Cereal City Science
2022

Cereal City Science

Publisher
Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center
Subject
Science
Grades
K-5
Report Release
06/04/2024
Review Tool Version
v1.5
Format
Core: Comprehensive

EdReports reviews determine if a program meets, partially meets, or does not meet expectations for alignment to college and career-ready standards. This rating reflects the overall series average.

Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Partially Meets Expectations

Materials must meet expectations for standards alignment in order to be reviewed for usability. This rating reflects the overall series average.

Usability (Gateway 3)
NE = Not Eligible. Product did not meet the threshold for review.
Not Eligible
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About This Report

Report for 2nd Grade

Alignment Summary

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 partially meet expectations for Alignment to NGSS, Gateways 1 and 2. Gateway 1: Designed for NGSS; Criterion 1: Three-Dimensional Learning partially meets expectations. The materials include three-dimensional learning opportunities and opportunities for student sensemaking with the three dimensions. The summative assessments inconsistently measure the three dimensions for their respective objectives, and the formative assessments rarely measure the three dimensions of their respective objectives to support learning. Criterion 2: Phenomena and Problems Drive Learning partially meets expectations. Phenomena and problems are present and are connected to DCIs. Phenomena and problems are inconsistently presented to students as directly as possible and the materials consistently elicit but inconsistently leverage student prior knowledge and experience related to the phenomena and problems present. Phenomena and problems inconsistently drive learning and use of the three dimensions at both the learning sequence and learning opportunity level.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations for Gateway 2: Coherence and Scope. The materials inconsistently connect units and chapters in a manner that is apparent to students, but student tasks increase in sophistication within and across units. The materials represent the three dimensions across the series with numerous minor errors. The materials only include scientific content appropriate to the grade level. Further, the materials include all DCI components and all elements for physical science; life science; earth and space science; and engineering, technology, and applications of science. The materials include all of the SEPs at the grade level and all of the SEPs across the grade band. The materials include all grade-band crosscutting concepts and provide repeated opportunities for students to use CCCs across the grade band. The materials inconsistently include NGSS connections to Nature of Science and Engineering elements associated with the SEPs and/or CCCs.

2nd Grade
Gateway 1

Designed for NGSS

18/28
0
14
24
28
Gateway 2

Coherence & Scope

30/34
0
16
30
34
Alignment (Gateway 1 & 2)
Partially Meets Expectations
Usability (Gateway 3)
Not Rated
Overview of Gateway 1

Designed for NGSS

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 partially meet expectations for Gateway 1: Designed for NGSS; Criterion 1: Three-Dimensional Learning partially meets expectation and Criterion 2: Phenomena and Problems Drive Learning partially meets expectations.

Criterion 1.1: Three-Dimensional Learning

10/16

Materials are designed for three-dimensional learning and assessment.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 partially meet expectations for Criterion 1a-1c: Three-Dimensional Learning. The materials consistently include integration of the three dimensions in at least one learning opportunity per learning sequence and nearly all learning sequences are meaningfully designed for student opportunity to engage in sensemaking with the three dimensions. The materials consistently provide three-dimensional learning objectives at the chapter level that build towards the performance expectations for the larger unit, but inconsistently assess to reveal student knowledge and use of the three dimensions to support the targeted three-dimensional learning objectives. The units also include three-dimensional objectives and include corresponding assessments that inconsistently address the three dimensions of the objectives.

Indicator 1A
Read

Materials are designed to integrate the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) into student learning.

Indicator 1A.i
04/04

Materials consistently integrate the three dimensions in student learning opportunities.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations that they are designed to integrate the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) into student learning opportunities. 

Throughout Grade 2, the learning sequences consistently include learning opportunities that incorporate and integrate the three dimensions. Most learning opportunities in Grade 2 are three dimensional. In a few instances, learning opportunities are only two dimensional and there are missed opportunities to integrate a crosscutting concept. This occurs most often in the earth and space and life science units.

Examples of where materials are designed to integrate the three dimensions into student learning opportunities:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 3, Lesson 3B: Making Models and Testing Our Landforms, students construct a physical landform model and investigate the effects of moving water and moving wind on the shape of landforms. Students work in small groups to build landform models and separately test the effect of water sprayed from a spray bottle and ‘wind’ from directed air blown through a straw to test a cause and effect explanation for the shape of different landscapes (DCI-ESS2.A-P1, SEP-MOD-P3, and CCC-CE-E1). Students draw models and construct written explanations for how wind and water shape land based on evidence from the modeling exercise (DCI-ESS2.A-P1, SEP-CEDS-P1, SEP-MOD-P4, and CCC-CE-C1). 

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over TIme, Activity 7, Lesson 7A: Obtaining Information About Volcanoes, students use information from the tradebook Earthquakes, Eruptions, and Other Events that Change Earth and a video to construct an explanation for the cause and effect relationship between volcanic processes and the creation and destruction of landforms. Students ask questions about the location of volcanoes and the effect of volcanoes on the surrounding land and water (SEP-AQDP-P1). Students then use information from one of the provided YouTube videos that highlight how volcanoes build land overtime and destroy land quickly and selections from the ‘Volcanoes’ section of the tradebook Earthquakes, Eruptions, and Other Events that Change Earth to individually write facts about volcanoes (SEP-INFO-P1). Students share their facts and discuss as a class the cause and effect relationship between volcanoes and the creation and destruction of land (CCC-CE-E1), as well as how volcanic activity can cause rapid changes to landforms (DCI-ESS1.C-P1). Next, students individually draw and label how volcanic eruptions can cause changes to the earth’s surface in their Student Journals, and construct a written explanation for how volcanoes can destroy and build land (SEP-CEDS-P1, CCC-CE-E1). 

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 2, Lesson 2C: Continued Observations of Schoolyard Squares, students make multiple observations of living and nonliving objects in their 3’ x 3’ ‘schoolyard square’ survey area in the schoolyard from Activity 2A and identify patterns and changes that can be explained by cause-and-effect relationships. Students record three additional observations of their schoolyard square to add to their initial observation from Lesson 1A (SEP-DATA-P1). Each observation has a different focus: observing items in the schoolyard square with and without a hand lens; drawing and writing observations using sight, hearing, touch, and smell; and measuring items that are present in the schoolyard square with a metric ruler, measuring tape, and a thermometer (SEP-MATH-P3). Along with each observation, students write questions about living things that are in their schoolyard square (SEP-AQDP-P1) and write any patterns they observe (CCC-PAT-P1). After each observation, the class discusses changes they observe in the living and nonliving items in their squares between observations and use their data, including parameters such as time of day and temperature, to pose ideas for the cause of the changes (CCC-CE-P2). The class also discusses similarities and differences and patterns among the observations made by different groups (DCI-LS4.D-P1, CCC-PAT-P1). 

