2nd grade writing assignment ideas

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100 Fun Writing Prompts for 2nd Grade: Journal Prompts

• Prompts for Writing a Narrative Essay
• Prompts for Writing Informative Essays
• Prompts for Research Writing
• Prompts for 2nd Graders for Humorous Writing
• Prompts for Second Graders for Poetry Writing
• Prompts for 2nd Grade Fiction Writing
• Prompts for Animals for Second Graders
• Prompts for Second Grade for Emotional Writing
• Prompts for Journals for Second Graders
• Prompts for Descriptive Writing for Second Graders

Are your little ones ready to embark on a thrilling writing adventure? We have an exciting opportunity for 2nd graders to showcase their creativity through our 100 creative 2nd Grade Writing Prompts . With these prompts, your child can write about anything their heart desires, from their favorite pet to their dream holiday spot. They can even create their own magical kingdom, travel to space, or invent their own superhero.

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“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.” – E.L. Doctorow

Incorporating writing prompts into the curriculum has been shown to improve writing fluency, quality, and overall performance, as well as motivation, according to an article published by IJCER . These prompts are a fun and engaging way to help develop their writing skills and spark their imagination. So, let’s encourage our young writers to explore their creative sides and unleash their inner author. Use them for school writing assignments or fun at home. 2nd grade writing prompts offer endless creative possibilities. Let’s look at narrative, informative, research, funny, poetry, fiction, animal, emotion-based, journal, and descriptive writing prompts. So prepare to write your creative ideas.

More educational resources and worksheets for 2nd graders !

10 Prompts for Writing a Narrative Essay

Here are ten 2nd grade narrative writing prompts that are perfect for 2nd graders:

• Make up a story about a magical adventure you went on with your pet.
• Assume you have a time machine. When and where would you travel? Create a narrative about your experience.
• Write a story about a superhero’s day in life.
• What would your superpower be, and why would you want it? Create a story in which you use your power to save the day.
• Consider yourself a pirate on a treasure hunt. Write a story about your treasure hunt.
• Write a story about a robot’s day in life.
• What animal would you be if you could be any animal, and why? Create a story about your experiences as that animal.
• Write a story about a magical garden you come across.
• Consider the possibility of speaking with anyone in history. Who would you approach, and what would you ask them? Create a story based on your conversation.
• Write a story about an astronaut’s day in life.

10 Prompts for Writing Informative Essays

Opinion writing prompts 2nd grade students to help them express their personal views on various topics. Here are ten Informative essay Writing prompts to try:

• Which animal would you be for a day? Why? Tell your animal adventures.
• Imagine you can fly one morning. Where do you go? See what? Journal about your exciting day.
• What is your favorite summer activity as a kid ? Write a paragraph about your favorite summer activity and why.
• What superpower would you want? Write about rescuing someone with your new power.
• Your favorite educational game . Why is it special? Explain your love in a paragraph.
• Favorite book? Write a book review describing the book and why you liked it.
• Imagine time travel to any historical event. Where do you go? See what? Tell your time-travel story.
• Which celebrity would you like to meet and why? Write to that person about why you admire them and what you would ask if you met them.
• Dream holiday. Where do you go? Do what? Describe your perfect holiday.
• Favorite food? Include ingredients and steps in a recipe.

10 Prompts for Research Writing

Writing topics for 2nd graders can cover a broad range of subjects, from animals and nature to personal learning experiences and cultural traditions. Here are ten research writing prompts that are perfect for 2nd graders:

• Choose an animal you’re interested in and research some facts about it. What does it eat? Where does it live? What are some interesting things about this animal?
• Pick your favorite season and learn about it. What kind of weather happens during this season? What activities can you do during this season?
• Choose a country you’re curious about and discover some facts. What language do they speak? What kind of food do they eat? What are some famous landmarks in that country?
• Learn about different types of plants. What are some common plants in your area? What do plants need to grow?
• Research different types of insects. What do they eat? Where do they live? What is their life cycle like?
• Study the planets in our solar system. What are their names? Which planet is closest to the sun? Which world is the largest?
• Investigate different modes of transportation. What types of vehicles can you think of? How do they move? What is your favorite mode of transportation?
• Learn about a joke that you enjoy. What are the rules? How is the game played? Who are some famous athletes in this sport?
• Choose a historical figure or someone you admire. What did they do that was important? What were their accomplishments?
• Research different types of food. What are some of your favorite foods? Where do they come from? How are they made?

10 Prompts for 2nd Graders for Humorous Writing

Here are ten fun writing prompts for 2nd grade that will get your imagination going!

• Imagine waking up with animal-talking abilities. Write about your new pets’ adventures.
• Write about a silly superhero who turns everything they touch into pizza.
• What pet would you choose and why? Describe life with your new pet.
• If you could have any animal as a pet, What pet would you choose and why? Describe life with your new pet.
• Imagine you woke up in a world made entirely of candy. Write about the adventures you have and the creatures you meet in this sweet new world.
• Write a story about a robot who is terrible at its job but saves the day.
• What would you use it for if you could have any superpower?
• Imagine you were a pirate sailing the seven seas. What adventures would you have, and what treasure would you be searching for?
• Write a story about a talking tree that is always getting into trouble.
• If you could be any character from your favorite book, who would it be and why?

10 Prompts for Second Graders for Poetry Writing

Here are some poetry writing prompts for 2nd grade that will help spark their imagination and creativity:

• Write a haiku about your favorite part of nature. Remember, haikus have three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third.
• Pick your favorite color and write a poem about it. Use descriptive words to explain how the color makes you feel.
• Choose an animal and write an acrostic poem using the letters of the animal’s name. Each line should start with a letter from the title.
• Write a cinquain poem about someone in your family. A cinquain has five lines with a specific number of syllables in each line (2, 4, 6, 8, and 2).
• Write a limerick about your favorite food. A limerick has five lines with a specific rhyming pattern (AABBA).
• Write a free verse poem about a friend. A free verse poem doesn’t have to rhyme, but it should have a clear message or feeling.
• Write a diamante poem about your school. A diamante poem has seven lines that create a diamond shape with specific numbers of syllables in each line.
• Write a poem about the weather. Use descriptive words to compare the temperature to something else.
• Write a quatrain poem about your favorite holiday. A quatrain has four lines with a specific rhyming pattern (ABAB).
• Write a narrative poem about a dream you had. A narrative poem for kids tells a story and has a clear beginning, middle, and end.

10 Prompts for 2nd Grade Fiction Writing

Creative writing prompts 2nd grade students to encourage imaginative storytelling and self-expression. Here are 10 prompts to get their imaginations flowing:

• Your pet dog/cat/rabbit suddenly starts talking! What do they say, and how do you react?
• You discover a magical backyard door leading to a secret world. Describe what you see and do in this new world.
• You wake up one day with 1 Core money. Where do you go, and what do you do?
• Write a story about a lost toy that comes to life and goes on an adventure to find its way back home.
• You find a genie lamp on the beach. What do you wish for, and what happens next?
• Imagine you are a superhero with a special power. Describe your superhero name, costume, and the villain you are fighting against.
• You are the Pirate ship captain. Describe your crew, your treasure, and a daring adventure you go on.
• Write a story about a group of animals that work together to solve a problem.
• Imagine you are the main character in your favorite fairy tale. Rewrite the story with a different ending.
• One day, you can speak to plants. Talk to your favorite plant.

10 Prompts for Animals for Second Graders

Here are some creative animal writing prompts for 2nd grade that they will enjoy:

• Which animal would you be for a day? Why?
• Write about a lost puppy returning home.
• Imagine you are a squirrel gathering food for the winter. Write a diary entry about your day.
• Which wild animal would you pet and why?
• Write a story about a group of animals who work together to build a treehouse.
• Imagine being a bird flying high. Write to your best friend about what you saw.
• If you could talk to any bird, Which bird would you converse with, and what would you say?
• Write a story about a cat who has magical powers.
• Imagine being a dolphin in the ocean. Poemize your life.
• Which zoo animal would you be and why? Write an essay persuading the zookeeper to let you be that animal for a day.

10 Prompts for Second Grade for Emotional Writing

Here are 10 creative 2nd grade writing prompts about emotions for 2nd graders:

• Describe a happy moment. Your activity? With whom? Has it affected you?
• Write a letter to someone you love expressing your love.
• Write about an angry character. What happened? Their anger management?- 
• Imagine going back to a happy memory. Explain why you like that memory.
• Write a poem about peace. It could be a place, person, or activity.
• Recall a scary moment. Describe what happened and how you overcome your fear.
• Write about a sad character. Why? How do they handle emotions?
• Imagine having any emotion for a day. Which feeling and why? Write about it.
• Write about an excited character. What’s exciting? How do they show excitement?
• Think of a time you were proud. Explain how you felt and why?

