Grade 2 ELA CA Core Standards

Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words both in isolation and in text. CA

Read with sufcient accuracy and fuency to support comprehension.

Read with sufcient accuracy and fuency to support comprehension.

Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions, including sustained dialogue, by listening attentively, following turn-taking rules, asking relevant questions, affirming others, adding pertinent information, building on responses, and providing useful feedback.

Contribute to conversations and express ideas by asking and answering yes-no and wh- questions and responding using gestures, words, and learned phrases.

Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions, including sustained dialogue, by listening attentively, following turn-taking rules, asking relevant questions, affirming others, and adding relevant information.

Write longer literary texts (e.g., a story) and informational texts (e.g., an explanatory text explaining how a volcano erupts) collaboratively with an adult (e.g., joint construction), with peers and independently.

Write very short literary texts (e.g., story) and informational texts (e.g., a description of a volcano) using familiar vocabulary collaboratively with an adult (e.g., joint construction of texts), with peers, and sometimes independently.

Write short literary texts (e.g., a story) and informational texts (e.g., an explanatory text explaining how a volcano erupts) collaboratively with an adult (e.g., joint construction of texts), with peers, and with increasing independence.

Support opinions or persuade others by providing good reasons and detailed textual evidence (e.g., specific events or graphics from text) or relevant background knowledge about the content.

Support opinions by providing good reasons and some textual evidence or relevant background knowledge (e.g., referring to textual evidence or knowledge of content).

Support opinions by providing good reasons and increasingly detailed textual evidence (e.g., providing examples from the text) or relevant background knowledge about the content.

Retell texts and recount experiences using increasingly detailed complete sentences and key words.

Retell texts and recount experiences by using key words.

Retell texts and recount experiences using complete sentences and key words.

Use a wide variety of general academic and domain-specific words, synonyms, antonyms, and non-literal language (e.g., He was as quick as a cricket) to create an effect, precision, and shades of meaning while speaking and writing.

Use a select number of general academic and domain-specific words to add detail (e.g., adding the word generous to describe a character, using the word lava to explain volcanic eruptions) while speaking and writing.

Use a growing number of general academic and domain-specific words in order to add detail, create an effect (e.g., using the word suddenly to signal a change), or create shades of meaning (e.g., scurry versus dash) while speaking and writing.

Collaborate with peers on joint writing projects of a variety of longer informational and literary texts, using technology where appropriate for publishing, graphics, and the like.

Collaborate with peers on joint writing projects of short informational and literary texts, using technology where appropriate for publishing, graphics, and the like.

Collaborate with peers on joint writing projects of longer informational and literary texts, using technology where appropriate for publishing, graphics, and the like.

Offer opinions and negotiate with others in conversations using a variety of learned phrases (e.g., That's a good idea, but X), as well as open responses, in order to gain and/or hold the floor, provide counterarguments, elaborate on an idea, and the like.

Offer opinions and negotiate with others in conversations using learned phrases (e.g., I think X.), as well as open responses, in order to gain and/or hold the floor.

Offer opinions and negotiate with others in conversations using an expanded set of learned phrases (e.g., I agree with X, but X.), as well as open responses, in order to gain and/or hold the floor, provide counterarguments, and the like.

Adjust language choices according to purpose (e.g., persuading, entertaining), task, and audience (e.g., peer-to-peer versus peer-to-teacher), with light support from peers or adults.

Recognize that language choices (e.g., vocabulary) vary according to social setting (e.g., playground versus classroom), with substantial support from peers or adults.

Adjust language choices (e.g., vocabulary, use of dialogue, and so on) according to purpose (e.g., persuading, entertaining), task, and audience (e.g., peers versus adults), with moderate support from peers or adults.

Demonstrate active listening to read-alouds and oral presentations by asking and answering detailed questions, with minimal prompting and light support.

Demonstrate active listening to read-alouds and oral presentations by asking and answering basic questions, with oral sentence frames and substantial prompting and support.

Demonstrate active listening to read-alouds and oral presentations by asking and answering detailed questions, with oral sentence frames and occasional prompting and support.

Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., erosion), and text elements (e.g., central message, character traits) using key details based on understanding of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with light support.

Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., plant life cycle), and text elements (e.g., main idea, characters, events) based on understanding of a select set of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with substantial support.

Describe ideas, phenomena (e.g., how earthworms eat), and text elements (e.g., setting, events) in greater detail based on understanding of a variety of grade-level texts and viewing of multimedia, with moderate support.

Describe how well writers or speakers use specific language resources to support an opinion or present an idea (e.g., whether the vocabulary used to present evidence is strong enough), with light support.

Describe the language writers or speakers use to present an idea (e.g., the words and phrases used to describe a character), with prompting and substantial support.

Describe the language writers or speakers use to present or support an idea (e.g., the author's choice of vocabulary or phrasing to portray characters, places, or real people), with prompting and moderate support.

