2nd-Grade Thematic Unit Maze Reading Bundle RI.2.1, RI.2.5, W.2.1, RL.2.9, L.2.5

This bundle has enough resources inside to keep your students learning for the entire month. This amazing 2nd-grade mazes thematic unit reading bundle contains fiction, nonfiction, phonics, and writing. Standards covered are RI.2.1, RI.2.5, W.2.1, RL.2.9, 2.NBT.A.3, L.2.5, and more! Let’s take a closer look at the five units contained within this bundle!

There are 107 Unique pages 538 total pages

Documents are available in full color, ink-saving color, black and white, and ink-saving black and white

Answer sheets and rubrics are available where applicable

***Minotaur Maze Fiction Reading Unit***

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Read two different fiction stories about the famous Greek mythology of King Minos’s Minotaur and the maze. The first story called Theseus and the Minotaur. Theseus is the traditional hero of this myth as he uses yarn to find his way through the maze and defeat the minotaur. The text is vague about what “defeat” means so as to avoid triggering words for the kids. In this story, the minotaur is seen as a monster that needs to be stopped. The second text is called Poor, Poor Minotaur and is written with the minotaur’s perspective in mind. In this tale, the Minotaur is sadly put into the maze as a baby and he just wants friends. Theseus is seen as a bully in this version of the famous Greek myth. These texts were written on a second-grade reading level. Similar vocabulary is used in both stories.

Speaking of vocabulary, there are 24 vocabulary cards. There are 12 word cards and 12 definition cards with pictures to help with understanding. The vocabulary words included are: furious, nation, Mediterranean Sea, design, mosaic, volunteer, retrace, dead end, maze, adventure, confuse, and minotaur. These words are used frequently throughout the unit to help reinforce their meanings. Play a game such as pictionary or charades with the cards or reinforce understanding with a vocabulary drawing paper.

The main learning goal of this unit is RL.2.9: Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story.

There is a paper for recording comparisons between the two versions of the story. This paper is structured so that students are finding a similarity, for example that they fight in the end, and then comparing how that is different, for example who instigates the fight. I prefer this comparing paper over a Venn diagram for several reasons. First, the middle in the Venn diagram is never big enough to add a sufficient number of similarities. Second, it makes for stronger comparisons if you first start with a similarity so that you can compare apples to apples. If students are just listing off random differences, I feel that the true point of comparing is lost.

There is a cute Greek-themed writing paper with the prompt to rewrite the story from another character’s perspective. Other characters in the story besides Theseus and the Minotaur are Poseidon, King Minos, and Ariadne. There are two versions of a narrative writing rubric provided. One is for the teacher and another is for the student. The student rubric is written in more simplified language and also provides boxes for the student’s self-assessment as well as boxes for a writing buddy to check and finally the teacher.

Students can work on retelling the story in groups from different perspectives. There are lovely watercolor puppets of all the major characters for students to reenact the story from different points of view for the class or an audience. If you do this activity and take photos, my Instagram is @amessyclassroom and I’d love to see them!

Rewriting the story may include dialogue, so it’s good for kids to brush up on proper quotation usage and how to write dialogue. A quotations worksheet has been provided for this purpose.

Unless you live in Greece, your students may need help visualizing the locations in the story. The story mentions the Mediterranean Sea, Crete, and Athens. There is a simple Geography worksheet to help your kids better understand these locations.

And it wouldn’t be A Messy Classroom lesson without me suggesting you make a big mess. A fun mosaic craft has been included for those of you who want to find pieces of colored paper on your floor for the next month. For those of you who don’t, you can use the black-and-white version and just have kids color the mosaic tiles to create a picture.

The cover page can also act as a nice poster for your room as you study this unit. Early finishers have a fun maze to complete and there is a Minotaur coloring page. Both of these papers have a short writing prompt as well.

WHAT'S INSIDE?

