Grade 2 | SCIENCE
WEEK 3 • TEACHER GUIDE AND ANSWER KEY • DAYS 11–15
Read each lesson aloud with the child and model the worked example before practice. Do not show this key during practice. Accept oral, drawn or written answers where the child cannot yet write the whole answer. On Day 15, read aloud if needed but give no hints.
Week 3 Student Textbook | Week 3 Practice Workbook | Week 3 Teacher Guide | Week 2 Student Textbook | Week 4 Student Textbook | Grade 2 index
Day 11: What Plants Need to Grow
Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 5, 2.5
Practice record: Plant check, printed on the Week 3 Practice Workbook.
Worked example: A plant’s leaves are drooping and the soil is dry. Which need is probably missing? Worked answer: Water is probably missing.
- Plant C.
- Light.
- Space. Plant B is packed in a tiny pot with five other plants, so its roots and leaves are crowded and it stays small. Accept space with the crowding clue.
Teaching note: If possible, keep a real plant in the room this week so the child can observe it each day.
Day 12: Planning a Fair Test
Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 5, 2.5
Practice record: Leo’s water test plan, printed on the Week 3 Practice Workbook.
Worked example: Ana wants to test whether bean plants need light. What should she change, and what should stay the same? Worked answer: Change only the light. Keep the water, soil, pot and kind of plant the same.
- The water.
- Any two of: kind of plant, starting height, pot size, soil, light.
- Then two things would be different, water and light. If Plant 2 did poorly, Leo would not know whether it was from no water or no light. Accept any answer that says only one thing should change.
Teaching note: Fair testing is the main skill of the week. Ask the child to name the variable for any test you describe.
Day 13: Reading Test Results
Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 5, 2.5
Practice record: Leo’s results (height in centimeters), printed on the Week 3 Practice Workbook.
Worked example: A results table shows Plant X at 2 cm on Day 1 and 6 cm on Day 10. How much did it grow? Worked answer: Plant X grew 4 cm.
- 10 cm.
- 7 cm.
- Plants need water to grow. The watered plant grew from 3 cm to 10 cm, but the plant with no water grew only 1 cm and turned brown and dry. Accept any conclusion that uses the numbers or observations from both plants.
Teaching note: This links to Grade 2 math measurement. Point out that both plants started at the same height, which helps make the test fair.
Day 14: Too Much or Too Little
Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 5, 2.5
Practice record: Three pots of the same plant, printed on the Week 3 Practice Workbook.
Worked example: A plant sits in a pot with no hole in the bottom, and the soil is always soggy. What could go wrong? Worked answer: The roots could rot from too much water.
- Pot B.
- It dried out and wilted.
- Too much water filled the soil, so the roots could not get air. The leaves turned yellow. Accept any answer about too much water or roots needing air.
Teaching note: If you water a houseplant this week, let the child check the soil with a finger first to decide whether it needs water.
Day 15: Independent Check: Plants and Fair Tests
Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 5, 2.5
Practice record: Mia’s soil test, printed on the Week 3 Practice Workbook.
Worked example: Which need is missing from a plant kept in a dark closet? Worked answer: Light.
- What the plant was planted in (soil or sand).
- Plant 1, in garden soil.
- Yes. Mia changed only one thing, garden soil or sand. The kind of plant, pot size, water and light were the same for both plants. Accept yes with a reason that only one thing changed.
Teaching note: Independent check: read the table aloud if needed, but do not give the answers.
Week 3 Student Textbook | Week 3 Practice Workbook | Week 3 Teacher Guide | Week 2 Student Textbook | Week 4 Student Textbook | Grade 2 index