One key 2nd grade reading skill

Does your child tell (and retell) stories from favorite books? Good news! That's a key reading skill, according to this second grade teacher.

by: The GreatSchools Editorial Team

Elise Beach teaches second grade at Cornado Elementary School.

Here, Ms. Beach describes a key second grade reading skill: being able to retell a story.

Video transcript

“One important skill to learn in reading in second grade is to be able to read fluently and to be able to retell a story including all of the story elements: retelling who the characters were, the setting, the plot (the beginning, middle, end), and their problem and the solution in the story. For example, with the story The Three Little Pigs, the problem was the Big Bad Wolf and the solution was the brick house and taking the time to build it.”

Learn more about your second grader’s learning and development this year, including:

About the author

The GreatSchools Editorial Team

GreatSchools.org is a national nonprofit with a mission to help every child obtain a high-quality education that values their unique abilities, identities, and aspirations. We believe in the power of research-backed, actionable information to empower parents, family members, and educators to help make this happen. For 25 years, the GreatSchools Editorial Team has been working to make the latest, most important, and most actionable research in education, learning, and child development accessible and actionable for parents through articles, videos, podcasts, hands-on learning resources, email and text messaging programs, and more. Our team consists of journalists, researchers, academics, former teachers and education leaders — most of whom are also dedicated parents and family members — who not only research, fact check, and write or produce this information, but who use it in our daily lives as well. We welcome your feedback at editorial@greatschools.org.