Building Blocks of 2nd Grade Reading
Strong readers aren't born — they're built, one well-understood skill at a time.
Starts Wed, Sep 9
11:00 PM UTC · 45m
4 sessions
Alyssa
4.5
Outcomes, not lecture notes.
Analyze characters by identifying their traits, motivations, and how their choices drive a story's plot forward
Dissect story settings and explain how time, place, and environment shape mood and events
Map the sequence of story events using signal words (first, then, next, finally) to track problems, turning points, and solutions
Connect characters, setting, and events to uncover the deeper lessons and authorial intent behind a story
Make evidence-based predictions by reading textual clues and evaluating whether those predictions hold up
Decode unfamiliar vocabulary using context clues — definitions, synonyms, and examples embedded in surrounding text
Apply active reading strategies — questioning, visualizing, and connecting to prior knowledge — to strengthen comprehension across any text
Meet Alyssa.
Alyssa
An experienced and versatile educator, Alyssa Elswick brings ten years of teaching expertise to both classroom and online settings. Specializing in elementary education, she designs engaging, standards‑aligned curricula that integrate technology and innovative teaching strategies. Alyssa’s commitment to personalized learning and continuous professional development ensures that every student is supported and inspired to achieve their full potential. A Reading Olympics coach and Beginning Teacher of the Year award-winner, Alyssa teaches for Varsity Tutors and Virtual Virginia.
Strong readers aren't born — they're built, one well-understood skill at a time. Building Blocks of 2nd Grade Reading is a year-round supplemental class designed for 2nd graders who want more than a passing grade: they want to truly own the foundational reading skills that every future English class, standardized test, and complex text will demand. Students go deep on story elements, reading comprehension strategies, prediction, and context clues — the exact skills that get glossed over when school curricula have to keep moving. This isn't about keeping up with class. It's about getting so far ahead of the concepts that they become second nature. Driven students who lock in mastery here will find every reading task that follows measurably easier.
Live Q&A
Cameras / mics optional
Recordings
Available within 1 hour, kept 90 days
Materials
No special materials required
Similar classes
free with a Varsity Tutors membership
94
DAYS17
HRS12
MINWed, Sep 9 • 11:00pm UTC
Starts in 94 days
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Building Blocks of 2nd Grade Reading