United States · Common Core State Standards
2nd Grade Science
Students investigate the physical and biological world through hands-on observation and experimentation. This curriculum emphasizes the interconnectedness of plants, animals, and the Earth's shifting landscapes through the lens of scientific inquiry.
Matter and Its Mysteries
Students explore the properties of different materials and how they can be classified, combined, or changed through heating and cooling.
Investigating how different materials possess unique characteristics like texture, flexibility, and strength.
Observing how heating and cooling can change matter and determining if those changes can be undone.
Understanding that a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into many different objects.
The Secret Lives of Plants
An exploration of what plants need to grow and how they depend on animals for pollination and seed dispersal.
Conducting tests to determine the essential role of sunlight and water in plant development.
Discovering the relationship between plants and animals in the process of reproduction.
Comparing the variety of life found in different land and water environments.
Earth's Shifting Surface
Investigating how the Earth changes over time through both slow processes like erosion and rapid events like volcanoes.
Comparing the timescales of geological events from earthquakes to the formation of canyons.
Modeling how wind and water shape the land and testing ways to prevent soil loss.
Identifying where water and land are located on Earth and representing them through maps and models.
The Inventor's Workshop
Applying engineering principles to solve real world problems by designing, testing, and refining prototypes.
Learning how to look at a situation and identify a specific problem that needs a design solution.
Using sketches and physical models to communicate how a design will solve a problem.
Analyzing how well a design works and identifying which parts need to be improved.