2nd Grade Science Curriculum

Below is an outline of the engineering and science concepts covered in the 2nd grade science course. Each section is split into five parts so you can understand what we teach in detail:

  1. Focus Summary: A plain English description of each section/focus.

  2. Standards Outline: A technical outline of the standards that will be taught.

  3. Disciplinary Core Ideas: The Core Ideas that are most important.

  4. Science and Engineering Practices: This part is about the "how-to" of science. It's not just about knowing stuff; it's about doing stuff.

  5. Crosscutting Concepts: How this might connect with other more general science ideas.

Engineering Design

Young engineers start by identifying problems that need solving, using their keen observation skills. Next, they bring their ideas to life through sketches or physical models, focusing on how shape aids function. Finally, they put their designs head-to-head, analyzing data to see which one performs best. It's a hands-on journey through the engineering process, blending curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking to tackle real-world challenges.

  • K-2-ETS1-1: Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.

  • K-2-ETS1-2: Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.

  • K-2-ETS1-3: Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems

  • A situation that people want to change or create can be approached as a problem to be solved through engineering. (Related to K-2-ETS1-1)

  • Asking questions, making observations, and gathering information are helpful in thinking about problems. (Related to K-2-ETS1-1)

  • Before beginning to design a solution, it is important to clearly understand the problem. (Related to K-2-ETS1-1)

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

  • Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s solutions to other people. (Related to K-2-ETS1-2)

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution

  • Because there is always more than one possible solution to a problem, it is useful to compare and test designs. (Related to K-2-ETS1-3)

Science and Engineering Practices

Asking Questions and Defining Problems

  • Asking questions and defining problems in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to simple descriptive questions.

    • Specific Practice 1: Ask questions based on observations to find more information about the natural and/or designed world(s). (Related to K-2-ETS1-1)

    • Specific Practice 2: Define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool. (Related to K-2-ETS1-1)

Developing and Using Models

  • Modeling in K–2 builds on prior experiences and includes using various types of models like diagrams, drawings, physical replicas, dioramas, dramatizations, or storyboards.

    • Specific Practice: Develop a simple model based on evidence to represent a proposed object or tool. (Related to K-2-ETS1-2)

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

  • Analyzing data in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to collecting, recording, and sharing observations.

    • Specific Practice: Analyze data from tests of an object or tool to determine if it works as intended. (Related to K-2-ETS1-3)

Crosscutting Concepts

Structure and Function

  • The shape and stability of structures of natural and designed objects are related to their function(s). (Related to K-2-ETS1-2)

Matter and its Interactions

This section guides young students in exploring the properties of materials through hands-on investigations. They learn to classify materials, understand their suitability for specific tasks, and discover how some changes in matter are reversible while others are not. It's a foundational look at the world of matter and its many interactions.

  • 2-PS1-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.

    • Clarification Statement: Observations could include color, texture, hardness, and flexibility. Patterns could include the similar properties that different materials share.

  • 2-PS1-2: Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.

    • Clarification Statement: Examples of properties could include strength, flexibility, hardness, texture, and absorbency.

    • Assessment Boundary: Assessment of quantitative measurements is limited to length.

  • 2-PS1-3: Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object.

    • Clarification Statement: Examples of pieces could include blocks, building bricks, or other assorted small objects.

  • 2-PS1-4: Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and some cannot.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter

  • Different kinds of matter exist and many of them can be either solid or liquid, depending on temperature. Matter can be described and classified by its observable properties. (2-PS1-1)

  • Different properties are suited to different purposes. (2-PS1-2, 2-PS1-3)

  • A great variety of objects can be built up from a small set of pieces. (2-PS1-3)

PS1.B: Chemical Reactions

  • Heating or cooling a substance may cause changes that can be observed. Sometimes these changes are reversible, and sometimes they are not. (2-PS1-4)

Science and Engineering Practices

  • Analyzing and Interpreting Data: In these early grades, students learn to collect, record, and share observations. They analyze data from tests to determine if an object or tool is functioning as intended. (Related to 2-PS1-2)

  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions: Students use evidence and ideas to build explanations for natural phenomena. They make observations, either firsthand or from media, to construct evidence-based accounts. (Related to 2-PS1-3)

  • Engaging in Argument from Evidence: At this stage, students start to compare ideas and representations about the natural and designed world. The text seems to cut off here, but it likely discusses how students should construct arguments based on evidence.