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 6, Lesson 6D: Not Enough Bees, students apply their understanding of the functions of the external structures of bees that are involved in the pollination process to plan the design of a hand-pollinator that they construct, test, and evaluate. As a class, students discuss the effect the lack of honeybees has on crops (DCI-LS2.A-P1) and identify the design challenge, which is to create a solution to address the decline of honeybees (DCI-ETS1.A-P3, DCI-ETS1.A-P1). As a class, students use a labeled Bee Anatomy handout to identify the external structures of bees that aid in pollination (DCI-LS1.A-P1, CCC-SF-P1) and incorporate their understanding to plan (SEP-DATA-P1, DCI-ETS1.B-P1) and construct (SEP-MOD-P3) a model of their bee pollinator design (SEP-INFO-P1). Students then test their models (SEP-DATA-P5), share, and evaluate each other’s design solutions (SEP-ARG-E3, SEP-CEDS-P3, and DCI-ETS1.C-P1). 

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 6, Lesson 6A: Taking Our Property Observations Outdoors, students gather objects from the schoolyard and make observations about their physical properties. Students explore the schoolyard, collecting different objects with the intent of making observations about the physical properties they possess. Students make observations and sort their objects (DCI-PS1.A-P1). During a class discussion, students share the properties of the living and nonliving things they collected and talk about how the properties of the living things help organisms survive (SEP-INV-P4, CCC-SF-P1, and CCC-SYS-P1). Students identify properties that are the most common (SEP-DATA-P3, CCC-PAT-P1). 

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 7, Lesson 7A: Putting Pieces Together, students investigate how a structure made of blocks can be taken apart and reassembled into a different structure. Students are given a small structure made of connected blocks. They are challenged to take the structure apart and make a different structure, using the same blocks (DCI-ETS1.A-E1, CCC-EM-P1). Students list the properties of the structure, the pieces that remained the same, and the pieces that changed (DCI-PS1.A-P3, SEP-MOD-P2, and CCC-SC-P1).

Indicator 1A.ii
04/04

Materials consistently support meaningful student sensemaking with the three dimensions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations that they consistently support meaningful student sensemaking with the three dimensions.

Materials are designed for SEPs and CCCs to meaningfully support student sensemaking with the other dimensions in nearly all learning sequences, or Activities. Each activity typically has between two and four Lessons, and students engage in three-dimensional sensemaking both within and across lessons in the activities. In some cases, student sensemaking is connected to a phenomenon or problem, but even in cases where a phenomenon or problem is either not present or not driving instruction, students still have opportunities to make sense of a DCI by engaging in SEPs and applying CCCs.

Examples where SEPs and CCCs meaningfully support student sensemaking with the other dimensions in the learning sequence:

  • In Grade 2: Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 2: Land on Earth, students identify landforms on a map and in text and then make models of those landforms. Students use a globe to identify land and water on the surface of the earth (DCI-ESS2.B-P1). Students observe a topographic map of the United States and ask questions about the landforms they see (SEP-AQDP-P1). Students read an abbreviated version of the journal of John Powell as he traveled across the U.S. (SEP-INFO-P1). Students identify the landforms described in the text on the topographic map. Then, students build models of the landforms described in the text/found on the map (SEP-MOD-E4) and discuss why those landforms are different today than they were in John Powell’s time (CCC-CE-E1).

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 4: Major Bodies, students create models of bodies of water and describe how they were formed from flowing water. Students research different bodies of water (SEP-AQDP-P1, SEP-INFO-P3) and create a model of one type (DCI-ESS2.C-P1, SEP-MOD-P4). Students read the trade book Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean (SEP-INFO-P1) and describe how flowing water could cause the formation of a body of water such as a lake or river (SEP-CEDS-P1, CCC-SC-P2, and CCC-CE-E1).

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 4: Plants Need Water and Sunlight, students make sense of the disciplinary core idea that a plant responds to external inputs. Students observe a plant near a light source growing in a different direction than when it first germinated, draw and write their observations, and explain why they think the plant grew in another direction (DCI-LS1.D-P1, SEP-INV-P4, SEP-CEDS-P1, and CCC-CE-P2). In small groups, students plan an investigation to address one of the class-generated questions about the plant (SEP-INV-P2). Students explain the results of their investigation and use their data to make a claim for why the plant grew towards the light source (DCI-LS1.D-P1, DCI-LS2.A-P1, SEP-CEDS-P1, and CCC-CE-P1).

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 6: Not Enough Bees, students make sense of the disciplinary core idea that plants depend on animals for pollination. Students first watch YouTube videos of bees pollinating flowers and use their observations to individually draw a model and write why bees are important and how they change their environment (DCI-LS2.A-P2, SEP-MOD-P3, and DCI-LS2.A-P2). Students model pollination and compare their model to bees’ legs (SEP-MOD-P1). Students then explain, as a class, what evidence they have that the “bees” in the model play a role in pollination (DCI-LS2.A-P1, SEP-CEDS-P1). Students read and collect evidence to explain why pollen is important and revise their models (DCI-LS2.A-P2, SEP-INFO-P3, SEP-ARG-P6, and SEP-MOD-P2). 

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 2: Exploring Properties, students explore materials to determine if they are suitable for building a wind and waterproof structure. Students test each material’s texture, flexibility, buoyancy, and ability to repel or absorb water (SEP-INV-P2, DCI-PS1.A-P2). At each station, they build and conduct tests to determine which materials are suited for the different tasks (SEP-CEDS-P2, DCI-PS1.A-P1). They make and record their observations (SEP-INV-P4, SEP-DATA-P1), compare their predictions to their test results (SEP-DATA-P4), and discuss any discrepancies in the data (SEP-DATA-E3). The students then identify patterns they see in the materials’ properties and identify the properties that would be helpful to solve their design challenge (DCI-PS1.A-P2, CCC-PAT-P1, and SEP-DATA-E5).

