In the age of school closures and Coronavirus, teachers everywhere have had to get creative. While we all are learning things we will use when back in our classrooms, teaching certain subjects online is a challenge. In this post, I’ll share ready to use digital science lessons for 2nd grade students that they can easily do at home as well as in the classroom.
While each state has a different set of science standards, this post features science topics included in the Next Generation Science Standards for second grade. The digital lessons in each unit include narrated teaching slides that make differentiating for all students easy, even with distance learning.
Digital Science Lessons for 2nd Grade
Each of these digital science units, all on Google Slides, include:
- 7 Narrated audio lessons
- Digital science journal with activity pages
- Interactive, science center games to reinforce science content and practice reading skills
- Quick Check quizzes in short written response and drag and drop the answer format
All About Scientists & Scientific Processes
Most primary and elementary teachers begin the year in science by teaching about scientists. They teach science safety, science tools, and processes scientists use. These digital science lessons are ideal for back to school or the first week in science, to introduce all of these important science concepts and lay the foundation for future science lessons.
Lesson topics:
- What is Science?
- What is a Scientist?
- Science Tools
- Science Safety
- Scientific Processes
- The Scientific Method
Interactive practice activities include: Applying content vocabulary, science safety fact & opinion, categorizing science tools by their purpose, and sequencing steps in a process.
Click HERE for the Scientists & Scientific Processes Digital Unit.
Click HERE for the printable version with experiments, teacher binder, posters, and support materials.
Properties of Matter Digital Science Lessons
In the Properties of Matter unit, students explore solids, liquids, and gasses by describing and comparing their attributes. Students learn about matter and temperature, methods and tools used for measuring matter, and reversible and irreversible changes.
As engineering design and practices are introduced, students explore matter within objects and determine which attributes make a material right for a job. Students are presented with engineering connections that enable them to understand how solids, liquids, and gasses are used in our everyday lives. Comparing man-made objects to those found in nature, are also explored. Students learn that many inventions and solutions to problems are inspired by nature.
Lesson topics:
- Describing matter
- Properties of matter
- Testing properties
- Understanding & using solids, liquids, and gasses
- Reversible & irreversible changes
- Temperature and matter
- Matter within larger objects
- Engineering design: Man-made objects inspired by nature
Interactive practice activities include: Applying content vocabulary, categorizing objects by attributes, cause & effect, sequencing steps in a process, comparing natural and man-made objects and their purpose.
Click HERE for the Properties of Matter Digital Unit.
Click HERE for the printable version with experiments, teacher binder, posters, and support materials.
Habitats & Ecosystems Science Lessons
Throughout the habitats unit, students learn about land and water habitats and identify ecosystems within these habitats. Students learn about micro-habitats and urban habitats. As the unit progresses, they compare habitat diversity, and explain adaptations living things develop to survive on land and in water. Students learn about communities and populations of living things and their interdependence.
As fifteen land and water habitats are introduced, students explore ecosystems, micro-habitats, and urban habitats. Students discover ways engineers, ecologists, and other scientists collaborate to design solutions to protect and restore endangered habitats.
Lesson topics:
- Identifying habitats & ecosystems
- Exploring land habitats
- Exploring water habitats
- Adapting to land and water habitats
- Habitat diversity and interdependence
- Protecting and restoring habitats
- Career connections
Interactive practice activities include: Applying content vocabulary, identifying causes & effects, comparing and classifying, and solving science content based, math word problems.
Click HERE for the Habitats & Ecosystems Digital Unit.
Click HERE for the printable version with experiments, teacher binder, posters, and support materials.
Landforms & Earth Changes Digital Science Lessons
Students learn about landforms and bodies of water, Earth’s processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition. Students learn the purpose of mapping the Earth’s land and water. They explore Earth changes that happen slowly, quickly, and ways people change the Earth that are both helpful and harmful.
Throughout the unit, engineering practices and design are introduced by exploring solutions to erosion, weathering and deposition as well as solving real-life problems like flooding, earthquakes, and landslides that affect people’s lives.
Lesson topics:
- Describing Earth’s land
- Earth’s processes
- Exploring Earth’s water
- Mapping land and water
- Fast changes on Earth
- Slow changes on Earth
- Ways people change the Earth
- Protecting Earth’s land and water
Interactive practice activities include: Applying content vocabulary, sequencing causes & effects of fast and slow changes, classifying landforms, comparing Earth’s features, and solving math word problems involving length and measurement using science content.
Click HERE for the Landforms & Earth Changes Digital Unit.
Click HERE for the printable version with experiments, teacher binder, posters, and support materials.
Free Digital Science Lessons
Start the year off right by teaching your students about scientific inquiry. Ideal for 1st -3rd grade classrooms. Pop in your email address below and I’ll send it straight to your inbox!
As you plan digital science activities, these ready to use units make it easy via distance learning, or in your 2nd grade classroom. The narrated lesson slides make it easy for all students to learn at home or in the classroom. Step-by-step directions with pictures for assigning the activities in Google Classroom are included.
Be sure to pin this for later so you have it when you plan!
For more high-engagement science lessons, experiments, and teaching ideas, click on these posts:
What to Teach in Science at the Beginning of the Year
10 Fun Science Lessons Kids Can Do At Home
Tips for Teaching Properties of Matter in 2nd Grade
Happy teaching!
These look amazing!!! Do you have any units for fourth grade?
Hi Bridget,
I don’t have units for 4th grade. I wish I could be of more help.