Our Curriculum › Science › 2nd Grade
Science 2
Second-grade science built around plants, habitats, the changing Earth, and matter: how seeds travel, how living things depend on each other, how land and materials change, and a hands-on engineering strand with structures and simple machines.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
10 units
Each opens to its lessons
Science fair project
Question, research, poster, present
Standards
NGSS Grade 2 science
What's taught, unit by unit
How seeds travelDays 1–10
Seeds carried by wind, water, animal fur, animals that eat them, and pods that pop open; matching each seed's shape to its travel method, and why plants need their seeds to spread out. Two review days.
- 1 · Welcome to Second Grade Science!
- 2 · How Seeds Travel by Wind
- 3 · How Seeds Travel by Water
- 4 · How Seeds Travel by Hitching a Ride on Fur
- 6 · How Seeds Travel Inside Animals
- 7 · Seeds That Pop and Launch Themselves
- 8 · Comparing Seed Travelers: Which Method Fits Which Seed?
- 9 · Why Seed Travel Matters for Plants
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Ecosystems and habitatsDays 11–20
What an ecosystem is, what diversity means, counting the different living things in a meadow and a pond, comparing animals in different habitats, how living things depend on each other, how habitats change and how people can care for them.
- 11 · What Is an Ecosystem?
- 12 · What Does “Diversity” Mean in Nature?
- 13 · Counting Diversity: A Meadow Habitat
- 14 · Counting Diversity: A Pond Habitat
- 16 · Comparing Animals in Different Habitats
- 17 · How Living Things Depend on Each Other
- 18 · What Happens When a Habitat Changes?
- 19 · Caring for Habitats
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Landforms, water, rocks, soil and Earth changesDays 21–50
Mountains, valleys, plains, plateaus, oceans, rivers, lakes and islands; what rocks, minerals and soil are made of; how wind and water slowly reshape land; and fast changes like earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides, including how families prepare.
- 21 · What Are Landforms?
- 22 · Mountains
- 23 · Valleys
- 24 · Plains and Plateaus
- 26 · Oceans
- 27 · Rivers and Lakes
- 28 · Islands and Peninsulas
- 29 · Where Do You Live? Local Landforms
- 31 · What Are Rocks Made Of?
- 32 · What Are Rocks and Soil Made Of?
- 33 · Comparing Rock Properties
- 34 · How Water Changes the Land
- 35 · How Wind Changes the Land
- 37 · What Is Soil Made Of?
- 38 · Why Soil Matters
- 39 · Different Types of Soil
- 41 · Fast Earth Changes: Earthquakes and Volcanoes
- 42 · Comparing Fast and Slow Earth Changes
- 43 · Earthquakes: When the Ground Shakes
- 44 · Volcanoes: When Mountains Erupt
- 46 · Landslides: When Land Suddenly Slides Away
- 47 · Comparing Landslides and Slow Erosion
- 48 · How Scientists Study Fast Earth Changes
- 49 · Preparing for Fast Earth Changes
Plus 6 review days, not listed.
Properties of matter and changing materialsDays 51–70
Testing materials by bending, stretching, hardness and magnetism, combining materials for a purpose, taking an object apart, then heating and cooling changes and which are reversible, with choosing the best material for a project.
- 51 · Testing Materials: Bend, Stretch, and Squeeze
- 52 · Properties of Matter
- 53 · Magnetic and Non-Magnetic Materials
- 54 · Testing Materials: Hard or Soft?
- 56 · Combining Materials to Make Something New
- 57 · Choosing Materials That Work Well Together
- 58 · Comparing Homemade Material Combos
- 59 · Taking Apart a Combined Object to See Its Materials
- 61 · Changing Materials: Heating
- 62 · Changing Materials: Cooling and Freezing
- 63 · Reversible Changes: Can You Undo It?
- 64 · Irreversible Changes: You Can't Undo It!
- 66 · Testing Materials for a Job
- 67 · Which Material Is Best? Comparing Properties
- 68 · Taking Apart and Putting Back Together
- 69 · Choosing the Right Material for a Project
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Strong structures, machines and engineeringDays 71–90
Which shapes are strongest, building a tower and a bridge and comparing results, how sunlight, wind and water change a place, simple and compound machines, and the engineering design process with a catapult and pulley challenge.
- 71 · What Makes a Structure Strong?
- 72 · Building a Tower That Won't Fall
- 73 · Building a Bridge That Holds Weight
- 74 · Comparing Your Tower and Bridge Designs: What Worked Best?
- 76 · Sun, Shade, and the Land: How Sunlight Changes a Place
- 77 · Wind and Water Shape Different Places Differently
- 78 · How Water Soaks Into Soil vs. Runs Off
- 79 · Improving a Structure Design
- 81 · Simple Machines Review
- 82 · Compound Machines
- 83 · Force and Simple Machines
- 84 · Simple Machines Around Your Home
- 86 · The Engineering Design Process Review
- 87 · Engineering Challenge: Build a Catapult
- 88 · Engineering Challenge: Build a Pulley System
- 89 · Engineering Challenge: Improve Your Design
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Habitats, plants and pollinators againDays 91–100
A second pass at animals and where they live, desert, forest and ocean habitats, what plants need, how seeds travel, bees and butterflies as pollinators, and rainforests compared with deserts. Some of this repeats earlier lessons.
