Homeschooling 2nd Grade? Check Out These Book Ideas

Second graders are growing their brains and becoming more fluent readers. As you plan your 2nd grade homeschool curriculum, be sure to include books that encourage your child’s blossoming reading and writing abilities. These four book ideas for second graders will help you get started.

Exploring Books Independently: Owl at Home

By second grade, kids have often mastered the fundamentals of reading and can enjoy books on their own. It’s common for a second grader’s Lexile level to fall between 420L and 650L. Consistently providing reading materials that are within your children’s Lexile range will help build their reading comprehension. With a Lexile level of 490L, Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel is a great example of a text that’s just right for many second graders.

Reading Aloud: Understood Betsy

Second graders are becoming more independent with their reading, but they still appreciate family read-alouds. Listening to a parent read is a great way for children to build their vocabulary. Dorothy Canfield’s Understood Betsy is a popular classic found in many homeschooling curriculums, cherished for its honesty and exploration of relationships and what family truly is.

Learning About the World: A Ceiling Made of Eggshells

As reading becomes more natural to students, their ability to gather information from books grows. Second graders’ books may introduce them to other times and cultures. A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by Gail Carson Levine is the story of a young Jewish girl living in Spain during the late 1400s, incorporating historical events through the eyes and experiences of a child.

Engaging in Hands-on Learning: The Railway Children

Second graders can have great fun with entire unit studies that are built around books. Edith Nesbit’s The Railway Children is a book that lends itself to hands-on learning for second graders. While reading this story, your kids might enjoy watching videos and livestreams about trains, reading the “Railroad” entry from the World Book Kids encyclopedia, and making their own model trains out of paint and cardboard.

As you prepare your 2nd grade homeschool curriculum, include LightSail in your plans. With this online service, your second graders can explore thousands of quality books. Plus, you can add on World Book Kids, giving them access to maps, images, articles, and games tailored to their learning levels. With each book and activity, they’ll build their skills in reading, writing, and digital literacy.