Unit Plan 19 (Grade 2 ELA): Central Message, Lesson, or Moral

Second graders explore fables and folktales from around the world, learning to recount stories, identify the moral, and support their ideas with text evidence. This unit builds comprehension, sequencing, and reasoning skills through engaging tales and discussion.

Unit Plan 19 (Grade 2 ELA): Central Message, Lesson, or Moral

Focus: Recounting fables/folktales; evidence for the message

Grade Level: 2

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading Literature)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session


I. Introduction

This week, readers explore fables and folktales from diverse cultures. They will recount stories in order (beginning–middle–end), figure out the central message/lesson/moral, and back up their idea with evidence from the text. We’ll practice asking and answering who/what/where/when/why/how questions to track key details and build understanding.


II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

  1. Recount a fable/folktale by telling the characters, setting, problem, key events, and solution in sequence (RL.2.2).
  2. Determine the central message/lesson/moral and explain how key details show it (RL.2.2).
  3. Ask and answer who/what/where/when/why/how questions to demonstrate understanding of the story (RL.2.1).
  4. With teacher support, read and comprehend literature in the grades 2–3 text band (RL.2.10).

Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 2

  • RL.2.2, RL.2.1, RL.2.10

Success Criteria — student language

  • I can retell the story in order.
  • I can say the lesson (moral) in one clear sentence.
  • I can give two details from the story that prove my lesson.
  • I can answer who/what/where/when/why/how questions about the story.