Magnets Here and There .................. 211
Car Carriers ..................................... 217
Push ’n’ Pull Antics .......................... 223
Eggs Afloat...................................... 231
A Track Record ............................... 237
Shapes on the Move ........................ 247
Twist and Twirl Buttons .................... 257
Lid Skid ........................................... 261
Standards Alignment ................................ 5
Safe Science........................................... 11
Scientific Inquiry ..................................... 13
Assembling Rubber Band Books ............. 17
Scientists at Work ................................... 19
Dolled Up for Safety ............................... 21
What’s Wrong With This Picture? ............ 29
Matter and Energy
Properties .......................................... 39
A Bear Eggs-pedition ........................ 41
Let Me Count the Ways ...................... 49
Going Nuts ........................................ 59
Classified Information ........................ 75
Mystery Matter................................... 81
Temperature Told—Hot or Cold ......... 91
Frosty Findings................................ 101
Handmade Ice Cream ...................... 111
S’more Heat Changes ...................... 119
The Art of Change ........................... 125
Hot Cakes........................................ 133
Making Changes .............................. 141
The Ways Things Change ................ 153
Presto Change-o .............................. 155
Gingerbread Cut-Outs ..................... 159
Bake a Bear..................................... 163
Checking Out Changes .................... 167
A Fine Design .................................. 177
Generating Gizmos .......................... 183
Assessment .......................................... 267
Meter Tape ........................................... 271
Family Letter ........................................ 272
Materials List ........................................ 273
The AIMS Program ............................... 275
Model of Learning ................................. 276
Chinese Proverb ................................... 279
Force, Motion, and Energy
I See the Light ................................. 189
Do You See What I See? .................. 195
Sound Effects .................................. 201
Magnets All Around Us .................... 207
Core Curriculum/Texas
3
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation
TM
Texas Essential Knowledge
and Skills
Physical Science
Second Grade
§112.14. Science, Grade 2.
(B) plan and conduct descriptive investigations such as how organisms grow
Frosty Findings
Shapes on the Move
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The
student conducts classroom and outdoor
investigations,
following
school
and
home safety procedures. The student is
expected to:
(A) identify and demonstrate safe practices as described in the Texas Safety
Standards during classroom and outdoor investigations, including wearing
safety goggles, washing hands, and
using materials appropriately
Safe Science
Dolled Up for Safety
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Making Changes
(C) collect data from observations using
simple equipment such as hand lenses, primary balances, thermometers,
and non-standard measurement tools
A Bear Eggs-pedition
Let Me Count the Ways
Mystery Matter
Making Changes
Checking Out Changes
Shapes on the Move
(D) record and organize data using
pictures, numbers, and words
A Bear Eggs-pedition
Let Me Count the Ways
Going Nuts
Mystery Matter
Frosty Findings
Hot Cakes
Making Changes
Checking Out Changes
A Track Record
(B) describe the importance of safe
practices
Dolled Up for Safety
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
(2) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The
student develops abilities necessary to do
scientific inquiry in classroom and outdoor
investigations. The student is expected to:
(A) ask questions about organisms,
objects, and events during
observations and investigations
Going Nuts
Classified Information
Mystery Matter
Frosty Findings
Handmade Ice Cream
S’more Heat Changes
Making Changes
Shapes on the Move
Twist and Twirl Buttons
Core Curriculum/Texas
(E) communicate observations and
justify explanations using studentgenerated data from simple
descriptive investigations
A Bear Eggs-pedition
Let Me Count the Ways
Mystery Matter
A Track Record
(3) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The
student knows that information and critical
thinking, scientific problem solving, and the
contributions of scientists are used in making decisions. The student is expected to:
(B) make predictions based on observable patterns
Classified Information
5
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation
(C) identify what a scientist is and
explore what different scientists do
Scientists at Work
(B) compare changes in materials caused
by heating and cooling
Frosty Findings
Handmade Ice Cream
S’more Heat Changes
The Art of Change
Hot Cakes
Making Changes
(4) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The
student uses age-appropriate tools and
models to investigate the natural world.