10 Prompts for Journals for Second Graders

2nd grade journal prompts can encourage students to express their thoughts and emotions through writing.

“Writing prompts are the highway to the creative subconscious.” – Karen Salmansohn

Here are ten 2nd grade journal prompts to inspire your creative Writing:

• Imagine a magic pencil that brings your drawings to life. Why?
• Favorite outdoor activity for kids ? Discuss your favorite exercise and why?
• If you could have any pet worldwide, what would it be and why?
• Write about a proud moment. What made you proud?
• Imagine you are a superhero. How would you help others with your superpower?
• Describe your favorite holiday and why. Family and friend traditions?
• If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?
• Recall a problem-solving experience. Describe the issue and your solution.
• Write a story about a talking fish. What kind of fish is it, and what adventures does it go on?
• Imagine you are a chef. Write about your favorite recipe and how you make it.

Second grade journal prompts can inspire young writers to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. By providing a variety of 2nd grade journal topics, parents and teachers can encourage their students to explore different writing styles and develop their own unique voices.

10 Prompts for Descriptive Writing for Second Graders

Writing ideas for 2nd grade can range from descriptive writing to narrative writing, providing opportunities for skill-building and growth. Here are 10 descriptive writing prompts for second graders to inspire their creativity and imagination:

• Describe your favorite toy in detail. What color is it? What does it feel like? What sounds does it make?
• Imagine you are on a trip to the beach. Describe the sand, the waves, and the sun. How do they make you feel?
• Describe your favorite animal. What does it look like? What does it eat? Where does it live?
• Write a description of your bedroom. What color are the walls? What kind of furniture do you have? What’s on your bed?
• Envision a magical forest. Describe your surroundings. Animals? Any special plants or trees?
• Describe your favorite food. What does it smell like? What does it taste like? What ingredients are in it?
• Imagine you are in a haunted house. Describe the creaky floors, the cobwebs, and the spooky sounds. What do you see?
• Describe your best friend. What do they look like? What do they like to do? What’s their favorite thing to eat?
• Imagine you are in outer space. Describe the planets, stars, and galaxies. What do they look like? What colors do you see?
• Describe your dream vacation. Where would you go? What would you do? What would you see?

How to Assist Second-Grade Students in Developing Writing Skills?

The research paper “The Effect of Creative Writing Prompts on Students’ Written Expression in a Second Grade Classroom” suggests that incorporating writing prompts in the classroom and at home can be an effective strategy to help second-grade students develop their writing skills and foster a love for writing. It is an opportunity to encourage them to express their thoughts and ideas creatively and build their confidence as writers. As parents and teachers, we can utilize this to help our second-graders develop their writing skills and build a passion for writing. 

“Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.” – E.B. White

Here are a few actionable tips to help your child become an excellent writer using 2nd grade writing prompts.

• Start by teaching the basics of sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation.
• Set realistic goals and gradually increase the difficulty of writing prompts or journal entries to challenge your child’s writing skills.
• Provide constructive feedback to help your child improve their writing skills and boost their confidence.
• Incorporate 2nd grade journal prompts regularly in classroom activities and at home to improve your child’s writing fluency and confidence.

Using these tips and incorporating writing prompts into your child’s learning journey can have a significant impact on their writing performance and motivation. 

Celebrating the Journey of 100 Fun Writing Prompts for 2nd-Grade

As parents and teachers, we can play an essential role in nurturing the writing skills of our 2nd graders. By using 2nd grade writing prompts we can encourage our young writers to express themselves in a creative and thoughtful manner. It’s important to note that writing prompts are not just limited to creative writing, they can also be used to explore various topics and encourage critical thinking. In a recent article published by The New York Times , the benefits of using writing prompts have been highlighted as a tool to motivate and engage students. By incorporating prompts into classroom activities such as a mock debate assignment, teachers can help students develop their writing skills, critical thinking abilities, and overall academic performance. 

“Writing prompts are a great way to stimulate your mind and push your writing to new heights.” – Steve Alcorn

So let’s make writing fun and exciting for our 2nd graders by providing them with a variety of writing prompts, and let’s encourage them to write with passion, curiosity, and creativity. Together, we can help our young writers unlock their full potential and become confident and effective communicators.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can these prompts help 2nd grade students.

These 2nd grade writing prompts can help students in several ways. They can help students develop their writing skills by giving them a specific topic to write about and encouraging them to use their imagination. They can also help students learn about different topics and express their thoughts and feelings.

How can teachers or parents use these prompts with their students/children?

Teachers or parents can use these prompts as writing assignments for their students/children. They can give the students/children a prompt and ask them to write a story or a paragraph about it. Teachers or parents can also use the prompts as conversation starters to encourage students/children to talk about different topics and practice their speaking skills.

Are there any resources available to accompany these prompts?

Yes, there are many resources available online that can accompany these prompts. For example, teachers or parents can find graphic organizers, writing templates, and other resources that can help students organize their thoughts and ideas.

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25 Inspiring Second Grade Writing Prompts (Free Printable!)

When my friend is sad, I can help by _____.

Second grade is a sweet spot in the continuum of elementary school. Students have figured out how to “do school”. They’ve learned a wide variety of foundational skills and are able to work independently. Second grade writers typically understand the basics of creating words, sentences, and paragraphs. They are now learning to put it together while adding creative details and juicy vocabulary to their work. Here are 25 second grade writing prompts that will inspire your students to practice the skills they’ve learned so far.

(Want this entire set in one easy document? Get your free PowerPoint bundle by submitting your email here, so you’ll always have the challenges available!)

1. My favorite book character is_____ because_____.

2. If I were a wild animal I would be a _____ because_____.

3. Tell about three things that you do well.

4. The hardest thing I’ve ever done is _____.

5. Tell your favorite story about when you were a baby.

6. I want to learn more about_____.

7. When my friend is sad, I can help by _____.

8. When I grow up, I hope to be _____.

9. If you found a magic wand, what would you do with it?

10. Describe a room in your house using ten different words.

11. How would you help a new student in your class?

12. How do you play your favorite game?

13. A long, long time ago…_____.

14. Would you rather be able to fly like a seagull or swim like a dolphin? Why?

15. What is your favorite thing with wheels?

16. How do you make your favorite sandwich?

17. The best thing about my teacher is _____ because _____.

18. The type of weather I like best is _____ . Tell three things you like to do in that weather.

19. Should a second grader have a pet? Why or why not?

20. Would you rather read a book or watch a movie? Why?

21. What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?

22. Give directions from your home to a place you go.

23. What would you tell a first grader about second grade?

24. When I am bored, I like to _____.

25. If I could go anywhere in the world I would go to_____ because_____.

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• Writing Prompts

59+ 2nd Grade Writing Prompts (+ Free Worksheets)

Keep on reading for a list of fun, educational and easy 2nd-grade writing prompts designed to interest any youngster.

When it comes to the 2nd grade, we all know that learning new words, spelling and legible handwriting is all-important. Bur rather than, asking students to just write their own name beautifully or to learn a list of words – could there be a more fun way of improving these skills? And the answer is yes. Through carefully thought-out writing prompts designed to peak your student’s interests, you could slowly, but surely increase your students interest in writing altogether. 

Writing Struggles

Writing prompts for the second-grade students need to be detailed, and clearly state what is required. Something as simple as ‘write a short story about a dragon who loves to eat doughnuts’ – won’t cut it for most 2nd graders. You need to break this writing task down. A better prompt to give your students is, ‘write the opening sentence to a story about a dragon who loves to eat doughnuts.’ Here you are expected the child to only write down one sentence, which is a much more manageable task compared to asking the child to write a whole story.

At such a young age, developing a child’s creativity and imagination is key. Inside their little heads, they can tell great stories of fire-breathing dragons, superheroes and monsters. But putting it down on paper can be difficult for more children. Asking questions, and giving as many prompts as possible could really help the child write down their ideas, thoughts and feelings. At this point, you can worry less about sentence structure, punctuation and grammar, and encourage your child to be free with their writing!

