Unit Plan 3 (Grade 2 ELA): Characters and Settings in Stories

Focus: Describing characters, setting, and key events; using pictures + words

Grade Level: 2

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading • Language)

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

I. Introduction

Readers look closely at characters and settings this week, gathering clues from both pictures and words. Students practice naming where/when a story happens, describing how characters look/feel/act, and explaining how characters respond when important events occur. We’ll grow a bank of describing words (adjectives/adverbs) and use them in speaking and writing.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Use illustrations and text to identify and describe setting (place/time) and key events (RL.2.7).
2. Describe characters using appearance, feelings, and actions, and tell how they respond to major events/challenges (RL.2.3).
3. Use adjectives and adverbs and newly learned vocabulary to make descriptions clear in oral/written responses (L.2.6).

Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 2

• RL.2.3, RL.2.7, L.2.6

Success Criteria — student language

• I can tell where/when the story happens using picture + word clues.
• I can describe a character with at least two details (looks/feelings/actions).
• I can explain how a character responds to a big event.
• I can use describing words that fit (e.g., “worried,” “quietly,” “brave”).