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  • 2nd Grade

    Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

Performance Expectations

  1. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow. 2-LS2-1

    Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

A Peformance Expectation (PE) is what a student should be able to do to show mastery of a concept. Some PEs include a Clarification Statement and/or an Assessment Boundary. These can be found by clicking the PE for "More Info." By hovering over a PE, its corresponding pieces from the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts will be highlighted.

Science and Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

By clicking on a specific Science and Engineering Practice, Disciplinary Core Idea, or Crosscutting Concept, you can find out more information on it. By hovering over one you can find its corresponding elements in the PEs.

Planning Curriculum

Common Core State Standards Connections

ELA/Literacy

  • W.2.7 - Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). (2-LS2-1)
  • W.2.8 - Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. (2-LS2-1)

Mathematics

  • MP.2 - Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (2-LS2-1)
  • MP.4 - Model with mathematics. (2-LS2-1)
  • MP.5 - Use appropriate tools strategically. (2-LS2-1)

Model Course Mapping

First Time Visitors

Resources & Lesson Plans

  • More resources added each week!
    A team of teacher curators is working to find, review, and vet online resources that support the standards. Check back often, as NSTA continues to add more targeted resources.
  • Do Plants Need Water?

    In this resource, students examine the need for seeds to have water for optimum growth in the first investigation. Students will discuss the key components needed for plant growth and survival. Students will conduct their own investigation about the ...

  • Garden-Based Learning: It's Just the Berries! Indoor and outdoor experiences engage students in plant science.

    This article discusses how students were engaged in a year-long project that integrated science, mathematics, and literacy.  Utilizing a project-based learning (PBL) format entitled garden-based learning (GBL) students  participat ...

  • Let's Plan an Experiment: What do Plants Need?

    Students identify the physical needs of animals. Through classroom discussion, students speculate on the needs of plants. With teacher guidance, students then design an experiment that can take place in the classroom to test whether or not plants nee ...

  • Do Plants Need Sunlight?

    Students will explore the importance sunlight for a plant's survival by conducting an investigation. Each group of students will cover parts of plants' leaves with black construction paper and make observations of the plant’s leaves over several days ...

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Planning Curriculum gives connections to other areas of study for easier curriculum creation.