59+ 2nd Grade Writing Prompts

This list of 2nd grade writing prompts is both fun and educational. Find the perfect writing ideas for 7 to 8 year-olds:

• What do you enjoy doing on the weekends? Try making a list of activities you do on the weekend, and pick your favourite to write about in detail.
• What is your favourite animal? What do you like most about this animal? Can you research and write down five facts about this animal?
• Complete the following sentence in three different ways: I feel sad when…
• Which weather do you prefer, sunny weather or rainy weather? Can you give at least two reasons for your answer?
• If you could make one wish, what would it be and why?
• What subject at school is your favourite? Why do you like this subject?
• Imagine that you find a baby dragon in your backyard. What is the first thing you would do with this dragon?
• Can you describe your house? Think about how many rooms it has. What does it look like on the outside? You can draw a picture of your house to go with your description.
• Complete this sentence in three different ways: When I am bored, I like to…
• Make a list of your top five favourite food of all time.
• When was the last time someone was nice to you? Who was this person? What did they do? How did you feel at the time?
• Describe the scariest monster in the world. What would it look like? How would it smell? What sorts of things does it like eating? Does it have any weaknesses?
• What was the last book you read? In this book, who was your favourite character? Which part of the book was your favourite, and which part did you not like as much? Out of 10 stars, how many stars would you give this book? 10 stars being the best and 1 star being the worse.
• Imagine you need to plan a birthday party for a friend. Make a list of things you would need for the party. And then create your own party invites. On the invites, you may want to think about the time of the party, location, food, entertainment and dress code.
• Can you make a list of five ways to help someone who is sad?
• Think about what happened yesterday. What was your favourite part of the day? And what was the worst part of the day?
• Make a list of groceries that your parents need to buy every week.
• Can you complete this sentence in three different ways: Once upon a time, there lived…
• Pick a random country in the world. Research and write down five fun facts about this country.
• Would you rather have a lot of friends or a lot of money? Can you provide a reason for your answer?
• Have you ever felt angry? If yes, can you describe the last time you were angry and the reasons why? If not, then have you seen someone else be angry? How did you feel when this person was angry?
• If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
• What are you most scared of, and why? How could you overcome this fear?
• Can you make a list of at least five words to describe yourself?
• What is the best thing about school? And what is the worst thing about school?
• What is your favourite colour? Why is this colour better than all the other colours?
• When was the last time you went to a park? Can you describe some of the activities you did while there?
• Why is eating breakfast important? Can you list three benefits of eating a  good breakfast meal?
• Write a thank you letter to someone that you love. This could be a parent, a friend, a teacher or a sibling. What is the nicest thing they have done? How have they helped you?
• What is your favourite game to play in the playground? Can you explain one rule in this game? How does someone win in this game?
• Can you describe a tree in great detail? Look outside your window or find a picture of a tree. Using this image, describe the way this tree looks, its colours and shape.
• If you could have one pet, what animal would you choose and why?
• Imagine you find a secret door in your house. When you open this door, the first thing you see is…
• Which season is your favourite, Winter , Spring , Summer or Autumn? Why is this season your favourite?
• What is your dream job? Imagine in 20 years or so, what job do you want to be doing? What makes this job interesting?
• Complete this sentence in at least three ways: When I grow up, I will…
• Make a list of five things in your house that begin with the letter, ‘S’. Which one of these things is your favourite and why?
• When was the last time you learned something new? For example, learning to draw, or playing a new sport. Who taught you this skill? Was it difficult to learn?
• What is the most boring thing in the world? Think about some things that you hate doing. Why is this so boring?
• What is your favourite song to listen to, and why? Can you remember any of the lyrics? Try writing down your favourite line in the song.
• Can you remember a recent dream that you had? What do you remember seeing in this dream? Do you remember any sounds or voices?
• Write down some simple step-by-step instructions on how to make your favourite sandwich.
• Which holiday from the following list is your favourite: Christmas, Easter or Halloween? Can you explain your answer?
• What was the most recent movie you’ve seen? Did you enjoy this movie? What was your favourite part of the movie? And what was your least favourite part? Out of 10 stars, how many stars would you give this movie? 10 stars being the best and 1 star being the worse.
• Write down at least three things that you love about your family.
• Would you rather live on a pirate ship out at sea, or in a treehouse in a magical forest? Explain your choice.
• Can you remember a time when you felt embarrassed? What happened? Why did you feel this way?
• Pick one planet from the solar system, and write down five facts about this planet.
• Why do you think that sleeping is important? What happens when someone does not get enough sleep?
• What is the first thing you do when you come home from school or when school ends?
• If you were in charge of school lunch, what food would you serve? Create your own lunch menu.
• Would you rather have a dragon as a best friend or a magical wizard? Explain your choice.
• If someone was getting bullied at your school, what would you do?
• Complete the following sentence in three different ways: In my spare, time I love to…
• When was the last time you cried? What made you cry? What could you do to cheer yourself up when you are upset?
• Imagine that you meet a talking turtle at the seaside. What questions would you ask this turtle? What would the turtle say to you?
• Can you describe a dragon in detail? What powers does it have? What does it look like? Think about its weaknesses and what its name could be?
• What was the last present or gift you received? Who gave you think gift? How did you feel when you received it?
• Research and write down at least five fun facts about your own city or town. You could even create a leaflet about your town or city
• Imagine you turned into a cat. What kind of things would you do as a cat? Try writing a day in the life story of a cat’s life.

Free Printable: 2nd Grade Writing Prompts PDF Worksheet

This printable 2nd-grade writing prompts worksheet is great for your students. Print out and hand over to your students to keep in their own time! We have included some of the prompts from the list above in this PDF, with images to help visualise each prompt:

Did you find this list of 2nd grade writing prompts helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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Writing Prompts for Second Graders: 9 Simple and Fun Ways to Use Writing Prompts with Pictures

Writing is such an important skill to develop in primary grades. Your learners are beginning to learn the writing process from brainstorming, prewriting, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing.

Coming up with different writing topics can be time consuming, but created sets of monthly writing prompts for second graders to make sure your students can write all year long. Here are some  ways to use writing prompts in the second grade classroom .

Start the Day with Morning Writing Work Using Writing Prompts with Pictures

Writing prompts  are a great way to start your students’ days. Treat a writing prompt like bellwork, and ask them to get out their notebooks or writing folders as the school day gets started. This way, students will always have dedicated writing time each day. Journal prompts like “Write about something you remember about your class last year?” or “Draw a picture of your teacher. Describe him or her.” are great to start the year with. Get your students transitioning from writing to sharing by using writing prompts as part of a morning meeting for your second grade students.

These  paperless writing prompts  for second graders are perfect for this!

Create Writing Centers for Your Students

Using writing centers in the classroom is one of the best ways to get your students explore different aspects of writing, different writing styles or to differentiate your instruction.

You may do this as part of your language arts time while you have a group doing independent reading, working on  writing prompts , and another small group work on structured reading or writing instruction with you. You may also choose to have students work on multiple writing prompts for second graders and rotate in centers.

Using creative writing prompts in centers can be a great way to differentiate instruction as well. You can work with a small group that needs guidance, have some students partner up, and still have an independent group. 

Use for Formative and Summative Assessments

Use  writing prompts  as progress monitoring or to formatively assess writing skills. Give a descriptive writing prompt like “Draw a picture of your favorite food and write about it” at the beginning of the year and then revisit the same or a similar prompt (“Use your five senses to write about your favorite ice cream”) later in the year. Assess how your students have improved over the whole year in each of the six traits of writing (ideas, organization, conventions, voice, sentence fluency, and word choice).

You can also use writing prompts for second graders to assess grammar skills within their writing. For example, after completing their writing, have them us a highlighter to mark different parts of speech. In this example, they had to highlight capital letters and punctuation marks.

Start Student Reflection with Journaling

Invite your 2nd grade students to use  writing prompts   with pictures in daily journaling. Rather than assess their writing for six traits or require them to go through a full writing process.

Share prompts to have students reflect upon in a writing journal or as a diary entry. If students have something else on their mind, allow them to go off-prompt and write about what’s going on in their life. Journaling is an important way to have your students share their thoughts and feelings.

My  journal prompts for second graders have various prompts that allow students to focus on personal goals (like what they want to be when they grow up) or character traits (like kindness or characteristics of a good friend).

Set up a Writer’s Notebook

I love using  writer’s notebooks  in my classroom! My students have 1 ½” binders with eight sections including: 

• Spelling Dictionary
• Vocabulary Journal
• Pre-Writing
• Rough Draft
• Editing & Revising
• What Can I Write About
• Work on Writing

Add the monthly writing calendars from the  a year’s worth of writing prompts  for second graders to give your students sample ideas in the “what can I write about section”. 

Another reason I love using  writer’s notebooks  is to see student growth in writing throughout the year. It’s incredible to see how much they improve as young writers throughout the school year from August (or September) until May (or June)!

You can read more about my  writer’s notebooks  in this blog post.

Introduce Early Finisher Activities

Your 2nd graders finish at different rates. While some students will be able to finish their Language Arts activities like reading and writing quickly with proficiency, some students will need more time to complete activities in writer’s notebooks or reading comprehension passages. Some students may move through center rotations faster than others while still completing all the tasks well. This is why I always have early finisher activities on hand.

In Language Arts,  writing prompts  are a great addition for students who complete work early. Instead of having them wait around for the other students, give some fun, engaging 2nd grade writing prompts with a range of topics to complete in their journals or own their own. They’ll love having a choice with the  journal prompts.

