Science
Grade 2 / Unit Title: How Plants and Animals Live / Suggested Timeline
Second marking period / Suggested Duration
7-10 days
Big Ideas
In what ways do organisms interact within ecosystems?
What do all living things have in common?
What are the different parts of a plant and how do these parts help plants survive?
Standards
5.3 Life Science
Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.
Strand B. Matter and Energy Transformations
Food is required for energy and building cellular materials. Organisms in an ecosystem have different ways of obtaining food, and some organisms obtain their food directly from other organisms.
Strand C. Interdependence
All animals and most plants depend on both other organisms and their environments for their basic needs.
Student Learning Objectives
  • Students will be able to identify the different parts of a plant.
  • Students will be able to describe the basic needs of plants and animals.
  • Students will explain how certain plants and animals survive in different habitats (adaptations).
  • Students will explain how plants and animals get their food.
  • Students will distinguish between animals with/without backbones.
  • Students will describe how plants and animals help each other.
/ Standards Addressed
5.3.2.B.1
Describe the requirements for the care of plants and animals related to meeting their energy needs.
5.3.2.B.2
Compare how animals obtain food and water.
5.3.2.B.3
Explain that most plants get water from soil through their roots and gather light through their leaves.
5.3.2.C.1
Describe the ways in which organisms interact with each other and their habitats in order to meet basic needs. / Suggested Student Experiences
Activities
  • Students can grow plants in classrooms from seeds. Have them record all of their observations in a log book/sheet. Students can make predictions as their plants grow.
  • Students can sort different groups of animals and identify specific characteristics used to separate them (mammals, birds, reptiles, invertebrates).
  • Give students different animals. In groups, have them describe how the animal survives in its habitat.
  • Demonstrate to students how water travels up a plant by using the following demonstration:
MATERIALS
 Clear glass jar(s) or small clear vase
 Celery stalks with leaves.
 Water
 Food Coloring
STEPS
  1. Explain experiment. We are going to find out how plants absorb water and grow.
  2. Separate and select stalks of celery with leaves. Cut about a quarter inch off the bottom.
  3. Put water into glass jar or vase.
  4. Drop 3-4 drops of food coloring into jar.
  5. Place stalks into the water and using stalk stir very gently until food coloring is dispersed evenly.
  6. Have child make predictions about what will happen. Write it in a simple sentence and "point and read" together.
  7. Make 2-3 observations. Check after one hour, 4 hours, and 8 hours (or overnight) to see developments.
  8. Cut the bottom of the celery and you can see where the water was transported up into the celery stem.

Interdisciplinary Connections
  • Students can write observations in a log.
  • Students can use technology to research animals without backbones.
Assessments
  • Scott Foresman assessment book pp. 1-4
  • Observation logs from plant growth
/ Suggested Resources / Materials
Introduce the following vocabulary:
  • Nutrients
  • Roots
  • Stem
  • Leaves
  • Flower
  • Adapted
  • Habitat
  • Desert
  • Marsh
  • Prairie
  • Camouflage
  • Amphibians
  • Reptiles
  • Insects
The following websitesprovide many useful powerpoints, vocabulary quizzes, lesson plans, and helpful websites to use with the topics.



Scott Foresman The Diamond Edition
Grade 2 Edition, Volume 1
Chapters 1-4
SUBJECT
Grade 2 / Unit Title: Life Cycles of Plants and Animals / Suggested Timeline
Second marking period / Suggested Duration
7-10 days
Big Ideas
How do organisms change as they go through their life cycle?
How are parents and offspring different from each other? How does this help them survive?
Standards
5.3 Life Science
Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.
Strand C. Interdependence
All animals and most plants depend on both other organisms and their environments for their basic needs.
Stand D. Heredity and Reproduction
Organisms reproduce, develop, and have predictable life cycles. Organisms contain genetic information that influences their traits, and they pass this on to their offspring during reproduction.
Strand E. Evolution and Diversity
Sometimes, differences between organisms of the same kind provide advantages for surviving and reproducing in different environments. These selective differences may lead to dramatic changes in characteristics or organisms in a population over extremely long periods of time.
Student Learning Objectives
  • Students will illustrate the life cycles of various different animals.
  • Students will illustrate the life cycle of a bean plant.
  • Students will describe how plants, animals, and people grow and change.
  • Students will compare and contrast how young animals are like/unlike their parents.
/ Standards Addressed
5.3.2.C.1
Describe the ways in which organisms interact with each other and their habitats in order to meet basic needs.
5.3.2.D.2
Determine the characteristic changes that occur during the life cycle of plants and animals by examining a variety of species and distinguish between growth and development.
5.3.2.E.1
Describe similarities and differences in observable traits between parents and offspring. / Suggested Student Experiences
Activities
  • Buy a caterpillar/butterfly life cycle kit or a bullfrog kit and have students observe the changes the caterpillar (or frog) goes through. Kits can be purchased from under “living organisms”. Have students record observations in a log sheet.
Assessments
  • Students can fill in the diagram below to illustrate the life cycle of a butterfly (can be found on the website under teacher resources):

