• Home
  • About
  • Featured Reviews
  • Request a Review
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe

The Curriculum Choice

Making homeschool decisions easy

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Blog
  • How To Homeschool
    • By Review Team
    • Encouragement
    • New to Homeschooling
    • Organization
  • Reviews by Grade
    • Elementary
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Preschool
  • Reviews by Subject
    • Bible
    • Economics
    • Fine Arts
      • Art
      • Music
    • Foreign Language
    • Highschool
    • History & Geography
      • Geography
      • History
    • Home Economics
    • Language Arts
      • Grammar
      • Handwriting
      • Literature
      • Phonics
      • Reading
      • Spelling
      • Vocabulary
      • Writing
    • Logic
    • Math
    • Science & Technology
      • Science
      • Technology
        • Apps

in Age· Elementary· Language Arts· Writing

Learn Basic Writing Skills with Spectrum Writing 2nd Grade – My Review

Spectrum Writing

Note – This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.

My main focus for writing, during the early elementary years was to help my daughter become comfortable with the written word. We made time to write everyday. This was sometimes as simple as copywork or writing down what my daughter dictated to me, then reading it back. For example, with her artwork,we often added a sentence or two about her picture. At first, I would print it out for her. Later, as her writing skills developed, we did it as copywork. Sometimes we tried bookmaking, with a drawing on each page and a sentence or two written below.

Another year we bought a blank “Hello Kitty” book and used it for journaling. I asked my daughter for an entry most days, either a drawing or a few words. Then later she would write her own sentences. Through these simple everyday activities, my daughter built her confidence with writing. By second grade she was ready for something new. That’s when we started Spectrum Writing – 2nd grade. This became a helpful spine for writing for the next couple years.

P1250465

What is included?

Spectrum Writing was easy to use. I could pull out an activity that fit my daughter’s skill level and interest. The activity included a Writer’s Handbook, an Answer Key, and the following chapters:

  • Chapter 1 – Writing Titles and Sentences – Such as “Give the picture title” or “What is happening in this picture?”
  • Chapter 2 – Telling and Asking, such as “Draw a place or a room. Write something about it.”
  • Chapter 3 – Telling How – and Writing a Friendly Letter
  • Chapter 4 – Describing – and the Five Senses – Such as “Take a bite of pizza. I see __________. I taste ________. I smell ___________.”
  • Chapter 5 – Writing Stories

Each of these Chapters included six to eight writing activities with colorful illustrations. The projects included easy to follow directions and any forms that were needed. Simple tests were also offered to check understanding, although we only used one or two.

P1250468

Spectrum Writing – Grade 2 covers the following skills:

  1. Writing sentences.
  2. Putting things in time order.
  3. Writing How-To’s such as how to plant flowers.
  4. Using describing words.
  5. Writing stories with a simple plot.

My favorite chapter was Chapter 5 – Writing Stories. This chapter introduced story writing in an easy and simple way. Through this, my daughter learned the basic concepts of plot, setting, and character.

What we love:

I found Spectrum Writing to be easy and straight forward. Plot was broken down into the beginning, middle, and the ending of the story.  We made a book of it with the beginning, the middle and the end – with one sheet of paper for each. If my daughter had trouble, I would ask her “What happens next?” or “How does it end?”   My daughter learned how to write sentences, paragraphs, while practicing her early grammar skills.

Many happy hours were spent creating stories, art, and don’t forget the illustrations! Every child’s story needs its pictures, and drawing them usually helps the child to decide what happens next.  Spectrum Writing for 2nd Grade served as a helpful foundation for our writing activities for my daughter.

If you are looking for new ideas to help you teach writing, my family recommends Spectrum Writing. It is available for grades 1 through 8. For more information this great resource, click here. for Spectrum Grade 2

 Betsy is mom to her now college senior, whom she homeschooled from day one.  She blogs at BJ’s Homeschool, about the early years, high school & college and wrote the book – Homeschooling High School with College in Mind.   She offers FREE homeschool help through messages at BJ’s Consulting. 

 

Filed Under: Age, Elementary, Language Arts, Writing Tagged With: written by Betsy

Previous Post: « My iPad for Kids Review
Next Post: Chemistry Study Folder {Real Science 4 Kids Chemistry Level 1} »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

We are a veteran group of home educators with a mission – to spread the word about our favorite curricula and help YOU make informed decisions for your homeschool. Meet the review authors and browse the homeschooling tips they share!

Subscribe For Free Choosing Homeschool Curriculum Guide

Success! Please check your email and confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Sponsors and Affiliates

Homeschoolinghomeschool

Our Sister Websites

 


Follow Curriculum Choice's board Homeschool Reviews by The Curriculum Choice on Pinterest.

Recent Comments

  • Terry on Magic Tree House Curriculum
  • Thara on How To Make An Overall Plan for The Year
  • The Best Winter Nature Books for Cozy Homeschooling - Homeschool Nature Study on Homeschool Outdoor Hour Challenges using The Handbook of Nature Study
  • Tara Fortener on Why Can’t My Child Learn Multiplication?
  • Sherrie Davidson on Using the CAT Test for Homeschool Testing
  • Advertising
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Philosophies
  • Request a Review

Copyright © 2025 · The Curriculum Choice, a Southern Hodgepodge, L.L.C. site.