2ND GRADE SCIENCE CURRICULUM {LITTLE SCIENCE THINKERS}

Teaching science in an effective, engaging way can be a challenge, right? 

Curriculum that comes from big publishers or from teacher websites often contain too much or not enough. You want a one-stop-shop for content-focused, user-friendly science curriculum that is effortless for you to plan and exciting and enjoyable for your students.

If you are looking for a unit that checks all of these boxes, this post is for you.

Little 2nd Grade SCIENCE Thinkers is a complete curriculum specifically for Second Graders.

2nd grade science curriculum
2nd grade science lessons

It’s everything you need to introduce, teach, practice, and assess your students. No more spending weekends piecing together TPT resources or ideas from Pinterest.  Little 2nd grade Science Thinkers is based on the Next Generation Science Standards, but also incorporates standards from various states who do not follow the NGSS. The curriculum is 100% researched, written, and created by me, a teacher. It’s teacher-friendly and student-approved.

First let’s look at the topics you’d expect to teach in 2nd grade science.

2nd grade science topics typically include:
Properties of Matter (classifying matter, changing states, reversible and irreversible changes in matter, structures)
Living Things (needs of living things, seed dispersal and pollination, animal survival, migration, hibernation, dormancy, life cycles, inherited traits, fossils)
Habitats (desert, forests, grassland, marine, freshwater, polar, tundra, microhabitats)
Earth’s Systems (landforms, wind, water, erosion)

The unit featured in this post focuses on Living Things.
(Click here to see our Properties of Matter unit)

Here is the format of the unit:

2nd grade science lessons
2nd grade science lesson example

1. Print and use complete lesson plans with a full teacher guide.
Each four-week unit is meant to be taught three times per week with 30-minute lessons. I know that your time is valuable and you need to make the most of every minute, so each lesson is jam packed with content and engagement.

The lessons are quick-pacedwritten in teacher language, and primary-friendly. You could give these plans to a sub or student teacher, and there would be no question as to what they need to do! It’s all there for you.

Science Investigations and Experiment

2.  Engaging Science Experiments, Investigations, and Activities. 
Hands-on, easy-to-prep science experiments and investigations that will engage your students and help to broaden their scientific knowledge. 

2nd grade science curriculum features

3. EIGHT, nonfiction read aloud texts in both a printable and projectable format.

4. A PowerPoint to guide each and every lesson.
Use the PowerPoint to project the learning targets, books, activities, and investigations. It guides your teaching each lesson and can be easily formatted to Google Slides for remote learning. 

2nd grade science curriculum features

5. Vocabulary Cards to extend your students’ scientific vocabulary.

6. Essential Question and Learning Target posters in both a printable and projectable format. 

2nd grade science curriculum features

7. Activity pages in varied formats including single-print sheets or a spiral/composition Science Notebook.

8. 6 Hands-On Science Stations to extend your students’ learning and understanding of the key topics of the unit.

2nd grade science curriculum features

9. Anchor chart examples for you to follow.

10. Student Workbook that allows for independent practice and progress monitoring.

2nd grade science curriculum features

11. Daily quick checks that allow you to quickly assess key points of the lesson.

12. A developmentally appropriate end-of-unit Assessment. 

2nd grade science standards alignment

13. Alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards as well as a few select state standards.

2nd grade science curriculum

14. Systematic and Explicit instruction utilizing best practices in primary instruction. 
Lessons follow this format: Guiding Question, Learning Target, Mini-Lesson with Explicit Instruction, Guiding Question Reflection, Guided Practice/Investigation/Experiment, Independent Practice then Quick Assessment. 

2nd grade living things unit
2nd grade science lessons

UNIT 2: LIVING THINGS introduces your students to how living things depend on each other for survival.
It includes lessons on these topics:

Needs of plants and animals
How plant parts help them meet their basic needs
Seed dispersal and pollination
How physical characteristics and behaviors help animals survive
Animal migration
Dormancy and hibernation of living things
Life cycles of plants and animals, including metamorphosis
Inherited Traits of plants and animals
Extinction and fossils

OUTLINE OF UNIT 2: Living Things

Lesson 1: LIVING THINGS ALL AROUND
Lesson 2: WHAT PLANTS NEED
Lesson 3: PLANT NEEDS EXPERIMENT
Lesson 4: INTERDEPENDENCE: SEED DISPERSAL AND POLLINATION
Lesson 5: ANIMAL NEEDS AND SURVIVAL
Lesson 6: MIGRATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Lesson 7: HIBERNATION, DORMANCY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Lesson 8: INTERDEPENDENCE: FOOD CHAINS
Lesson 9: PLANT LIFE CYCLES
Lesson 10: ANIMAL LIFE CYCLES
Lesson 11: OFFSPRING AND INHERITED TRAITS
Lesson 12: EXTINCTION AND FOSSILS
Lesson 13: SCIENCE STATIONS
Lesson 14: REVIEW
Lesson 15: ASSESSMENT

Ready to transform your science block….? 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR
PURCHASE THIS UNIT

on TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE THIS UNIT
on MRSJONESSCLASS.COM

As always, let me know if you have any questions.
-Karen-