Grade 2 Science Unit 2 | Student Lessons
Five lessons on insects, butterfly development and safe observation. Download lessons and fillable practice. This is one unit, not a full-year textbook or verified standards crosswalk.
Practice workbook | Teacher guide and answers
Day 1: What is an insect?
An insect is a kind of animal. A typical adult insect has three main body parts: a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. It has six legs. Its legs attach to the thorax, the middle body part. Many adult insects have wings, but some do not.
A butterfly, a beetle, and an ant are insects. A spider is not an insect. A spider has eight legs, not six. Look at more than one feature when you identify an animal.
Observe safely. Look from a distance, and ask an adult to help. Do not touch an unknown insect or spider.
Day 2: Body parts and senses
An insect’s head has a pair of antennae. Antennae help an insect sense its surroundings. The head also has eyes and mouthparts. Different insects have different kinds of mouthparts.
The thorax is the middle part of an insect’s body. The six legs attach there. When an adult insect has wings, the wings also attach to the thorax. The abdomen is the back main body region.
Try this: Draw an imaginary adult insect. Make a head, thorax, and abdomen. Add six legs to the thorax and a pair of antennae to the head. Your drawing is a model, not a real insect.
Day 3: A butterfly changes
A butterfly goes through four main stages: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult butterfly. A caterpillar is also called a larva. A chrysalis is the butterfly’s pupa stage. The butterfly changes as it develops.
Put the stages in order: egg first, then caterpillar, then chrysalis, then adult butterfly. A caterpillar and an adult butterfly look different. Do not assume every insect has the same life cycle.
Think about a model made with four drawings. It can show the order of stages, but it cannot show every change happening inside a chrysalis.
Day 4: Observe and record
An observation is something you notice using your senses or a tool. “The insect has six legs” is an observation if you can see the legs. “The insect is hungry” is a guess unless you have evidence for it. A careful scientist tells the difference.
Imagine a student sees a beetle on a leaf. The student can record the beetle’s color and count its visible legs. The student should not claim to know what the beetle ate unless that was observed or supported by other evidence. This is an imaginary example, not a real observation.
With an adult, look at a picture of an insect or observe from a safe distance. Draw what you actually see. Do not touch unknown animals, and do not make up a measurement.
Day 5: Independent science check
Remember the insect body parts and the butterfly life cycle. Answer from the lessons. A grown-up may read directions aloud without giving answers.
Extension
With a grown-up, use a picture to draw and label the three main body parts of an adult insect. Count the legs and explain one thing the drawing cannot show.