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 5: Melting and Freezing-Beyond Water, students investigate what happens to the physical properties of some common objects when the temperature changes. Students plan and predict what will happen if the temperature of a common object is raised or lowered (SEP-INV-P2, SEP-INV-P6) and discuss the cause-and-effect relationship between temperature change and solids and liquids (SEP-INFO-P4, CCC-CE-P1). Students conduct their investigation, collect data (SEP-DATA-E1), share their data with the class, and discuss if their object changed or stayed the same, as well as if the change was reversible (SEP-DATA-E3, CCC-SC-P2, and DCI-PS1.B-P1). Individual groups write a claim, supported by evidence and reasoning, about their object and share it with the class (SEP-CEDS-P1, SEP-INFO-P4). 

Indicator 1B
00/04

Materials are designed to elicit direct, observable evidence for three-dimensional learning.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 do not meet expectations that they are designed to elicit direct, observable evidence for the three-dimensional learning in the instructional materials.

The materials consistently provide three-dimensional learning objectives at the lesson level that build toward the three-dimensional objectives of the unit. The Unit At A Glance names the learning objective and cites which elements of the three dimensions are part of the learning goals for each learning sequence. 

The materials use the work that students do during a lesson, such as an activity page from the Student Journal, as a formative assessment. While each unit includes a table that identifies the unit’s assessments, it is often difficult to distinguish which are formative and which are summative. The materials also frequently cite whole-group discussions or charts as formative assessments but do not provide the support to record individual student’s progress toward the learning goal. Nearly all of the remaining formative assessments only assess a portion of the learning objectives and miss the opportunity to assess multiple elements of the three dimensions present in the learning objectives. Additionally, a number of learning sequences do not include formative assessments that provide the opportunity to collect evidence for learning on individual students. 

Learning sequences do not clearly incorporate tasks for the purpose of supporting the instructional process. Although sample answers and “look-fors” are provided, there are missed opportunities to provide next steps for teachers to assist students who are not showing comprehension of the assessed elements.

Examples of lessons with three-dimensional objective where the formative assessment task(s) do not assess student knowledge of all of the elements in the learning objective, and do not provide guidance to support the instructional process:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 2: Land on Earth, the three-dimensional learning objective is “Obtain information from text and maps to develop a model of landforms and bodies of water observed during the journey of John Wesley Powell,” and comprises five elements of the three dimensions. There are no formative assessments that provide evidence for learning for every student in this sequence. The formative assessments are whole group, and the materials do not provide support for collecting evidence for individual students’ learning.

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 7: Big Events that Change Earth's Surface - Volcanoes, the three-dimensional learning objective is “Obtain information from text and media to explain how rapid changes to the shape of the land are caused by volcanic eruptions,” and comprises eight elements of the three dimensions. There are no formative assessments that provide evidence for learning for every student in this sequence. The formative assessments are whole group, and the materials do not provide support for collecting evidence for individual students’ learning.

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 3: Solving Problems with Properties: How Can We Build a Wind and Water Resistant Structure?, the three-dimensional learning objective is, “Use materials to design a model to suit a specific purpose. Analyze information to determine which materials have properties best suited for the intended purpose,” and comprises nine elements of the three dimensions. The formative assessments for this sequence are an activity page and journal entry. Students design and build a structure that will stay standing during a wind and rain storm while keeping a cotton ball dry inside (DCI-PS1.A-P2). They analyze their test results and make suggestions on how to improve the design (SEP-DATA-P5). There is a missed opportunity to assess a DCI, two SEPs, and all of the CCCs from the learning objectives. The Student Journal Answer Key includes guidance on what to look for and sample student responses but does not provide additional guidance and support for teachers to adjust instruction.

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 5: Plants and Animals Interact to Help Plants Reproduce!, the three-dimensional learning objectives are, “Use observations and resources to determine different methods of seed dispersal,” and “Design a model that mimics how animals interact with plants to disperse seeds,” and comprise four elements of the three dimensions. There are no formative assessments that provide evidence for learning for every student in this sequence. The formative assessments are whole group, and the materials do not provide support for collecting evidence for individual students’ learning.

Indicator 1C
02/04

Materials are designed to elicit direct, observable evidence of three-dimensional learning.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 partially meet expectations that they are designed to elicit direct, observable evidence of the three-dimensional learning in the instructional materials.

Materials consistently provide three-dimensional learning objectives for each unit and include a table that provides the elements of the three dimensions that constitute the learning objectives for the unit. Each unit includes a post-assessment with five to six questions on the unit content. Additional summative assessments are taken from student work produced during individual lessons. These are typically student responses in their journals but also include additional activities, such as a student-created book. In several instances, the materials cite whole class discussions or group activities as summative assessments, but those miss the opportunity to provide teachers with information on what each individual student is able to accomplish independently. While each unit includes a table that identifies the summative assessments, it is often difficult to distinguish what is an instructional activity, what is an assessment, and which assessments are formative vs. summative. 

Overall, the materials miss the opportunity to assess several elements of the targeted learning objectives. Additionally, many summative assessment tasks do not connect to the targeted three-dimensional learning objectives and do not assess any of the targeted objectives.

Examples where the materials provide three-dimensional learning objectives for the learning sequence, but summative tasks do not measure student achievement of all of the targeted three-dimensional learning objectives:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, the three-dimensional learning objective comprises 11 elements. In the Post-Assessment, students explain how water changed the landscape (DCI-ESS2.A-P1), draw a model of various bodies of water (DCI-ESS2.C-P1, SEP-MOD-P3), and model and describe how quickly melting snow can change the shape of a mountain (DCI-ESS2.A-P1, DCI-ESS1.C-P1, and CCC-SC-P2). Other assessments in the unit address additional elements of the learning objectives. In the Journal Entry for Activity 2, Lesson 2A, students make and label a map of earth showing land and water (DCI-ESS2.B-P1). In the Journal Entry for Activity 7, Lesson 7C, students draw models of a hillside before and after water ran down it and explain the effect of the water on the hillside (DCI-ESS2.A-P1, SEP-CEDS-P1, and SEP-MOD-P3). The remaining assessments miss the opportunity to assess DCI-ETS1.C-P1, SEP-CEDS-P3, SEP-INFO-P3, and CCC-PAT-P1.