• 1 Minotaur Poster

• 1 Fiction Story, Theseus and the Minotaur [From the Point-of-View of Theseus]

• 1 Fiction Story, Poor, Poor Minotaur [From the Point-of-View of the Minotaur]

• 24 Vocabulary Cards [12 word cards, 12 definition cards]

• Vocabulary Draw Paper

• Quotations Worksheet

• Compare Stories Recording Paper

• Minotaur Writing Paper

• Narrative Writing Rubric for Teachers

• Narrative Writing Rubric for Students

• Geography Worksheet

• Make a Mosaic Craft

• Paper Puppets for Puppet Show

• Minotaur Maze

• Minotaur Coloring

• Extras

***Mazes and Labyrinths***

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The nonfiction text, Mazes and Labyrinths, is comparing the similarities and differences between the two. This text is written on a second-grade reading level.

Speaking of vocabulary, there are 24 vocabulary cards. There are 12 word cards and 12 definition cards with pictures to help with understanding. The vocabulary words included are: synonyms, meditation, temporary, identify, maze, labyrinth, hedge, self-reflection, branch off, creation, relaxing, and Egypt. These words are used frequently throughout the unit to help reinforce their meanings. Play a game such as pictionary or charades with the cards or reinforce understanding with the provided vocabulary drawing paper.

What learning goals are addressed in this unit?

RI.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. There is a quiz provided to address this standard. There are four multiple-choice questions with one written response question.

L.2.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings. A. Identify real-life connections between words and their use. B. Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs and closely related adjectives. This standard is addressed with the vocabulary cards. There is also a focus on synonyms. The main point of the text is to understand that while mazes and labyrinths are often used interchangeably, there are some subtle differences in the synonyms. There are two main worksheets with 24 synonyms words [12 pairs]. The first worksheet has sentences with the words in bold. There is a word bank provided. It is the student’s job to rewrite the sentences by replacing the bold words with the correct synonym. The second worksheet has words outlining a maze. Their synonyms are bushes to be cut out and stuck on the correct synonym.

There is a paper for recording comparisons between mazes and labyrinths. This paper is structured so that students are finding a similarity, for example, that they both have paths and then comparing how that is different, for example, mazes have multiple paths while labyrinths have one path. I prefer this comparing paper over a Venn diagram for several reasons. First, the middle in the Venn diagram is never big enough to add a sufficient number of similarities. Second, it makes for stronger comparisons if you first start with a similarity so that you can compare apples to apples. If students are just listing off random differences, I feel that the true point of comparing is lost.

There is a fact and opinion paper. Students can read the sentences which are mostly taken from the nonfiction text but may be reworded slightly at times. Then they sort the facts from the opinions. There are eight fact and opinion sentences with four facts and four opinions.

For those of you working on cursive, there is a reading and writing cursive paper provided. Practice the alphabet. Then read and write cursive in this maze-themed paper.

Practice with plurals in another themed paper. The letter z can make for some complicated pluralization. Practice pluralizing -ze, -zz, and -z endings. From mazes to quizzes, practice pluralizing with this themed worksheet.

Work on STEAM as you design and make your own hedge maze. This maze craft includes a planning paper as well as multiple-sized bushes for whatever maze design your students think of. The bushes are meant to be glued or taped on one side and then filed up. This makes a 3D maze.

The cover page can also act as a nice poster for your room as you study this unit. Early finishers have a reflective labyrinth paper to complete and there is a maze coloring page. Both of these papers have a short writing prompt as well.

WHAT'S INSIDE?

• 1 Maze Poster

• 1 Nonfiction Story, Mazes and Labyrinths

• 24 Vocabulary Cards [12 word cards, 12 definition cards]

• Vocabulary Draw Paper

• 1 Fact and Opinion Paper

• 1 Quiz Paper

• 1 Cursive Practice Paper

• 1 Comparison Paper

• 1 Practicing Plurals Paper

• 2 Synonyms Worksheets

• 1 Labyrinth Reflection Worksheet

• 1 Maze Coloring Paper

• Make a 3D Maze Craft

• Extras

***Famous Mazes***

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Read all about Famous Mazes around the world. Mazes mentioned are Hampton Court Palace, Hedge Maze of Villa Pisani, Longleat Hedge Maze, Yancheng Dafeng Dream Maze, and the Richardson Corn Maze. From the UK to the USA, Italy to China this text explores mazes all around the world. This text was written on a second-grade reading level. The vocabulary is used throughout the text and unit.

