| Code |
Description |
| SC.2.P.8.1: | Observe and measure objects in terms of their properties, including size, shape, color, temperature, weight, texture, sinking or floating in water, and attraction and repulsion of magnets. |
| SC.2.P.8.2: | Identify objects and materials as solid, liquid, or gas. |
| SC.2.P.8.3: | Recognize that solids have a definite shape and that liquids and gases take the shape of their container. |
| SC.2.P.8.4: | Observe and describe water in its solid, liquid, and gaseous states. |
| SC.2.P.8.5: | Measure and compare temperatures taken every day at the same time. |
| SC.2.P.8.6: | Measure and compare the volume of liquids using containers of various shapes and sizes. |
This cluster includes the following access points.
Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Name |
Description |
| Water: Responsible Citizens Conserve Water: | Students will learn and apply knowledge relating to water’s three main states of matter and how responsible citizenship includes the responsible use of water in this integrated lesson plan. |
| Candy Homes: | In this project based learning experience, students explore and sort different candies based on their physical properties and how they can be altered and changed. They will determine which properties of the candy would be most beneficial to build a successful home/structure. Students will create a model of their home using their chosen candy and support their choice by writing an opinion and preparing a presentation. |
| Rock Elements, Inc. MEA: | In this MEA, students are being asked to rank which rocks would be best to use for a rock garden based on a given set of data. Only one group of rocks can be chosen to build Mr. Potter's rock garden. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| Animal Sanctuary Engineering Design Challenge: | This Engineering Design Challenge is a hands-on investigation in both math and science. Students will be able to use prior knowledge and problem solving skills to solve non-routine problems and real-world situations, using mathematical and scientific models. It is a great way to introduce your students to real-world problem solving. Students will be engaged in hands-on learning by designing and creating an enclosure for zoo animals. Both math and science standards have been incorporated for an integrated lesson. |
| Explore the States (of Matter): Glorious Gases: | This is the third lesson of three lessons designed for second grade students to understand and appreciate what matter is and which properties of matter are used to classify it as a solid, liquid or gas. If this lesson is used without the first lesson, Exploring the states (of Matter): Super Solids, the attached PowerPoint could be shown to as a preview to this exploration. |
| Explore the States (of Matter): Super Solids: | This is the introductory lesson of three lessons designed for second grade students to understand and appreciate what matter is and which properties of matter are used to classify it as a solid, liquid or gas. Because solids are the most familiar form of matter for children, a shorter exploration of solids is included as the hands-on component to accompany the PowerPoint that discusses all states of matter. |
| States of Matter: | In this 2-3 part session, students will manipulate printable objects and sort them into the three states of matter-solid, liquid and gas. They will also participate in a hands-on group investigation and record their observations into their Science Notebooks. A quiz on the content is also provided. |
| May the Force Be With You: | In this lesson plan, students will explore what items are attracted to magnets. They will learn that magnets have an invisible force called a magnetic field and that objects can be moved without even touching them. |
| The Mystery Book: | This engaging lesson allows students to explore the importance of using text features to learn and locate information all while learning about the three forms of matter. Students enjoy using text features as clues to figure out the title of The Mystery Book. |
| Rocks, Rocks, Everywhere: | The students will be able to sort rocks based upon color, hardness, texture, layering and particle size. |
| Classifying Candy 1: | Students will develop two binary classification systems using concrete objects. The classification systems will be based on two different properties of the concrete objects.
The task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations and apply their understanding to classification.
This task is designed to take students approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. |
| The Shape of Kisses: | This resource features a lesson plan for comparing the properties of Hershey's chocolate kisses in different states: solid and liquid. |
| Sink or Float? Inquiry Investigation: | Students will predict which objects sink or float in water. They will observe, describe, and keep records about what happens when objects are placed in water, and determine whether there is consistency in their own and classmates' results. They will generate ideas about characteristics of materials that sink or float, and will ask questions about physical properties of matter. |
| Float or Sink?: | This lesson builds on lessons regarding the different properties of solids by having students explore how different objects float or sink when placed in water. |
| What's the Weather?: | In this lesson, students use daily observations, videos, and activities to learn about meteorology and the changing nature of weather. Students also identify weather events that are commonly reported in the news and discuss how weather affects lives. |
| Effect of Shape on Volume: | The students will learn that volume is not affected by a container's shape. |
| Explore the States (of Matter): Lovely Liquids: | This is the second lesson of three lessons designed for second grade students to understand and appreciate what matter is and which properties of matter are used to classify it as a solid, liquid or gas. If this lesson is used without the first lesson, Exploring the states (of Matter): Super Solids, the attached PowerPoint could be shown to as a preview to this exploration. |
| It's Attracted: | In this lesson, students will use informational text to gather information on objects made of matter that have properties that make them either attracted or not attracted to magnets. |
| What's the Matter?: | This is a lesson where students will identify the properties of matter by their shape, color, size, texture and sink or float. Students will learn about how atoms make up matter through a hands on activity titled "Marshmallow Atoms." They will also be using their daily science notebooks. |
| You Name It!: | Students are given a variety of materials and asked to identify each material as a solid, liquid or gas. They use their five senses — sight, sound, smell, texture and taste — to identify the other characteristics of each item. |
| Name |
Description |
| Forms of Water: | The Tar Heel Reader books may be downloaded as slide shows in PowerPoint, Impress, or Flash format. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches.
