Grade 2
UNIT 4: The Power of Pollinators
essential question: How are Pollinators Powerful?
Project Description: In this project, students explore the diversity of life at their school and in California. They build an understanding of the essential question, “How are pollinators powerful?” They investigate the mystery of the bees and collect data on what plants and pollinators live at their school.
Students model how animals and plants depend on each other for food through pollination and interpret seed dispersal through dance. They research how pollinators help our ecosystem and investigate the impact humans have on pollinators through a design challenge where they mimic an animal pollinator.
As citizen scientists and changemakers, students record observations of pollinators and contribute their data to The Great Sunflower Project to help build the best pollinator friendly habitats with the scientific community. Students design a Pollinator Week campaign action to share the Power of Pollinators as their culminating product. As a lasting class community effort, they conduct a habitat assessment to provide evidence for the best place on campus to plant a pollinator habitat.
next generation science standards
Performance Expectations
2-LS2-2. Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.*
2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific animal and plant names in specific habitats.]
K-ESS3-3. Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of human impact on the land could include cutting trees to produce paper and using resources to produce bottles. Examples of solutions could include reusing paper and recycling cans and bottles.]