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Grade 2 Science

16 curriculum outcomes with explicit teaching progressions

Select a record to inspect its progression

Matter · 2-PS1-1

Classify materials by observable properties

Independently plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by observable properties such as color, texture, hardness, and flexibility, noticing patterns in the properties that different materials share. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can observe and describe a material using observable properties such as color, texture, hardness, and flexibility.
  2. 2I can plan and conduct an investigation that tests and compares the observable properties of several different materials.
  3. 3I can classify a set of materials into groups based on observable properties they share, describing the pattern used to group them.
Matter · 2-PS1-2

Match material properties to a purpose

Independently analyze data obtained from testing different materials for properties such as strength, flexibility, hardness, texture, and absorbency, using length-based measurements, to determine which materials have the properties best suited for an intended purpose. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can test a material and record length-based measurement data for a property such as strength, flexibility, or absorbency.
  2. 2I can organize test data from several materials to compare how each performs on the same property.
  3. 3I can use analyzed test data to determine which material's properties best suit a specific intended purpose and justify the choice with evidence.
Matter · 2-PS1-3

Build and rebuild objects from a set of pieces

Independently make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces, such as blocks or building bricks, can be disassembled and the same pieces reassembled into a new object. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can observe and describe how a small set of pieces fits together to form a single object.
  2. 2I can disassemble an object into its individual pieces and record observations of each piece.
  3. 3I can reassemble the same set of pieces into a new object and construct an evidence-based account describing the change.
Matter · 2-PS1-4

Test reversible and irreversible changes

Independently construct an argument with evidence that heating or cooling causes changes in substances that can be observed, and that some of these changes, such as freezing or melting water or butter, are reversible while others, such as cooking an egg, freezing a plant leaf, or heating paper, are not. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can observe and describe a change to a substance caused by heating or cooling it.
  2. 2I can compare an example of a reversible change, such as melting and refreezing water, with an example of an irreversible change, such as cooking an egg.
  3. 3I can construct an argument with evidence classifying a given heating or cooling change as reversible or irreversible.
Ecosystems · 2-LS2-1

Test whether plants need sunlight and water

Independently plan and conduct an investigation, testing one variable at a time, to determine whether plants need sunlight and water to grow. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can ask a testable question about whether plants need sunlight or water, identifying a single variable to test.
  2. 2I can plan and conduct an investigation that changes only one variable, sunlight or water, while keeping other conditions the same.
  3. 3I can use evidence collected from the investigation to determine whether plants need sunlight and water to grow.
Ecosystems · 2-LS2-2

Model an animal's role in pollination or seed dispersal

Independently develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants, showing how plants depend on animals for these processes. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can identify how a specific animal disperses seeds or pollinates plants in nature.
  2. 2I can develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model that mimics how that animal disperses seeds or pollinates plants.
  3. 3I can demonstrate the model and explain how it represents the real process of seed dispersal or pollination.
Biodiversity · 2-LS4-1

Compare diversity of life across habitats

Independently make observations of plants and animals in different habitats to compare the diversity of living things found in each one, recognizing that many different kinds of living things exist in any given area, on land and in water. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can observe and record the variety of plants and animals found in one habitat.
  2. 2I can observe and record the variety of plants and animals found in a different habitat.
  3. 3I can compare observations from two different habitats to describe differences in the diversity of life found in each.
Earth History · 2-ESS1-1

Compare fast and slow Earth events

Independently use information from several sources to provide evidence that some earth events, such as volcanic explosions and earthquakes, happen quickly, while others, such as the erosion of rocks, happen slowly over a time period much longer than a person can observe. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can gather information from more than one source describing a fast earth event, such as an earthquake or volcanic explosion.
  2. 2I can gather information from more than one source describing a slow earth event, such as the erosion of rocks.
  3. 3I can use evidence gathered from multiple sources to construct an account contrasting a fast earth event with a slow one.
Earth Systems · 2-ESS2-1

Compare solutions that slow erosion

Independently compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land, such as different designs of dikes and windbreaks, or using shrubs, grass, and trees to hold back the land. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can describe how wind and water can change the shape of the land over time.
  2. 2I can investigate multiple designed solutions, such as windbreaks, dikes, or plantings, that slow or prevent wind or water from changing the land.
  3. 3I can compare multiple solutions to identify each one's strengths and weaknesses at slowing or preventing land change.
Earth Systems · 2-ESS2-2

Model the land and water in an area

Independently develop a model, such as a map, that represents the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water found in an area. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can identify and name different kinds of landforms and bodies of water, such as a mountain, valley, river, lake, or ocean.
  2. 2I can develop a model, such as a map or diorama, representing the shapes and kinds of land and water found in a specific area.
  3. 3I can use the completed model to communicate the location and arrangement of land and water features in the area.
Earth Systems · 2-ESS2-3

Identify where Earth's water is found

Independently obtain information to identify where water is found on earth, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and ponds, and to identify that water can exist as solid ice or in liquid form. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can obtain information from texts or other sources identifying where water is found on earth, such as oceans, rivers, lakes, and ponds.
  2. 2I can obtain information identifying that water can exist as solid ice or in liquid form.
  3. 3I can combine information from multiple sources to describe where solid and liquid water are found on earth.
Engineering Design · K-2-ETS1-1

Define a simple engineering problem

Independently ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change, in order to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can make observations and ask questions about a situation that people want to change.
  2. 2I can gather additional information relevant to the situation from more than one source.
  3. 3I can use the gathered information to define a simple problem, stating what a new or improved object or tool needs to do to solve it.
Engineering Design · K-2-ETS1-2

Model how shape supports function

Independently develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can identify how a specific shape or structural feature could help an object perform a function needed to solve a problem.
  2. 2I can develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model of a proposed object that shows its shape.
  3. 3I can explain how the modeled object's shape helps it function as needed to solve the given problem.
Engineering Design · K-2-ETS1-3

Compare two tested designs using data

Independently analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem in order to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each object performs. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can test two objects designed to solve the same problem and record data from each test.
  2. 2I can organize and analyze the test data collected for both objects.
  3. 3I can compare the two objects' performance data to identify each object's strengths and weaknesses.
Computer Science · EEP-CS.2

Represent information and repeat patterns

Independently represent information with symbols and design an algorithm that uses repetition efficiently across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can explicitly teach and model how to encode the same information using agreed symbols using a concrete computing example.
  2. 2I can describe how to find a repeated group of steps in a longer algorithm using a traced example or representation.
  3. 3I can independently replace repeated steps with a loop and verify the result in a new computing context and explain the evidence that the solution works.
Ai Literacy · EEP-AI.2

Check AI answers instead of automatically trusting them

Independently use simple evidence to check an ai response and explain what work remains the learner's responsibility across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can explicitly teach and model how to recognize that an ai response can sound confident and still be wrong with an age-appropriate ai-use scenario.
  2. 2I can describe how to check a response against a trusted text, calculation, or observation by comparing responsible and irresponsible choices.
  3. 3I can independently revise the work in your own words and explain your own reasoning in a new learning context while preserving the learner's own thinking and responsibility.
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