New Jersey Science — Grade 2
Comprehensive Course Syllabus
Course Overview
Our New Jersey Grade 2 Science course is designed around the 2026 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (NJSLS-S). The curriculum develops foundational understanding in physical science, life science, Earth and space science, and engineering design through hands-on investigation, observation, evidence-based reasoning, and age-appropriate problem solving.
Students investigate the properties of materials, plant growth, habitats, Earth's changing surface, water, landforms, and simple engineering solutions while developing scientific curiosity and critical-thinking skills.
Scientific Investigation & Engineering
Asking Scientific Questions
Students learn to ask questions about objects, organisms, materials, and natural events and identify ways to investigate them.
Making Observations
Students observe objects and phenomena carefully and describe their characteristics using appropriate scientific vocabulary.
Collecting & Analyzing Data
Students collect information from simple investigations and use observations, measurements, tables, and drawings to identify patterns.
Evidence-Based Explanations
Students use observations and investigation results to explain what they discovered and support simple claims with evidence.
Properties of Matter
Materials Around Us
Students identify different materials such as wood, metal, plastic, glass, paper, and fabric and describe their observable properties.
Properties of Materials
Students compare materials based on characteristics such as color, texture, flexibility, hardness, strength, and absorbency.
Classifying Materials
Students sort and classify materials according to their observable properties and explain why objects belong in particular groups.
Choosing Materials
Students investigate which materials are best suited for particular purposes based on their properties.
Changes in Matter
Heating & Cooling
Students observe how heating and cooling can change the properties or appearance of materials.
Reversible Changes
Students investigate changes that can be reversed, such as some materials changing when heated or cooled.
Irreversible Changes
Students observe changes that cannot easily be reversed and compare them with reversible changes.
Evidence of Change
Students record observations and use evidence to describe what happens to materials when they are heated, cooled, combined, or reshaped.
Objects, Materials & Design
Building with Materials
Students explore how objects can be constructed from smaller pieces of different materials.
Taking Objects Apart
Students investigate how an object can be disassembled into smaller pieces and materials.
Creating New Objects
Students explore how materials or components can be rearranged to create a new object or structure.
Material Selection
Students choose materials for a design based on their observable properties and intended use.
Plants & Their Needs
What Plants Need
Students investigate whether plants need sunlight and water to grow and remain healthy.
Plant Growth
Students observe and record changes in plants over time and identify patterns in their growth.
Sunlight & Plants
Students investigate the importance of sunlight for plant growth through simple experiments and observations.
Water & Plants
Students explore how water affects plant growth and compare plants receiving different amounts of water.
Plants, Animals & Ecosystems
Plant-Animal Relationships
Students explore how plants and animals interact with one another within their environments.
Pollination
Students learn how animals can help transfer pollen between flowers and support plant reproduction.
Seed Dispersal
Students investigate how animals can help move seeds from one location to another.
Modeling Plant-Animal Interactions
Students create simple models showing how animals can help plants reproduce or spread.
Habitats & Biodiversity
What Is a Habitat?
Students identify habitats as places where plants and animals obtain the resources they need to survive.
Different Habitats
Students compare habitats such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, deserts, oceans, and local environments.
Plant Diversity
Students observe different types of plants and compare their characteristics across different habitats.
Animal Diversity
Students observe different types of animals and compare how they live in different environments.
Habitat Comparisons
Students compare the variety of plants and animals found in different habitats and identify patterns in biodiversity.
Earth's Changing Surface
Fast & Slow Earth Changes
Students learn that some changes to Earth's surface happen quickly while others occur very slowly.
Earthquakes & Volcanic Events
Students explore examples of Earth events that can cause rapid changes to land.
Weathering & Erosion
Students learn how wind and water can gradually change the shape of land over time.
Observing Changes to Land
Students use photographs, models, observations, and other sources to identify evidence of changes to Earth's surface.
Landforms & Bodies of Water
Landforms
Students identify common landforms such as mountains, hills, valleys, plains, and plateaus.
Bodies of Water
Students identify rivers, lakes, oceans, ponds, streams, and other bodies of water.
Modeling Land & Water
Students create simple models showing the arrangement of landforms and bodies of water in an area.
Local Geography
Students investigate land and water features in their local environment and compare them with other regions.
Water on Earth
Where Water Is Found
Students identify where water exists on Earth, including oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, groundwater, and other locations.
Solid & Liquid Water
Students observe water as a solid and liquid and compare the properties of different states.
Water in the Environment
Students explore how plants, animals, people, and ecosystems depend on water.
Water Conservation
Students learn why clean water is important and identify simple ways to conserve and protect water resources.
Wind, Water & Engineering Solutions
Wind & Land
Students investigate how wind can move soil, sand, and other materials and change the shape of land.
Water & Land
Students explore how moving water can cause erosion and gradually reshape Earth's surface.
Protecting Land
Students investigate ways people can reduce the effects of wind and water on land.
Comparing Solutions
Students compare different solutions and use evidence to determine which design works best for slowing or preventing changes to land.
Engineering Design & STEM Projects
Defining a Problem
Students identify simple problems that can be solved by creating or improving an object, tool, or structure.
Designing Solutions
Students develop simple sketches, drawings, or physical models showing how a design could solve a problem.
Testing Designs
Students test models or objects and collect observations about how well each design performs.
Comparing Solutions
Students compare the strengths and weaknesses of different designs and identify which solution works best.
Improving Designs
Students modify and improve their designs based on test results and observations.
Teaching Methodology
Our Grade 2 Science classes focus on scientific investigation, hands-on exploration, evidence-based reasoning, environmental awareness, and engineering design. Students learn through:
Learning Outcomes
By the end of Grade 2, students will be able to:
Assessment & Progress Tracking
Student progress is evaluated through: