Updated May 2014
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IXL: Language arts -- Second-grade skills

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Standards-aligned drills offer great assessment data, may not engage

Subjects & skills
Subjects
  • English Language Learning
  • English Language Arts
Skills
  • Character & SEL
Grades This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.
2
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Price:  Free to Try, Paid Skill practice is free but limited to a small number of problems a day. After a 30-day free trial, classroom licenses start at $249 per class for 25 students and one subject. Individual, school, and district licenses are also available.
Platforms:  Website

Take a look inside

5 images
There's an easy-to-access, well-organized list of 2nd grade Language Arts drill topics.
Questions address specific skills, like distinguishing between complete sentences and sentence fragments.
If kids answer incorrectly, they see the correct answer and a short explanation of the concept.
Teachers can find drills that align to specific State and Common Core Standards.
Teachers can generate reports detailing a long list of performance data.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

IXL's Language Arts platform has an excellent system for assessment and tracking data. However, as a teaching tool, the second-grade lessons aren't as strong -- activities revolve mostly around drill and practice. On the plus side, teachers can see data on overall performance or on specific topics and questions, which can be helpful in assessing students' needs. As such, it's likely best used as an assessment tool, either early in the school year or on an ongoing basis, as learning goals change with each unit.

IXL's unique Smart Score system scores partially based on when incorrect responses occur. Kids aren't penalized as much on earlier drills, when they may still be learning about a new concept. Still, it's best to take the assessment data you'll glean here and identify areas for students' improvement. When it comes to teaching and reteaching this content, use your own engaging and collaborative methods. Kids will be more engaged as they build knowledge around more meaningful experiences. Afterward, come back to IXL's drills to measure your students' progress toward meeting the standards.

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Standards:

Key Standards Supported

Language

  • L.2.1

    Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

  • L.2.1a

    Use collective nouns (e.g., group).

  • L.2.1d

    Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told).

  • L.2.1e

    Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.

  • L.2.1f

    Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the little boy).

  • L.2.2e

    Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

  • L.2.4a

    Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

  • L.2.4b

    Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell).

  • L.2.4c

    Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).

  • L.2.4e

    Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases.

  • L.2.5

    Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

  • L.2.6

    Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy).

Reading Foundational Skills

  • RF.2.4c

    Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

  • RF.2.3d

    Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

  • RF.2.3e

    Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

  • RF.2.3f

    Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

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