Distinguish how multiple different words with similar meaning (e.g., pleased versus happy versus ecstatic, heard or knew versus believed) produce shades of meaning and different effects on the audience.

Distinguish how two different frequently used words (e.g., describing a character as happy versus angry) produce a different effect on the audience.

Distinguish how two different words with similar meaning (e.g., describing a character as happy versus ecstatic) produce shades of meaning and different effects on the audience.

Plan and deliver longer oral presentations on a variety of topics and content areas (e.g., retelling a story, recounting a science experiment, describing how to solve a mathematics problem).

Plan and deliver very brief oral presentations (e.g., recounting an experience, retelling a story, describing a picture).

Plan and deliver brief oral presentations on a variety of topics (e.g., retelling a story, describing an animal).

Apply understanding of how different text types are organized predictably to express ideas (e.g., a narrative versus an informative/explanatory text versus an opinion text) to comprehending and writing texts independently.

Apply understanding of how different text types are organized to express ideas (e.g., how a story is organized sequentially) to comprehending and composing texts in shared language activities guided by the teacher, with peers, and sometimes independently.

Apply understanding of how different text types are organized to express ideas (e.g., how a story is organized sequentially with predictable stages versus how an information report is organized by topic and details) to comprehending texts and composing texts with increasing independence.

Apply understanding of how ideas, events, or reasons are linked throughout a text using a variety of connecting words or phrases (e.g., for example, after that, suddenly) to comprehending and writing texts independently.

Apply basic understanding of how ideas, events, or reasons are linked throughout a text using more everyday connecting words or phrases (e.g., today, then) to comprehending and composing texts in shared language activities guided by the teacher, with peers, and sometimes independently.

Apply understanding of how ideas, events, or reasons are linked throughout a text using a growing number of connecting words or phrases (e.g., after a long time, first/next) to comprehending texts and writing texts with increasing independence.

Use a variety of verb types (e.g., doing, saying, being/having, thinking/feeling) independently.

Use frequently used verbs (e.g., walk, run) and verb types (e.g., doing, saying, being/having, thinking/feeling) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Use a growing number of verb types (e.g., doing, saying, being/having, thinking/feeling) with increasing independence.

Use a wide variety of verb tenses appropriate to the text type and discipline to convey time (e.g., simple present tense for a science description, simple future to predict) independently.

Use simple verb tenses appropriate to the text type and discipline to convey time (e.g., simple past tense for recounting an experience) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Use a growing number of verb tenses appropriate to the text type and discipline to convey time (e.g., simple past tense for retelling, simple present for a science description) with increasing independence.

Expand noun phrases in a variety of ways (e.g., adding comparative/superlative adjectives to nouns) in order to enrich the meaning of phrases/sentences and to add details about ideas, people, things, and the like, independently.

Expand noun phrases in simple ways (e.g., adding a familiar adjective to describe a noun) in order to enrich the meaning of sentences and to add details about ideas, people, things, and the like, in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Expand noun phrases in a growing number of ways (e.g., adding a newly learned adjective to a noun) in order to enrich the meaning of sentences and to add details about ideas, people, things, and the like, with increasing independence.

Expand sentences with a variety of adverbials (e.g., adverbs, adverb phrases, prepositional phrases) to provide details (e.g., time, manner, place, cause) independently.

Expand sentences with frequently used adverbials (e.g., prepositional phrases, such as at school, with my friend) to provide details (e.g., time, manner, place, cause) about a familiar activity or process in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Expand sentences with a growing number of adverbials (e.g., adverbs, prepositional phrases) to provide details (e.g., time, manner, place, cause) about a familiar or new activity or process with increasing independence.

Combine clauses in a wide variety of ways (e.g., rearranging complete, simple-to-form compound sentences) to make connections between and to join ideas (e.g., The boy was hungry. The boy ate a sandwich. → The boy was hungry so he ate a sandwich) independently.

Combine clauses in a few basic ways to make connections between and to join ideas (e.g., creating compound sentences using and, but, so) in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Combine clauses in an increasing variety of ways to make connections between and to join ideas, for example, to express cause/effect (e.g., She jumped because the dog barked) with increasing independence.

Condense clauses in a variety of ways (e.g., through embedded clauses and other condensing as in, It's a plant. It's green and red. It's found in the tropical rain forest. → It's a green and red plant that's found in the tropical rain forest) to create precise and detailed sentences independently.

Condense clauses in simple ways (e.g., changing: It's green. It's red. → It's green and red) to create precise and detailed sentences in shared language activities guided by the teacher and sometimes independently.

Condense clauses in a growing number of ways (e.g., through embedded clauses as in, It's a plant. It's found in the rain forest. → It's a green and red plant that's found in the rain forest) to create precise and detailed sentences with increasing independence.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Use collective nouns (e.g., group).

Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice, fish).

Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).

Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told).

Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.

Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the little boy).