Start a Classroom Blog

A great place for students to share their writing in on a classroom blog. You can start a student-protected blog on a safe site like  edublogs  or even Google Sites. You can post an original  writing prompt , and students can share their own responses. This is a good way to share student writing with a larger, authentic audience. Make sure to check your school’s rules for using public blogs and websites with your students. 

Host a Writer’s Showcase

The last step in the writing process is publication. This used to mean just creating a polished, final copy, but today, it means sharing with an audience. Invite parents, a family member, administrators, older elementary peers/helpers, and other teachers to come watch as your students read and share their writing in a writer’s showcase. You can even do this multiple times a year, and allow your students to pick their favorite pieces from their  writing prompts  (in their journals, writer’s notebooks, or assessments) to share with their audience.

Integrate with SeeSaw

If you are not familiar with the learning app  SeeSaw , I highly recommend it for more reasons than one.  SeeSaw  is an online portfolio platform for classrooms. It’s truly amazing but let’s save that for a different post.

In this example, a student used the SeeSaw app to brainstorm adjectives about hot chocolate. They simply took a photo of the task card and then they could add their own words.

They were able to save their work to their portfolios. I could log in and check at any time. SeeSaw allows you to write comments and conference with students about their work.

Your second-grade students will be so excited to get writing this year! Check out these journal prompts for second graders to help you and your students get started.

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Writing Prompts For 2nd Graders—40+ Fun Ideas To Excite The Kids

• July 14, 2022

Second-grade students are often reluctant writers. 

Their writing skills are not yet developed to the point where they feel confident in writing, which makes it hard to get them started. 

In this article, we’ll help your second graders improve their writing skills with over 40 writing prompts for 2nd graders.

Take the ideas below as they are, or change and edit them to suit your second grader better.

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or another caregiver to a second-grader, these writing prompts will help you bond while developing their writing skills . 

To help them out, write with them. For each prompt they use, use it yourself and share your stories.

40+ writing prompts for 2nd graders

Below we’ve included a list of over 40 2nd grade writing prompts. 

The list includes journal, narrative, and opinion prompts, so it won’t be hard to find at least a few writing prompts your second graders will love.

Journal writing for second grade students

Write about a time you had the most fun you’ve ever had.

Describe your family. How many people are there? What do you do together? Who do you get on best with?

Write about the last time you felt a strong emotion. It can be sadness, happiness, worry, curiosity, or anything else you remember well.

Write a letter to your adult self. Tell them about school, home, and everything you like to do.

Imagine what your life will be like in 20 years. What job do you have? Do you have a wife/husband and children? Do you still live in the same city/country?

Who do you look up to? What about them inspires you?

If you were a wild animal, which wild animal would you be? What do you like about that animal? Are they dangerous or friendly? Are they powerful or small? Both?

If you owned a magic wand, what would you do with it?

Write a letter to your best friend and explain why they’re so great.

Write about your earliest memory. Where were you? Who was there? What were you doing? Is it a happy memory or a sad one?

What are you really good at?

If you can have any job or career when you grow up, what will it be, and why?

What is the most fantastic present you ever received? Who gave it to you?

If you can live anywhere in the world, where will you live? Why?

Second grade opinion writing prompts

What is your favorite subject in school? What do you like about it?

What is your least favorite subject in school? What don’t you like about it?

Do you play video games? What is your favorite game, and what makes it so good?

What is your favorite food? Can you describe how it tastes?

What is the most important thing about going to school?

Should students get homework? Why? Or why not?

If you ruled the world, what rules would you make? Why are they important?

If you can choose one chore never to have to do again, what will it be?

If you can have any superpower, what will it be and why?

Who is the funniest person in your class? What makes them so funny?

If you can meet any famous person in the world, who will it be and why?

In what ways have you changed since you were in first grade? Are you smarter? Do you have any new hobbies since then?

How will you change by the time you finish elementary school? What will you be able to do then that you can’t do now?

How many hours should a school day be? Is it too much right now, or should students stay in school longer?

What can kids your age do to protect the planet?

Do you think all students should wear uniforms to school or is it better to choose your clothes?

If you can change one thing about your school, what will it be?

Narrative writing prompts for second graders

Aliens have arrived on Earth. It’s your job to teach them all about humans and life on this planet. What do you tell them?

You’ve invented the time machine. What time period do you travel back to, and why?

One day, your teacher doesn’t show up to class. Now it’s your job to teach the students. What do you teach them? What are the rules in your class?

Write about a time that aliens landed on your school’s playground. 

Write a story where you take the place of a famous person. It can be an actor, a singer, a president, etc.

Imagine a different universe where humans can fly. What’s life like in that universe? Do people still use cars? Do they have wings?

One day your teacher says the whole class is going on a field trip. Think of somewhere you would like to go and write a letter to your teacher explaining why the class should go there. 

Write a story about an animal that can talk.

One morning you wake up and realize you have superpowers. What are your powers? And what will you do with them?

Imagine a world where television and computers don’t exist. What’s life like in this world? What do children do for fun?

You’ve invented the time machine. You travel 100 years in the future. What does the world look like one hundred years in the future? What are the differences between then and now? What are the similarities?

Instead of being born at this time, you were born three hundred years ago. What is your life like? Where do you live? Is it hard, or do you enjoy living in that time?

Imagine you are your favorite character from a movie or tv show. Write about a day in the life of that character. 

One day you wake up and realize you’ve switched places with your pet. You stay home and mind the house while your pet goes to school. What do you do at home all day when the family has left for school and work? How does your pet get on at school?

You meet a genie who offers you three wishes. What are your wishes, and why did you choose them?

Why is it important for kids to write?

Getting second graders to write is not always easy, but encouraging them is essential. 

Writing is a fantastic way for young children to get to know themselves better, practice communication skills, and expand their imagination.

According to Gail E. Tompkins, Professor Emerita at California State University, children can benefit in many ways by writing stories. 

In her research published in the journal Language Arts, Tompkins explains that children benefit from creative writing in the following ways:

• They get entertained
• Writing fosters artistic expression
• Children get to ‘explore the functions and values of writing’
• Writing stimulates the imagination
• Writing clarifies thinking
• Writing helps children discover and explore their identity
• Practice makes perfect – writing practices improve children’s reading and writing skills

It’s not new information that writing helps children grow and develop. 

A child may use any prompts in this article and write a story that others may not, which is a testament to children’s inherent creativity and sense of play.

The more you encourage your second grader to write and the more interest and support you show in their creative pursuits, the healthier and happier the child will likely be as they grow up.

Hopefully, you’ve found at least a few writing prompts in this article to help your second grader get their creative juices flowing. 

If you’re a teacher in a classroom, it may help to allow students to read their completed stories aloud to the class. Of course, some students won’t want to do that, but the ones that do will appreciate the opportunity.

If you’re a parent and have a second-grader at home, understand that exploring creative story writing is a fantastic way to support your child’s growth and development. 

Exploring creativity in the home takes the pressure off kids to write something ‘good’ and helps them feel safe enough to explore their creative side truly.

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Grade 2 Writing Prompts

25 exciting second grade writing prompts.

Get your child feeling inspired with these awesome Grade 2 writing prompts!

Sentence Starters

Journal prompts, general prompts.

• If I could move anywhere in the world…
• The best TV show to watch is…
• I feel loved when my family…
• Everyday I like to…
• When my family goes out to dinner, we…
• How to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• How to build a snowman
• How to brush your teeth
• How to make hot chocolate
• How to tie your shoes
• The first time I lost my tooth…
• My best friend is special because…
• My favorite subject in school is…
• I was really scared when…
• After I finished playing outside, I…
• What is the best superpower?
• I believe the best dessert to eat is…
• In my opinion, the best sport to play is…
• In my opinion, everyone should…
• What do you think it would be like to be in the Olympics?
• What is the best birthday present you have ever received?
• Write about a time when you and a friend had a problem.
• Write about a favorite birthday party you have had or went to.
• Write about when you learned how to do something new.
• Describe your favorite outdoor activity.

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Our language arts program for kids has been created to keep children engaged, focused, and entertained as they develop their skills. There are thousands of writing activities available on our program, including creative writing prompts, interactive writing lessons, and vocabulary games.

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Second Grade Writing Prompts

Children in second grade are just beginning to develop their writing skills. By second grade, students should start expressing opinions , recounting narratives, and providing step-by-step instructions in their writing. These second grade writing prompts capitalize on age-appropriate topics to spark students’ creativity and engage them in the writing process.

Narrative Essay Writing Prompts

In their narrative pieces, students should recount a real or imagined event or sequence of events. Their writing should include describing details that indicate thoughts, actions, or feelings. They should conclude their narrative in a way that provides a sense of closure.

