In second grade, children should master English grammar basics. Correct use of capitalization, punctuation, and the difference between past, present and future tense are usually emphasized. Understanding how to form and use complete sentences and identify parts of speech such as verbs, adjectives and nouns correctly is also usually an objective, as is spelling basics. Even when a word's spelling is not known, children should be able to guess based on the word's sound with some efficiency.
Another part of second grade English is to teach children to write in different forms, and to understand the different conventions of writing in those forms. Firstly, they should be able to write for different purposes, such as to entertain, describe and inform. Children should also learn to write in different styles, such as a friendly letter, a report and a fictional story. Second grade is also when children should start to understand the importance of rough drafts and self-editing.
Reading fluency is one of the major goals for second grade English. Children learn methods to decode words they do not know the meaning of, including looking for phonetic qualities and context. After their reading fluency improves, children should begin to understand what it means to read with expression. They should demonstrate an ability to recognize the correct pace and tone of a given piece of work, as well.
Distinguishing between different types of literature is an important part of the second grade English curriculum. Children should learn to differentiate fiction and a non-fiction. Students at this level read many different kinds of work, including poetry, biographies, short stories, and chapter books. They should be able to identify key parts of a story, such as the main characters and the overall plot, and even predict events that are likely to occur later on.