Grade 2 Science
Core Unit: Habitats

Unit overview:

In this unit students gain an understanding of the intricate interactions that occur within the environment. They see how plants and animals interact with their surroundings. The natural environment is studied in detail.

Image of Earth Opportunities should be made available for various types of outreach projects, to allow students to experience natural environments firsthand.

Related units:

The grade 1 unit on Plants, as well as some of the optional earth science units dealing with The Sky, and Air and Water are related.

In grade 2, the Core Units on Plant Growth and on Weather may be integrated. Environmental considerations, local weather patterns, and climatic trends all have an influence on plant life. Plant life also influences the physical surroundings, and provides a natural habitat for animals.

The grade 3 Core Unit on Animals may extend what students have learned in grade 2, by examining those factors which cause a species to become threatened or endangered. The Optional Unit on Plant Structures and Adaptations is also relevant to the study of habitats.

The grade 4 Core Unit on Fossils and Rocks may be used as an extension, by showing the risks that species face as a result of changes that take place within the environment.

The grade 5 Optional Unit on Communities and Ecosystems, as well as the grade 6 Core Unit on Ecosystems form extensions of the ideas developed in grade 2.

Suggested themes:

agriculture, animals, change, deserts,food chains, grasslands, living things around you, nature, oceans, plants, ponds, woodlands

Factors of scientific literacy which should be emphasized:

Common Essential Learnings foundational objectives which should be emphasized:

To develop students' appreciation of the value and limitations of technology within society. (TL)

To support students in coming to a better understanding of the personal, moral, social, and cultural aspects of science. (PSVS)

Science foundational and learning objectives:

Appreciate the intricacy of the environment.
1. Investigate the characteristics of the woodland, grassland, desert, pond, or ocean environments.
2. Compare many different environments.
3. Observe and describe the local environment.
Recognize interactions which occur within the environment.
1. Show how the nonliving environment affects life.
2. Describe how plants or animals adapt to changes in their environments.
3. Recognize relationships which exist between plants and animals in an environment.

Suggested Activities:

(This activity may be used in both this unit and in the Core Unit: Plant Growth.)
Go for a hike along a nature trail. Observe and record what animals are seen, where they were seen, and what they were doing at the time. Observe and record the different types of plants carefully. Have students collect certain specimens of leaves, seeds, and flowers. (Show them which ones to pick, and how to avoid damaging the plant when removing samples. Do not have them pick any threatened species, protected species, or poisonous plants. You might try to get a naturalist to accompany the class on the trip. Interpretive trails with guides are found throughout the province.) Bring the specimens back to the classroom for more detailed observation. Prepare mounted displays of the different specimens.
Observe in nature the interaction between plants and animals, and how the plants and animals are affected by the natural surroundings. Try to identify food chains and food webs that might exist in these natural surroundings. A camera could be used to record animals, plants, and events on the trip.
It is important not to go out just to "walk the trail." One has to move very slowly and quietly along the trail. Look up, look down, look to your left and to your right. Interesting things are there to be observed, but one has to look carefully for them! By walking quietly, different kinds of wildlife may also be observed. The group could sit quietly for a few minutes as part of a sit-down break, and observe. This is important. Pupils must realize the necessity for being quiet in order not to disturb the things being observed.
Bring along a few pairs of binoculars, a camera, and field guides to birds, wild flowers, mushrooms, insects, etc.
Factors: A3, B1, B2, B3, B4, C3, C6, E2, F4, G1, G3
Objectives: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Assessment Techniques: 1, 3, 5, 9
Common Essential Learnings: Independent Learning. A hike provides students with opportunities to learn about nature in diverse and interesting ways. Comparisons of different kinds of plants can be made. Students discover many fascinating things on a nature trail.
Go for a walk outdoors near the school. Keep three lists of observations: of nonliving things you see, of the living things observed, and of signs that living things are around. Compare the lists, especially list 1 with list 3, and list 2 with list 3.