  • Scott Foresman assessment, Assessment pp. 13-16
  • Students can be given a picture of two animals, one as a baby and one as an adult. They will write an essay to describe how that baby will change as it grows into an adult.
/ Suggested Resources / Materials
Introduce the following vocabulary:
  • Life cycle
  • Nymph
  • Seed coat
  • Germinate
  • Seedling
  • Reproduce
  • Living things
The following website has printable life cycles of monarch butterflies, dragonflies, frogs, spiders, penguins, and great white sharks. Worksheets can be printed out with/without words and used for assessments:

SCIENCE
Grade 2 / Unit Title: Food Chains/Food Webs / Suggested Timeline
Second marking period / Suggested Duration
7-10 days
Big Ideas
In what ways do organisms interact within ecosystems?
How do plants and animals get food within different habitats?
How are different plants and animals a part of different food chains?
What can cause a food web to change?
Standards
5.3 Life Science
Life science principles are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of the complexity, diversity, and interconnectedness of life on Earth. Order in natural systems arises in accordance with rules that govern the physical world, and the order of natural systems can be modeled and predicted through the use of mathematics.
Strand B. Matter and Energy Transformations
Food is required for energy and building cellular materials. Organisms in an ecosystem have different ways of obtaining food, and some organisms obtain their food directly from other organisms.
Strand C. Interdependence
All animals and most plants depend on both other organisms and their environments for their basic needs.
Student Learning Objectives
  • Students will explain how plants and animals get food.
  • Students will define producer, consumer, predator, prey, food chain, and food web.
  • Students will describe how plants and animals are part of a food chain.
  • Students will show how food chains in different habitats differ.
/ Standards Addressed
5.3.2.C.1
Describe the ways in which organisms interact with each other and their habitats in order to meet basic needs. / Suggested Student Experiences
Activities
  • Guided inquiry found on page 90 of Scott Foresman Volume 1 teacher’s guide. Students will create a classroom food web.
  • Have kids pick 3 animals: mixture of producers and consumers. They can draw a picture of each on a small paper plate. They can arrange the three in the correct order of the food chain. Staple the three plates together and hang them up around the room.
Interdisciplinary Connections
  • Students can use measurement to find out how long some animals can be. Using the measurements on page 93 of Scott Foresman Vol. 1, students can use a ruler and measure each animal’s length.
Assessments
  • Have students define key vocabulary words: producer, consumer, predator, prey, food chain, and food web, and provide a drawing for each one.
  • Chapter test, Scott Foresman Vol. 1 Assessment pp. 9-12
/ Suggested Resources / Materials
Introduce the following vocabulary:
  • Life cycle
  • Producer
  • Consumer
  • Food chain
  • Predator
  • Prey
  • Food web
  • Shelter
  • Habitat
Students can play the food chains game and sort animals according to category on the following website:

SUBJECT
Grade _2_ / Unit Title: Weather / Suggested Timeline
10-12 days (Marking Period 4) / Suggested Duration
10-12 days
Big Ideas
What are some kinds of weather?
What is the water cycle?
What is spring, summer, fall, and winter?
What are some bad kinds of weather?
Standards
5.4 - Earth Systems Science: All students will understand that Earth operates as a set of complex, dynamic, and interconnected systems, and is a part of the all-encompassing system of the universe.
Strand F. Climate and Weather: Earth’s weather and climate systems are the result of complex interactions between land, ocean, ice, and atmosphere.
5.1 - Science Practices: All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to be proficient in science.
Strand A. Understand Scientific Explanations: Students understand core concepts and principles of science and use measurement and observation tools to assist in categorizing, representing, and interpreting the natural and designed world.
Strand B. Generate Scientific Evidence Through Active Investigations: Students master the conceptual, mathematical, physical, and computational tools that need to be applied when constructing and evaluating claims.
Student Learning Objectives
Students will be able to recall weather patterns occur in patterns over time.
Students will be able to explain that most natural events occur in patterns
Students will be able to recognize patterns in weather
Students will be able to define key vocabulary
Students will be able to use scientific processing to create their own hypotheses, record data, make inferences, and communicate data when exploring the natural world
Students will be able to use a variety of tools to explore weather / Standards Addressed
5.4.2.F.1
Observe and document daily weather conditions and discuss how the weather influences your activities for the day.
5.1.4.B.1
Design and follow simple plans using systematic observations to explore questions and predictions.
5.1.4.A.1
Demonstrate understanding of the interrelationships among fundamental concepts in the physical, life, and Earth systems sciences. / Suggested Student Experiences
Activities
Create a KWL chart in a whole group setting to assess students knowledge of weather
Discuss essential questions at the start of each lesson to prepare students for daily learning objectives
Have students record a hypothesis and discuss observations while using a thermometer to measure the temperature of warm water and cold water
Perform the directed inquiry observation acitivity in small groups on page 172 to allow students to become familiar with a rain gauge
Explore the water cycle using the technology link found on page 178 in the Scott Foresman teachers manual
Have students create a poster or model of the water cycle – can be constructed as an assessment or an extension activity
Use the Scott Foresmn big book to explore the seasons – extend the lessons by discussing weather patterns during each season and have students then evaluate how the weather affects their lifestyle
While exploring the seasons, discuss the tools used by meteorologists in each season and use or create these tools (e.g. wind sock, thermometer, rain gauge, etc.)
Discuss tornadoes using the Fujita Scale found on page 190
Observe tornadoes and tornado damage using books, images, and video clips
Create a tornado tube using Two plastic 1-liter bottles, water, bowl or other container, stopwatch or watch with a second hand to record your times, duct tape, metal washer, pitcher (
Explore hurricanes Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Observe hurricanes and hurricane damagae using books, images, or video clips
Conduct an air pressure or evaporation experiment (
Interdisciplinary Connections
Read Alouds or Possible Reading Selections
Fiction
Hide and Seek Fog – Tresselt, Alvin
Come On, Rain! - Hesse, Karen
Thunder Cake - Polacco, Patricia
Bartholomew and the Oobleck – Dr. Seuss
Hurricane! - Jonathan London
Nonfiction
Tornadoes! - Gail Gibbons
The Reasons for Seasons - Gail Gibbons
Hurricanes! - Gail Gibbons
Catch the Wind!: All About Kites - Gail Gibbons
Weather Words and What They Mean - Gail Gibbons
Rain - Marion Dane Bauer
Hurricane Watch - Franklyn Mansfield Branley
Math Connection
2.MD.10 -Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems using information presented in a bar graph.
Assessments
Scaffolded Questions
Checkpoint questions
Chapter Review
Activity Rubrics
Written observations
Workbook Pages – pg 67 – 77
Chapter 6 Test – Assessment book – pg 35-38 / Suggested Resources / Materials
Vocabulary
Water Cycle
Evaporate
Condense
Migrate
Hibernate
Lightning
Tornado
Hurricanes
Books
Hide and Seek Fog – Tresselt, Alvin
Come On, Rain! - Hesse, Karen
Thunder Cake - Polacco, Patricia
Bartholomew and the Oobleck – Dr. Seuss
Hurricane! - Jonathan London
Tornadoes! - Gail Gibbons
The Reasons for Seasons - Gail Gibbons
Hurricanes! - Gail Gibbons
Catch the Wind!: All About Kites - Gail Gibbons
Weather Words and What They Mean - Gail Gibbons
Rain - Marion Dane Bauer
Hurricane Watch - Franklyn Mansfield Branley
Websites






science/2sciwebsites.htm
Scott Foresman Activity Flip Chart, Lab Zone Acitivities, and DVD
SUBJECT
Grade 2 / Unit Title: Forces and Motion / Suggested Timeline
10-12 days (Marking Period 4) / Suggested Duration
10-12 days
Big Ideas
How can you measure force?
How do objects move?
What is work?
How can you change the way things move?
How can simple machines help you do work?
What are magnets and what can they do?
Standards
5.2 Physical Science: All students will understand that physical science principles, including fundamental ideas about matter, energy, and motion, are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of phenomena in physical, living, and Earth systems science.
Strand E. Forces and Motion: It takes energy to change the motion of objects. The energy change is understood in terms of forces.
5.1 - Science Practices: All students will understand that science is both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model-building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge. The four Science Practices strands encompass the knowledge and reasoning skills that students must acquire to be proficient in science.
Strand A. Understand Scientific Explanations: Students understand core concepts and principles of science and use measurement and observation tools to assist in categorizing, representing, and interpreting the natural and designed world.
Strand B. Generate Scientific Evidence Through Active Investigations: Students master the conceptual, mathematical, physical, and computational tools that need to be applied when constructing and evaluating claims.
Student Learning Objectives
Students will be able to identify words and construct meaning from text, illustrations, graphics, and charts using the strategies of phonics, word structure, and context clues
Students will be able to to compare the amount of pushing and pulling required to move objects of various sizes across the floor
Students will be able to explain the relationship between force and motion
Students will be able to recognize that the amount and direction of force exerted on an object determines how much the object will move
Students will be able to identify the different heat sources
Students will be able to recall different simple machines and describe how they change effort
Students will be able to explain ways that simple machines make work easier
Students will be able to recognize that objects may be moved and pulled with magnets / Standards Addressed
5.2.2.E.1
Investigate and model the various ways that inanimate objects can move.
5.2.2.E.2
Predict an object’s relative speed, path, or how far it will travel using various forces and surfaces.
5.2.2.E.3
Distinguish a force that acts by direct contact with an object (e.g., by pushing or pulling) from a force that can act without direct contact (e.g., the attraction between a magnet and a steel paper clip).