• Kindness Counts.  Write about a time that someone did something kind for you. What did they do and how did it make you feel?
• Special Day. Describe a special day that you and your best friend shared. What made it so memorable?
• Left Out. Have you ever felt left out? Write about what happened.
• Diaper Days. Write about something you remember from when you were a baby or toddler.
• Rainy Day Fun. It’s raining outside and your best friend is over to visit. What do you do?
• Happy Memories. Write a story about one of your happiest memories.
• Switch-a-roo. Describe what it would be like to switch lives with anyone in the world for a day. Who would it be and what would you do?
• School Sleepover. Imagine that you’re trapped in your school alone overnight. Tell what happens.
• Fly-on-the-wall. You wake up and discover that you’re a fly for the day. What do you do?
• Right and Wrong. Tell about a time when you were tempted to do the wrong thing, but you chose to do the right thing instead.
• Scary Stories. Write about a time when you were scared.
• Menu Madness. Imagine that you’re in charge of the school lunch menu for the week. What meals would you include?
• Wild and Wacky. Imagine your class is on a field trip to the zoo and one of the animals starts talking to you. What does he tell you?

Opinion Essay Writing Prompts

Second graders should write opinion pieces that introduce their topic and provide reasons to support their opinion, using words such as because and and to connect their reasoning. The paper should include a conclusion sentence.

• Fun and Games. What is your favorite game to play? Why is it better than other activities?
• Bedtime Tales. What is the best bedtime story your mom or dad has ever read to you? What made it the best?
• Travel Stops . If you could choose to stay in a tent, an RV, or a fancy hotel while traveling with your family, which would you choose and why?
• Playground Fun. What is the very best piece of equipment on your school’s playground? What makes it the best?
• Exotic Pets . If you could choose any wild animal for a pet, what would you choose and why?
• Study Choice. Your teacher has asked you to decide what topic the class studies next. What do you pick and why?
• Favorite subject. Which school subject is your favorite and why?
• Yucky or Yummy. Write about a food that you like but most people don’t. Why should people give it a chance?
• Play Time. Should your school give kids a longer recess time? Why or why not?
• Digital or Print. Which is better for reading , a printed book or a tablet?
• Allergies. Are you allergic to anything? Why is it important for people to know about your allergy?
• Drinks. Do you like milk? Soda? Lemonade ? Name your favorite drink and give three reasons why it’s your favorite.
• Best Day. What is your favorite day of the week? Write an essay including three reasons why that day is the best.

Expository Essay Writing Prompts

Expository essays inform the readers about a specific topic. Second grade students should introduce their topic and provide facts, definitions, or steps to develop their point.

• School Day . You have a younger sibling who hasn’t started school yet. Tell him or her about a typical school day.
• Class Pet. Your class gets to choose a classroom pet for the year. Name an animal that you think would make a good choice and explain its needs (such as food, habitat, temperature).
• Favorite Food. What is your favorite food? Describe it as if no one else has ever seen or tasted it.
• Seasonal Fun. Pick a season, like summer or fall, and describe your favorite activity during that season.
• If You Build It. Think of a time when you saw something being built (like a house, a new road, or even a snowman). Explain the stages of the building process.
• Famous Firsts. Think about a famous first like the first person to walk on the moon or the first person to sail around the world. Explain why this first was so important.
• Famous People. Choose a famous person and explain what he or she did to become famous.
• Past Parties. Think of the best party you’ve ever attended and explain what made it the best.
• Favorite Film. Choose your favorite animated film of all time and explain why you love it.
• Bedtime. Explain why it’s important to get plenty of sleep every night.
• Funny Pet Tricks. Describe an unusual trick that your pet can do.
• Holiday Happenings. Select a popular holiday and explain why or how people celebrate it.
• Smelly Tale . Every place has different smells, good or bad. Describe two or three smells you associate with your home or school.

Research Writing Prompts

Students should also produce research-based writing by reading books on a topic and writing a report, recording science observations, or using provided materials to answer a question.

• Turtle Power. Why do turtles have shells?
• Digging Dinosaurs. Choose your favorite dinosaur and write a report including interesting facts about it.
• Under the Sea. Learn more about one interesting animal that lives in the ocean. Write a paper about what you learned. 
• Places for People. Choose a unique home (such as an igloo or a mud hut) and explain why it's suited for the environment in which it is found.
• Space. Choose one of the planets in our solar system and give five interesting facts about it.
• Science. Write an observation from a recent science lesson such as how plants grow or what makes up the water cycle.
• Famous people. Write a report about someone you are studying in your current history lessons.
• How Is It Made? Choose an everyday object (like LEGO bricks or toilet paper) and find out how it’s made.
• Desert Dwellers. Pick an animal that lives in the desert and write 3-5 interesting facts about it.
• Creepy Crawlies . What is the difference between arachnids and insects?
• Where in the World? Choose a state or country to research. Include 3-5 facts about the place in your report.
• What’s the Difference? Choose two similar animals, such as a horse and a mule, a crocodile and an alligator, or a leopard and a cheetah. Explain how to tell them apart.
• Sleep Habits . Some animals sleep standing up. Bats sleep hanging upside down. Birds sleep in trees. Choose an animal, bat, or bird and explain how they sleep without falling.
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How to Teach Narrative Writing in 2nd Grade with Spectacular Results

Teaching narrative writing can be SO fun! But reading student’s personal narratives can get dry after a while. You can only read about so many trips to the pool or vacations where students detail getting to the airport, then their writing ends once they finally arrive in Disney World. Get your students engaged while teaching narrative writing by doing fun, imaginative and personal narratives this year!

Important Concepts:

Students need to recount either one event in detail or a series of events when writing a narrative. One misconception is that the narrative has to have happened to them. It is OKAY to have your students write an imaginative narrative.

Typically, I start by having students write personal narratives, as it is easy for them to recount something that has happened to them. Then, once we have done a few personal narratives, we move to more exciting imaginative topics.

By second grade, students should be able to write a topic sentence, 3-4 event sentences WITH details, and a closing sentence. This means student writing should be anywhere from 5-10 sentences at least. However, many students are ready to write in paragraphs by second grade and should be encouraged to do so by adding more detail sentences to each event.

Challenges:

Students might struggle understanding the difference between an event and a detail. Talk to students about how an event is SOMETHING that happened, and details are the supporting ideas that help tell that story. Details can add dialogue, words from 5 senses, or more explicitly explain certain subjects from their writing.

The Writing Process:

I cannot stress enough the importance of taking your students through the writing process every single week, for every single genre. This involves brainstorming/planning, drafting, revising, editing, publishing, grading and sharing.

Hook/Brainstorm:

Getting students EXCITED can be half the battle during writing. I love to tie all of my writing projects to engaging read alouds and fun topics. You can find my favorite narrative writing companions here.

It is equally important to MODEL each step of the writing process for students. After reading aloud our companion text, I typically will read aloud my model. I also will then model my own plan so students can see what I am looking for when it is their turn to write.

Then, it is time for students to make a plan. Be sure not to skip this phase, it is NOT writing a full draft, but rather jotting down their ideas they are going to write about. They can use bullet points or pictures to gather their ideas, but this should NOT be done in full sentences and should not take longer than 5-10 minutes.

I like to give students two full days to draft for narrative writing. Each week, we focus on a different important skill that needs to be taught during narrative writing. Some skills we focus on are:

• Transition Words • Topic Sentences • Closing Sentences • Adding Details such as adjectives, prepositions, similes, metaphors, etc. • Adding Dialogue • Writing with a problem and a solution

Typically, students write their topic sentence, and first two events and details one day. Then, I have them write their second two events and details, along with the closing on the second day. We focus on the skill of the week, while also reinforcing the other skills that were previously taught.

Revising/Editing:

I spend a lot of time at the beginning of the year setting up a peer editing time that is productive for students. We spend an entire day revising and editing, and I also roam the room and select certain students each week to conference with during this time.

Depending on the length of your writing block, you can either meet with all of your students or rotate through small groups of them each week.

Publish, Grade, Share:

I always have students publish a piece of writing every single week. We add it to our writing portfolios that we take home at the end of the year. When students finish publishing, I have them grade themselves on the rubric. Self-assessment is such a powerful tool for students.

After they self grade, we find time to share each week. This can be partner sharing, author’s chair, sharing with buddies, recording themselves reading or more.

What is your favorite tip for teaching narrative writing? Drop it in the comments below!

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2nd Grade Opinion Writing: My Favorite Season

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Teacher friends… the leaves are changing, the weather is getting colder and PSLs are back at Starbucks. My favorite season has joyfully returned (and in 2020, where nothing good seems to be happening, that’s a BIG deal!)! So with seasonal love affairs in mind, let’s talk about a fun and easy 2nd grade opinion writing activity that you can do with your students this week using the season as inspiration!

