BELLE VERNON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

GENERAL SYLLABUS OUTLINE

**This syllabus is subject to change**

Course Name:

Science

Grade:

2

1.)

Course Description:

Science class in second grade involves teaching students life science-plants and animals and where

they live, earth science--changes on earth; the sun and its family, and physical science--matter and

energy; how things move.  Students will use reading, math, graphics, charts, texts, internet,

experiments, constructions, and teacher interaction as the means of learning.

2.)

Learning Standards:

3.1

Unifying Themes of Science

3.2

Inquiry and Design

3.3

Biological Science

3.4

Physical Science, Chemistry and Physics

3.5

Earth Science

4.1

Watersheds and Wetlands

4.2

Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources

4.3

Environmental Health

4.4

Agriculture and Society

4.5

Integrated Pest Management

4.6

Ecosystems and their Interactions

4.7

Threatened, Endangered and Extinct Species

4.8

Humans and the Environment

4.9

Environmental Health

3.)

Student Objectives:

3.1.4     Unifying Themes

v

Know that natural and human-made objects are made up of parts.

v

Know models as useful simplifications of objects or processes.

v

Illustrate patterns that regularly occur and reoccur in nature.

v

Know that scale is an important attribute of natural and human make objects, events

and phenomena.

v

Recognize change in natural and physical systems.

3.2.4     Inquiry and Design

v

Identify and use the nature of scientific and technological knowledge.

v

Describe objects in the world using the five senses.

v

Recognize and use the elements of scientific inquiry to solve problems.

v

Recognize and use the technological design process to solve problems.

3.3.4     Biological Sciences

v

Know the similarities and differences of living things.

v

Know that living things are made up of parts that have specific functions.

v

Know that characteristics are inherited and, thus, offspring, closely resemble their parents.

v

Identify changes in living things over time.

3.4.4     Physical Science, Chemistry, and Physics

v

Recognize basic concepts about the structure and properties of matter.

4.1.4     Watersheds and Wetlands

v

Identify various types of water environments.

v

Explain the differences between moving and still water.

v

Identify living things found in water environments.

v

Identify a wetland and the plants and animals found there.

v

Recognize the impact of watersheds and wetlands on animals and plants.

4.2.4     Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources

v

Identify needs of people.

v

Identify products derived from natural resources.

v

Know that some natural resources have limited life spans.

v

Identify by-products and their use of natural resources.

4.3.4     Environmental Health

v

Know that plants, animals, and humans are dependent on air and water.

v

Identify how human actions affect environmental health.

v

Understand that the elements of natural systems are interdependent.

4.4.4     Agriculture and Society

v

Know the importance of agriculture to humans.

v

Identify the role of the sciences in Pennsylvania agriculture.

v

Know that food and fiber originate from plants and animals.

v

Identify technology and energy use associated with agriculture.

4.5.4     Integrated Pest Management

v

Know types of pests.

v

Explain pest control.

v

Understand society's need for integrated pest management.

v

v

Understand that living things are dependent on nonliving things in the environment for

survival.

v

Understand the concept of cycles.

v

Identify how ecosystems change over time.

4.7.4     Threatened, Endangered, and Extinct Species

v

Identify differences in living things.

v

Know that adaptation are important for survival.

v

Define and understand extinction.

4.8.4     Humans and the Environment

v

Identify the biological requirements of humans.

v

Know that environmental conditions influence where and how people live.

v

Explain how human activities may change the environment.

v

Know the importance of natural resources in daily life.

4.9.4     Environmental Laws and Regulations

v

Know that there are laws and regulations for the environment.

4.)

Course Text:

v  McGraw-Hill Science Textbook and the 3 grade-level science books for each unit, 6 units in all.  We

also have CD Rom and internet links for correlation with social studies, math, music/art, health,

technology and home activities; any stories that complement the learning theme.

5.)

Major Units or Themes:  (Include the following)

v     Plants and Animals:  Main ideas:  Plants are living things.  They have parts that help them meet

their basic needs so they can grow and make new plants.  We use plants in many ways.  The six

groups of animals meet their needs in different ways.  Baby Animals grow up to look like their

parents.

v     Homes for Plants and Animals:  Main Ideas:  The different characteristics of land habitats

determine which plants and animals can live there.  Fresh and salt water habitats support many

kinds of plants and animals.  We must reduce pollution in all of Earth's habitats.

v     Changes on Earth:  Main Ideas:  Changes in Earth's weather are caused in part by the water

cycle.  Earth changes slowly through erosion and quickly through earthquakes, landslides, and

volcanoes.  Fossils give us clues about plants, and animals that lived long ago and are now extinct.

v     The Sun and its Family:  Main Ideas:  Earth's rotation on its axis causes day and night, while its

orbit around the sun causes seasons.  The moon orbits Earth, while Earth and the other planets

orbit the sun.  Stars are huge objects that produce their own heat and light.

v     Matter and Energy:  Main Ideas:  All things are made of matter, which can be a solid, liquid,

or gas.  Matter can change physically or chemically.   Energy, the power to make matter move or

change, can take the form of heat, light, or sound.

v     Watch it Move:  Main Ideas:  Forces--pushes and pulls--move things.  Friction slows down

movement.  Levers and ramps are simple machines that make movement easier.  Magnets

are forces that push and pull.  We have many uses for magnets.  Earth's magnetic field helps

people find their way.

6.)

Teaching Methods:

v     Teacher Demonstration and Explanation

v     Reading Text Together and in Small Groups

v     Cooperative Learning Groups for Experiments and Investigations

v     Role Play--Act Out What is Happening

v     Set Up Specimens and Have Resource People (Parents, College Students, etc..)

Pupils Observe and Ask Questions as They Complete a Worksheet

v     Draw Students and Teacher Together to Illustrate Concepts, Label Parts, etc.

v     Field Trip to Carnegie Museum of Natural History

7.)

Assessment:

v     Written Tests:  Matching, Fill in Blanks, Short Answer, and Describe What Happens

v     Daily Summary Sheet--What We Learned

v     Drawings

v     Rubrics

v     Journal and Field Notes

v     Oral Presentation (Group Sometimes, Individual Sometimes)

v     Venn Diagrams

v     Chart Completion

v     "20 Questions" Game

v     Checklists

v     Group Demonstration