What does a student learn in StateNew Jersey,GradeGrade 2,SubjectScience?

Students learn to ask questions that can be tested and to name a problem clearly enough that someone could work on solving it. This is how science and engineering both get started.

Students draw or build a simple model (like a diagram or a labeled picture) to show how something in nature works or how a design is put together.

Students plan a simple test, collect information, and check whether their idea holds up. This is the core of how scientists work, and second graders practice it with everyday questions about the world around them.

Students look at data from science activities, like tallies or simple charts, and explain what the numbers or patterns show.

Students use counting, measuring, or simple math to help explain what they observed. A ruler, a tally, or a number can turn a science observation into something others can check.

Students take what they observed or tested and use it to explain why something happened. The explanation has to be backed up by what they actually saw or measured, not just a guess.

Students look at two different explanations or solutions, then use what they observed or tested to argue which one holds up better.

Students gather facts about a science topic, decide what the information means, and share what they found by drawing, writing, or talking about it.

Students learn what everyday materials are made of and why they behave the way they do. They explore how the tiny pieces that make up solids, liquids, and gases interact to explain what we see and feel in the physical world.

Students test how pushes and pulls make objects start, stop, or change direction. They explore why some things stay still and what it takes to get them moving.

Students explore how energy shows up in everyday forms like light, heat, and sound, and how it moves from one object to another. They also learn that energy is not lost when it changes form.

Students explore how waves like sound and light move energy and carry information from one place to another. They look at real examples, like how sound travels through air or how a signal moves through a wire.

Students look closely at living things to understand how their parts work. They study how a plant's roots, stem, and leaves each do a job, and how animal body parts work together to keep the creature alive.

Students learn how living things in a neighborhood of nature, like a pond or forest, depend on each other for food and shelter. They explore how energy moves from plants to animals and how the same matter gets used again and again.

Students look at plants, animals, or people across generations to see which traits pass from parent to offspring and which ones vary. They learn why offspring often resemble their parents but are not identical copies.

Students look at plants and animals to figure out why some look alike and some look different, and what those differences mean for survival.

Students explore where Earth sits in the solar system and study how the sun, moon, and stars move in predictable patterns. They also look at how Earth itself has changed over a very long time.

Students explore how Earth's land, water, air, and living things connect and affect each other. They look at real examples, like how rain soaks into soil or how plants grow where water and sunlight meet.

Students look at how things people do (like building roads or cutting down trees) change the land, water, or air. They also study how earthquakes, floods, and storms affect the way people live.

Students identify a real problem, come up with ideas to solve it, and then test and improve their design until it works better.

Students look at how inventions like bridges or water pipes change daily life, and how people's needs push engineers to build new things.