Second Grade Science
Second Grade: Earth and Space Science
September-October
Observations of the Environment – The Atmosphere
Earth and Space Focus: Air and water as they relate to weather and weather changes that can be observed and measured
Big Idea 2: Water is present in the air.
Prior Knowledge (base knowledge)
Grade 2
Future Application of these concepts
PreK-K: Wind and water are observable parts of weather;
this unit
Grades 3-5: The states and conservation of matter, weathering and erosion of
Earth’s surface, seasonal changes and energy transfer are explored.
Grade 1: Sunlight warms water and air, and the physical
properties of water can change (liquid to solid, solid to liquid)
Enduring Understandings
Content Statement
Grades 6-8: The hydrologic cycle, transfer of energy between the hydrosphere
and lithosphere, and biogeochemical cycles are studies.
Essential Questions
Student Inquiry and Application
(including Performance Tasks)
Students will understand and demonstrate…
Students will know that…
Water is present in the air.


Water is present in the air as clouds,
steam, fog, rain, ice, snow, sleet or
hail. When water in the air cools
(change of energy), it forms small
droplets of water that can be seen as
clouds.
Water can change from liquid to
vapor in the air and from vapor to
liquid. The water droplets can form
Academic
Vocabulary
 How can water be
present in the air?

(Knowledge/Recall) Recognize that clouds, steam, fog, hail,
snow, sleet and hail as examples of water in the atmosphere

 What makes clouds?

 How can changes in
temperature affect
changes in water
within the air?
(Knowledge/Recall) Recall that water can change from solid
to liquid to vapor and/or vapor to liquid to solid. Identify
clouds as droplets of water and the droplets can combine and
form into raindrops.

(Reason/Interpret) Compare the different appearances of
clouds (shapes, sizes, shades of white/gray) and document
over a period of time. Find if there is a relationship between
the characteristics/appearance of the clouds and the weather







 What causes water in
the air to change

water vapor
(water in the
air)
water cycle
atmosphere
precipitation
condensation
evaporation
characteristics
cloud
formation
severe
into raindrops. Water droplets can
change to solid by freezing into snow,
sleet, or hail.

form?
(storms, precipitation, types and or amounts).
(Reason/Interpret) Experiment, investigate, and understand
condensation and evaporation in depth (not memorizing the
water cycle itself). See “Making Clouds in a Bottle.” Use
appropriate tools and technology to observe, share results,
and to document data. Make connections between air
temperature and changes in water.

(Product/Design/Engineer) Design and construct a community
in an aquarium that is enclosed and has soil, plants and water.
Test effects of sun on evaporation and condensation rates and
the air and/or water temperature.

(Performance Skill/Demonstrate) Plan and implement
experiment to investigate what factors contribute to water
evaporation. Plan and implement an experiment to
investigate what happens when pollution is in body of water
that evaporates.
Clouds are moved by the flowing air.
(Note: There is no emphasis on
naming cloud types, but rather to
relate the characteristics of clouds
with weather.)
Student misconception to dispel: The
misconception that clouds are like
cotton and/or have a solid “feel” to
them is to be dispelled using
investigations that are directly
related to condensation and cloud
formation.


weather
rain gauge
Resources:


Air/climate - http://essea.strategies.org/module.php?module_id=140
“Making Clouds in a Bottle” - http://eo.ucar.edu/kids/images/AtmoExp1.pdf
Assessment:





How is water present in the air? In what forms?
Why does it change from one form to another?
What characteristics of clouds predict what type of weather?
What are the conditions required for condensation and evaporation?
Plan and implement an experiment to investigate what conditions are required for water evaporation into the atmosphere and condensation. Share the
different results with a small group or an expert panel.
Rubric:




What conditions were required to actually observe condensation or evaporation?
How was data collected and documented? What were the findings?
Speaking/Language objectives
Writing objectives
Physical Science
Topic: Changes in Motion
November-January
Big Idea: Forces change the motion of an object.
Prior Knowledge (base knowledge)
Grade 2
K-1: Vibrating objects are observed producing sound. Motion is described as a change
in an object’s position. Forces are pushes and pulls that can change the motion of
objects.
this unit
Enduring Understandings
Content Statements