Have students search for relationships to try to determine how the living and nonliving things are related.
This activity may be integrated with the Core Unit Observing Weather by repeating it during different seasons.
Have students think about and express the purpose for, and the meaning of, what they are doing. They could discuss any relationships that they have identified from the lists, try to determine the correct names for the things they have found, and perform related journal writing activities.
Factors: A3, B2, B4, C2, C3, C6, E2, F4, G1
Objectives: 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 2.3
Assessment Techniques: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9
Common Essential Learnings: Critical and Creative Thinking. Students record observations, compare information, and search for relationships in this activity.
Find some animal tracks. Make casts of the tracks, using plaster of Paris or Polyfilla (tm). Back in the classroom, moulds of the tracks can be made from the casts.
Have students try to identify the animals which made the tracks. A display of the cast or mould, a picture of the animal, the animal's name, and a short description of the habitat and behaviour of the animal would be a useful project.
As a related follow-up, students could be made aware that plaster can be used as a building material, and in medicine as a binding agent to make a plaster cast to allow a broken bone to heal. Casts can also be used in making impressions of teeth and amputated limbs (when making prostheses).
In winter this activity can be conducted by using a pump spray container of water and a wax candle. This method requires more patience. When tracks are found on the snow, a thin layer of water is sprayed on the track. Once the water has solidified, another thin layer of mist is applied. After several light applications, the surface should be ready for the wax. Light the candle and gradually allow the wax to drip off into the mould. Continue until enough wax has accumulated to form a solid mass which can then be removed. Patience is the key to getting successful wax prints. Warm water may melt the imprint in the snow. The molten wax can melt the thin layer of ice formed from the water spray.
In conjunction with this activity, a hunter, trapper, or elder could be asked to come to class to discuss tracking techniques. Perhaps that person might be willing to accompany the class on the trip. When tracks are observed, ask the guest to interpret the information the tracks tell about a particular animal and what it was doing.
If a thematic approach is used, animal fables and animal lore would extend this activity into English Language Arts.
Factors: A3, B2, B3, B4, B6, C2, C3, E2, G1
Objectives: 1.3, 2.3
Assessment Techniques: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9
Common Essential Learnings: Independent Learning. The main focus of the activity is on identifying animals from their tracks. The plaster casts are a useful way in which to record patterns found in nature. They also provide a useful way to record data collected on the trip. Further analysis of the casts can be made upon returning to class.
The benefits and the limitations of this technique might be discussed. For example, the animal steps on the ground, forming an impression which can act as a mould. The actual footprint acts as the mould. Thus, the plaster cast from that mould forms a reverse pattern to what actually appeared in the ground. Making an impression on a flat soil surface with the cast will form tracks similar to those that were left by the animal.
Observe the different ways in which the animals and plants affect the environment in the neighbourhood of the school. List all types of changes that can be noticed, such as shade from trees, sidewalks cracked by settling soil or by the roots of plants, holes dug by small animals, and so on.
Factors: A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, B4, C3, C6, E2, G1
Objectives: 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Assessment Techniques: 4, 5, 9
Common Essential Learnings: Critical and Creative Thinking. Make use of the environment to observe, record, and discuss natural phenomena. Have students discuss the changes that have taken place as a result of the interaction between living and nonliving things. This is a way to challenge students to think creatively about the changes that might have taken place in something that they observe.
Invite someone such as an Extension Agrologist (Ag Rep) to talk to the students about the use of chemicals to control plant and animal pests. Ask the speaker to talk about how specific the chemicals are to the target pest, and to discuss why they are considered as pests. Stress the potential hazards that chemicals might have on people and animals. The speaker should also point out that care is needed when working with those chemicals.
A guest speaker involved in non-chemical pest controls could also be invited to speak to the class. In farming communities, students could be encouraged to discuss what they learned at home.
A farm visit could be conducted in conjunction with this activity. Examine the spraying equipment and other machinery used. Discuss the necessary safety measures when working with chemicals and machinery. Have someone demonstrate the clothing, masks, and other safety equipment used.
Factors: A3, B1, B2, B4, C2, C6, F4, G1, G3
Objectives: 1.1, 2.2, 2.3
Assessment Techniques: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9
Common Essential Learnings: Technological Literacy. The use of pesticides and herbicides in agriculture can be very controversial. The effects that some chemicals have on the environment may not be worth the benefits they provide. Students need to be made aware that farmers, in cooperation with the scientists and companies who produce the chemicals, need to be conscientious and diligent in their use of chemicals. Researchers are working to find substances and biological controls which minimize environmental damage while producing increased agricultural yields.
Ask a person from the medical field, such as a public health nurse, to come to your class to talk about the control of fungal, bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases. Integrate this activity with Health. Provide students with some information about these diseases before the speaker arrives. Check your school library for information.
Factors: A3, B2, B4, C2, C6, G1, G3
Objectives: 2.1, 2.2
Assessment Techniques: 1, 3, 7c
Common Essential Learnings: Technological Literacy. In this activity students gain an appreciation of how technological advances in the field of medicine have an impact on their lives. Many improvements in health care have been made possible through the use of technology in medicine.
Students could interview long-time residents of the community to ask them to describe some of the natural and human-created changes in the environment which they have observed since they first came to the area. Look for ways to integrate this with Social Studies.
Some changes may be evident in early photographs taken in the community. If there is a local historic society, or someone who has a collection of old photographs showing what the area was like a long time ago, pictures would help make this activity more meaningful. Photographs may also be found in family albums of residents who have lived in the area since pioneer days, or in local newspapers.
Some students may still have difficulty comprehending events in a historical context. One way to overcome this might be to use pictures and drawings to develop the story-line in an "environmental time-line" bulletin board.
Factors: A2, B1, B2, C2, C3, E2, F4, G1
Objectives: 1.3, 2.1, 2.2
Assessment Techniques: 4, 9
Common Essential Learnings: Technological Literacy. Many changes which have taken place in the local environment may be due to advances in technology. Some of those changes may be desirable, others are not. Students should begin to consider how those changes have affected the people who live in the community.
Have students work in groups to build a small terrarium using glass jars and covers which provide ventilation. They can put some soil, stones and plants into the containers. Suitable live specimens can also be introduced into the containers.
For repeated, and more permanent use, see if someone could build several wooden boxes with a glass fronts.
Factors: A3, B2, B3, B4, C3, E2, F4, G1, G3
Objectives: 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.3
Assessment Techniques: 2, 3, 4, 5
Common Essential Learnings: Personal and Social Values and Skills. If living specimens are used for the investigation, it is highly recommended that they be returned to their natural environment after being observed for a short period of time, in order not to put them under too much stress. here here is an important meta-lesson: care for the environment begins with a respect for all living things. Humans need to live in harmony with nature and offer all living things the right to live.
Place a sheet of aluminum foil near a window. Soak a paper towel in water. Roll another paper towel up into a tube and then soak it. Lay the two sheets of paper towels, one flat and one rolled, on the aluminum foil and observe them periodically.

