2nd Grade Science Skills
Prior Standards Implementation

(1st Grade) 2nd Grade Science Skills (3rd Grade)

Sections:

Life Science | Earth Science | Physical Science |
For other resources, refer to our Elementary Science page
Page last edited 2/27/2009

Please go to Current 2nd Grade Science Standards for current resources.

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Life Science Standards
Interactions Between Living Things and Their Environment 2.2.1 | 2.2.3 | 2.2.4
Accomplishments ( based on Tennessee Curriculum Standards )	Internet Resources
Categorize objects as living or nonliving. 2.2.1	Living and Nonliving - A lesson plan that is five activities in one inquiry Living vs Non-Living Quiz - This quiz is based on the information about the six characteristics of living things. For each of the following determine if it is a living or a non-living organism. Clicking on the answer allows you to check your answers. Good luck! Living or Non-Living ? - use this BBC quiz to classify things as animal or non living Find the Living things in this interactive quiz from the BBC Worksheet for classifying living and non living things
Determine how organisms interact with the nonliving elements of their environment. 2.2.3
Recognize different types of pollutants. 2.2.4	Learn about pesticides . Are they good? What are they used for? (a quiz is included) How bad is the air you breathe ? Learn how the air becomes dirty. (a quiz is included) What is a hazardous waste ? How does garbage effect you? (a quiz is included) Take a test about how you use water ! Twenty five questions that will help you be a better user of water.
Food Production and Energy for Life 2.3.1
Compare how plants and animals satisfy their basic requirements for life. 2.3.1	Health and Growth - keep Ben healthy by providing him with what he needs Helping Plants Grow Well - can you make the plant grow to its full height? Food Chains - a slide show with places to stop and ask for responses from your students
Heredity and Reproduction 2.4.1 | 2.4.2 | 2.4.3
Recognize that all living things come from other living things. 2.4.1
Match offspring with their parents. 2.4.2	Baby Animals - [ this link opens on a new page ] An Online Story Picture Book For Young Children. Adult animals are named, but are not shown. Baby Animals Crossword Puzzle - Click on each box to type letters into the crossword puzzle. (use this as a follow up activity after studying baby animals) Baby Animal Videos - (posted by the San Diego Zoo) Click on an animal in the list to begin the video. While the emphasis is on the baby, you also see the parent. Gallery of Young and Adult Animals - [ this link opens on a new page ] Match Parents With Babies - Springboard Magazine's All About Babies page has a matching quiz (names not pictures) at the bottom of the page. What Will I Be When I Grow Up? - a baby animal and three adult animals are shown, students must select the matching adult
Recognize that as an organism grows, its appearance may change. 2.4.3	The Circle of Life - Springboard Magazine's presentation of life cycles
Diversity and Adaptation Among Living Things 2.5.1 | 2.5.2
Provide specific examples of differences among animals of the same kind. 2.5.1	Ants are not all alike - take a look at some of them Frogs - See how differently from each other these frogs look and sound
Classify an organism according to the environment in which it can best survive. 2.5.2	Biomes of the World - The Earth has many different environments, varying in temperature, moisture, light, and many other factors. Each of these habitats has distinct life forms living in it. Critter Craze - [ this link opens on a new page ] This lesson introduces the concepts of basic needs, grouping, and habitats. ( Author - Laurie Ayers ) Match Animals to their Habitat - select one of the twelve habitats at Animal Universe and choose animals that live in that habitat (select Maybe Later on the registration screen) Squish the Fish - Help Squish travel out across the reef to find his lunch. He needs to find friends who will help him hide from his nemesis, Big Tooth Blob. Learn about shape, color, and behavioral adaptations for survival.
Biological Change 2.6.1
Recognize that some plants and animals that formerly inhabited the earth are no longer present on earth. 2.6.1	Planet Ocean - Explore & Learn More by clicking on Critters or Stuff
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Earth Science Standards
Earth and Its Place in the Universe 2.7.1a | 2.7.1b | 2.7.2a | 2.7.2b
Recognize that there are innumerable stars in the nighttime sky that vary in brightness, color, and location. 2.7.1 a	Auroras: Mysterious Lights in the Nighttime Sky - Click on the box at the top of this page. The Night Sky Live - best as a whole class activity - click on an asterisk on the map to see the night sky live from someplace around the world. The night sky from the same location during a year - This sequence of images shows simulated views of the night sky from Chicago, Illinois. The frames show the view from Earth at midnight, once a week over a year.
Recognize that the sun is the brightest object in the sky and earth�s closest star. 2.7.1 b	The Sun: An Introduction - This lesson introduces the topic of the Sun. Students also begin making entries in their Science Journals.
