Grade 2 Science Curriculum
Family-facing version of the grade 2 science curriculum
Goals
The purposes of scientific investigation and discovery are to satisfy humankind’s quest for knowledge and understanding and to preserve and enhance the quality of the human experience. Therefore, as a result of science instruction, students will be able to achieve the following objectives:
- Develop and use an experimental design in scientific inquiry.
- Use the language of science to communicate understanding.
- Investigate phenomena using technology.
- Apply scientific concepts, skills, and processes to everyday experiences.
- Experience the richness and excitement of scientific discovery of the natural world through the collaborative quest for knowledge and understanding.
- Make informed decisions regarding contemporary issues.
- Develop scientific dispositions and habits of mind.
- Develop an understanding of the interrelationship of science with technology, engineering and mathematics.
- Explore science-related careers and interests.
Quarterly Overview of Grade 2 Science
The objectives and outcomes for each unit are common across FCPS and based on the Virginia Standards of Learning. The pacing by quarter and by week provides an example of how the curriculum can be organized throughout the year. Teacher teams may adjust the pacing or order of units to best meet the needs of students.
Units and Details
Students will investigate and understand that:
- plants and animals undergo a series of orderly changes as they mature and grow.
- living things are part of a system.
- weather and seasonal changes affect plants, animals, and their surroundings.
Students will understand:
- Living things go through a series of unique changes over time as they grow and develop, called life cycles.
- Living things are part of a system, including their living and nonliving surroundings.
- Weather and seasonal changes affect the growth and behavior of plants and animals.
Students will investigate and understand:
- basic types, changes, and patterns of weather.
- that weather and seasonal changes affect plants, animals, and their surroundings.
Students will understand:
- Measuring, recording, and interpreting weather data allows for identification of weather patterns and to prepare for storms.
- Different types of storms have specific characteristics that can be used to identify them.
Students will investigate and understand that:
- different types of forces may cause an object’s motion to change.
- matter can exist in different phases.
Students will understand:
- Substances are made of matter and have observable and identifiable characteristics.
- Changes in matter can be observed and investigated in order to understand the natural world.
- Forces can have an effect on objects.
- Forces have important applications in our everyday lives.
Students will investigate and understand that:
- plants and animals undergo a series of orderly changes as they mature and grow.
- living things are part of a system.
- weather and seasonal changes affect plants, animals, and their surroundings.
- plants produce oxygen and food, are a source of useful products, and provide benefits in nature.
Students will understand:
- Living things go through a series of unique changes over time as they grow and develop, called life cycles.
- Habitats provide all the basic needs for animals and plants and can change over time.
- Plants are important natural resources for the survival of animals and the development of Virginia geographic regions.
Assessments
Student assessments are part of the teaching and learning process.
- Teachers give assessments to students on an ongoing basis to
- Check for understanding
- Gather information about students' knowledge or skills.
- Assessments provide information about a child's development of knowledge and skills that can help families and teachers better plan for next steps in instruction.
For testing questions or additional information about how schools and teachers use test results to support student success, families can contact their children's schools.
In Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), second grade tests focus on basic literacy and numeracy development.