This book provides different examples of the different forms of water: liquid, solid, and gas. |
| Liquids: A Science Curriculum Resource Support: | This is an accessible, easy-to-read book about liquids. It can be downloaded in Power Point, Impress, and Flash formats. For struggling or non-readers, the book can be read aloud in a variety of voices. All of the books on the Tar Heel Reader site can be used with the Intellikeys keyboard and a custom overlay, a touch screen, and/or 1-3 switches. The text and background colors can be modified for students with visual impairments. |
| Three Kinds of Matter: Solids, Liquids, and Gases: | This is free, easy-to-read, and accessible book that explains the three states of matter. The book may be downloaded as slide show in PowerPoint, Impress, or Flash format. The book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches. |
| Name |
Description |
| Mystery Eggs: | This teaching idea provides students with an opportunity to make observations about the weight, sound, and movement of plastic eggs with a different number of nails inside. |
| Guess What?: | This is a short and simple teaching idea where students will have an opportunity to engage in the beginning stages of the scientific method through observation. This activity is unique as it suggests that students observe less common objects. |
| How Big is a Blue-SeaWorld Classroom Activity: | In this activity, given pictures of whales, the student will sort the whales by size. Given a rope marked with several whale lengths, the student will compare the lengths of these whales. |
| Investigating Oobleck: Solid or Liquid?: | The students will make their own predictions and conclusions on whether Oobleck is a solid or liquid by using focus observations, conducting focus explorations, raising questions, clarifying questions, and making conclusions about Oobleck. |
| Magic Magnets: | As a result of this activity, students will be able to classify objects as metals and nonmetals, and will be able to demonstrate that magnets can make certain metals and other magnets move without actually touching them. |
| Solid and Liquid Stations: | Students investigate the properties of solids and liquids. |
| Solid or Liquid?: | In this chemistry lesson students will investigate if certain materials are solids or liquids. Students are expected to make predictions, record observations, draw conclusions, and formulate questions for further investigation. |
| Sorting Solids: | Students are asked to sort solids in a variety of ways and justify their reasoning for sorting the solids. |
| The Weight of Water-SeaWorld Classroom Activity: | In this activity, the students will discover that seawater is more dense than fresh water. |
| Name |
Description |
| States of Matter: | The representation is an animation showing particle arrangement and movement in a gas, liquid, and solid. In addition, there is accompanying text and a chart that compares the characteristics of a solid, liquid, and gas. |
| Observe Water in Winter and Summer: | This video clip explores what happens to water in the same location over the course of different seasons. On Earth, water can be found regularly in its three distinct phases; liquid, solid, and gas. Each phase has noticeably different properties that need to be considered in certain circumstances. The phase of water is influenced by atmospheric conditions, specifically seasonal temperatures. An example, is that a boat can float and glide on water in the summer, but it cannot pass through solid ice in the winter. |
| Observe Clouds: | Upon observing clouds in a section of the sky, one notices that they are not static. Being composed of tiny particles of water means they are constantly changing and moving. This video clip explores clouds forming, moving, and changing shape. |
| Solar Still Part 1: Salt Water: | The process that moves water around Earth is known as the water cycle. I this ZOOM-adapted video clip, the cast uses a homemade solar still to separate pure water from a saltwater mixture, mimicing this natural process. |
Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Title |
Description |
| Forms of Water: | The Tar Heel Reader books may be downloaded as slide shows in PowerPoint, Impress, or Flash format. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches.
This book provides different examples of the different forms of water: liquid, solid, and gas. |
| Liquids: A Science Curriculum Resource Support: | This is an accessible, easy-to-read book about liquids. It can be downloaded in Power Point, Impress, and Flash formats. For struggling or non-readers, the book can be read aloud in a variety of voices. All of the books on the Tar Heel Reader site can be used with the Intellikeys keyboard and a custom overlay, a touch screen, and/or 1-3 switches. The text and background colors can be modified for students with visual impairments. |
| Three Kinds of Matter: Solids, Liquids, and Gases: | This is free, easy-to-read, and accessible book that explains the three states of matter. The book may be downloaded as slide show in PowerPoint, Impress, or Flash format. The book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces, including touch screens, the IntelliKeys with custom overlays, and 1 to 3 switches. |
| Title |
Description |
| States of Matter: | The representation is an animation showing particle arrangement and movement in a gas, liquid, and solid. In addition, there is accompanying text and a chart that compares the characteristics of a solid, liquid, and gas. |
| Observe Water in Winter and Summer: | This video clip explores what happens to water in the same location over the course of different seasons. On Earth, water can be found regularly in its three distinct phases; liquid, solid, and gas. Each phase has noticeably different properties that need to be considered in certain circumstances. The phase of water is influenced by atmospheric conditions, specifically seasonal temperatures. An example, is that a boat can float and glide on water in the summer, but it cannot pass through solid ice in the winter. |
| Solar Still Part 1: Salt Water: | The process that moves water around Earth is known as the water cycle. I this ZOOM-adapted video clip, the cast uses a homemade solar still to separate pure water from a saltwater mixture, mimicing this natural process. |
Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