The student is expected to:
(A) collect, record, and compare
information using tools, including
computers, hand lenses, rulers,
primary balances, plastic beakers,
magnets, collecting nets, notebooks,
and safety goggles; timing devices,
including clocks and stopwatches;
weather instruments such as
thermometers, wind vanes, and rain
gauges; and materials to support
observations of habitats of organisms
such as terrariums and aquariums
A Bear Eggs-pedition
Let Me Count the Ways
Mystery Matter
Making Changes
Checking Out Changes
Shapes on the Move
(C) demonstrate that things can be done
to materials to change their physical
properties such as cutting, folding,
sanding, and melting
Frosty Findings
S’more Heat Changes
The Art of Change
Making Changes
The Way Things Change
Presto Change-o
Gingerbread Cut-Outs
Bake a Bear
Checking Out Changes
A Fine Design
(D) combine materials that when put
together can do things that they cannot do by themselves such as building a tower or a bridge and justify the
selection of those materials based on
their physical properties
A Fine Design
Generating Gizmos
Twist and Twirl Buttons
(B) measure and compare organisms and
objects using non-standard units that
approximate metric units
A Bear Eggs-pedition
Let Me Count the Ways
Going Nuts
Mystery Matter
Making Changes
Checking Out Changes
Shapes on the Move
(6) Force, motion, and energy. The students
knows that forces cause change and energy exists in many forms. The student is
expected to:
(A) investigate the effects on an object
by increasing or decreasing amounts
of light, heat, and sound energy such
as how the color of an object appears
different in dimmer light or how heat
melts butter
Frosty Findings
Handmade Ice Cream
S’more Heat Changes
Hot Cakes
Making Changes
I See the Light
Do You See What I See?
Sound Effects
(5) Matter and energy. The student knows that
matter has physical properties and those
properties determine how it is described,
classified, changed, and used. The student
is expected to:
(A) classify matter by physical properties,
including shape, relative mass,
relative temperature, texture,
flexibility, and whether material is a
solid or liquid
Properties
A Bear Eggs-pedition
Let Me Count the Ways
Going Nuts
Classified Information
Mystery Matter
Temperature Told—Hot or Cold
Frosty Findings
Handmade Ice Cream
Shapes on the Move
Core Curriculum/Texas
(B) observe and identify how magnets
are used in everyday life
Magnets All Around Us
Magnets Here and There
Car Carriers
6
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation
(C) trace the changes in the position of
an object over time such as a cup
rolling on the floor and a car rolling
down a ramp
Push ’n’ Pull Antics
Eggs Afloat
A Track Record
Shapes on the Move
(D) compare patterns of movement of
objects such as sliding, rolling, and
spinning.
Shapes on the Move
Twist and Twirl Buttons
Lid Skid
Core Curriculum/Texas
7
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation
At a Glance: TEKS Alignment
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 2
1
AIMS Activity
A
Safe Science
•
2
B
A
B
3
C
D
E
B
Scientists at Work
4
C
A
5
B
A
B
C
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
•
•
Properties
A
•
•
•
•
•
•
Let Me Count the Ways
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Going Nuts
•
Classified Information
•
Mystery Matter
•
•
•
C
D
•
•
•
•
•
•
Temperature Told—Hot or Cold
•
•
Frosty Findings
•
Handmade Ice Cream
•
S’more Heat Changes
•
•
•
The Art of Change
Hot Cakes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• •
•
•
•
Presto Change-o
•
Gingerbread Cut-Outs
•
Bake a Bear
•
•
A Fine Design
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Way Things Change
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Generating Gizmos
I See the Light
•
Do You See What I See?