  • Planning and Carrying Out Investigations: Young students build on their prior experiences to conduct simple, fair tests. They work together to gather data that can answer questions. Specifically, they plan and conduct investigations to produce data as evidence to answer a question. (Related to 2-PS1-1)

Crosscutting Concepts

Patterns

  • Patterns in the natural and human-designed world can be observed. (Related to 2-PS1-1)

Cause and Effect

  • Events have causes that generate observable patterns. (Related to 2-PS1-4)

  • Simple tests can be designed to gather evidence to support or refute student ideas about causes. (Related to 2-PS1-2)

Energy and Matter

  • Objects may break into smaller pieces and be put together into larger pieces, or change shapes. (Related to 2-PS1-3)

Connections to Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science

Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World

  • Every human-made product is designed by applying some knowledge of the natural world and is built using materials derived from the natural world. (Related to 2-PS1-2)

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

This section introduces young students to the basics of ecosystems, focusing on the interactions between plants and their environment. Students investigate how plants travel around the world and how they use animals for this purpose. The aim is to blend hands-on experiments with simple models, laying the groundwork for understanding the interconnectedness of life and its surroundings.

  • 2-LS2-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.

  • 2-LS2-2: Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

  • Plants depend on water and light to grow. (Related to 2-LS2-1)

  • Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around. (Related to 2-LS2-2)

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

  • Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful for communicating ideas for solving a problem. (Secondary to 2-LS2-2)

Science and Engineering Practices

Developing and Using Models

  • Modeling in K–2 builds on prior experiences and includes using various types of models like diagrams, drawings, physical replicas, dioramas, dramatizations, or storyboards.

    • Specific Practice: Develop a simple model based on evidence to represent a proposed object or tool. (Related to 2-LS2-2)

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

  • Planning and carrying out investigations in K–2 also build on prior experiences. The focus is on simple investigations that are based on fair tests and provide data to support explanations or design solutions.

    • Specific Practice: Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data that serves as the basis for evidence.

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

  • Events have causes that generate observable patterns. (Related to 2-LS2-1)

Structure and Function

  • The shape and stability of structures of natural and designed objects are related to their function(s). (Related to 2-LS2-2)

Earth’s Systems

Students will explore how wind and water can be both a destructive force, eroding landscapes, and a creative one, sculpting awe-inspiring canyons. They’ll use their engineering minds to create a model of erosion and brainstorm ideas of how to prevent landslides.

  • 2-ESS2-1: Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.

    • Clarification Statement: Examples of solutions could include different designs of dikes and windbreaks to hold back wind and water, and different designs for using shrubs, grass, and trees to hold back the land.

  • 2-ESS2-2: Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area.

    • Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include quantitative scaling in models.

  • 2-ESS2-3: Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems

  • Wind and water can change the shape of the land. (Related to 2-ESS2-1)

ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions

  • Maps show where things are located. One can map the shapes and kinds of land and water in any area. (Related to 2-ESS2-2)

ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

  • Water is found in the ocean, rivers, lakes, and ponds. Water exists as solid ice and in liquid form. (Related to 2-ESS2-3)

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution

  • There is always more than one possible solution to a problem

Science and Engineering Practices

Developing and Using Models

  • Modeling in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to include various types of models like diagrams, drawings, physical replicas, dioramas, dramatizations, or storyboards.

    • Specific Practice: Develop a model to represent patterns in the natural world. (Related to 2-ESS2-2)

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

  • Constructing explanations and designing solutions in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to the use of evidence and ideas for constructing evidence-based accounts and solutions.

    • Specific Practice: Compare multiple solutions to a problem. (Related to 2-ESS2-1)

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

  • Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information in K–2 builds on prior experiences and uses observations and texts to communicate new information.

Crosscutting Concepts

Patterns

  • Patterns in the natural world can be observed. (Related to 2-ESS2-2, 2-ESS2-3)

Stability and Change

  • Things may change slowly or rapidly. (Related to 2-ESS2-1)

Connections to Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science

Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World

  • Developing and using technology has impacts on the natural world. (Related to 2-ESS2-1)

Connections to Nature of Science

Science Addresses Questions About the Natural and Material World

  • Scientists study the natural and material world. (Related to 2-ESS2-1)

Animals, Plants, and Biodiversity

Imagine young explorers venturing into the wild—or maybe just their backyard—to uncover the secrets of nature's diversity. Armed with curiosity and a keen eye, they'll observe plants and animals, comparing life in a forest to that in a pond. It's like a mini-adventure into the world of biodiversity, teaching kids that life on Earth is not just a stage, but an entire theater of varied and fascinating characters.

  • 2-LS4-1: Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans

  • There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water. (Related to 2-LS4-1)

Science and Engineering Practices

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

  • Planning and carrying out investigations in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to simple investigations based on fair tests, which provide data to support explanations or design solutions.

    • Specific Practice: Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data which can be used to make comparisons. (Related to 2-LS4-1)

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence

  • Scientists look for patterns