South Dakota ELA 2.RL.3

ELA2nd GradeReading Literature

The Standard

Analyze how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students name a major event or problem in a story. They explain what a character says, does, or feels in response, using clues from the story.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can explain that the first pig runs to another house after the wolf blows down his house. They can point to a detail in the story that supports their answer.
Common Misconceptions: Students may retell the event without saying how the character responded. They may guess a feeling because the event seems scary, even when the story gives no clue. Some mix up the actions of two characters.
How to Assess It: Write on the board: 'Sam dropped his drawing in a puddle. He asked for new paper and started again.' Ask: 'How did Sam respond to the ruined drawing, and which words show it?'

Lesson moves

Give pairs event and response cards from The Three Little Pigs to match, then have them find each response in the book.
Ask partners why the third pig stays inside his brick house when the wolf comes, using one clue from the story.
Play Event or Response: read story snippets aloud, and have students hold up E or R cards before matching an event with a response.
Give students a school scenario: Mina loses her lunchbox and asks the teacher for help; have them name her challenge and response.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 2.RL.3, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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