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, the three dimensional learning objective comprises nine elements. In the Post-Assessment, students identify what a plant needs to grow, explain why a plant grew towards the light, and develop a plan to find out why a plant grew towards the light (DCI-LS2.A-P1, SEP-INV-P2). Students model the different types of organisms found in different habitats, explain and draw how animals can spread seeds, and draw a model of bees pollinating flowers (DCI-LS4.D-P1, DCI-LS2.A-P2). In the Journal Entry for Activity 6, Lesson 6D, students draw a model of a device to pollinate flowers by hand, revise the model after testing it, and describe how they solved the problem of needing a way to hand-pollinate plants (DCI-ETS1.B-P1, SEP-MOD-P4, and CCC-SF-P1). The remaining assessments miss the opportunity to assess SEP-INV-P4 and CCC-CE-P2.

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, the three-dimensional learning objective comprises 12 elements. In the Post Assessment, students identify and explain the properties of materials to use for a water slide, explain how to make different buildings out of the same set of blocks, and match materials to their properties (DCI-PS1.A-P1, DCI-PS1.A-P2, DCI-PS1.A-P3, and SEP-ARG-P6). In the Journal Entry for Activity 4, Lesson 4D, students plan an investigation into melting ice cubes and generate a question, develop a procedure, collect evidence, and construct an argument supported with evidence to answer their question (DCI-PS1.A-P1, DCI-PS1.B-P1, SEP-INV-P2, SEP-ARG-P6, and CCC-CE-P1). The remaining assessments miss the opportunity to assess SEP-CEDS-P1, CCC-CE-P2, and CCC-PAT-P1.

Criterion 1.2: Phenomena and Problems Drive Learning

08/12

Materials leverage science phenomena and engineering problems in the context of driving learning and student performance.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 partially meet expectations for Criterion 1d-1i: Phenomena and Problems Drive Learning. The materials include numerous phenomena and problems throughout the grade. Of those phenomena and problems, they consistently connect to grade-level appropriate DCIs. Phenomena and problems are inconsistently presented to students as directly as possible and inconsistently drive learning and engage students in the three dimensions in learning opportunities. The materials consistently elicit but inconsistently leverage student prior knowledge and experience related to the phenomena and problems present. The materials inconsistently incorporate phenomena or problems to drive learning and use of the three dimensions across multiple learning opportunities.

Indicator 1D
02/02

Phenomena and/or problems are connected to grade-level Disciplinary Core Ideas.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations that phenomena and/or problems are connected to grade-level Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs).

Throughout the materials, students are provided with opportunities to build an understanding of grade-level DCIs through activity- and lesson-level phenomena or design challenges. In Grade 2, each unit focuses on a single science discipline, either life science, earth and space science, and physical science. Phenomena and problems in each unit typically require the use of at least one DCI from the unit’s focus area and, in some cases, include engineering DCIs.

Examples of phenomena and design challenges that are connected to grade-band DCIs:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Activity 6, Lesson 6A: Landslides, the phenomenon is that water flowing down a steep surface washes away a large amount of soil while water flowing across a flat surface washes away a small amount of soil. Students observe three different models that demonstrate how water flows across a surface at different angles. Each model is a tray covered with dirt; one tray is laid flat, one is on a slight incline, and one is on a steep incline. Students drip water onto each tray and observe what happens. Students use the models to describe the changes flowing water makes to land (DCI-ESS2.A-P1). 

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Activity 6, Lesson 6B: Reducing the Effects of Rain on a Hillside - Engineering Design Challenge, the design challenge is to design a way to slow or prevent erosion on a cleared hillside. Students view a photo of a hill and discuss possible ways erosion can be prevented on hillsides. They are then presented with a model of a hillside–dirt on a tray that is shaped into a hill–and are directed to alter the model to reduce erosion (DCI-ESS2.A-P1).

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Raising Questions & Planning an Investigation about Our Plant, the phenomenon is that a potted plant grows towards a window. Students are presented with a potted plant that has begun seeking out light/leaning towards a window and shown a picture of how the plant looked at the beginning of the unit, before it started leaning. Through a teacher-led discussion, students are asked questions about how light and water might change the plant’s appearance (DCI-LS2.A-P1). 

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 5, Lesson 5B: Sock Walk, the phenomenon is that seeds stick to clothing. Students mimic how plants depend on animals to spread their seeds (DCI-LS2.A-P2) by walking through the schoolyard (preferably in a spot with lots of weeds and grass) with a sock over their shoe and making observations about what sticks to the sock. The teacher facilitates a class discussion about how this is a model for how animals spread seeds.

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 1, Lesson 1B: What Are Objects Made Of?, the design challenge is to design a structure that will remain standing during a rain and wind storm. Using the story of The Three Little Pigs as context, students discuss the importance of selecting appropriate materials when building a structure to withstand rain and strong wind. Over the course of several lessons, they test and observe different materials and their properties to determine which will be the most useful in completing their design challenge (DCI-PS1.A-P1, DCI-PS1.A-P2). Each team selects the materials for their structure and then draw and label their plan, construct a prototype, test, and present their structures (DCI-PS1.A-P2, DCI-ETS1.A-P1, and DCI-ETS1.B-P1).

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 4, Lesson 4C: Temperature Change, the phenomenon is that the pond by the pigs’ house dried up. Students investigate what happens to the water in the pond in the story The Three Little Pigs Play in the Pond (in the Student Journal) by making observations of a model (water in a pie pan) over a period of time. As students wait to see what happens to the water in the pie pan, they explore the properties of frozen water by reading the trade book On Herman’s Pond that discusses how the properties of water change as temperature changes (DCI-PS1.A-P1).

Indicator 1E
02/02

Phenomena and/or problems are presented to students as directly as possible.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations that phenomena and/or problems are presented to students as directly as possible.

Materials consistently present phenomena and problems to students as directly as possible. Nearly all phenomena and problems are presented directly to students either through a teacher demonstration, watching a video, or reading a trade book. The majority of videos are from YouTube. Sometimes the materials provide a link to a specific video, while in other cases the materials only provide suggested search keywords. None of the videos are hosted by the publisher and three lessons provided links that no longer worked, requiring teachers to find videos on their own.

