Standard: 2.L.1e – Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.
Grade level: Grade 2
Subject: English Language Arts
Domain: Language
Teacher Overview
This standard focuses on helping students understand the roles of adjectives and adverbs in sentences. Mastering this standard will enable students to make their writing more vivid and accurate, which is crucial for effective communication. Students should already know what nouns and verbs are, and be able to construct simple sentences.
After mastering this standard, students will be able to write more detailed and descriptive sentences, enhancing their overall writing skills.
Common Misconception 1
Students often confuse adjectives and adverbs, using them interchangeably. This is incorrect because adjectives describe nouns, while adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
Intervention 1
Use sentence sorting activities where students categorize words as adjectives or adverbs, and then use them in sentences correctly.
Common Misconception 2
Students might think that all words ending in ‘-ly’ are adverbs. However, not all adverbs end in ‘-ly’, and some adjectives can end in ‘-ly’ too.
Intervention 2
Provide lists of common adjectives and adverbs, including those that don’t follow the ‘-ly’ rule, and practice identifying them in sentences.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should understand what nouns and verbs are, and have basic knowledge of simple sentence structures.
Subsequent Knowledge
Students will develop the ability to write more descriptive and engaging sentences, and will be able to modify their writing to fit different contexts and purposes.
Instructional Activities
- Adjective and adverb scavenger hunt in reading passages.
- Sentence construction exercises using a mix of adjectives and adverbs.
- Interactive games where students choose the correct adjective or adverb for a given sentence.
- Writing prompts that encourage the use of descriptive language.