Speaking of vocabulary, there are 32 vocabulary cards. There are 16 word cards and 16 definition cards with pictures to help with understanding. The vocabulary words included are minotaur, survive, Marquesses, currently, elk, adventure, trail, stalls, concentric, hedge, confuse, dead end, maze, labyrinth, design, and temporary. These words are used frequently throughout the unit to help reinforce their meanings. Play a game such as Pictionary or charades with the cards or reinforce understanding with a vocabulary drawing paper.

The main learning goal of this unit is RI.2.5: Know and use various text features to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.

There is a text features worksheet where students can review common text features in a text by identifying which text features are in the Famous Mazes text. Then they can reflect on how the sidebar was helpful for them understanding the text. Focus on titles in particular with three worksheets. One is about capitalizing titles. The Second is about the book cover and how the title and cover picture work together to help people know what the book is about. The final one has students designing their own book cover with the title and images. There are also three exit tickets that focus on text features for students to quickly complete at the end of a lesson.

There is a fun and engaging corn maze craft. This craft has students designing their own corn maze. Then they will make a 3D version by pressing down the corn just like with a real corn maze.

Your students may need help visualizing the locations in the text. Geography is always an important concept to brush up on. The text mentions the United States of America, The United Kingdom, Italy, and China. There are two simple Geography worksheets to help your kids better understand these locations. The first has them going back in the text and finding the names of the countries mentioned. Then they locate them on a labeled map. On another day, they can complete the second worksheet which has the countries colored on the map and has the students identify and label them. These simple geography worksheets can help students to better understand how the famous mazes are spread out.

There are several math worksheets in this unit. The first is practicing with reading and writing large numbers. This worksheet is addressing 2.NBT.A.3 Read and write numbers to 1000 using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Students will read sentences using large number words and will write them in numerical form. Next, students will practice with place value. This mostly focuses on the thousands place but also has a few that go up to the millions. Finally, students will practice reading about and writing Roman numerals. It was necessary to include Roman numerals in the text so these worksheets are to help students better understand what they are reading.

Practice comprehension and RI.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. There are two different quizzes. The first is multiple-choice with five multiple-choice questions. The second is a written response quiz that also has five questions. You can pair them together to make a ten-question quiz or you can use one as a group activity and the second as an assessment.

The cover page can also act as a nice poster for your room as you study this unit. There are lots of early finisher activities that help to incorporate art into the unit. One is a coloring page. The students will color an elk. Why an elk? Because the Yancheng Dafeng Dream Maze is shaped like an elk and I wanted to make sure all students knew what that looked like. There is also an elk drawing page for the same reason. Finally, there is a maze where students can help a chick get to some corn by walking through the maze.

WHAT'S INSIDE?

• 1 Poster

• 1 Nonfiction Text, Famous Mazes

• 32 Vocabulary Cards [16 word cards, 16 definition cards]

• Vocabulary Draw Paper

• Locate the Countries Geography Worksheet

• Identify the Countries Geography Worksheet

• Maze Numbers- Reading Numbers Worksheet

• Place Value Worksheet

• Read and Write Roman numerals Worksheets

• Multiple Choice Questions

• Written Response Questions

• Text Features Worksheet

• Capitalizing Titles Worksheet

• Book Title Worksheet

• Design a Book Cover Worksheet

• Design a Corn Maze Craft

• Elk Coloring Page

• Corn Maze Worksheet

• Elk Drawing Worksheet

• 3 Exit Tickets

• Extras

***Many Kinds of Mazes***

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The nonfiction text, Many Kinds of Mazes, discusses different kinds of mazes. This includes hedge mazes, corn mazes, mirror mazes, labyrinths, and mazes of different shapes. This two-page text is written on a second-grade reading level.