Examples of phenomena and problems that are presented as directly as possible:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Activity 1, Lesson 1A: Schoolyard Detectives, the phenomenon is that land around the school changes shape over time. The teacher shares an example of weathering or erosion that can be found in the schoolyard, like a crack in the pavement or evidence of water run-off, then the teacher takes the students outside to find additional examples. The first-hand observation provides a direct, shared, and common experience of the phenomenon.

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Activity 5, Lesson 5A: Snow and Ice on the Move, the phenomenon is that a river created by melting snow moves down a mountain. As a class, students read Earth’s Landforms and Bodies of Water, which describes landforms such as mountains, valleys, plains, and plateaus. Then, students watch a classroom demonstration of an ice cube on top of an upside down cup melting, followed by a video of a river of melting snow moving down a mountain. The reading, observation, and video provide students with a direct, shared, and common experience of the problem.

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Activity 6, Lesson 6B: Reducing the Effects of Rain on a Hillside - Engineering Design Challenge, the design challenge is to design a way to slow or prevent erosion on a cleared hillside. Students read a real-life scenario in their Student Journal about the National Park Service’s need to slow erosion along a cleared hillside where they would like to develop a hiking trail. The teacher reads the design challenge to the students. The reading provides students with context to have a direct and shared understanding of the design challenge. 

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 5, Lesson 5A: Seeds on You and Me!, the design challenge is to design a tool that can disperse seeds. Students discuss observations and thoughts about how seeds move from place to place from a prior lesson. Students then create a model of a tool that can disperse seeds from place to place. The discussion about the prior lesson on seed dispersal and direct statement of the challenge provides students with context to have a direct and shared understanding of the design challenge.

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Water as a Liquid, the design challenge is to design a way to make the rainwater that falls from the house go into the pond in the yard. The teacher reads the story Three Little Pigs Play in the Pond from the Student Journal and the class discusses how they could refill the water in the pigs’ pond. The teacher then uses one of the student structures from a previous design challenge (Lesson 1B) and “rains'' on the structure to provide additional context. The story and reference to the previous design challenge provides students with context to have a direct, shared understanding of the design challenge.

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 4, Lesson 4C: Temperature Changes, the phenomenon is that the pond by the pigs’ house freezes. Students are presented with the phenomenon by re-reading Winter Woes at the Pigs’ Pond in the Student Journal. In the story, the students observe how a pond freezes as the weather turns colder in winter. The story and illustrations provide students with context and a direct, shared understanding of the phenomenon.

Indicator 1F
01/02

Phenomena and/or problems drive individual lessons or activities using key elements of all three dimensions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 partially meet expectations that phenomena and/or problems drive individual lessons or activities using key elements of all three dimensions.

The materials are broken out into three units: Changing Earth: Today and Over Time,Plant and Animal Relationships,Solving Problems with Properties. Each unit focuses on a different content area: life science, physical science, earth and space science, and engineering. Each unit is broken into six to seven activities, then each activity is further broken down into three to six lessons.

The materials provide multiple lessons that use phenomena or design challenges to drive student learning and engage with all three dimensions. When a phenomenon or problem drives the lesson, students consistently engage with the three dimensions as they develop explanations or solutions. In instances where there is a phenomenon present but does not drive learning, the phenomenon is only addressed at the beginning and, sometimes, the end of the lesson, and there is a missed opportunity for activities in the lesson to be directly connected to explaining the phenomenon or solving the problem. When a phenomenon or design challenge does not drive learning or is not present, the lessons are typically driven by a science concept or disciplinary core idea, and a few are driven by an activity. 

Phenomena and design challenges are presented in several ways. There are unit-level problems and design challenges that span multiple activities and lessons within a unit, there are activity-level phenomena and design challenges that span a few lessons within an activity, and there are phenomena that are present at only the lesson level.

Examples where phenomena or problems drive student learning and engage students with all three dimensions:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 6, Lesson 6A: Landslides, the phenomenon driving learning is that water flowing down a steep surface washes away a large amount of soil while water flowing across a flat surface washes away a small amount of soil. The students are shown three trays of sand that have different slopes, and they are told that water will be added. They make predictions about what they think will happen if water slowly drips from the straw, watch the demonstration, and then record their observations in the data table in their Student Journal (SEP-DATA-P1). They repeat the activity with a rapid flow of water. The class discusses the results of the demonstration and identifies the effect of changing the slope and the flow of water on the landscape model (CCC-CE-E1). They watch a short YouTube video that shows a landslide and discuss which model would best represent a landslide. They draw and label a picture of a rapid change in the land caused by a landslide (CCC-SC-P2, DCI-ESS1.C-P1) and explain how water can change the shape of the land (SEP-CEDS-P1, DCI-ESS2.A-P1).

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 2, Lesson 2A: What Lives in the Schoolyard?, the phenomenon driving learning is that many different plants and animals are observable in a schoolyard. Students conduct an investigation in the schoolyard and collect data about the plants and animals that they find in a three-foot by three-foot area (DCI-PS4.D-P1). They record their observations in their Schoolyard Square Observation Log (SEP-DATA-P1), which includes a picture and a question about what they observed. Students share their findings with the whole class (SEP-DATA-P2) as well as the questions they have that could be answered by continued observations (SEP-ADQP-P2). Students discuss the patterns of plants and animals that they might see as they make future observations (CCC-PAT-P1).

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 6, Lesson 6A: Engineering from Nature, the design challenge driving learning is to make a tool, toy, or sporting equipment that mimics an animal’s body structure. Students engage in a class discussion about how human-designed objects mimic the properties and functions of specific animal and plant structures (DCI-PS1.A-P2, DCI-LS1.A-P1, CCC-SF-P1, and DCI-ETS1.A-P3). They use this information to determine a property of a chosen animal structure to mimic and create a tool for a specific purpose (DCI-ETS1.A-P1, SEP-AQDP-P3, and SEP-CEDS-E2). Students then draw, share, and revise their designs (SEP-MOD-P4, DCI-ETS1.B-P1, DCI-ETS1.C-M2, and SEP-INFO-P4).

