Georgia Performance Standards, Grade Two

a. Raise questions about the world around them and be willing to seek answers to some of the questions by making careful observations and measurements and trying to figure things out.

Video: What is Science?
Video: Nature Watching
Video: A Walk In The Park
Video: Measuring Feet
Experiment: Feeling A Point Or Two
Video: Reaction Time
Experiment: How Much Rain?
Video: Floating Cups
Video: Bottle Tones, Part One
Video: Bottle Tones, Part Two
Video: Strange Flame, Part One
Video: Strange Flame, Part Two
Video: Mystery Of The Glassy Tube
Video: Mystery Of The Golden Needles

S2CS2. Students will have the computation and estimation skills necessary for analyzing data and following scientific explanations.

a. Use whole numbers in ordering, counting, identifying, measuring, and describing things and experiences.

Video: Light As Air
Video: Reaction Time
Experiment: How Much Rain?
Video: Planets And Pennies
Experiment: Measuring Lightning
Experiment: Fish In A Bucket
Experiment: More Fish In A Bucket
Experiment: Nine Folds

b. Readily give the sums and differences of single-digit numbers in ordinary, practical contexts and judge the reasonableness of the answer.

Video: Reaction Time
Experiment: How Much Rain?
Experiment: Measuring Lightning

c. Give rough estimates of numerical answers to problems before doing them formally.

Video: Measuring Feet

d. Make quantitative estimates of familiar lengths, weights, and time intervals, and check them by measuring.

S2CS3. Students will use tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating objects in scientific activities.

a. Use ordinary hand tools and instruments to construct, measure, and look at objects.
Video: Laser Projection Microscope
Experiment: Square In The Grass
Experiment: Insect Hunting
Experiment: Salt Cubes

b. Assemble, describe, take apart, and reassemble constructions using interlocking blocks, erector sets and other things.

Video: Bird On A Wire
Experiment: Homemade Barometer
Experiment: Pinecone Weather
Video: Bullroarer

c. Make something that can actually be used to perform a task, using paper, cardboard, wood, plastic, metal, or existing objects.

Video: Laser Projection Microscope
Experiment: Pinecone Weather
Experiment: Scale Model Of A Solar System
Video: Cloud Chamber
Experiment: Paper Petals
Experiment: The Screamer
Experiment: Comb Kazoo
Experiment: Boomerangs
Experiment: Homemade Barometer

S2CS4. Students will use the ideas of system, model, change, and scale in exploring scientific and technological matters.

a. Identify the parts of things, such as toys or tools, and identify what things can do when put together that they could not do otherwise.

Video: Bird On A Wire
Video: Bullroarer
Experiment: Comb Kazoo
Video: Noisy String

b. Use a model—such as a toy or a picture—to describe a feature of the primary thing.
Video: Global Science

c. Describe changes in the size, weight, color, or movement of things, and note which of their other qualities remain the same during a specific change.

Video: Changing Colors, Part One
Video: Changing Colors, Part Two
Video: Making Butter
Experiment: Bean Power
Experiment: Creeping Carpets
Experiment: Verdigris
Experiment: Broccoli Science
Experiment: Yellowing Paper
Experiment: Bad Chocolate
Experiment: Cabbage Indicator

d. Compare very different sizes, weights, ages (baby/adult), and speeds (fast/slow) of both human made and natural things.
Video: Density Column

S2CS5. Students will communicate scientific ideas and activities clearly.

a. Describe and compare things in terms of number, shape, texture, size, weight, color, and motion.

Video: Identifying Minerals
Video: Making Craters
Experiment: Square In The Grass
Experiment: Bad Chocolate
Experiment: Cold Tomatoes, Part One
Experiment: Cold Tomatoes, Part Two
Experiment: Bean Power
Experiment: Rolling Bottles

b. Draw pictures (grade level appropriate) that correctly portray features of the thing being described.

c. Use simple pictographs and bar graphs to communicate data.

The Nature of Science

S2CS6. Students will be familiar with the character of scientific knowledge and how it is achieved.

Students will recognize that:
a. When a science investigation is done the way it was done before, we expect to get a similar result.
Video: What is Science?

b. Science involves collecting data and testing hypotheses.