Speaking of vocabulary, there are 32 vocabulary cards. There are 16 word cards and 16 definition cards with pictures to help with understanding. The vocabulary words included are: mosaic, cornstalk, carnival, harvest, concentric, reflect, confuse, waist, maze, labyrinth, temporary, unique, hedge, meditation, design, and dead end. These words are used frequently throughout the unit to help reinforce their meanings. Play a game such as Pictionary or charades with the cards or reinforce understanding with the provided vocabulary drawing paper.

What learning goals are addressed in this unit?

RI.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. There are two quizzes with this unit. There is a multiple-choice quiz with five questions and a written response quiz with five questions. These can be used as separate activities. Students can complete the written response in groups and do the multiple choice on their own. Or you can combine them as one larger quiz.

W.2.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or sections. There is a maze writing paper with an opinion prompt. Also provided are two rubrics. Each rubric is an opinion rubric. One is for teachers to use which clearly defines the criteria for a proficient opinion paper. The second is for kids which states the same proficiency criteria but using more simple language.

There is a fact and opinion paper. Students can read the sentences which are mostly taken from the nonfiction text but may be reworded slightly at times. Then they sort the facts from the opinions. There are eight fact and opinion sentences with four facts and four opinions.

There is a paper for recording comparisons between different mazes. This paper is structured so that students are finding a similarity. For example, both hedge mazes and corn mazes are formed with plants. They can then compare how that is different. For example, hedge mazes are made from bushes, and corn mazes are made from corn. I prefer this comparing paper over a Venn diagram for several reasons. First, the middle in the Venn diagram is never big enough to add a sufficient number of similarities. Second, it makes for stronger comparisons if you first start with a similarity so that you can compare apples to apples. If students are just listing off random differences, I feel that the true point of comparing is lost.

RI.2.5 Know and use text features to locate key facts in a text efficiently. There is a text features worksheet where students can review common text features in a text by identifying which text features are in the Many Kinds of Mazes text. Then they can reflect on how the title was helpful for them in understanding the text.

The cover page can also act as a nice poster for your room as you study this unit. There are three exit tickets that help to quickly gauge student understanding. Early finishers have a maze to complete and there is a coloring page. Both of these papers have a short writing prompt as well.

WHAT'S INSIDE?

• 1 Poster

• 1 Nonfiction Story, Many Kinds of Mazes

• 32 Vocabulary Cards [16 word cards, 16 definition cards]

• Vocabulary Draw Paper

• 1 Fact and Opinion Paper

• 1 Multiple Choice Quiz Paper

• 1 Written Response Quiz Paper

• Maze Opinion Writing Paper

• Opinion Writing Rubric for Teachers

• Opinion Writing Rubric for Students

• 1 Comparison Paper

• 1 Text Features Worksheet

• 1 Maze Coloring Paper

• 1 Coloring Page

• 3 Exit Tickets

• Extras

***Maze Spelling Unit ***

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Spelling word poster with words and a picture for each word

Introduce the spelling words with a helpful printable. The words are listed with a picture for each word. This can hang in the class or you can print this to give to the kids so they have their list of words to practice ready to go.

12 Spelling words with the letter z [maze, daze, haze, doze, ooze, snooze, buzz, jazz, wiz, quiz, size, prize]

Learning nonsense words is not very effective for retention. And if the students have no idea what the words mean, then they are nonsense words to that student. While the spelling words are not the vocabulary words, I do take some time when first introducing them to make sure students understand what the words mean. Most of the words will be familiar to them, but when having to focus on a particular spelling pattern, I sometimes have to use less familiar words. I check for their understanding with the worksheet Match the Words. Students match the spelling words to the correct picture. This doesn’t guarantee that they understand the word on a deep level, but it works well enough for spelling words. I also make sure to use the words in sentences throughout the week as well as have students point out when they find a spelling word in a book.