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 7, Lesson 7A: Putting the Pieces Together, the design challenge driving learning is to make a new structure or object using all the pieces (blocks) from an existing one. Students predict if a structure made from blocks can be rearranged for a different purpose and then observe a student volunteer rearrange the blocks and discuss the resulting structure (CCC-CE-P1, DCI-PS1.A-P3, and CCC-EM-P1). Students then rearrange blocks themselves, draw and share the resulting structures (DCI-PS1.A-P3, DCI-ETS1.B-P1, CCC-EM-P1, and SEP-MOD-P2), and identify in writing the properties of their structures that changed, the properties that stayed the same, and how the function of their structure changed after rearrangement (DCI-PS1.A-P1, CCC-SC-P1, and CCC-SF-P1).

Examples where phenomena or problems do not drive student learning:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 4, Lesson 4C: Presenting and Sharing our Information, the phenomenon that moving water flows downhill does not drive learning. Instead, the concept that water and ice change the shape of the land focuses learning. Students reread a trade book, Earth’s Landforms, and Bodies of Water, make observations of a simple model of an inverted cup with melting ice on top, and watch a short video of an avalanche. They then compare the differences between the rushing water of a stream and the rushing snow of an avalanche. Students then work in groups to create a three-dimensional model that will illustrate what happens to the land when snow and ice melt on a mountaintop.

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 6, Lesson 6C: Achoo!, a phenomenon or problem does not drive learning. Instead, the concept that pollen is important in the reproduction of plants and used for food by some animals focuses learning. Students read and discuss the trade book Achoo! Why Pollen Counts, which explains how animals use pollen as a food source. At the end of the book are additional articles that are read to students that describe how bees and other animals are needed to pollinate flowers of all kinds.

In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 6, Lesson 6A: Taking Our Property Observations Outside, a phenomenon or problem does not drive learning. Instead, the lesson focuses on the disciplinary core ideas that different properties are suited to different purposes and that matter can be described by its observable properties. Students watch a YouTube video of trees swaying in the wind and identify the properties of the trees that relate to their observations such as some trees are flexible, while trees with wider tree trunks are more rigid. The students then identify properties of objects they collect in the schoolyard and discuss how the properties of the collected plant and animal parts aid in survival of those organisms.

Indicator 1G
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Materials are designed to include both phenomena and problems.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 are designed to include both phenomena and problems. There are multiple phenomena, problems, and design challenges throughout the grade.

The materials are broken out into three units: Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Plant and Animal Relationships, Solving Problems with Properties. Each unit focuses on a different content area: life science, physical science, earth and space science, and engineering. Each unit is broken into six to seven activities, then each activity is further broken down into three to six lessons. 

One activity has neither a phenomenon nor a problem. All other activities include a phenomenon or problem in most, if not all, lessons. Phenomena and problems are generally introduced at the beginning of an activity and used throughout one or several lessons. In some cases, there are smaller phenomena associated with a larger phenomenon or problem.

Examples of problems/design challenges in the materials:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 6, Lesson 6B: Reducing the Effects of Rain on a Hillside-Engineering Challenge, the problem is to design a way to slow or prevent erosion on a cleared hillside. Students design and test a method for reducing erosion on a cleared hillside. Students plant grass or create barriers to reduce erosion then test the effectiveness of their design.

  • In Grade 2, Plants and Animal Relationships, Activity 5, Lesson 5E: Designing a Seed Model for Dispersal, the design challenge is to create a model of a seed dispersal tool. Students review different types of dispersal methods, then they plan, create, test, and refine a model of a seed that can be dispersed by a chosen dispersal method. Students create a model of a seed that successfully disperses according to a chosen, testable, dispersal method.

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 1, Lesson 1B: What are Objects Made Of?, the design challenge is to design a structure that will remain standing during a rain and wind storm. Students explore the properties of objects they can use in their design by working collaboratively to sort objects and reading and discussing a trade book about states of matter. Students identify one object that was discussed in class and identify a property of this object. They write in their Student Journal about how this property will contribute to building their structure.

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 7, Lesson 7A: Putting the Pieces Together, the design challenge is to make a new structure or object using all the pieces (blocks) from an existing one. Students observe a structure made of blocks and work collaboratively to create a new structure using the individual blocks. Students draw diagrams of their design in their Student Journal and identify their biggest challenge and success while designing.

Examples of phenomena in the materials:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 1, Lesson 1A: Schoolyard Detectives, the phenomenon is that land around the school changes over time. Students find and observe areas in the schoolyard that recently changed. Students identify possible causes of the observed changes including weathering and erosion.

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 5, Lesson 5A: Snow and Ice on the Move, the phenomenon is a river of snow moves down a mountain. Students watch a video of an avalanche, described as a river of snow, as it flows down a mountain. Students predict how an avalanche would change the land.

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 1, Lesson 1A: Where Does the Whirligig Beetle Live?, the phenomenon is that whirligig beetles quickly move in circles on the water’s surface. Students answer guiding questions to engage in discussion of initial ideas, draw a model of the whirligig beetle and where it lives, and write observations and any questions.  Students share out and update their models. Students may volunteer thoughts in guided discussion that the whirligig beetle’s movements are a way to avoid predators. 

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 1, Lesson 1B: Plants and Animals Interact, the phenomenon is a blue dragonfly on a plant. Students draw and label what they observe in the picture of the phenomenon and write initial ideas of what is happening. Students then discuss their thoughts, make a chart of living plants and animals in the picture of the habitat, and refine their ideas after a second observation. In a written journal entry, students identify that the dragonfly lives in a pond environment.

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 4, Lesson 4D: Turn up the Heat, the phenomenon is that an ice cube melts. After observing ice melt in a plastic cup, students plan and execute an investigation to help them learn more about ice melting. Using the information they gathered from their investigations about ice melting, students answer the question they explored and support this claim with evidence and reasoning gathered from their investigation.

Indicator 1H
01/02

Materials intentionally leverage students’ prior knowledge and experiences related to phenomena or problems.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 partially meet expectations that they intentionally leverage students’ prior knowledge and experiences related to phenomena or problems.

Students’ prior knowledge and experiences are consistently elicited across the grade; however, there are limited instances where prior knowledge and experiences are leveraged in instruction.

Lessons that do not elicit students’ prior knowledge and experiences often provide opportunities for teachers to elicit knowledge and experience from a previous lesson, or ask about a science topic, but not the phenomenon or problem that was presented. The materials often provide students opportunities to use their background knowledge or experience to develop initial explanations or make predictions, but in many cases there is a missed opportunity to  explicitly ask students to think about their prior experiences related to the phenomena and problems.