Evaporation takes place more quickly if more surface area is exposed. The learning transfer can then be made to plants. This activity illustrates the effect of surface area on evaporation. It may help students to grasp why some leaves are broad and flat, while others are long and spindly. Desert plants, such as cactus, are designed to minimize the effects of evaporation. Ask the students to identify some plants with flat leaves, and some plants with narrow leaves.
Bring a small cactus into the classroom and allow it to grow there. (It would also be useful to have a variety of other types of plants and animals in the classroom. Bring animals to the classroom not as class pets, but as specimens used for observation. Under most circumstances, animals should not be kept in captivity for prolonged periods of time, unless necessary. Some thought should be given to the reasons why the animal is being kept in captivity. See the Science Program Overview and Connections (K) 1-12 document for further information regarding the care of living things in the classroom.)
Factors: A3, B2, B4, C3, C6, G1
Objectives: 2.1, 2.2
Assessment Techniques: 3, 7, 9
Examine leaves, snow flakes, or different types of animals for symmetrical patterns that exist in nature. While symmetry may be evident, small differences may also be apparent. It might be interesting to look for differences as well.
This could be an activity which extends beyond the classroom. Students could be asked to bring one object from home which exhibits a symmetrical pattern. Give the students some examples of objects which might be suitable to bring to class. Some examples might include: a pair of gloves, a leaf, a design on a piece of wrapping paper, etc. Different kinds of symmetries that exist could be explored.
Various different art projects can be integrated with lessons dealing with symmetry.
Factors: B3, B6, C2, C3, C6, G1
Objectives: 1.3
Assessment Techniques: 2, 3, 4, 5, 9
Take your class out of the school on a "string hike." Have each group tie a 2 m string into a loop. Take the string loops outdoors and lay them out on the ground. Using hand magnifiers, have the group examine closely what is inside the loop. They should identify living and human-made things that they see inside the loop. Look for evidence of food gathering or food production in the area, tracks, animal droppings, and so on. It is amazing how much there is to see inside a small area like this, if one actually takes the time to look there.
A variation on this idea is to lay the 2 m string out in a reasonably straight line. The students have to observe and record everything from one end of the string to the other. Still another variation involves throwing a hula-hoop (tm) and observing everything that falls within the place where it lands.
Factors: A3, B2, B3, B4, C3, E2, G1
Objectives: 1.1, 1.3, 2.3
Assessment Techniques: 1, 3, 4, 5, 9
Common Essential Learnings: Critical and Creative Thinking. An activity such as this helps students learn to observe minute details of what is around them. Many things go unnoticed unless one makes an attempt to look for them. This is a focusing activity which helps to develop critical thinking. There is so much to observe in the natural environment that one must try to direct one's attention to a specific place.
Take the class out for a walk into an open field of grass on a warm summer day. A playground might also be suitable for this activity. Have students poke a finger down through the grass, just below the surface of the soil. There should be a noticeable temperature difference under the covering of grass. The covering layer of grass helps to keep the ground cool.
For comparison, place a container of sand out on the field. Allow sunlight to strike it for about half an hour. Measure the air temperature and the temperature just below the surface of the sand, and just below the surface of the grass-covered soil.
Some students might have recollections of what it is like to try to walk barefoot on a sandy beach or on asphalt on a hot summer day. By comparison, they might also have walked barefoot on a lawn under the same hot conditions without noticing that something different must have been taking place on the surface of the lawn.
Factors: A3, B1, B2, C3, C6, E2, G1
Objectives: 1.1, 1.3, 2.1
Assessment Techniques: 1, 3
Common Essential Learnings: Critical and Creative Thinking. Challenge students to try to explain why the soil temperature remains cooler if it is covered with a layer of vegetation.
Set up a bird feeder outside the classroom. Observe the feeder regularly. Identify any birds which visit the feeder. Perhaps a bird house could also be built nearby, or a nest could be spotted and observed without disturbing it.
If the bird feeder can be located close to a window, students will be able to see some interesting and colourful birds. If it has to be located farther away, binoculars or a spotting scope can be mounted on a tripod and pointed at the feeder. Students can be given the opportunity to look at the feeder whenever the opportunity arises. Use a variety of different types of foods, or get more than one feeder, to attract a variety of different types of birds.