Students will know that…
Forces change the motion of an object.
Motion can increase, change direction or
stop depending on the force applied.
The change in motion of an object is related
to the size of the force.
Some forces act without touching, such as
using a magnet to move an object or objects
falling to the ground.
Note: At this grade level, gravitational and magnetic
forces should be introduced through observation
and experimentation only. The definitions of these
forces should not be the focus of the content
statements.
Essential Questions
Future Application of these concepts
Grades 3-5: The amount of change in movement of an object depends
on the mass* of the object and the amount of force exerted. (*While
mass is the scientifically correct term to use in this context, the NAEP
2009 Science Framework (p 27) recommends using the more familiar
term “weight” in the elementary grades.
Student Inquiry and Application
Students will understand and demonstrate…

(Knowledge/Recall) Investigate how noncontact
forces can affect motion. Identify a noncontact
force that can affect the motion of an object.
Investigate ways to change the motion of objects.
Give two examples of how a force can be applied
to an object. Identify contact/noncontact forces
that affect the motion of an object (e.g., gravity,
magnetic force, contact). Recognize that greater
changes in the motion of an object require
greater/stronger forces.

(Reasoning/Interpreting/Communicating)
Investigate how noncontact forces can affect
motion. Pictorially represent the device that was
designed to move a matchbox car from one
position to another without touching it. Compare
the designs and their effectiveness from the
different groups in the class.

Investigate ways to change the motion of objects.
Represent the observations from the experiment
on exploring how to change how something is
How can applying a
force change the
motion of an object?
Academic Vocabulary



















Force
Noncontact
Motion
Magnetic
Gravity
Attract
Repel
Increase
Decrease
Stop
Start
Hypothesis
Problem (Question)
Materials/Tools
Procedure
Observation
Data (Record)
Results
Conclusion
moving (e.g., push, pull, speeding up, slowing
down, changing direction, stopping).
Compare what is needed to get stationary objects
moving and what is needed to get moving objects
to stop.

(Performance/Demonstrate) ) Investigate how
noncontact forces can affect motion. Plan and
implement a scientific experiment to explore the
effects some objects have on others even when
the two objects might not touch (e.g., magnets).
Investigate ways to change the motion of objects.
Plan and implement a scientific experiment to
explore how to change how something is moving
(e.g., push, pull, speeding up, slowing down,
changing direction, stopping).
Predict the changes in motion that a moving
object or an object at rest experiences when
acted on by a force (e.g., push, pull, gravity).

(Product/Design/Engineer) ) Investigate how
noncontact forces can affect motion. Design and
construct a device to move a matchbox car from
one position to another without touching it. Test
the device and evaluate the design.
Resources:









Making Objects Move Lesson: http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/making-objects-move/
Background information on Static Electricity: http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/staticintro.html / http://videos.howstuffworks.com/howstuffworks/51311-stuff-to-blow-your-kids-mind-staticelectricity-video.htm
Rubbing Up Against Static Electricity: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Elec_p017.shtml#makeityourown
Balloons and static electricity (refers to an attachment but there is no link): http://www.teach-nology.com/lessons/lsn_pln_view_lessons.php?action=view&cat_id=8&lsn_id=14393
Static Electricity Activities: What Will a Charged Balloon Attract?: http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/balloon.html /
Your Admirer is a Balloon: http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/admirer.html / Dancing Paper Bunnies: http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/bunnies.html
Magnets and Springs interactive online activity: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/7_8/magnets_springs.shtml
Exploring Magnetism (have to scroll down to find some magnet activities; inquiry can be developed by having students make predictions, then test those predictions about magnetic and nonmagnetic items): http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/NASADocs/magbook2002.pdf
Background information for you on Gravity: http://www.physics4kids.com/files/motion_gravity.html
Background information for you on Bumper Cars (something for students to relate to on the difficult of moving something or changing speed of something

with a greater mass): http://www.learner.org/interactives/parkphysics/bumpcars.html
Great background for you on Newton’s 3 Laws:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYVMlmL0BPQ&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active