Examples where students’ prior knowledge and experiences of problems and/or phenomena are elicited and leveraged:

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 5, Lesson 5A: Seeds on You and Me!, the design challenge is to model a tool that can disperse seeds from place to place. Before students are presented with the design challenge, the teacher asks the students how they think the seeds in their Schoolyard Square (ongoing investigation) found their way into their square and how they think seeds are moved from place to place. Then, students draw a model of a tool that can move seeds from place to place and they make a list of what they already know about how seeds move from place to place. Students use their prior experiences and what they learn in class to design a seed dispersal tool. 

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Water as a Liquid, the design challenge is to design a way to make the rainwater that falls from the house go into the pond in the yard. The teacher reads Three Pigs in the Pond from the Student Journal. Then, students engage in a class discussion in which the teacher elicits prior knowledge and experiences about water and water in lakes and ponds and adds the student’s responses to the What We Think chart. Students are challenged to figure out how to refill the water in the pigs’ pond. Students apply their shared prior knowledge to design an initial model. Through testing and revision, students have an opportunity to build upon and refine their prior knowledge.

Examples where students’ prior knowledge and experiences of problems and/or phenomena are elicited but not leveraged:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 6, Lesson 6A: Landslides, the phenomenon is that water flowing down a steep surface is washing away a large amount of soil while the water flowing across a flat surface is washing away a small amount of soil. The teacher shows students the set up for a demonstration in which three trays are covered with a soil mixture, one tray is flat, one is on a slight incline, and one is on a steep incline. The teacher prompts students to predict what will happen when water is added to the trays and asks them to justify their prediction based on previous observations and experiences. After students observe the demonstration, they are asked to draw a model, explaining why the changes to the soil were different in each of the three models. While this lesson elicits prior experience from students, it misses the opportunity to support the teacher in leveraging what students bring to the lesson.

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 6, Lesson 6C: Big Events that Change Earth’s Surface, the phenomenon is that an earthquake is happening. As a class, students discuss what they think about earthquakes and what they have heard about them. They record their ideas in a What We Think About Earthquakes chart. Then, students follow instructions to build an earthquake model and simulate an earthquake. While this lesson elicits prior experience from students, it misses the opportunity to support the teacher in leveraging what students bring to the lesson.

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 2, Lesson 2A: What Lives in the Schoolyard?, the phenomenon is that many different plants and animals are observable in a schoolyard. The teacher shares a real or made-up experience about observing a bug on their walk into school and then asks the students to share their experiences observing living things on sidewalks, in their backyards, and in the schoolyard. Then, students predict what they might find in the schoolyard, make observations in the schoolyard, and record what they see in a Schoolyard Square Observation Log handout. While this lesson elicits prior experience from students, it misses the opportunity to support the teacher in leveraging what students bring to the lesson.

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 7, Lesson 7A: Putting the Pieces Together, the design challenge is to make a new structure or object using all the pieces (blocks) from an existing structure. Students observe a structure made from blocks and then share and discuss their experiences with different types of building blocks. Then, students are challenged to work in small groups to take apart their block structure and make a new structure using the same pieces. Students use building blocks to explore the concept that the same blocks can be rearranged into a different structure to achieve a different purpose. While this lesson elicits prior experience from students, it misses the opportunity to support the teacher in leveraging what students bring to the lesson.

Examples where students’ prior knowledge and experiences of problems and/or phenomena are not elicited and leveraged:

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 5, Lesson 5E: Designing a Seed Model for Dispersal, the design challenge is to create a model of a seed that can be dispersed via a particular dispersal method. Students immediately begin the project after reviewing what they have learned about seeds and seed dispersal in class. There is a missed opportunity to elicit and leverage students’ prior knowledge and experience outside of the classroom in this lesson.

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Activity 4, Lesson 4C: Presenting and Sharing our Ideas, the phenomenon is that moving water is flowing downhill. Students watch a video of erosion and are asked to make predictions. They then engage in collaborative activities, such as observing pictures of bodies of water and building models. Students implicitly use their prior knowledge to make predictions, but there is a missed opportunity to explicitly elicit and leverage their  prior knowledge and experience during the lesson.

Indicator 1I
02/04

Materials embed phenomena or problems across multiple lessons for students to use and build knowledge of all three dimensions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 partially meet expectations that they embed phenomena or problems across multiple lessons for students to use and build knowledge of all three dimensions.

In the instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2, phenomena or problems drive learning across multiple learning opportunities, engage students in all three dimensions, and provide multimodal opportunities for students to develop, evaluate, and revise their thinking, but not consistently. In several cases, phenomena or problems are present across multiple sequences and students encounter the same phenomenon or problem at various times during the unit. In some of these learning sequences, student learning is driven by explaining, solving, or making sense of the phenomenon or problem. This, however, happens inconsistently. In some instances, learning sequences are connected to a phenomenon or problem, but there is a missed opportunity to use the phenomenon or problem to drive learning. Instead, the phenomenon or problem is used as an introduction, but student learning is guided by a science concept or activity, not explaining, solving, or making sense of the phenomenon or problem across the lessons. In other cases, the phenomenon or problem only drives learning in individual lessons and there is a missed opportunity to use the phenomenon or problem to drive learning across the sequence as a whole.

When a phenomenon or problem does drive learning across a sequence, students consistently engage in all three dimensions as they work with the phenomenon or problem. Additionally, students typically have multiple opportunities to share and revise their thinking through drawing, writing, whole group discussion, and partner discussion.

Examples of phenomena and problems that drive students’ learning and use the three dimensions across multiple lessons:

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activities 2 and 3, the phenomenon that many different plants and animals are observable in a schoolyard drives learning. Students observe, investigate, and explore the different plants and animals that live in the schoolyard (DCI-LS4.D-P1). Students record and share observations of their schoolyard habitat and pose questions that can be answered by continued observations (SEP-DATA-P2, SEP-ADQP-P2). Students make repeated observations and discuss any patterns they see and if changing the time of day affects what they see (CCC-PAT-P1, CCC-CE-P2). Students then present their data, drawings, and findings to the class (SEP-INFO-P4) and make and execute a plan to investigate a question they have based on the observations (SEP-INV-P2). At the conclusion of the investigation, students construct an evidence-based claim about what they observed (SEP-CEDS-P1). They use their data to describe patterns and relationships in the natural world and to answer their investigative question (SEP-DATA-P3, CCC-PAT-P1). Students share their results with the whole class.