Once a bird feeder is started, it is important to continue to use it. Some birds begin to depend on it as an available source of food.
Factors: A2, B2, B4, C3, F4, G1, G3
Objectives: 2.1, 2.2
Assessment Techniques: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9
Common Essential Learnings: Personal and Social Values and Skills. This activity helps to give students an appreciation and a sensitivity to other living things. It also helps to reveal the beauty found in nature.
This activity also fosters Independent Learning. Birds are beautiful, fascinating creatures. It is no small wonder that people develop an interest in ornithology at an early age and pursue it throughout their lives.
Have students identify some special place in nature. It could be an open field of wheat or other crop, a running stream, a hill or valley, a forest, a beach near a lake, or even a place on a playground. Pick some place which is close to the school. In an urban setting it could be a small park or a field just at the edge of town.
Make visits to that special place regularly. Have students involved in a variety of sensory experiences to develop respect for the natural world. Have them sit perfectly still for five minutes, to watch, to smell, and to listen. Have them lie down and look up at clouds, or close their eyes to experience their environment in a different way.
Develop special projects which are related with that special place. Organize a clean-up activity to help remove any litter. Have the students bring gifts to the place -- seeds, food for the animals, or water for the ground, for example. Extend this to include a beautification project, such as planting trees or other plants.
Once they become familiar with their special place, many projects can be developed related to this and other Core Units in grade 2. This could also be extended as a school project and continued up until the end of grade 6.
Factors: A3, B2, B3, B4, C3, E2, F4, G1, G3
Objectives: 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 2.3
Assessment Techniques: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9
Common Essential Learnings: Personal and Social Values and Skills. Through this activity students develop their abilities to respect and protect the natural environment. The way one feels about a place or a thing helps to determine how it will be treated.
Take the class on a litter collection project. (This activity is repeated in the grade 6 Core Unit on Ecosystems.) It could be something as straightforward as a fifteen minute activity done on or near the school grounds. Once the litter is collected, bring it back into the classroom. Push all the chairs and tables out of the way, put a tarp down on the floor, and dump the trash right on the floor! Have the students look at it and try to identify different types of things that are in the litter -- plastics, metals, paper, etc. Sort the pile according to whether or not the material is biodegradable. See which things might be reused, recycled, recovered, reduced, refused, or replaced. (These are some of the R's of waste management.)
Have them try to divide the litter into two piles: one pile for the litter that was likely produced by students, and another for the litter most likely made by other people. From the two piles, they will be able to get some idea of what their contribution to the damage in the environment has been. They could speculate on what effect the litter might have on living things. For further impact, leave the litter in the room for several hours, to give students a lasting impression of how unsightly and smelly it can be. This activity is one which could be a school project, getting everyone involved in caring for the environment.

Caution the students beforehand about any safety precautions that need to be observed when handling the waste material. They should wear gloves to protect their hands from broken glass, sharp objects, and possible disease-carrying agents. They should avoid stepping on the garbage, due to the possibility of slipping or standing on a sharp object such as a nail.
A project like this may help to develop a sound understanding of conservation and care for the environment. Use it as a way to get students and other members in the community interested in starting things like recycling projects.
Factors: A3, B1, B2, B3, C2, C3, C6, E2, F4, G1, G3
Objectives: 1.3, 2.1, 2.2
Assessment Techniques: 1, 3, 5, 7c, 8
Common Essential Learnings: Personal and Social Values and Skills. Litter affects us as humans, as well as other living things in the environment. Students need to develop a sense of appreciation that their behaviour, both individually and collectively, does affect the quality of life for other living things. The activity provides students with a concrete example of how they can do something to help to reduce a major environmental problem.

Grade 2 Science Core Unit: Habitats