- 91 · Grouping Animals by Where They Live
- 92 · Comparing Habitats: Desert, Forest, and Ocean
- 93 · What Plants Need to Grow
- 94 · How Seeds Travel
- 96 · Pollinators: Bees and Butterflies
- 97 · Comparing Rainforests and Deserts
- 98 · What Lives in a Rainforest?
- 99 · Putting It Together: Plants, Pollinators, and Habitats
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Slow land changes, water on Earth and caring for itDays 101–130
Frost wedging, roots and temperature cracking rock, plants and walls that slow erosion with a model test, wetlands, glaciers and fresh versus salt water, fair tests and test data, then recycling, composting, litter, saving water and a neighborhood project.
- 101 · How Ice Cracks Rock
- 102 · How Plant Roots Break Apart Rock
- 103 · How Hot and Cold Together Wear Down Rock
- 104 · Comparing Wind, Water, Ice, and Roots: What Changes Land the Slowest?
- 106 · Planting Grass and Trees to Hold Soil in Place
- 107 · Building Walls and Fences to Block Wind or Water
- 108 · Comparing Two Ways to Stop a Hill From Washing Away
- 109 · Testing a Model Solution to Slow Erosion
- 111 · Wetlands: Where Land and Water Meet
- 112 · Comparing a Wetland to a River
- 113 · Frozen Water: Ice and Glaciers
- 114 · Fresh Water vs. Salt Water
- 116 · What Makes a Good Test?
- 117 · Comparing Two Solutions to the Same Problem
- 118 · Looking Closely at Test Data
- 119 · Improving a Design Using What You Learned
- 121 · Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Three Ways to Help
- 122 · What Happens to Things We Recycle?
- 123 · Reusing Things Instead of Throwing Them Away
- 124 · Composting: Turning Food Scraps Into Something New
- 126 · Picking Up Litter Helps Animals and Plants
- 127 · Saving Water at Home
- 128 · How Kids Can Help the Environment Every Day
- 129 · A Neighborhood Helping Project
Plus 6 review days, not listed.
Year-long review and Science Superstar challengesDays 131–150
Twenty days of cumulative practice and quiz-style challenges that revisit every topic of the year: seeds and habitats, landforms, Earth events, materials, structures, machines, water and the environment. Little new content.
- 131 · Cumulative Practice: Living Things
- 132 · Cumulative Practice: Earth Science
- 133 · Cumulative Practice: Earth Events
- 134 · Cumulative Practice: Matter and Materials
- 136 · Cumulative Practice: Building Structures and Machines
- 137 · Cumulative Practice: Land Changes and Habitats
- 138 · Cumulative Practice: Where Water Is Found
- 139 · Cumulative Practice: Environment
- 141 · Science Superstar Challenge: Living Things
- 142 · Science Superstar Challenge: Earth and Its Changes
- 143 · Science Superstar Challenge: Matter and Structures
- 144 · Science Superstar Challenge: Earth's Changing Land
- 146 · Science Superstar Challenge: Water and Engineering
- 147 · Science Superstar Challenge: Machines and Engineering
- 148 · Science Superstar Challenge: Environment
- 149 · Science Superstar Challenge: Everything Combined
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Experiments, scientists and a final projectDays 151–170
A baking soda volcano, growing crystals, a science hunt at home, teaching someone a topic, famous scientists, then a final project with a chosen topic, hypothesis, research, poster, practice, science fair day and reflection.
- 151 · Fun Science Experiment: Baking Soda Volcano
- 152 · Fun Science Experiment: Growing Crystals
- 153 · Science Around the House Project
- 154 · Teach Someone a Science Topic
- 156 · Looking Ahead to Third Grade Science
- 157 · Famous Scientists
- 158 · Being a Scientist in Everyday Life
- 159 · My Science Journey This Year
- 161 · Final Science Project: Choosing a Topic
- 162 · Final Science Project: Forming a Hypothesis
- 163 · Final Science Project: Research
- 164 · Final Science Project: Creating a Poster
- 166 · Final Science Project: Practicing Your Presentation
- 167 · Science Fair Day: Sharing Your Project
- 168 · Reflecting on Your Science Fair Project
- 169 · Celebrating a Year of Discovery
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Building models and the year-end celebrationDays 171–180
Models of how water flows to the ocean, how seeds travel and a habitat, a showcase, a quiz show, a last science hunt at home, advice for next year's students, an award and a closing celebration. Light on new content.
- 171 · Building a Model: How Water Flows to the Ocean
- 172 · Building a Model: How Seeds Travel
- 173 · Building a Model Habitat
- 174 · Science Models Showcase
- 176 · Fun Science Quiz Show
- 177 · Science Around the House: Final Hunt
- 178 · Advice for Next Year's Scientist
- 179 · Science Superstar Awards: Final Edition
- 180 · Science 2 Celebration: You Did It!
Plus 1 review day, not listed.
By the end of the year, your child can
- Explain several ways seeds travel and why that helps plants
- Compare habitats and tell how living things depend on each other
- Describe how wind, water and ice slowly change land, and how earthquakes and volcanoes change it fast
- Test materials and describe them by properties such as hard, bendy and magnetic
- Tell reversible changes, like melting, from changes that cannot be undone
- Design, build and test a structure or simple machine, then improve it using what the test showed
Other 2nd Grade subjects: Math 2 · Reading 2 · Writing 2 · History 2