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In second grade, students learn to plan and conduct experiments. From states of matter and how they transform, to creating Earth models using different materials and more. Observation and note taking will continue to be key during second grade as they learn more advanced concepts that will be essential for them in the future.

Because each state has different science standards, the topics covered in second grade science will vary from state to state and even school to school. When homeschooling, you have the freedom to focus on the concepts that you choose, but some of the most common topics covered in 2nd grade science curriculum are:

Life science (plants and animals and their habits and life cycles)

Physical science (states of matter, electricity, and magnetism)

Earth/Space science (properties of suns, moons, planets, and stars)

Our second grade science lessons build on the skills gained in earlier grades and challenge them with progressively more complex material. While facts are important, an effective science curriculum will encourage students to observe, ask questions, and explore concepts for themselves.

What Science Should a 2nd Grade Know?

 2nd Grade Science Goals/Objective

Second graders will acquire a broad range of skills for understanding the natural world around them. This year, they will start making detailed observations, drawing conclusions from data, and even learn how to make use of the information they gather.

Some of the specific goals for second grade science include:

Demonstrating scientific reasoning and logic

Learning to measure in both English and metric units

Applying scientific concepts, skills, and processes to everyday experiences

Describing/summarizing scientific processes both orally and in writing

We live in a world that values discovery and invention, with expanding career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Because we can expect that trend to continue, the science instruction your child receives is more important than ever. When you are researching the best 2nd grade science curriculum, you want to find one that covers essential knowledge, uses hands-on activities to stimulate inquiry, and makes your child curious about the world around them.

 2nd Grade Science Scope & Sequence

  • Chapter 1: “Number Sense”
    Lesson 1: Read Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Ordinal Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Count Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Compare with Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Count by Twos and Fives – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Odd and Even Numbers – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Number Sense
  • Chapter 2: “Fractions”
    Lesson 1: Equal and Unequal Parts – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Halves and Fourths – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Thirds – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Equal Fractions – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Fractions
  • Chapter 3: “Operations”
    Lesson 1: Adding and Subtracting – 4 Activities Lesson 2: Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Equal Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 4: One-digit Addition – 2 Activities Lesson 5: One-digit Subtraction – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Sum of Three Addends – 6 Activities Lesson 7: Two-digit Addition – 6 Activities Lesson 8: Zero as a Placeholder – 2 Activities Lesson 9: Addition and Subtraction Strategies – 7 Activities Lesson 10: One-Digit Word Problems – 2 Activities Lesson 11: Problem Solving Strategies – 2 Activities Lesson 12: Estimation Language – 2 Activities Lesson 13: Estimate – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Operations
  • Chapter 4: “Money”
    Lesson 1: Coin Values – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Count Money – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Model Money Amounts – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Add and Subtract Money – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Money
  • Chapter 5: “Patterns”
    Lesson 1: Sort Using One Attribute – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Sort Using Two Attributes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Rules for Sorting – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Build Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Classify Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Picture and Number Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Repeating and Growing Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Patterns on a Hundreds Chart – 2 Activities Lesson 9: Skip Counting – 2 Activities Lesson 10: Extend Number Patterns – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Patterns
  • Chapter 6: “Algebra”
    Lesson 1: Order Property – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Add and Subtract Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Fact Families – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Number Sentences – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Equal and Unequal – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Greater Than and Less Than – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Solve for Unknown Numbers – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Algebra
  • Chapter 7: “Shapes”
    Lesson 1: Straight and Curved Lines – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Open and Closed Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Plane and Solid Shapes – 4 Activities Lesson 4: Special Plane Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Attributes of Plane Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Name Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Attributes of Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Congruent Shapes – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Shapes
  • Chapter 8: “Positions”
    Lesson 1: Positions of Objects – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Direction Words – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Position Words – 2 Activities Lesson 4: The Number Line – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Positions
  • Chapter 9: “Using Shapes”
    Lesson 1: Slides and Turns – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Congruent Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Symmetry – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Using Shapes
  • Chapter 10: “Spatial Sense”
    Lesson 1: Build Shapes – 6 Activities Lesson 2: Plane and Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Perimeter and Area – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Shapes Around Us – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Pattern Blocks – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Spatial Sense
  • Chapter 11: “Time”
    Lesson 1: Calendar – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Passage of Time – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Tools for Telling Time – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Time to the Hour and Half-hour – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Time to the Hour and Half-hour – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Elapsed Time – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Time
  • Chapter 12: “Length”
    Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Lengths – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Tools and Units – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Length
  • Chapter 13: “Weight”
    Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Weights – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 3 Activities Lesson 4: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Weight
  • Chapter 14: “Capacity”
    Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Capacity – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Capacity
  • Chapter 15: “Temperature”
    Lesson 1: Measure Temperature – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Temperature – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Temperature
  • Chapter 16: “Graphing”
    Lesson 1: Tally Table – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Pictographs – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Bar Graphs – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Graphing
  • Chapter 17: “Using Data”
    Lesson 1: Compare Data – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Make Predictions – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Using Data
  • Chapter 18: “Probability”
    Lesson 1: Certain or Impossible – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Most and Least Likely – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Probability
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