Ahava~Love Assembly

Grade 2 Science Week 5 | Teacher Guide

Grade 2 | SCIENCE

WEEK 5 • TEACHER GUIDE AND ANSWER KEY • DAYS 21–25

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 25, read aloud if needed but give no hints.

Week 5 Student Textbook | Week 5 Practice Workbook | Week 5 Teacher Guide | Week 4 Student Textbook | Week 6 Student Textbook | Grade 2 index

Day 21: Why Seeds Travel

Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 6, 2.6

Practice record: Seed travel, printed on the Week 5 Practice Workbook.

Worked example: Why might a young tree have trouble growing right under a big oak tree? Worked answer: The big tree would block its light and use much of the water.

  1. Coconut.
  2. Burdock burr and cherry.
  3. Away from the parent plant, the young plant does not have to share light, water and space with a big plant or with many other seeds. Accept any answer about less crowding or more light, water or space.

Teaching note: If you have a dandelion or maple seeds nearby, look at them together.

Day 22: Seeds That Hitch a Ride

Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 6, 2.6

Practice record: Sock walk, printed on the Week 5 Practice Workbook.

Worked example: A dog runs through a field and comes home with prickly seeds in its fur. How did the seeds get there? Worked answer: The seeds hooked onto the dog’s fur.

  1. 14.
  2. Tiny hooks.
  3. The fuzzy socks brushed past the plants just like fur, and the hooked seeds caught on them. The socks carried the seeds away from the field, the way an animal would. Accept any answer comparing the fuzzy socks to fur.

Teaching note: A sock walk is a simple, safe activity. Avoid fields with thorny plants or ticks, and check clothing afterward.

Day 23: Seeds Animals Eat and Store

Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 6, 2.6

Practice record: Squirrel diary, printed on the Week 5 Practice Workbook.

Worked example: A bird eats berries in one yard and flies to another yard. How can the bird help the berry plant? Worked answer: The bird carries the seeds to a new place where they may grow.

  1. 20.
  2. 5.
  3. The squirrel buried acorns in October, and some were still in the soil after January. Acorns left in the soil can sprout, so the oak sprouts in April likely grew from acorns the squirrel buried and did not eat. Accept any answer that links buried acorns left in the soil to the sprouts.

Teaching note: Never let a child eat wild berries without an adult who knows the plant is safe.

Day 24: Build a Seed Model

Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 6, 2.6

Practice record: Model test, printed on the Week 5 Practice Workbook.

Worked example: In a model, a pom-pom with pieces of tape stands for a seed. What does the tape stand for? Worked answer: The tape stands for the seed’s hooks.

  1. The cotton ball with tape.
  2. The smooth bead.
  3. Seeds with hooks, like the taped cotton ball, catch on fur and get carried away. Smooth seeds fall off. The shape of a seed helps it travel. Accept any answer linking hooks or stickiness to being carried.

Teaching note: Adult help is needed with tape. Each model was rubbed the same number of times, but the models also differ in size, shape and material, so this is a simple demonstration, not a fully controlled test.

Hands-on task observation checklist (Build and test your own seed model). Check each item you observe. Four or five items shows the child met the model-building goal; two or three means repeat the task with support.

  • ☐ Child drew or described a plan before building.
  • ☐ Model is built from safe materials and represents a real seed feature (hooks, spines or a smooth coat).
  • ☐ Child tested the model the same way each time.
  • ☐ Child recorded the result.
  • ☐ Child explained how the model shows the way real seeds are carried by animals.

Day 25: Independent Check: Seeds on the Move

Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 6, 2.6

Practice record: Field notes, printed on the Week 5 Practice Workbook.

Worked example: How does a burr travel? Worked answer: It hooks onto an animal’s fur.

  1. The deer.
  2. It carried them in its cheek pouches and buried them under leaves.
  3. Birds eat blackberries and then sit on the fence. Seeds pass out of the birds and drop to the ground below, where they grow. Accept any answer linking birds eating berries to seeds dropped near the fence.

Teaching note: Independent check: read the notes aloud if needed, but do not give the answers.

Week 5 Student Textbook | Week 5 Practice Workbook | Week 5 Teacher Guide | Week 4 Student Textbook | Week 6 Student Textbook | Grade 2 index