Montana Grade 2 English

Explain what a story’s beginning and ending do

A story’s opening introduces a situation; its ending brings the supplied action to a stopping point. Read the invented scene below and explain those jobs. Finding the first and last sentences is a start, but the reader should say what they contribute.

Curriculum reference: Montana ELA and Literacy standards, adopted November 2011, from the Montana Office of Public Instruction ELA directory.

Montana Grade 2 references for this activity

OPI currently lists its November 2011 ELA standards alongside adopted replacement standards scheduled for implementation in July 2027. The selected references here use the current 2011 framework, not an assumption that the replacement is already implemented. Follow the school’s curriculum and transition guidance, and read the complete grade-level requirements.

Read the adopted replacement standards for July 2027 implementation. This is transition planning, not a statement that these requirements are already in force for this activity.

Montana’s complete literacy expectations include American Indian texts and perspectives. Choose resources through the OPI directory’s tribally vetted IEFA materials and the school’s approved curriculum. These original examples do not represent tribal narratives or fulfill that broader requirement.

These selected reference labels identify an activity focus, with the grade column and PDF page linked separately. Read the complete state requirements and the school’s sequence, including reading, writing, language, speaking, and listening. This short original example does not fulfill the entire curriculum or establish a student’s grade-level proficiency.

A worked Grade 2 reading and writing activity

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

Ari wanted to show a paper puppet to his sister. When he opened his bag, the puppet’s handle had come loose. He put the puppet on the table and asked his sister to hold it still. Ari fixed the handle with tape. His sister sat on the sofa, and Ari held up the puppet to begin his little show.

Try the activity

How does the beginning introduce the story? How does the ending conclude the action about the loose handle? Describe an event in the middle that connects them.

Follow the reasoning

The opening introduces Ari and his goal: showing his puppet to his sister. The loose handle creates a difficulty that prevents the planned use. In the middle, his sister holds the puppet while he repairs the handle. The ending shows Ari holding it up as his sister sits ready to watch, so the repair lets him begin the show. It concludes the action about preparing the puppet without telling the full performance. A response can connect goal, difficulty, help, and result rather than retelling every sentence. The beginning gives the reader a reason the handle matters; the ending shows the goal becoming possible.

Notice what needs more practice

The sister does not fix the handle in this story; she helps by holding the puppet still. Nor does the ending report an audience’s applause or a finished show. A story can conclude one action while leaving later events unreported. Avoid saying the ending introduces the loose handle, because that problem appears near the opening. If a child calls the middle “the tape part,” ask how that action connects the problem to the ending.

Use the next session to build independence

1. Describe the opening situation and Ari’s goal in one sentence.
2. Name the middle action that addresses the difficulty and identify each character’s part.
3. Explain what becomes possible at the ending, separating it from events you might imagine afterward.

Use a new story next time and ask the child to explain the opening and ending before supplying beginning, middle, and end labels. Montana’s complete literature expectations include American Indian stories; choose those from the school’s approved materials and OPI’s vetted resources rather than presenting this invented scene as one.

For more general reading and writing resources, visit the Grade 2 English Online Center.

Montana Grade 2 English: useful planning questions

Must an ending tell every later event?

No. This ending concludes the repair-and-preparation action by showing Ari ready to begin. It does not report the whole puppet show.

Where are the complete state requirements?

OPI currently lists its November 2011 ELA standards alongside adopted replacement standards scheduled for implementation in July 2027. The selected references here use the current 2011 framework, not an assumption that the replacement is already implemented. Follow the school’s curriculum and transition guidance, and read the complete grade-level requirements. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.