Please note this post contains affiliate links.  If you do follow my links, please know that I do make a very, very small commission from your purchase. There is no cost to you, but this extra coinage helps keeps amazing content like this up on the blog! You can read more about the affiliate networks I’m a part of by clicking here .

When it comes to 2nd-grade opinion writing, one of the most powerful things you can do is make it meaningful for your students. That’s why I love this opinion writing project I’m sharing with you today so much! Not only is this writing activity super simple, but it teaches your writers how to support their opinions and guides them through organizing their opinion writing. I promise your students are going to actually want to write! Oh, and did I mention there’s a craft? (Don’t worry! It’s super simple and adds just enough fun to the project to help balance out all the learning that’s happening.)

My Favorite Season Opinion Writing: Start with a Book

To introduce this lesson, I love using the book, Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak.

As you read, point out all the things that are signaling the arrival of a new season! I love all the books from this author. You can check out more from him here on Amazon !

2nd Grade Opinion Writing Class Brainstorm

After reading the story, section a sheet of chart paper or whiteboard into four sections. As a class, discuss how the child in the story noticed all the things that signaled fall was coming. As students share, jot down their thoughts. Label this area “Fall.” From there, you can share that your favorite season is fall and discuss all the things you love about it. If one of the items you love wasn’t mentioned, be sure to add it to the “Fall” area of the class brainstorm. Also, if at some point while reading this you are asking, “What if fall isn’t my favorite season?” … Are you even a teacher?

Do the same for all the other seasons. Discuss what makes each season special. Think of flowers and rain showers in the spring, swimming, and no school in the summer, etc. As students share, be sure to add it to your class brainstorm. This will serve as a reference point, so make sure it is written where students can see it.

Favorite Season Opinion Writing Brainstorm

Once you’ve filled in each season with at least 3-4 details, it’s time to set the purpose for today’s writing lesson. Show your students the brainstorming sheet you’ll use for the favorite season opinion writing activity.

Don’t worry, I’m sharing all the printables from this post at the end for free!

Discuss what an opinion is and how to use details to support it. Show students where to write their favorite season and then three reasons why it’s their favorite.

Now it’s time to transition to working on the brainstorm.

I know what you’re thinking… my students aren’t going to want to do this part. They aren’t going to want to write something down.

But… STOP! 🛑

Stop the negative thinking.

Instead : Acknowledge that writing is hard.

It takes a lot of brainpower to write (sounding out words, creating the letters, making sure what they write makes sense) but that’s why what you just did (that pre-brainstorming stuff) and what you’re about to do is so important!

Ready…

Before sending students to work on their brainstorms, ask students to close their eyes, and think about their favorite time of the year. Which is it? Tell them to imagine themselves at that time of year. What are they doing? What do they see? What makes them happy? Once students have it, have them hold up their thumb to signal to you that they are ready to work on their own brainstorm.

Oh and ready to write they will be…

See… all the back work you just did with the book reading, the discussion of your favorite season (Fall- just in case you forgot, remember you’re a teacher! ), and then writing down the class brainstorm does something powerful for your little writers. It activates their brains and helps them make connections. Connections are powerful things when it comes to learning (I’ll save all the science talk for another day) but know when your students make connections, they will want to do the work!

Dismiss students to begin working on their brainstorms. Remind them to use the list on the whiteboard if they get stuck on reasons that season is their favorite. Though I find when it comes to second graders voicing their opinions, they usually don’t struggle too much- the list just usually helps with spelling/grammar!

Give students about 10-15 minutes to work on their brainstorm. Some may need more time and that’s ok. You can extend it. Use your teacher judgment. Now, you can stop here. This is a perfect place to end the writing for the day and move on to the next thing. If you do, complete the next part the following day during your writing time.

Easy Opinion Writing Paragraph Structure

The next day, remind your students about the seasons and their favorite seasonal writing they started the previous day. Have students review what they have written on their brainstorm. They should make sure they can read what they wrote and that it makes sense. This is also the perfect time to have students who didn’t get a chance to complete their brainstorm actually finish!

From there, model how you’ll use your brainstorm to guide your writing. (So if you haven’t already, be sure to fill one out! Here are some suggestions: Your favorite season is fall. Reason one: PSL. Reason 2: pumpkin-flavored everything. Reason 3: fall leaves. )

Now, pass out the final draft paper for the Favorite Season Writing (Don’t worry- that’s at the end, too! When I said everything, I meant- everything!) Now, yes, normally we’d do a rough draft, but when you’re short on time, sometimes rough drafts get cut, and that’s ok!)

Keep writing very simple at the beginning of the year in second grade (yes- November is still considered beginning). If students have a strong foundation of the simple stuff (structure, conventions), then the other stuff is much easier to layer on.

Here’s a quick peek at the opinion writing paragraph structure we’re using for this opinion writing project:

Opinion Writing Paragraph:

• Opening sentence- tells the reader your opinion
• supporting detail 1
• supporting detail 2
• supporting detail 3
• closing detail- reminds the reader of your opinion

Model how you’ll use the wording from the top line of the brainstorm to write an opening sentence. Remind your writers that an opening sentence tells the reader what the writing is about. We want our reader to know right away that we’re writing about our favorite season.

From there, we work to support our opinion using our reasons from the brainstorm. I show my students how I’m using what I’ve already written to form my sentences.

Over the years, I’ve found that many students who struggle with writing don’t actually struggle with the physical part of writing, but they struggle with the mental load of writing. Reminding them that we’ve already done “all the hard” stuff the previous day helps elevate the mental load block. Now, instead of having to think about all the things they need to think about when writing (letters, sounds, making sense, what they meant). they can just focus on writing what they mean and a few letter formations.

After we’ve worked through the opening and supporting sentences, I always like to model going back and rereading what was written. Have your students get in the habit of doing the same. This way they can catch errors and fix them early before getting too far along into the writing.

Last, we work on a closing sentence. Here, I remind students that a closing sentence reminds readers what they read about, and we work as a class to formulate a sentence.

And look at that, teacher friend! Your students just wrote an opinion paragraph. Simple, yes, but they did it! And they were excited about writing it, too.

Opinion Writing Rubric

Ok… here’s the thing about writing. Good writing (in general) ticks off certain boxes. You know what helps make sure your students tick off all the boxes? A rubric.

Friends, I live by a rubric when it comes to writing, and one of these days, I’ll write a whole blog post on just how you can harness the power of these bad boys, but for today, let’s focus on how you can use a rubric for a quick student spot check.

After students have written their paragraph, pass out the rubric. Discuss the items shown on the rubric and check them against YOUR writing sample. Demonstrate how you are looking for those things. Capital letters…? Watch me skim through my writing.

Details? See how I count?

Words not spelled correctly? Look at me using this amazing resource called a word wall to spot check this tricky sight word I’m not sure is spelled correctly.

Remind students that the rubric will help ensure that their writing includes everything good writing should have. Encourage your students to fix mistakes they find and check it off on the rubric.

There’s so much more I want to say about the importance of using a rubric for writing, but let’s move along.

The Best Season Opinion Writing Craft

Ok, so I promised you an easy craft and here it is. Guys… don’t you even come at me with, Leigh, why does there need to be a craft ?

The truth is… there doesn’t… but then again… there kinda does. Because second graders are seven. Writing is creative. Crafting is creative. Crafts allow our students to express thoughts and feelings and that’s exactly what we want our writers to do. So yes… there kinda needs to be a craft!

For the creative part of this My Favorite Season Opinion Writing, students get a chance to decorate a tree to match their favorite season.

Here is my sample. I decorated my tree using paint dotters in fun fall colors, but you could just have students use crayons and color.

Or, if you’re feeling extra fancy, have your students use tissue paper torn into small pieces and glued them on to represent the leaves on their tree. Just remember to provide lots of color options for the different seasons!

To publish the writing, have students glue their writing on a 12 x 18 sheet of construction paper with the tree craft next to it.

Then, most importantly, display their writings in the classroom or hallways and give students time to share their work with the class! We just took the time to write about their opinion, let’s make sure to show how important that opinion is by allowing time to share it!

My Favorite Season Opinion Writing Lesson Free Download

Ready to bring this lesson to your 2nd-grade classroom? Then just sign up below and hurry to check your email. There, you’ll find a little message from me 🧡 and everything you need to bring this introduction opinion writing lesson to life!

More Writing Ideas

Looking for more writing ideas? Check out these favorites!

• Battle of the Pets: Persuasive Writing Activity
• 5 Super Simple Ways to Improve Your Students’ Writing
• 3 Sure-Fire Ways to Get Your Students Excited About Writing!
• Categories: 2nd Grade , Fall , opinion writing , writing , writing craftivity

Hi, I'm Leigh.