Determine the approximate time of day from the position of the sun in the sky. 2.7.2 a	As the Earth Turns - learn that day and night are caused by the rotation of the Earth. ( Author - Sandi King ) Construct a paper sundial - from Canon's Bubble Jet Printer Creative Park Sundials: Observing and Using Shadows - Students build sundials and observe changes in shadows over the course of one or more days. Sunrise Sunset - [ this link opens on a new page ] learn about the apparent movement of the sun across the day sky. Students then learn to relate time of day to the location of the sun. ( Author - Sandi King ) What Makes Shadows ? Students learn about shadows as they observe and draw the shadow of a classmate. In the extension activity, students observe and discuss shadows changing over time.
Recognize that the phases of the moon occur in a predictable pattern. 2.7.2 b	The Moon - This lesson plan is a three-part investigation that allows students to conceptualize the earth-moon-sun relationship in our solar system. The Phases of the Moon - from Enchanted Learning What Our Moon Looks Like During a Complete Lunar Cycle - from the Astronomy Picture of the Day Phases of the Moon - from Harcourt School (short, simple, well done) Phases of the moon from Earth and space - For each phase, examine how the view from Earth is related to the view from space.
Earth Features 2.9.1
Recognize the earth�s major geological features (e.g., mountains, oceans, and lakes). 2.9.1	Observe images of different climate zones using an interactive map
Earth Resources 2.10.1a | 2.10.1b | 2.10.2
Recognize the components of soil and sand. 2.10.1 a	Ask the Answer Worm ! - It�s a dirty job but someone has to do it - S.K.Worm, the official annelid, or worm, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service answers students questions about soil. Experiment with Rocks and Soils by using an interactive BBC site Take a soil quiz Punalu'u - Black Sand Beach - on the Big Island of Hawaii Picture of a black sand beach with the rocks that the sand is made from Coral Pink Sand Dunes - in Southwestern Utah pink sand beach in bermuda Pebbles from a landscape company
Observe the properties of sand and soil. 2.10.1 b	Properties of Soil - Take an elevator ride from the surface to the bedrock below. Sand Grains: Chips Off The Old Rock - Where does sand come from? - This is a very different kind of sand found at White Sands National Monument.
Identify various methods to conserve earth resources (e.g., soil, trees, and water). 2.10.2	Conservation Songs - sing and learn ways to help the earth Four Threats to the Health of the Nation's Forests and Grasslands - Reducing Water Waste In The Kitchen - tips for sustainable living Saving Water - Ideas for children to help conserve water. Waste Management Quiz - answer questions correctly to add to your stack of green dollars Water conservation in your home
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Physical Science Standards
Forces and Motion 2.11.1a | 2.11.1b | 2.11.2
Recognize that objects fall unless supported. 2.11.1 a
Identify materials that are attracted to magnets. 2.11.1 b	Magnets and Springs - use this interactive BBC site to experiment with which objects are attracted to a magnet, then take a quiz. What is attracted to magnets? - Experiments with magnets and our surroundings Take a Magnet quiz - [ written for 3rd grade in Virginia ] a Quia quiz [ this link opens on a new page ] Magnet quiz [ written for 3rd grade in Virginia ] in the form of a Who Wants to be a Millionaire game [ this link opens on a new page ]
Observe how changing the amount of weight affects a balanced system. 2.11.2	Dissolving Substances - investigate the effect of solar energy on a balanced system Math Cats Balance - You can choose from a wide range of objects to place on this scale - from electrons to galaxies!
Structure and Properties of Matter 2.12.1a | 2.12.1b
Identify physical properties that can be used to describe a material. 2.12.1 a	Characteristics of Materials - an interactive quiz from the BBC Light and Dark - a BBC interactive quiz Sorting and Using Materials - determine whether items are waterproof or not.
Describe ways in which a material can be changed. 2.12.1 b	Grouping and Changing Materials - an interactive quiz from the BBC Solids and Liquids - investigate the effect of heat on a substance Matter in the Science Lab - Select Matter in the list of labs. The illustration names the physical state of objects. Next, click on Water Changes State near the top of the matter window. Hold down the blue button to lower the temperature of water to freezing, then hold down the red button till water boils. Click on the book in the bottom left corner to read about matter. Matter Matching - a Quia quiz matching basic terms related to changing material
Interactions of Matter 2.13.1a | 2.13.1b
Recognize that when substances combine they may retain their individual properties (e.g., salt and pepper). 2.13.1 a
Recognize that when substances combine they may lose their individual properties (e.g., powdered drink mix with water). 2.13.1 b
Energy 2.14.1
Compare the heating and cooling rates of land, air, and water. 2.14.1	Earth in Space workshop - This 28 page lesson focuses on the fact that the sun's energy heats the Earth. Some of the activities are appropriate for 2nd grade students. Keeping Warm - use this BBC interactive to investigate how insulation effects cooling rates

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