What should a 2nd grader be able to read and write?

Read grade-level text accurately and with expression, work out unfamiliar words using prefixes, suffixes and vowel patterns, identify the main idea and supporting details, and write a short narrative with a beginning, middle and end. This set covers each of those.

Which sheets help most with vocabulary?

"Prefixes: un-, re-, pre-", "Suffixes: -ful, -less, -ly" and "Synonyms and Antonyms". Word-part knowledge lets a child infer meanings independently, which grows vocabulary faster than memorising word lists.

Are the reading passages included, or do I need a book?

Included. "The Lost Kitten" and "Why Bees Are Important" are complete passages printed on the sheet with their questions underneath — nothing else is needed.

2nd Grade Reading & Writing Worksheets

Free printable 2nd grade reading and writing worksheets aligned to RF.2, L.2, RL.2 and W.2: vowel teams, prefixes and suffixes, synonyms, contractions, main idea and story maps.

Sheets: 11
Ages: 7–8
Price: Free

Vowel teams
Prefixes & suffixes
Synonyms
Contractions
Main idea

Aligned to RF.2 / L.2 / RL.2 / W.2

Every sheet here is free. Print it straight from the browser, download the PNG to keep, or open it in the online coloring studio and complete it on a tablet or phone — no printer, no sign-up, no account needed.

All 11 worksheets

Tap a sheet to open it full size

RF.2.3.B

Vowel Teams

Reading & Writing

L.2.4.B

Prefixes: un-, re-, pre-

Reading & Writing

L.2.4.B

Suffixes: -ful, -less, -ly

Reading & Writing

L.2.5.B

Synonyms and Antonyms

Reading & Writing

L.2.2.C

Contractions

Reading & Writing

RL.2.1, RL.2.3

The Lost Kitten

Reading & Writing

RI.2.1, RI.2.3

Why Bees Are Important

Reading & Writing

RI.2.2

Main Idea and Details

Reading & Writing

RI.2.9, RL.2.9

Compare and Contrast

Reading & Writing

RI.2.8

Fact or Opinion?

Reading & Writing

RL.2.2

Story Map

Reading & Writing

About these 2nd grade reading & writing worksheets

These eleven 2nd grade reading and writing worksheets cover the shift from learning to read to reading to learn: vowel teams, prefixes and suffixes, synonyms and antonyms, contractions, two full passages with comprehension questions, main idea and details, compare and contrast, fact versus opinion, and a story map for planning writing.

Prefixes and suffixes are the highest-value sheets in the set. A child who knows that un- means not and -less means without can work out the meaning of words they have never seen, which is how vocabulary grows from second grade onwards — far faster than learning words one at a time.

What these 11 worksheets cover

Vowel teams: ai, ea, oa, ee and friends (RF.2.3.B)
Prefixes un-, re-, pre- and suffixes -ful, -less, -ly (L.2.4.B)
Synonyms and antonyms (L.2.5.B)
Contractions (L.2.2.C)
A fiction passage with comprehension questions (RL.2.1, RL.2.3)
A non-fiction passage about bees (RI.2.1, RI.2.3)
Main idea and supporting details (RI.2.2)
Comparing and contrasting two texts (RI.2.9, RL.2.9)
Distinguishing fact from opinion (RI.2.8)
Story mapping for planning writing (RL.2.2)

Every sheet in this set

In print order, with the standard each one practises.

#	Worksheet	Skill	Standard
1	Vowel Teams	Reading & Writing	RF.2.3.B
2	Prefixes: un-, re-, pre-	Reading & Writing	L.2.4.B
3	Suffixes: -ful, -less, -ly	Reading & Writing	L.2.4.B
4	Synonyms and Antonyms	Reading & Writing	L.2.5.B
5	Contractions	Reading & Writing	L.2.2.C
6	The Lost Kitten	Reading & Writing	RL.2.1, RL.2.3
7	Why Bees Are Important	Reading & Writing	RI.2.1, RI.2.3
8	Main Idea and Details	Reading & Writing	RI.2.2
9	Compare and Contrast	Reading & Writing	RI.2.9, RL.2.9
10	Fact or Opinion?	Reading & Writing	RI.2.8
11	Story Map	Reading & Writing	RL.2.2

How to get the most out of them

1
Treat the prefix and suffix sheets as vocabulary tools, not spelling exercises. After finishing, ask your child to work out an unfamiliar word — "rebuild", "harmless" — using the parts. That transfer is the point.
2
Use "Story Map" before your child writes anything, not after they read. It works better as a planning frame for their own story than as a comprehension check.
3
"Fact or Opinion?" is worth doing slowly and out loud. It is the earliest critical-reading skill on the list and the one that most rewards discussion rather than filling in boxes.
4
For "Compare and Contrast", let them use both passages in this set — the kitten story and the bees article. Comparing a fiction and a non-fiction text is exactly what RI.2.9 asks for.

2nd Grade Reading & Writing Worksheets — questions parents ask

What should a 2nd grader be able to read and write?: Read grade-level text accurately and with expression, work out unfamiliar words using prefixes, suffixes and vowel patterns, identify the main idea and supporting details, and write a short narrative with a beginning, middle and end. This set covers each of those.
Which sheets help most with vocabulary?: "Prefixes: un-, re-, pre-", "Suffixes: -ful, -less, -ly" and "Synonyms and Antonyms". Word-part knowledge lets a child infer meanings independently, which grows vocabulary faster than memorising word lists.
Are the reading passages included, or do I need a book?: Included. "The Lost Kitten" and "Why Bees Are Important" are complete passages printed on the sheet with their questions underneath — nothing else is needed.