In keeping with understanding the words, I like to make sure the students can have some practice with seeing the words in context. As poetry can be difficult to incorporate, I like to also use this time to have a weekly poem. Therefore we have our weekly funny spelling poem. Kids can read the words in context with a funny poem. I try to make the poems as cohesive as possible but sometimes they get a bit silly when trying to incorporate all the spelling words. Have students read the poem and do a word search to find the spelling words in the poem.

Sort the Spelling Words by spelling pattern in a simple worksheet. Students practice with the spelling words by organizing them into columns according to the spelling patterns that are being focused on for the week.

Categorize the Words is a great activity for really understanding the letters in the words. There are many ways to sort spelling words. Kids’ minds work differently. It can help them to sort them in many different ways. They can turn this into a game with a friend where one classmate sorts the words and the other tries to guess the rule for how they sorted them. They can also just do this as a one-time activity where they sort the words and label the categories. Some categories might be number of letters, number of vowels, beginning letters, end letters, and different spelling patterns.

Finish the Word Pattern is a simple paper where students are given some letters and complete the pattern to form the spelling word. I like to do this earlier in the week when kids are still getting familiar with the words as it helps them remember what patterns we are focusing on.

It’s always good to through some alphabetical words practice in when you can. This simple worksheet gives students space to put the spelling words in ABC order.

Practice making the spelling words with this printable themed alphabet. There are enough letters to make all of the spelling words. Kids can make the spelling words and glue down the letters.

The cover page can also act as a nice poster for your room as you study this unit. There are five homework or center work activities that help to reinforce spelling practice.

Color Code the Words is an important activity where students can practice writing the words while distinguishing the vowels from the consonants. They write the vowels in blue and the consonants in red. If you are low on markers or colored pencils you can always allow kids to switch the colors so long as they create a key and are consistent. I taught my students about warm and cool colors. They are allowed to use any warm colors for the consonants, except yellow, and any cool colors for the vowels.

Another is a drawing worksheet, titled Draw the Words, where students can draw a picture. They can then hide the spelling words within the picture. If done as center work, they can switch papers and find each other’s hidden words.

Fancy Words is another worksheet where students write the words. For this activity, they practice writing in a different font. They can practice their cursive if this is something you are working on, or they can just choose whatever style they want. Bubble letters, zig-zag letters, and box letters are common choices for kids. You can project or print the example to give them ideas. One of my students loves to incorporate the word whenever they do this activity. For example, if the word was flower they would write it in flowers or if the word was fog they would write it using clouds.

A simple write-the-words worksheet is for students to write the words three times each. I encourage them to say and spell the word as they write them and write out the full word each time. They are not allowed to do one letter at a time. This is one of the only times I allow pens on work papers so that encourages them.

Another simple worksheet helps students practice writing the words by writing them in different colors. This paper is called Rainbow Words. They can use as many colors as they want but must use at least three colors. Some students like to make each letter its own color which I allow.

What's Inside?

• Maze Poster

• 12 Spelling words with the letter z [maze, daze, haze, doze, ooze, snooze, buzz, jazz, wiz, quiz, size, prize]

• Spelling word poster with words and a picture for each word

• Match the words to the picture to check student understanding of the meaning

• Read the words in context with a funny poem

• Sort the Spelling Words by spelling pattern

• Finish the Word Pattern

• Categorize the Words

• Put the Spelling Words in ABC Order

• A cute themed alphabet to make the spelling words

• 5 Center or Homework activities:

- Write the Words

- Draw the Words

- Rainbow Words

- Fancy Words

- Color Code the Words

There are 107 Unique pages 538 total pages

Documents are available in full color, ink-saving color, black and white, and ink-saving black and white

Answer sheets and rubrics are available where applicable

The Text levels can be compared with: 2nd grade, age 7-8, lexis 810, AR 2.5, DRA 28, Fountas & Pinnell L, reading recover 20, PM readers 22 gold

These units were originally made for 2nd grade but can be used with many elementary grades and possibly even an advanced preschooler.

Check out this Carnivorous Plant Unit!

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