2nd Grade

EDEcosystem Diversity (L)
An ecosystem is the living and nonliving things that interact with one another in a specific area. Within ecosystems are smaller habitats, which are the places where living things can meet their basic needs—water, air, a food source (or sunlight for plants), and a shelter. Ecosystem Diversity provides hands-on, inquiry based investigations focused on phenomena that support concepts related to organisms interacting in their habitats. Through a series of five lessons, students identify different habitats, determine the growth patterns of plants, explore plants’ dependence on animals, recognize the diversity of living things, and consider their own impact on the world around them.

Performance Expectations: 2-LS2-1; 2-LS2-2; 2-LS4-1; K-2-ETS1-2; K-2-ETS1-3

Teacher supplied items (not supplied in kit): Highlighters, 4 flowers with exposed pollen (try lilies from supermarket), 2.5 gallon container, 6 large sheets of white paper, markers, water, colored pencils.

Teacher Prep Videos

Vocabulary Resources

  SUPPLIED LITERATURE
  Seed to Plant

Pygmy shrew







EM

Earth Materials (E)
Water, rocks, sand, soil, wind — put them altogether and you get erosion. By working with a variety of materials, students engineer designs to slow erosion on sand dunes. They build models of glaciers and canyons to see the effects of water and ice on soil. They also analyze their local soil. In the concluding activity, students design an island, incorporating water and land forms, then share how erosion will happen in this model.

Performance Expectations: 2-PS1-1; 2-ESS1-1; 2-ESS2-1; 2-ESS2-2; 2-ESS2-3; K-2-ETS1-1; K-2-ETS1-2

Teacher supplied items (not supplied in kit): Ice cubes, glue sticks, US relief globe or map, water, assorted art supplies.

Teacher Prep Videos

Vocabulary Resources

  SUPPLIED LITERATURE
  Erosion
The Rock Factory







M

Matter (P)
Students explore solids, liquids, and gases and their different properties. They investigate changes in state (both physical and chemical) using real world examples. What happens when you chill or heat coconut oil? What makes popcorn pop? Matter and energy have never been so tasty!

Performance Expectations: 2-PS1-1; 2-PS1-2; 2-PS1-3; 2-PS1-4; K-2-ETS1-1; K-2-ETS1-2

Teacher supplied items (not supplied in kit): Glue sticks, ice cubes, 1 large bowl, microwave access, scissors, markers, water.

Teacher Prep Videos

Vocabulary Resources

  SUPPLIED LITERATURE
  World Made Of







 


Designing Windmills (EiE)
In Catching the Wind: Designing Windmills, students explore the forces of wind and weather and their many applications in engineering. The unit begins with the storybook Leif Catches the Wind, in which a boy named Leif living in Denmark explores the field of Mechanical Engineering in order to build a windmill to save a friend’s fish. Students then follow the steps of the Engineering Design Process to imagine, plan, create, and improve their own windmill blades.

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