In 2nd grade, students conduct investigations, carry out experiments, and apply their scientific knowledge to engineer prototype solutions. In this unit, students investigate the science phenomenon of properties of different kinds of matter, connecting a material’s properties with the functions for which it is used.
In this unit, students explore the phenomena of Earth landforms and the water cycle. Once students have modeled landforms and created maps showing the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water, students analyze how water moves over the land as it flows downhill because of gravity and cycles between solid and liquid depending on the amount of heat present.
In this unit, students are introduced to the scientific process as they analyze matter in the universe and Earth’s place in the solar system. For the first lesson in this unit, they conduct an experiment to compare the masses of two different substances, analyzing how matter is never created or destroyed. Students also discuss how all matter in the universe is made up of different combinations of atoms formed from chemical reactions. This page highlights key parts of this lesson.
In this unit, students are introduced to science and engineering by exploring several phenomena that relate to cooking. Students begin with an investigation into the structure of matter and how energy determines state of matter. This page is a high level look at key components of this lesson.
In this unit, students focus on interactions between matter and energy. In this lesson, students figure out the endothermic and exothermic phenomenon of chemical hot and cold packs to analyze matter and energy in different kinds of chemical reactions. This page is a high-level extract of this lesson.
In this unit, students explore several phenomena that relate to cooking. In this lesson, students evaluate chemical reactions, and use that knowledge to engineer a prototype that transfers energy by chemical processes. This page showcases key components of this lesson.
In this unit, students explore phenomena of natural processes that cause Earth’s surface to change over time, analyzing how energy causes Earth’s matter to transform and cycle from one form to another. In this lesson, students investigate how Earth materials are continually being reshaped and reformed by multiple processes that are powered by energy from Earth’s hot interior and the sun. This page is a high-level extract of this lesson.
In this unit, students build on their knowledge of energy by exploring the relationship between energy and matter. In this lesson students conduct an investigation into the science phenomenon of how energy is transferred in an endothermic reaction. This page provides an overview of this lesson.
In this unit, students are introduced to matter and energy as they learn about how scientists and engineers design materials with specific properties to address a wide range of societal needs. They focus on the basic structure of matter, and how energy changes matter in physical and chemical changes. In this lesson, students focus on the role of energy in changing matter during a chemical reaction phenomena between two substances. This page provides an overview extract of this lesson.
Standards citation: NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.