Create readable documents with legible print.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names.

Use commas in greetings and closings of letters.

Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives.

Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage → badge; boy → boil).

Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Compare formal and informal uses of English.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell).

Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).

Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words (e.g., birdhouse, lighthouse, housefly; bookshelf, notebook, bookmark).

Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in all content areas.

Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy).

Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny).

Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy).

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Production and Distribution of Writing

Reading Standards for Literature

Print Concepts

Phonics and Word Recognition

Comprehension and Collaboration

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

Productive (creation of oral presentations and written texts)

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

Craft and Structure

Key Ideas and Details

Phonological Awareness

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Key Ideas and Details

Collaborative (engagement in dialogue with others)

Supporting own opinions and evaluating others' opinions in speaking and writing

Interpretive (comprehension and analysis of written and spoken texts)

Knowledge of Language

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words both in isolation and in text. CA

Analyzing how writers and speakers use vocabulary and other language resources for specific purposes (to explain, persuade, entertain, etc.) depending on modality, text type, purpose, audience, topic, and content area

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Conventions of Standard English

Comprehension and Collaboration

Evaluating how well writers and speakers use language to support ideas and opinions with details or reasons depending on modality, text type, purpose, audience, topic, and content area

Writing Standards

Fluency

Adapting language choices to various contexts (based on task, purpose, audience, and text type)

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Interacting with others in written English in various communicative forms (print, communicative technology, and multimedia)

Craft and Structure

Review of Phonological Awareness skills as needed.

Language Standards

Reading Standards for Informational Text

Selecting and applying varied and precise vocabulary and language structures to effectively convey ideas

Conventions of Standard English

Writing literary and informational texts to present, describe, and explain ideas and information, using appropriate technology

Understanding text structure

Using verbs and verb phrases

Structuring Cohesive Texts

Speaking and Listening Standards

Reading closely literary and informational texts and viewing multimedia to determine how meaning is conveyed explicitly and implicitly through language

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

Phonics and Word Recognition

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills

Phonics and Word Recognition

(Begins in grade 2)

Expressing information and ideas in formal oral presentations on academic topics

Offering and supporting opinions and negotiating with others in communicative exchanges

Knowledge of Language

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Text Types and Purposes

Connecting ideas

Craft and Structure

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Key Ideas and Details

Expanding and Enriching Ideas

Modifying to add details

Interacting in Meaningful Ways

(Not applicable to literature)

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

Fluency

(Begins in grade 4)

Connecting and Condensing Ideas

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Text Types and Purposes

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Condensing ideas

Print Skills

Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative conversations on a range of social and academic topics

Understanding cohesion

Using Foundational Literacy Skills

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Range of Writing

Fluency

Range of Writing

Listening actively to spoken English in a range of social and academic contexts

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Learning About How English Works

Oral Skills

Using nouns and noun phrases

Production and Distribution of Writing

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

RF.1.1

RF.1.2

RF.1.3

RF.1.3

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words both in isolation and in text.

Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words.

Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.

Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels.

Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.

Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences.

Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

RF.2.3

RF.2.3

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.

Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.

Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

RF.2.4

RF.2.4

RF.K.1

RF.K.2

RF.K.3

RF.K.3

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2—3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.

Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.(See grade 2 Language standards 4–6 for additional expectations.)

Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.

Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.

Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.

Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2—3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

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

Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.

Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

Build on others' talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.

Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.

Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Give and follow three- and four-step oral directions.

Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.

Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.

Plan and deliver a narrative presentation that: recounts a well-elaborated event, includes details, reflects a logical sequence, and provides a conclusion.

Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

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 (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.

With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).

Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Condensing ideas within sentences using a variety of language resources

Connecting ideas within sentences by combining clauses

Using Foundational Literacy Skills

Connecting and Condensing Ideas

Interacting in Meaningful Ways

Collaborative Engagement in dialogue with others

Exchanging information/ideas via oral communication and conversations

Interacting via written English (print and multimedia)

Offering opinions and negotiating with/persuading others

Adapting language choices to various contexts

Interpretive Comprehension and analysis of written and spoken texts

Listening actively and asking/answering questions about what was heard

Reading closely and explaining interpretations/ideas from reading

Evaluating how well writers and speakers use language to present or support ideas

Analyzing how writers use vocabulary and other language resources for specific purposes

Productive Creation of oral presentations and written texts

Composing/writing literary and informational texts

Supporting opinions or justifying arguments and evaluating others’ opinions or arguments

Selecting and applying varied and precise vocabulary and other language

Expressing information and ideas in oral presentations

Learning About How English Works

Structuring Cohesive Texts

Understanding text structure and organization based on purpose, text type, and discipline

Understanding cohesion and how language resources across a text contribute to the way a text unfolds and flows

Expanding and Enriching Ideas

Using verbs and verb phrases to create precision and clarity in different text types

Using nouns and noun phrases to expand ideas and provide more detail

Modifying to add details