•
Core Curriculum/Texas
B
•
A Bear Eggs-pedition
Checking Out Changes
D
•
Dolled Up for Safety
Making Changes
6
8
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation
At a Glance: TEKS Alignment
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Grade 2
1
AIMS Activity
A
2
B
A
B
3
C
D
E
B
4
C
A
5
B
A
B
6
C
D
Sound Effects
A
B
C
•
Magnets All Around Us
•
Magnets Here and There
•
Car Carriers
•
Push ’n’ Pull Antics
•
Eggs Afloat
•
A Track Record
•
Shapes on the Move
•
Twist and Twirl Buttons
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lid Skid
Core Curriculum/Texas
D
•
•
•
9
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation
Topic
Classification
Management
1. Prepare one bag per group of students by attaching
a team label to the outside of each bag and a
property label to the inside of each bag.
2. Divide class into teams of two to three students.
Each team will be given a labeled lunch bag.
3. Inform students to keep their properties a secret.
4. Be sure all students are familiar with the properties
for which they will be looking.
5. Students will first search for objects that contain the
property. After all teams have found objects that
represent the given properties, they will display the
items and attempt to identify the common property
from each set.
6. Select a table or counter on which students can
place their bags and the items they collected.
Key Question
What property do these items have in common?
Learning Goals
Students will:
• collect at least four items that share a property, and
• predict the properties of objects collected by
other groups.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science
2.5A Classify matter by physical properties, including shape, relative mass, relative temperature,
texture, flexibility, and whether material is a
solid or liquid
2.2A Ask questions about organisms, objects, and
events during observations and investigations
2.3B Make predictions based on observable
patterns
Procedure
1. Discuss what is to be done and give examples of
items that may or may not be collected.
2. Divide students into teams.
3. Give each team a bag labeled as suggested in
Management.
4. Tell students they will have 10 minutes in which
to find at least four items that illustrate their
property.
5. Distribute the first activity page and have students
record the items their team collected.
6. Invite teams to place their objects and bags (Team
A, Team B, etc.) on the table or counter.
7. Have the students move from bag to bag in an
organized manner with their recording sheets and
attempt to identify the common property.
8. Ask students to draw lines on their student page to
connect those teams that have similar properties.
9. Invite groups to share their properties with the class
and allow time for students to record the actual
results on their recording sheets.
Math
Geometry
shape recognition
Science
Physical science
properties
Integrated Processes
Observing
Comparing and contrasting
Predicting
Classifying
Drawing conclusions
Materials
For each group of two to three students:
paper bag with labels (see Management 1)
Connecting Learning
1. Which property do you think was easiest to
identify?
2. Which was the most difficult?
3. What made it difficult?
4. Why do you think it is important to be able to
identify properties that are common to a set of
objects?
5. What are you wondering now?
Background Information
Observation is among the most basic of skills. It is
key to making inferences and predictions. This activity
aims at teaching students to be more discriminating
observers. In it, they will observe objects as they search
for common properties. After predicting the property,
students will then test their predictions with each
object. If the property does not apply to all objects,
students will then refine and retest their predictions.
Core Curriculum/Texas
75
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation
Extensions
1. Include properties that require measuring.
2. Use different properties. (e.g., right angles, living,
nonliving, leaves, variegated colors, etc.)
3. Have students determine the properties.
4. Sort objects using Venn diagrams.
Core Curriculum/Texas
76
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation
Key Question
What property do these
items have in common?
Learning Goals
Students will:
• collect at least four
items that share a
property, and
• predict the properties
of objects collected by
other gorups.
Core Curriculum/Texas
77
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation
Core Curriculum/Texas
78
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation
What we collected:
My team's bag
Study the objects collected by other teams.
Predict the property each team used.
Team
Prediction
Actual
Keep the property
of the objects you
collected a secret.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
Which groups have similar properties?
Draw lines to connect the groups.
Core Curriculum/Texas
79
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation
CO
N
NE
C T I NG
Connecting Learning
LEA
RN
I NG
1. Which property do you
think was easiest to
identify?
2. Which was the most difficult?
3. What made it difficult?
4. Why do you think it is important
to be able to identify properties
that are common to a set of
objects?
5. What are you wondering now?
Core Curriculum/Texas
80
© 2011 AIMS Education Foundation