BrainPop Pushes and Pulls Movie (review from 1st, if needed): http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/pushesandpulls/ (need subscription to view)
BrainPop Simple Machines (Use and Change of Force) Movie: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/simplemachines/ (need subscription to view)
BrainPop Simple Machines Activity: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/simplemachines/activity/ (Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
BrainPop Gravity Movie: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/gravity/ (need subscription to view)
BrainPop Gravity Activity: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/gravity/activity/ (Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
BrainPop Gravity Activity ideas: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/gravity/grownups.weml (Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
BrainPop Static Electricity Movie: http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/staticelectricity/(need subscription to view)
BrainPop Static Electricity Q&A: http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/staticelectricity/qanda.weml (Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
BrainPop Static Electricity Basic Experiment: http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/staticelectricity/experiment/
BrainPop Magnetism Movie: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/magnets/ (need subscription to view)
BrainPop Magnetism Activity: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/magnets/activity/ (Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
BrainPop Magnetism Game: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/magnets/draganddrop/ (Do NOT need a subscription to use.)
BrainPop Magnetism Activity Ideas: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/magnets/grownups.weml (Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
Assessment:







Making Objects Move: Draw a picture of the structure you built. Explain what it does and how it works, using words and/or pictures. /
Draw a picture to show what you could do to the structure to make the ball (or car) go faster and/or slower
BrainPop Pushes and Pulls Hard Quiz: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/pushesandpulls/hardquiz/ (Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
BrainPop Gravity Easy Quiz: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/gravity/easyquiz/(Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
BrainPop Gravity Hard Quiz: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/gravity/hardquiz/(Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
BrainPop Gravity Draw About It: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/gravity/drawaboutit/(Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
BrainPop Magnets Easy Quiz: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/forces/magnets/easyquiz/ (Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
BrainPop Static Electricity Quiz options: http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/staticelectricity/quiz/(Do NOT need a subscription to view/print)
Unit 3: Life Science
Topic: Interactions with Habitats
February-May
Grade 2 - Life Science (LS)
Interactions within Habitats
Focus on how ecosystems work by observations of simple interactions between the biotic/living and abiotic/nonliving parts of an ecosystem. Just as living things
impact the environment in which they live, the environment impacts living things.
Big Idea: Just as living things impact the environment in which they live, the environment impacts living things.
Prior Knowledge (base knowledge)
K-1: Observe macroscopic characteristics of living things. Including basic survival
needs of living things, how living things get resources from the environment and how
available resources vary throughout the course of a year.
Enduring Understandings
Content Statements
Students will know that…
Living things cause changes on
Earth.


Living things function and
interact with their physical
environments.
Living things cause changes
in the environments where
they live; the changes can
be very noticeable or
slightly noticeable, fast or
slow.
Essential Questions
How do living things
cause changes on
habitats?
Grade 2
this unit
Future Application of these concepts
Grades 4: Changes in an organism’s environment are sometimes
beneficial to its survival and sometimes harmful
Student Inquiry and Application
Students will understand and demonstrate…

How do changes in
habitat affect living
things?


(Skill/Performance) Conduct investigations (in nature or virtually) to
document specific changes and the results of the changes must be used to
demonstrate the understanding; Represent data (table of data, chart,
pictograph)
NOTE: based on student ideas not from a readymade kit
Examples:
 Design and build a working work composting bin or an ant farm to
observe;
 Plan and conduct an investigation that compares identical soil samples
(one with earthworms/ one without earthworms) over extended period
of time. Include data about temperature, amount of moisture,
appearance, materials added, materials removed and/or odor
 observe earthworm compost bins
 weeds growing on vacant lots
(Reasoning/Interpret) Identify the impact the environment has on living
things and how living things impact the environment.
(Knowledge/Recall) Recognize scientifically accurate facts in stories about
environmental change caused by living things.
Academic Vocabulary















habitat
interaction
biotic (living)
abiotic (nonliving)
impact
environment
scientifically
accurate
hypothesis
problem
(question)
materials/tools
procedure
observation
data
results
conclusion
Resources:
Making a compost system: http://www.wikihow.com/Make‐Your‐Own‐Worm‐Compost‐System, Brainpop
Building an Ant Farm: http://askabiologist.asu.edu/how/building‐ant‐farm
Plants and Animals Cause A Change
http://www.crscience.org/lessonplans/2_fossils_batavia_07-08.pdf
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/02/lp260-04.shtml
http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit350/lesson2.html
Assessment: Have students watch video and complete written assessment. Both are needed to answer the questions.
 Video
 Written Assessment