Exploring Our World: 2nd and 3rd Grade Science

Welcome to Science Class! This class is structured to be a complete curriculum class for second and third grade. We will have a new topic each week where we will explore science topics geared to second and third grade curriculum standards. We start a new topic each week, so it is easy to start at any point during the school year. We will cover topics in Earth Science, Life Science, and Physical Science. Each week I will post a printable handout that goes along with the lesson. This will be posted on Sunday evenings in the Outschool classroom. On weeks that we have an experiment, I will demonstrate the experiment in class and post directions on how students (with parent supervision!) can complete the experiment at home, outside of class. It is not a problem if students do not have the handouts for class. They are always welcome to listen and participate by sharing ideas and answering questions. 

My favorite part of teaching is building relationships! I strive to create a positive, relaxed environment where we can learn and have fun. I do not require students to mute, but I will mute students if there is distracting background noise. It is helpful for students to know how to mute/unmute themselves. I encourage students to ask questions and participate! 

Here are the topics for the year (topics may change slightly):

FALL 2024
Matter
Week of Aug. 19: Intro to Science
Week of Aug. 26: Scientific Method
Week of Sept. 2: Properties of Matter
Week of Sept. 9: States of Matter
Week of Sept. 16: States of Matter
Week of Sept. 23: Changes to Matter
Week of Sept. 30: Materials, Mixtures, and Structures

Force and Energy
Week of Oct. 7: Motion
Week of Oct. 14: Fall Break (No Classes)
Week of Oct. 21: Force and Motion
Week of Oct. 28: Noncontact Forces and Balanced Forces
Week of Nov. 4: Electricity and Magnetism
Week of Nov. 11: Light Energy
Week of Nov. 18: Sound Energy
Week of Nov. 25: Thanksgiving Break (No Classes)
Week of Dec. 2: Heat and Mechanical Energy

Weather
Week of Dec. 9: Weather & The Water Cycle
Week of Dec. 16: Seasonal Weather Changes
Week of Dec. 23: Winter Break (No Classes)
Week of Dec. 30: Winter Break (No Classes)

Spring 2025

Space and Earth
Week of Jan. 6: Landforms
Week of Jan 13: Bodies of Water
Week of Jan. 20: Types of Maps
Week of Jan. 27: Fast and Slow Changes
Week of Feb. 3: How People Affect the Earth
Week of Feb. 10: Types of Rocks
Week of Feb. 17: Soil
Week of Feb. 24: Habitats
Week of Mar. 3: Habitats
Week of Mar. 10: Spring Break (No Classes)

Living Things
Week of Mar. 17: Habitat Diversity
Week of Mar. 24: Plant and Animal Life Cycles
Week of Mar. 31: Comparing Life Cycles
Week of Apr. 7:  Inherited Traits
Week of Apr. 14:  Variations of Traits
Week of Apr. 21: Traits Influenced by the Environment
Week of Apr. 28: Plant Adaptations
Week of May 5: Animal Adaptations
Week of May 12: Food Chains
Week of May 19: Fossils
Week of May 26: Seasonal Changes
Week of June 2: Natural Changes