School District of Upper Moreland Township
2900 Terwood Road
Willow Grove, PA 19090
Planned Course for Science
Course: Second Grade Science:
Standards:
NGSS
LS1: From Molecules to Organisms- Structures
and Processes
LS2: Ecosystems- Interactions, Energy, and
Dynamics
LS3: Heredity- Inheritance and Variation of
Traits
LS4: Biological Evolution- Unity and
Diversity
PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces and
Interactions
PS4: Waves and their Applications in
Technologies for Information Transfer
ESS2: Earth’s Systems
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
PA Standards
3.1.A Organisms and Cells
3.1.B Genetics
3.1.C Evolution
3.2.B Physics
3.3.A Earth Structures,
Processes and Cycles
Course Description:
The School District of Upper Moreland Township’s Science Program provides courses that meet
the educational needs, interests and ability levels of all students. The science program courses
are designed to apply scientific ways of thinking to real world situations; they prepare students to
appreciate and explore the world around them. Additionally, science concepts are taught through
a progression of knowledge across multiple grades, building a deeper understanding as part of a
comprehensive science education.
The Second Grade science curriculum is aligned to the PA Science and Technology Standards,
as well as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In Life Science, grade 2 students will
experience structure and function of living things, growth and development of plants and
animals, interactions of organisms with their environment, and biodiversity of organisms on land
and in water. Students build on the science concepts of growth and development of plants and
animals from grades K–1 by observing new organisms over time. In Physical Science, students
will create and use representational models to demonstrate stable balance systems. Discovering
different ways to produce rotational motion while planning and executing examples of stable
K-5 Science Committee
Planned Course: Second Grade
June 2015
balance systems will introduce students to the concept of forces. Students will communicate
observations and compare stability and motion using precise vocabulary. In Earth and Space
Science, students will investigate the properties of water, changes in water, interactions between
water and other earth materials, and show how humans use water. The following concepts are
introduced: Water is the most important substance on Earth. Water dominates the surface of our
planet, changes the face of land, and defines life.
Prerequisites: N/A
Specific and measurable objectives to be attained by students:
Specific objectives for this course are aligned to the PA Science and Technology Standards, as
well as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and are stated in the scope and sequence
document.
Materials:
Text:
FOSS Module – Insects and Plants 2nd Edition, Conversion Update 3rd Edition
FOSS Module – Balance and Motion 3rd Edition
FOSS Module – Water 2nd Edition, Conversion Update 3rd Edition
Technology:
Online support material from Full Option Science System (FOSS) via
FOSSweb
Other Resources:
Teacher created materials, additional science stories, and lab materials
Instructional Activities:
A balanced science program demands the use of high-quality instructional strategies that are
research-based to help students develop the ability to: (1) Make sense of problems and persevere
in solving them; (2) Reason abstractly and quantitatively; (3) Construct viable arguments and
critique the reasoning of others; (4) Model with mathematics; (5) Use appropriate tools
strategically; (6) Look for and make use of structure; and (7) Look for and express regularity in
repeated reasoning. Below is a list of activities.
● Instructional components outlined in
the Framework for Teaching by
Charlotte Danielson
K-5 Science Committee
● Authentic real-world tasks
● Use of appropriate
resources and technology
Planned Course: Second Grade
June 2015
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Differentiation
Critical Reasoning
Higher Level Thinking Skills
Collaboration
Questioning
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Self-assessment
Reflection
Modeling
Exploration
Experimentation
Estimated instructional time to be devoted to achieving objectives:
36 weeks, 2 to 3 days per week, approximately 2 to 2 ½ hours per week (alternating with Social
Studies)
Procedure for measurement of student progress on attaining objectives:
Teachers use a variety of assessments to determine student proficiency:
● Formative assessments
● Summative assessments
● Participation/class work
● Group discussion and collaboration
An explanation of how student grades will be determined:
Student progress will be determined through teacher observations, student response sheets,
investigations, performance assessments, notebooks and end of unit assessments.
K-5 Science Committee
Planned Course: Second Grade
June 2015