Common Core: 2nd Grade English Language Arts - Determine How Characters Respond to Events

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Seed to Plant

A plant starts as a small seed. Different seeds become different plants. It is a long journey from a seed to a plant.

First, a seed must travel and find its spot in the dirt. Seeds must travel before they find the spot they will call home. Some seeds travel very far before they finally land. Wind can spread seeds long distances. Other seeds are carried and dropped by animals, such as squirrels or birds. Animals can carry seeds many miles before dropping them in the dirt.

Next, seeds need water. Soon the seed breaks open and roots begin to grow down into the ground. The roots grow and grow. Roots soak up water and nutrients from the soil. The roots will also hold the plant in place. Roots have many important jobs. After the roots carry water and nutrients back to the seed, a small stem forms and pops out of the ground.

The small stem continues to grow. The stem grows up towards the sun, where the plant will get its food. Now leaves begin to form on the stem. The leaves soak up more water and sunlight to help the plant grow. Plants create their own food using the energy they get from the sun.

Seeds and plants depend on sunlight and water to grow. Water and sunlight are food for plants. Some plants have very large leaves, while others have smaller leaves or even no leaves at all. The size of the leaves depends on how much water and sunlight the plant gets. A plant in a shady area or a place with little sun has larger leaves than a plant in an area with lots of sunlight and water.

Many adult plants grow flowers and or fruit. Flowers and fruit make more seeds. These seeds will drop and spread and soon start their journey to becoming new plants.

What causes roots to begin to grow?

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Seed to Plant

A plant starts as a small seed. Different seeds become different plants. It is a long journey from a seed to a plant.

First, a seed must travel and find its spot in the dirt. Seeds must travel before they find the spot they will call home. Some seeds travel very far before they finally land. Wind can spread seeds long distances. Other seeds are carried and dropped by animals, such as squirrels or birds. Animals can carry seeds many miles before dropping them in the dirt.

Next, seeds need water. Soon the seed breaks open and roots begin to grow down into the ground. The roots grow and grow. Roots soak up water and nutrients from the soil. The roots will also hold the plant in place. Roots have many important jobs. After the roots carry water and nutrients back to the seed, a small stem forms and pops out of the ground.

The small stem continues to grow. The stem grows up towards the sun, where the plant will get its food. Now leaves begin to form on the stem. The leaves soak up more water and sunlight to help the plant grow. Plants create their own food using the energy they get from the sun.

Seeds and plants depend on sunlight and water to grow. Water and sunlight are food for plants. Some plants have very large leaves, while others have smaller leaves or even no leaves at all. The size of the leaves depends on how much water and sunlight the plant gets. A plant in a shady area or a place with little sun has larger leaves than a plant in an area with lots of sunlight and water.

Many adult plants grow flowers and or fruit. Flowers and fruit make more seeds. These seeds will drop and spread and soon start their journey to becoming new plants.

What would happen if no roots grew?

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Seed to Plant

A plant starts as a small seed. Different seeds become different plants. It is a long journey from a seed to a plant.

First, a seed must travel and find its spot in the dirt. Seeds must travel before they find the spot they will call home. Some seeds travel very far before they finally land. Wind can spread seeds long distances. Other seeds are carried and dropped by animals, such as squirrels or birds. Animals can carry seeds many miles before dropping them in the dirt.

Next, seeds need water. Soon the seed breaks open and roots begin to grow down into the ground. The roots grow and grow. Roots soak up water and nutrients from the soil. The roots will also hold the plant in place. Roots have many important jobs. After the roots carry water and nutrients back to the seed, a small stem forms and pops out of the ground.

The small stem continues to grow. The stem grows up towards the sun, where the plant will get its food. Now leaves begin to form on the stem. The leaves soak up more water and sunlight to help the plant grow. Plants create their own food using the energy they get from the sun.

Seeds and plants depend on sunlight and water to grow. Water and sunlight are food for plants. Some plants have very large leaves, while others have smaller leaves or even no leaves at all. The size of the leaves depends on how much water and sunlight the plant gets. A plant in a shady area or a place with little sun has larger leaves than a plant in an area with lots of sunlight and water.

Many adult plants grow flowers and or fruit. Flowers and fruit make more seeds. These seeds will drop and spread and soon start their journey to becoming new plants.

Why does the stem of a plant grow up?

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What determines the size and shape of a plant’s leaves?

5

No Big Deal

Last weekend David invited me to go camping with him and his dad. I had never been camping before and I didn’t know what to expect.

We packed the car early in the morning and got on the road. A little while later we heard a loud POP then a “SCREEEETCH” sound. The car tire had popped. Out we went to help David’s dad change the tire. “No big deal,” said David’s dad.

When we finally got to the campsite we were starving, but we had to set up the tents and find wood for the fire. I had never made dinner using a campfire before – I wonder what it will taste like. David and I were putting together our tent when I felt something drop on my head…then again…and next on my nose. When I looked up the rain started to pour down.

“No big deal!” David’s dad smiled and said as we hurried into the tent. He pulled out some sandwiches and sodas to eat while we waited for the rain to stop. Before long the sky cleared and we finished setting up the tents.

“Time for a campfire and spooky stories,” yelled David as he came running over with the matches.

David’s dad tried and tried but the wood was too wet from the rain. “No big deal,” said David’s dad as he pulled out 3 flashlights. We sat around the flashlights telling silly, spooky stories until finally we headed to bed.

The next morning the sky was clear and blue and the temperature was nice and warm. Perfect for fishing! We pushed the canoe off the banks and paddled out to the middle of the lake, casting our lines into the clear water. After an hour we still hadn’t caught any fish. I looked at David’s dad, whose smile, which he had kept through the flat tire, rain and lack of campfire, had turned into a frown.

But then I had an idea! “NO BIG DEAL!” I exclaimed, as I grabbed my backpack from the back of the canoe. “Fish for everyone!” I shouted and pulled out the bag of Sweedish fish I had packed for our trip. David’s dad looked up and his smile was back!

We started to eat our candy fish and make fishy faces when we noticed the water below our feet. The boat had a leak and was quickly filling with water. David and I bucketed out the rising water while David’s dad paddled as fast as he could back to the shore. By nightfall the wood had all dried from the rain the night before. We made s’mores and told funny stories around the campfire.

I never knew camping could be so eventful. I can’t wait until my next camping trip!

How does the narrator feel about going camping in the beginning of the story?

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