The Applicious Teacher is all about creating hands-on and engaging lessons that align with the standards while still having time for your life. This is your place for ideas, tips, and resources for the REAL teacher!

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How To Teach Second Grade Writing

Have you ever found yourself googling, ‘how to teach second graders to write?’ or tearing your hair out wondering how do you teach writing in grade 2? You don’t need to worry anymore! In this post, I’m going to share the steps that you need to take so that you know exactly how to teach second grade writing!

Teaching writing to second graders involves building upon the foundational skills they learned in first grade and helping them further develop their writing abilities. Here are 10 strategies and tips to effectively teach writing to second grade students!

1. Review foundational skills

Begin the school year by reviewing foundational writing skills, such as letter formation, capitalization, punctuation, and sentence structure. Use engaging activities and games to reinforce these skills.

It’s also wise to complete a pre-assessment ASAP to gauge your students’ writing abilities. You can then design lessons that meet your students where they are at. Every cohort is different and some students may still be really struggling with letter formation!

You may not be able to dive straight into your narrative writing unit, for example. You might need to spend quite a few weeks working on phonics and ensuring that your students know how to correctly write sentences. Sentence building activities are perfect for this!

2. Model writing

Demonstrate the writing process by modeling your own writing and thinking aloud. Show students how to generate ideas, plan, draft, revise, and edit their writing. Use anchor charts or visual aids to illustrate each step of the writing process.

Start by modeling your own writing piece from start to finish. Next, get your students involved in the writing process. Ask them to contribute ideas and create writing pieces together as a whole class.

3. Expand vocabulary

Introduce new vocabulary words related to various topics or writing genres. Engage students in meaningful conversations and expose them to rich vocabulary through read-alouds and shared reading experiences. Encourage them to use new words in their writing.

4. Provide writing prompts

Offer a variety of writing prompts to stimulate students’ creativity and give them opportunities to practice different writing genres. Prompts can include personal narratives, descriptive writing, opinion pieces, or informative texts.

Prompts are great for your students who are stuck for ideas. But it’s also important to allow for some choice within the prompts to foster student engagement.

If you’re looking for  second grade writing prompts , you’re in luck!

5. Teach organizational structure

Help students understand the organization and structure of different types of writing. Teach them how to organize their ideas into paragraphs with clear topic sentences and supporting details. Use graphic organizers, such as story maps or flowcharts, to help students plan their writing. Check out these graphic organizers!

6. Develop sentence variety

Encourage students to vary their sentence structure by incorporating different sentence types (e.g., simple, compound) and sentence openers (e.g., adverbs, prepositional phrases). Model and provide examples of well-constructed sentences to help students expand their writing skills.

7. Foster revision and editing

Teach students the importance of revising and editing their writing. Guide them in reviewing their work forspelling and proper grammar. Allow your students to work in pairs and give each other feedback on their writing.

8. Incorporate technology

Integrate technology, such as word documents or Google Slides, to enhance students’ writing experiences. Let’s face it, kids love tech! Teach them basic typing skills and how to navigate these platforms.

9. Promote reading and research

Encourage students to read extensively and conduct research to gather information for their writing. Teach them how to use books and reliable websites to gather facts and support their ideas. This is especially key during an informational writing unit! Students will love researching things like animals and countries. Be sure to check out these research report activities .

10. Celebrate and share writing

Provide regular opportunities for students to share their writing with others. This can include sharing within the classroom, creating a class blog or website, or publishing their work in a class book. Celebrate their achievements and growth as writers. WOW work bulletin boards are perfect for this!

Remember to provide a supportive and inclusive classroom environment where all students feel encouraged to take risks and express themselves through writing. Differentiate instruction to meet the needs of individual students, providing additional support or challenges as necessary.

By fostering a love for writing and providing meaningful experiences, you can help second grade students develop their writing skills and confidence!

Are you a 2nd grade teacher struggling to teach writing? Check out my 2nd grade writing curriculum here!

Psst! If you’d love to learn more about how to teach writing and get FREE writing prompts, click  here!

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50 Activities for 2nd Grade

Hands-on ideas to engage digital learners in meeting standards and learning goals.

Fifty ideas for using a digital approach to help second-grade students meet standards and learning goals.

1. Explore antonyms

Explore antonyms with your students. Read Dr. Seuss's The Foot Book and create a list of antonyms. You can start them off with things like hot/cold or high/low.

Students can use a creativity and productivity tool, like Wixie , with illustrations of an antonym pair. Students can use the microphone tool to record their explanations.

2. Go on a shape hunt

Read a book like The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss. Then have students walk around school or their home and find shapes, like rectangles, triangles, or even cylinders and spheres.

Have students use their device to capture the shapes they find and label or add narration to identify them.

Seeing Shapes lesson plan with literature connections, samples, and more

3. Design a superhero

Tap into students' passion for comics and superheroes by asking them to share some favorites. Then, ask them what qualities or "powers" make a great superhero.

Use an ID card approach to help them define their hero's identity.

Discuss as a class, and then ask each student to design their own superhero and explain how their traits make them a hero.

Explore a Design a Superhero lesson plan

4. Create an animal alliteration

Create an amazing animal alliteration - a short sentence in the noun—verb—noun format, such as "Birds build bubbles." Use a creativity tool, like Wixie , to illustrate and record voice narration.

Explore an Animal Alliteration lesson plan

5. Create an animal riddle

Encourage students to craft riddles that test other students' knowledge about animals. Students can select their favorite animal or use this opportunity to learn more about an unfamiliar animal.

Explore an Animal Riddles lesson plan

6. Write a haiku

Combine close reading and descriptive writing with visual haiku. Haiku poems are a 17-syllable verse form consisting of three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Haiku always contain a kigo (season word) to indicate the time of year.

Have students start with a photo as inspiration or write first and add visuals to enhance the meaning.

This spare form of writing forces students to choose words wisely. Share haiku and have students read closely to find the kigo word as well as identify other highly descriptive words.

Explore a Harmonious Haiku lesson plan

7. Publish fabulous fables

Students learn about beginning, middle, end, and parts of a story as they write, retell, or adapt a fable.

Explore a Fabulous Fables lesson plan

8. Write a letter to or between characters in a story

Taking the perspective of a character in a story can help students understand their motivations and better comprehend their response to events in a story. Have students use stationery to write a letter to or between characters in a story.

Give students a prompt that requires them to use evidence from text to justify their opinion or make an argument about it.

9. Survey peers

Ask students to survey friends, family members, and neighbors about a favorite book, sport, food, game, or at-home activity. Project a question or a tally sheet on your white board to collect student responses.

10. Adapt a rhyming story to build skills with phonics

Read a rhyming story like Dr. Seuss's There's a Wocket in My Pocket . Have students choose a place in the house and write a rhyming nonsense word for a creature living there. Use Wixie to add a Seuss-like sentence and illustrate your page.  Use Wixie's Project Wizard feature to combine individual student work into a class book. ( template )

11. Make a map of your neighborhood

Have students create a map of important places in their neighborhood. Have students start with a plain page or use digital grid paper. Then, ask students to draw locations or capture photos with their devices.

12. Take a 5-senses walk

Go outside and walk around your school. What do you see, hear, smell, touch, or taste? Have students take devices outside to record observations using the 5 senses with pictures and a microphone. Then, when you come back inside, add text and more details.

13. Create a personal timeline

Have students add photos and images to create a timeline that shows important events in their lives. Add text to each bubble and images for an event or two. Use the microphone tool to record a summary.

Extend student thinking by asking them to add another page and draw pictures of where they see themselves in the future. Share the final product with family and friends.

14. What would you do with $100?

In second grade, students' abilities in reading, writing, and math are blossoming. Embrace their growing ability to think independently by asking them what they would do with 100 dollars.

Create a slideshow of student opinions and discuss them as a class.

Use this project to build literacy and math by asking students to tell you what they would spend their money to buy, why they would do this (reason) as well as subtract the value of this object from 100 to show the change they would get back from paying with a $100 bill.

15. Review and rate a book

Have students write a review of a recent book they have read. Encourage students to share with friends and peers to give them ideas for new titles they can read!

Explore more book review ideas, including a book review cube, on Creative Educator .

Explore a 5-Star Book Reviews lesson plan

16. Create a trait map

Have students recall, retell, and share text, images, and voice narration about a character's physical traits, feelings, and actions on a trait cluster .

17. Tell tangram tales

After students have tried to solve tangram puzzles, read Ann Tompert's Grandfather Tang's Story where the main character rearranges tangram shapes to represent the characters and events as he tells a story.

Ask students to use tangram shapes to create their own tangram shape puzzle and tell a story about the shape. Combine into a class book!

18. Create a backyard field guide

Ask students to go outside, or even look out a window, and simply observe the plants and animals there. Have them find a plant they find beautiful or an animal that interests them. Use a digital paint program to have them sketch their object and add text labels and insights about what they notice.

