in a minute? Can the third-grade child read 114 words correctly?
  • Maze Comprehension: This test lasts 3 minutes. The student reads a story that has missing words. Each time a word is missing, the student selects the correct one from three options.

The minimum scores to pass in grade 2:

The minimum scores to pass in grade 3:

Here are other free literacy assessments.

10. Are you seeking a tech option?

Lexia Core 5 is a well-respected program used in many schools. A home version is available for $175 per year.

Lexia Core 5 is a research-based program that accelerates literacy development for students of all levels. The program supports the transition from learning to read to reading for understanding. It contains 21 levels spanning preschool through grade 5, with skill areas including automaticity/fluency, comprehension, phonics, phonological awareness, and vocabulary. Each level typically takes 5.5–9 hours to complete.

11. Grades 2 and 3 ELA Common Core State Standards

The Common Core standards require students to read stories, literature, and more complex texts that provide facts and background knowledge in areas such as science and social studies. Students will be challenged and asked questions that push them to refer back to what they’ve read. This emphasizes the critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills required for success in college, in a career, and in life.

ELA Common Core State Standards

  • Grade 2 is on pages 23-27.
  • Grade 3 is on pages 37-41.

These resources from the Trumbull County Educational Service Center in Ohio provide a convenient and efficient way to be sure you are directly teaching and reinforcing each reading and foundational standard in the ELA Common Core.

“I Can” statements:

Check these out:

 

Parents and Teachers! Check out the skills children need at their grade level!

I offer optional printable Word documents of my content for educators and parents who want an editable copy of any page from this site.

My popular pages are available as instant downloads; otherwise, please email me the name of the page you would like.

📧 For questions or requests: judithearaujo@gmail.com

cards

 

 

This page was last updated on December 25, 2025.

Return to HOME

Strengthening Foundational Skills – Grades 2 and 3

How to Teach Decoding

Over 12.9 million views from May 2012–December 2025!
About & Contact | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Disclaimers | Please Support This Site
Color Code: Bright Blue = Internal links | Black = External links | Red = Affiliate or donation links
This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by any curriculum publisher.
© 2012–2026 Judy Araujo. All rights reserved.
error: Content is protected !!