In Your Child's Classroom

Learning science thinking skills
Science is not just a body of knowledge. It is also a way of acquiring knowledge. From the earliest years,

What to look for when you visit Books about the seasons, plants, animals, the earth, space, the solar system and the human body Books about scientists who have contributed to science and technology Hands-on areas that encourage experimentation and might include microscopes, models and skeletons Safety glasses, thermometer, magnifying glass, mirror, bar magnets and rulers An area where children can learn the life cycle of animals and plants, such as plant tables and aquariums Posted examples of student work such as lists of observations, questions and drawings Experts invited into the classroom from museums, zoos and botanical gardens to share their knowledge

elementary science should involve children in investigating the material and living world around them. While children learn concepts and vocabulary from investigations, they also develop the ability to ask a scientific question, plan experiments to try to answer the question, and develop reasonable explanations based on their observations.

The topics children investigate at a particular grade level differ widely across the country, but the science thinking skills are universal. While a student will study sound, electricity, plants, animals, and solids, liquids and gases during their elementary years, each state has its own sequence of topics for each grade level. The National Science Education Standards — the jumping-off point states use to develop their standards — lists important topics and thinking skills for grades K-4.

The lists of topics below are examples taken from many states, and your state may require a different list in your child's grade. What's important is that the topics are used to develop scientific thinking. To learn topics your state does include at each grade level, you can look up your state's science education standards.

What science concepts will my second-grader learn?
Your second-grader will learn about the world around him both by observation and experimentation. He will learn to make more detailed observations and conclusions, and use data to help validate information. Some or all of the following concepts will be explored in second grade:

• The cycle of life: Plants and animals have predictable life cycles.
• Seasons: The four seasons and the characteristics of each.
• Matter: Materials come in solid, liquid and gas forms, and matter can change states.
• The human body: The skeletal, muscular, digestive and nervous systems, and how to take care of the body.
• Insects: The parts of the insect — abdomen, thorax and head--and their life cycles.
• Electricity and magnetism: Electric currents and circuits, how batteries work, and the push and pull of magnets.
• Earth and space: The properties of suns, moons, planets and stars , and their locations and movements.

What types of science instruction will my second-grader get?
Second-grade teachers typically teach students to do experiments and record observations, both orally and in writing.

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Along with experimentation, books are also incorporated to encourage coherence and order to a child's scientific learning. A second-grade teacher might conduct an experiment that demonstrates how light travels in a straight line. A teacher might use magnets to illustrate magnetic fields and poles, and show how they are used in compasses to show direction.

Getting acquainted with the physical world
A second-grader might learn that air is matter and has weight by comparing the weights of a full and an empty balloon on a balance. Likewise, a teacher might introduce life cycles by setting up an area where students watch caterpillars spin cocoons and become butterflies.

Emphasizing skills over facts
More important than the scientific facts at this stage is the ability of children to observe, ask questions, plan and do investigations, and record and communicate what they experience. The teacher might encourage students to investigate the circulatory system by asking them to put their hands on their chests to feel their heartbeats, and compare their heartbeat rates before and after exercise. Or a second-grader might identify metamorphosis and various stages of life by observing tadpoles as they turn into frogs. Fred Stein our science consultant notes: "In second grade, students tend to be more socially adept, and can be expected to work cooperatively in groups on planning, doing and reporting their science investigations."

Updated August 2007