Students can then use their observations and sketches, along with a field guide, to help them identify the species if they don't know what it is. They can add additional information or notes to create a field guide for other species that live nearby.

Explore a Fantastic Field Guides lesson plan

19. Write your own version of A. A. Milne's "When I was One" poem

Read "The End" a poem by A. A. Milne, who you know from Winnie the Pooh.

When I was One, I had just begun. When I was Two, I was nearly new. When I was Three I was hardly me. When I was Four, I was not much more. When I was Five, I was just alive. But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever, So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

Use a "When I was (age)" template , have students finish each line, and illustrate the poem.

If you have students of different ages, make a copy and adjust the template to add or remove a line. Then, assign different templates to different students.

20. Craft a concrete poem

Concrete poems are poems where the words are arranged in a shape that reflects the topic of the poem. Because creativity, presentation, and productivity tools let you resize, move, and rotate text easily, they make it easy to move text to create a desired shape.

Ask students to write a poem in small phrases or stanzas. Then, use the font, size, color and rotation options to use it to create a larger image.

21. Create a character coat of arms

Small, but mindful, changes can move a task beyond remember and retell. For example, replace a typical character trait cluster assignment with the task of developing a coat of arms for a story's protagonist that represents traits of the main character.

Creating a coat of arms provides students with an opportunity to think about objects, colors, symbols, and mottos that reflect a character's personality, passions, strengths, and experiences.

Wixie has a Coat of Arms template that makes it easy to add color, text, and images to show comprehension.

22. Write a fractured nursery rhyme

Ask students to write a funny, or fractured, version of their favorite nursery rhyme. Have fun!

23. Plan a class party

Planning the details for a party, including needed space (measurement) and a budget (calculations), requires students to practice and apply math and argument skills to a real-life scenario.

Explore a Plan an Event lesson plan

24. Take a brain break

When the mind needs a break, a creative activity can help. Use a digital art tool to sketch or simply play a digital game.

Remember scratch art? Wixie has a collection of pages with a variety of backgrounds students can "scratch" using an eraser tool.

25. Create and send a digital thank you card

Find a thank you note design and write a letter to your teacher. Better yet, start a blank page and use the paint tools to create an original drawing.

You can also use your device's camera to capture your picture and use the microphone tool to record your voice and let your teacher know how much you appreciate them.

26. Write about your favorite relative

Practice opinion writing through a favorite relative project. Give structure to your emerging writers by using an O-R-E-O Opinion template which asks them to state their opinion, share 2-3 reasons why, and finish with a concluding statement.

Share students' work with their favorite relatives.

Explore a Favorite Relative lesson plan

27. Design an animal diary

Have students use personification to write a diary for an animal that teaches others about its unique physical characteristics, behaviors, and adaptations.

Explore an Animal Diary lesson plan

28. Write a backwards rebus poem

Read or watch I Love You, A Rebus Poem by Jean Marzollo. Challenge students to come up with reverse rhymes for their I Love You message. Great idea for Valentine's or Mother's Day.

29. Create an ABC's of... 

After researching and learning about a topic, have students use an A-B-C format to share knowledge they have learned.

Assign individual letters to students and combine into a class project.

Explore an ABC Book lesson plan

30. Celebrate culture

Creating a safe and respected community culture in your classroom is essential. Have students complete and share a culture poster about themselves, including where they are from, family traditions, and more.

31. Write your own word problems

Have students use a paint or image program, like Wixie , to draw models that help the viewer (and themselves) visualize quantities and relationships in word problems.

32. Persuade for a pet

Humane societies and pet rescues reported record numbers of adoptions during COVID-19. Encourage students to write a letter or create a presentation to persuade their family to get a new pet, supporting their opinion with reasons and examples. An O-R-E-O graphic organizer can help students support their opinions.

Explore a Persuade for a Pet lesson plan

33. Inform others about an endangered plant or animal

Ask students to raise awareness or inform others about an endangered species in the form of a trading card. The limited space on a trading card helps emerging writers summarize information and organize their thoughts.

34. Create a digital word wall

Digital tools make adding thoughts to a personal word wall easy. Ask each student to add words they do not know from books they are reading. Have students look up the meaning in a dictionary or ask a peer to help them define the word and add a picture or voice recording.

35. Create a memory book

Have students reflect and compile memories of the school year by creating a digital memory book.

Tools like Wixie make it easy to add images, text, voice recording and video to capture experiences, feelings, and achievements.

36. Design a habitat snow globe

Most students have or have seen a snow globe at home or at a tourist attraction. Ask students to design a snow globe to showcase the animals and plants in a particular habitat.

Explore a Create a Creature lesson plan

37. Publish a brochure for your neighborhood

What makes where you live special? Our families choose places to live based on economics, weather, family, geography, and culture.

Have your students talk to their parents about why they chose to live where they do. Encourage students to walk their neighborhood, take pictures, and use what they learn to create a brochure to let others know about the unique place they live.

38. Tell a data story

Read or watch Five Creatures by Emily Jenkins. This story describes a family with five creatures comparing features between them in many different ways.

Have students collect data for five creatures in their home and use this data to write their own five creatures story!

Explore other books that make for great literature adaptations . 

39. Design a how-to book or presentation

What can your students teach others? Procedural writing is an excellent way for students to become experts in a topic and feel confident about their ability to share the information with others.

To cement learning and inspire others, encourage students to closely examine the parts of a rule they struggle to understand or share the process of doing something they are passionate about. Use a flowchart to help students break down the process into each essential step.

Explore a Procedural Writing lesson plan

40. Become the masked reader

Take a clue from the Masked Singer television show to make reading fluency practice less stressful and way more fun.

This is especially helpful for ELLs and struggling readers since they can practice, record, delete, and try again to produce their best work. Their work can also remain completely private if the reader is not unmasked.

41. Make safety PSAs

Public service announcements are a great way to get students to back up claims with evidence and practice argument writing without conflict.

Helping other students practice safely crossing the street, eating healthy, and even just acting nice are easily within the reach of emerging writers.

Explore a Halloween Safety PSAs lesson plan

42. Write cycle stories

Science doesn't have to be a list of boring facts or calculations. How does a drop of water feel as it evaporates or plunges down a gully after a fierce rainstorm? How does rock feel when it transforms into a liquid and is ejected from a volcano?

Ask students to craft a digital story that shares a science cycle from a first person perspective!

Explore a Cycle Story lesson plan

43. Interview an animal

Kids love animals, so use this love to build research, questioning, and communication skills with an animal interview!

Sharing factual information in story form helps students avoid simple repetition of facts or direct copy and paste.

Explore an Animal Interview lesson plan

44. Use emojis to write a story

Emojis started as a time-saving way to communicate emotions without having to type each letter, but have quickly become part of popular culture. Use your student's interest in emojis to encourage creative writing. If needed, provide them with a writing prompt.

45. Give students project choices

When every student completes the same task, like creating a trading card or comic, project work is easier to manage. While this is effective, students also thrive with choice!

Create a choice board or task your students with sharing their learning in the medium they choose.

46. Observe with a new perspective

So much of what we see about our world depends on our perspective. While young students are still working to show what they observe through their sense of sight, have them practice taking someone else's perspective by sharing a view of the world from the eyes of an insect.

You can also ask them to complete an empathy map and then write a story about a day in the life of an insect or a letter to one of their insect friends.

47. Adapt a story

To support your budding authors, ask them to give a twist to a story they know by adding or replacing nouns and verbs.

Explore a list of books perfect for student adaptation

48. Celebrate a community helper

Community helpers are essential to the health and success of our world. Have students celebrate how a community helper is essential to a community by combining words, pictures, and even narration in a digital sentence strip.

49. Write a 5 senses poem

In addition to reinforcing scientific observation, engaging the five senses is a great way to help young learners add descriptions to their writing and practice vocabulary.

If your learners would benefit from a little direction, provide a specific topic for their poem.

Explore a 5 Senses Poetry lesson plan

50. Explore the shape of things

Dayle Ann Dodds and Julie Lacome showcase shapes in a fun rhythmic story in their book The Shape of Things .

Use this story to inspire students to write their own shape of things book that names a common shape and how it becomes a common object when specific things are added to it.

Explore a Shape of Things lesson plan

Once they have experience with digital projects, let students choose the product or way they will demonstrate understanding… simply make them argue their case before they begin. No matter what you or they choose, transfer as much responsibility as possible to students to motivate and empower them to control their own learning.

by Melinda Kolk

Melinda Kolk ( @melindak ) is the Editor of Creative Educator and the author of Teaching with Clay Animation . She has been helping educators implement project-based learning and creative technologies like clay animation into classroom teaching and learning for the past 15 years.

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