Video: What is Science?
Experiment: Hypothesis
Video: Science Fair Panic, Part One
Video: Science Fair Panic, Part Two
Video: Science Fair Panic, Part Three
Video: Science Fair Panic, Part Four
Video: Floating Cups

c. Scientists often repeat experiments multiple times and subject their ideas to criticism by other scientists who may disagree with them and do further tests.

Video: What is Science?
Video: Floating Cups
Experiment: Hypothesis
Video: Science Fair Panic, Part One
Video: Science Fair Panic, Part Two
Video: Science Fair Panic, Part Three
Video: Science Fair Panic, Part Four

d. All different kinds of people can be and are scientists.

S2CS7. Students will understand important features of the process of scientific inquiry.

Students will apply the following to inquiry learning practices:
a. Scientists use a common language with precise definitions of terms to make it easier to communicate their observations to each other.

Video: Identifying Minerals

b. In doing science, it is often helpful to work as a team. All team members should reach their own individual conclusions and share their understandings with other members of the team in order to develop a consensus.

Experiment: Hearing Directions

c. Tools such as thermometers, rulers and balances often give more information about things than can be obtained by just observing things without help.

Video: Reaction Time
Experiment: How Much Time?
Experiment: A Cool Change
Experiment: Cooling Fans

d. Much can be learned about plants and animals by observing them closely, but care must be taken to know the needs of living things and how to provide for them. Advantage can be taken of classroom pets.

Video: Hunting With An Umbrella
Video: A Walk In The Park
Video: Nature Watching
Experiment: Insect Hunting

Earth Science

S2E1. Students will understand that stars have different sizes, brightness, and patterns.

a. Describe the physical attributes of stars—size, brightness, and patterns.

S2E2. Students will investigate the position of sun and moon to show patterns throughout the year.

a. Investigate the position of the sun in relation to a fixed object on earth at various times of the day.

Video: Finding Your Way

b. Determine how the shadows change through the day by making a shadow stick or using a sundial.

Video: Finding Your Way

c. Relate the length of the day and night to the change in seasons (for example: Days are longer than the night in the summer.).

Video: Global Science

d. Use observations and charts to record the shape of the moon for a period of time.

S2E3. Students will observe and record changes in their surroundings and infer the causes of the changes.

a. Recognize effects that occur in a specific area caused by weather, plants, animals, and/or people.

Physical Science

S2P1. Students will investigate the properties of matter and changes that occur in objects.

a. Identify the three common states of matter as solid, liquid, or gas.

Video: Egg States
Video: A Watched Pot
Experiment: States Of Matter
Video: Ice Cream Science
Video: Wonderful Water

b. Investigate changes in objects by tearing, dissolving, melting, squeezing, etc.

Experiment: Strange Starch
Experiment: Melting Icebergs
Video: Egg States
Video: A Watched Pot

S2P2. Students will identify sources of energy and how the energy is used.

a. Identify sources of light energy, heat energy, and energy of motion.
Experiment: How Heat Moves
Video: The Hottest Part Of A Flame
Video: High Bounce
Experiment: A Hot Change
Experiment: Resonant Waves

b. Describe how light, heat, and motion energy are used.

S2P3. Students will demonstrate changes in speed and direction using pushes and pulls.

a. Demonstrate how pushing and pulling an object affects the motion of the object.

Experiment: Action And Reaction
Experiment: Rolling Bottles

b. Demonstrate the effects of changes of speed on an object.

Experiment: Rolling Bottles
Experiment: Resonant Waves

Life Science

Teacher note: Instruct students not to touch wild plants and animals when they observe them. Always wash hands after handling any plants or animals. Caution students not to eat wild plants they find.

S2L1. Students will investigate the life cycles of different living organisms.

a. Determine the sequence of the life cycle of common animals in your area: a mammal such as a cat or dog or classroom pet, a bird such as a chicken, an amphibian such as a frog, and an insect such as a butterfly.

b. Relate seasonal changes to observations of how a tree changes throughout a school year.

c. Investigate the life cycle of a plant by growing a plant from a seed and by recording changes over a period of time.

Experiment: Thoughts On Trees

d. Identify fungi (mushroom) as living organisms.