In second grade science, students continue learning about forces, water, weather, plants, and animals, with a focus on how things change. They explore how:
Water changes into different forms (like ice or steam)
Forces (like pushes, pulls, gravity, and magnets) cause movement
Plants and animals grow and change through their life cycles
Weather changes the Earth over time.
Students also learn that change can happen quickly or slowly.
As they learn, students build important science skills, like:
Asking questions
Doing simple experiments
Making observations
Sorting and organizing information
Communicating what they learn
They also begin using more steps in the engineering design process to solve problems.
SOL
Scientific and Engineering Practices
2.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific and engineering
practices by
a) asking questions and defining problems
ask questions that can be investigated
make predictions based on observations and prior experiences
identify a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a
new tool or improved object
b) planning and carrying out investigations
with guidance, plan and conduct simple investigations to produce data
use appropriate tools to measure length, weight, and temperature of
common objects using U.S. Customary units
measure time intervals using proper tools
c) interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating data
organize and represent data in pictographs and bar graphs
read and interpret data represented in pictographs and bar graphs
d) constructing and critiquing conclusions and explanations
make simple conclusions based on data or observations
distinguish between opinion and evidence
recognize unusual or unexpected results
e) developing and using models
use models to demonstrate simple phenomena and natural processes
f) obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
communicate observations and data using simple graphs, drawings,
numbers, speech, and/or writing
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Force, Motion, and Energy
2.2 The student will investigate and understand that different types of forces may
cause an object’s motion to change. Key ideas include
a) forces from direct contact can cause an object to move;
b) some forces, including gravity and magnetism, can cause objects to move
from a distance; and
c) forces have applications in our lives.
Matter
2.3 The student will investigate and understand that matter can exist in different
phases. Key ideas include
a) matter has mass and takes up space;
b) solids, liquids, and gases have different characteristics; and
c) heating and cooling can change the phases of matter.
Living Systems and Processes
2.4 The student will investigate and understand that plants and animals undergo a
series of orderly changes as they grow and develop. Key ideas include
a) animals have life cycles; and
b) plants have life cycles.
2.5 The student will investigate and understand that living things are part of a system.
Key ideas include
a) plants and animals are interdependent with their living and nonliving
surroundings;
b) an animal’s habitat provides all of its basic needs; and
c) habitats change over time due to many influences.
Earth and Space Systems
2.6 The student will investigate and understand that there are different types of
weather on Earth. Key ideas include
a) different types of weather have specific characteristics;
b) measuring, recording, and interpreting weather data allows for identification
of weather patterns; and
c) tracking weather allows us to prepare for the weather and storms.
2.7 The student will investigate and understand that weather patterns and seasonal
changes affect plants, animals, and their surroundings. Key ideas include
a) weather and seasonal changes affect the growth and behavior of living things;
b) wind and weather can change the land; and
c) changes can happen quickly or slowly over time.
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Earth Resources
2.8 The student will investigate and understand that plants are important natural
resources. Key ideas include
a) the availability of plant products affects the development of a geographic area;
b) plants provide oxygen, homes, and food for many animals; and
c) plants can help reduce the impact of wind and water.