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Year 2 Science Curriculum
Essential Questions:
- What are some cycles that occur in nature?
- What patterns of change can be seen among life cycles of organisms?
- How do characteristics of living things vary in different organisms?
- What is the relationship among plants, animals, and the environment?
- Why are there continuous changes in plant and animal populations?
- How do organisms survive in their environment?
UNIT 1—CYCLES and INTERACTIONS
Unit Questions
- What are the characteristics of insects?
- What is the life cycle of insects?
- What is the life cycle of plants?
- How do life cycles of animal families differ?
- What insects are found in our environment?
- What are some examples of biotic and abiotic factors in our environment
- What is the difference between an organism’s niche and habitat?
- What are three different biotic relationships?
- How do the roles of predator, prey, and scavenger facilitate the flow of energy in a community?
- What kinds of changes take place in a community over time?
Content
Habitats/Niche
Mutualism, commensalism, parasitism
Consumer, producer, decomposer
herbivore, carnivore, omnivore
food chain and food webs
MEALWORM STUDY-- investigations with mealworms involving controlled experiments that require students to evaluate the mealworms' behavior as a response to environmental stimuli such as light, heat water, surface barriers, and mazes.BUTTERFLY and LADYBUG STUDY -- life cycles, migration
Plant life cycles
Mini-Grant: Developing a bird habitat
Ongoing research for Field Guide
UNIT II-- DIVERSITY OF LIVING THINGS
Unit Questions
- What are the basic structures of plant and animal cells?
- How does a classification system help scientists to group organisms?
- What are the characteristics of vertebrates and invertebrates?
- What are the characteristics of the subgroups?
- What are the structures and behaviors that help animals adapt to their environment?
- How do adaptations help animals survive?
- What are some natural and human-made changes that can influence the survival of a species?
Content
Cell structure: microscope skills
Adaptations: camouflage, mimicry, appendages
Classification: reptiles, mammals, amphibians, fish, birdsUNIT III -- ELECTRICITY and MAGNETISM
Essential Questions:
- What is electricity?
- How does electricity help us in our everyday lives?
- What is magnetism?
Unit Questions:
- How does electricity travel?
- What is the difference between a simple and parallel circuit?
- How does a switch work?
- What is an electromagnet?
- What things are attracted and repelled by magnets?
Content
Current
Parallel, open, closed, series circuits
Resistance
Insulators and conductors
Electromagnet
Compass
FuseUNIT IV -- MATTER
Essential Questions:
- What is matter?
- How do we describe matter?
- How can matter be changed?
- What makes up an atom?
- How do atoms combine to form molecules and compounds?
- What is the purpose of the Periodic Table of Elements?
Unit Questions
- What are the properties of matter?
- What are the properties of solids, liquids, and gases
- How does matter change form?
- How do we know that air is a gas?
- What are some examples of chemical and physical changes?
- What can we learn from each element from the Periodic Table?
Content
Atoms
Molecules
Elements
Periodic Table
Polymers
Suspensions, Solutions, Colloids
Tyndall effect
Diffusion
Physical and chemical changes
Freezing, melting, evaporation, condensation
Solubility