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 5: Plants and Animals Interact To Help Plants Reproduce, the design challenge to model a tool that can disperse seeds from place to place drives learning. Students record their initial ideas for a tool to disperse seeds (SEP-MOD-P4) and watch a YouTube video of exploding seeds to gather more information about ways that seeds are dispersed in nature (SEP-CEDS-P1). Students share and discuss ideas about how seeds move around and walk through a field with socks covering their shoes to investigate how animals help disperse seeds (SEP-INV-P4, DCI-LS2.A-P2). They record their observations and thoughts about what structures on the seeds help them to stick to the sock (SEP-DATA-P1). Using classroom models, students record data on how different seeds can be transported (SEP-DATA-P1, SEP-INV-P2), and use their observations to describe the relationship between the physical structure of seeds and how they disperse (SEP-DATA-P3, CCC-SF-P1). In the final lesson, students design and construct a seed model that they will use with their seed dispersal tool based on the information they gathered throughout the learning sequence (SEP-MOD-P4, DCI-ETS1.A-P3, and DCI-ETS1.B-E3,). They test and revise their tool if necessary, updating their model based on their test results, and present them to the class (SEP-DATA-E5, SEP-INFO-P4, and DCI-ETS1.C-P1).

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Lessons 1B to 3B, the design challenge to design a structure that will remain standing during a rain and wind storm drives learning. Students begin by reading about solids, liquids, and gasses and that different properties are suited to different purposes to inform the development of their design solutions (SEP-INV-P2, SEP-INFO-P1, and DCI-ETS1.A-P2). Students then describe and classify the observable properties of various materials (DCI-PS1.A-P1), record their observations and results (SEP-DATA-P1), and compare the results of their investigations to their predictions (SEP-INV-P6, SEP-DATA-P4). Students then use their data to identify patterns between related properties (SEP-INV-P4, CCC-PAT-M4) and address, through discussions and written journal responses, what properties, patterns, and experiences from the investigations will help their solution to the design challenge (SEP-DATA-P3, DCI-PS1.A-P2, and DCI-ETS1.A-P2). Students brainstorm ideas, draw plans, and build a solution to the design challenge (DCI-PS1.A-P2, SEP-MOD-P4, DCI-ETS1.A-P1, and CCC-SF-M2). Students then test their initial design and propose revisions based on the results and peer feedback (DCI-ETS1.C-P1, DCI-ETS1.B-P1, DCI-ETS1.B-M1, and SEP-DATA-P5). Finally, students present their physical models to the class (DCI-ETS1.B-P1). 

Examples where phenomena or problems do not drive students’ learning across multiple lessons:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 2: Land and Earth, a phenomenon or problem does not drive learning across the sequence. Instead, the lesson focuses on the concept that there are many different landforms across the United States. Students look at a topographic map to observe the different geographic features of the United States and discuss the landforms they would encounter if they were to cross the United States. Students then read a handout about the life of John Wesley Powell and his exploration of the mountain and desert regions in the western United States. Students match some of the surface features mentioned in the story to drawings. They select one feature and explain what they think might have caused that feature to change. Students then create a three-dimensional model of one of the landforms mentioned in the story about John Wesley Powell. They present and explain their landforms to the class.

  • In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 1: Observing Different Habitats, a phenomenon or problem does not drive learning across the sequence. Instead, the disciplinary core idea that there are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water focuses learning. Across the four lessons in this learning sequence, students investigate the biodiversity of life in different habitats. The first three lessons focus on a pond ecosystem. Students watch a video of a whirligig beetle to introduce them to an aquatic setting. They observe a picture of a dragonfly and predict if it could live in the same habitat as a whirligig beetle based on clues in the photo and their prior knowledge. They read the trade book Over and Under the Pond to gather information about other organisms that live in a pond ecosystem. Finally, students go on a pretend field trip using a picture from the Nature Picture set that shows animals in different habitats. They draw and label what they see in the picture, explain what they think is happening, and ask questions they have about the living things in the picture. Students share their pictures and observations with the class and the teacher tracks what was found in each habitat on a class chart. Students look for patterns in their data and collectively write a conclusion about the diversity of life across different habitats.

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 6: Taking Our Property Observations Outdoors, a phenomenon or problem does not drive learning across the sequence. Instead, the lesson is focused on the disciplinary core ideas that matter can be described and classified by its observable properties, and that different properties are suited to different purposes. Students observe and discuss a YouTube video of trees swaying in the wind and collect items from nature from the schoolyard. Students discuss their initial first-hand observations of properties of items collected from the schoolyard and ideas for how the properties aid in the survival of each animal or plant. Next, students conduct tests to further identify the properties of items from nature collected from the schoolyard (rough/smooth, flexible/rigid, repel/absorb, sink/float) and discuss ideas for how the identified properties affect each organism’s survival. Finally, students use content from prior lessons to inform the design of an object that mimics different properties of an animal’s structure.

Overview of Gateway 2

Coherence & Scope

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations for Gateway 2: Coherence & Scope; Criterion 1: Coherence and Full Scope of the Three Dimensions meets expectations.

Criterion 2.1: Coherence and Full Scope of the Three Dimensions

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Materials are coherent in design, scientifically accurate, and support grade-band endpoints of all three dimensions.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations for the Criterion 2a-2g: Coherence and Full Scope of the Three Dimensions. The materials inconsistently support students in understanding connections between units. The materials, and corresponding suggested sequence, reveal student tasks related to explaining phenomena or solving problems that increase in sophistication within each unit and across units. The materials represent the three dimensions with numerous minor errors and only include scientific content appropriate to the grade level. Further, the materials include all DCI components and all elements for physical science; life science; earth and space science; and engineering, technology, and applications of science. The materials include all of the SEPs at the grade level and all of the SEPs across the grade band. The materials include all grade-band crosscutting concepts and provide repeated opportunities for students to use CCCs across the grade band. The materials inconsistently include NGSS connections to Nature of Science and Engineering elements associated with the SEPs and/or CCCs.

Indicator 2A
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Materials are designed for students to build and connect their knowledge and use of the three dimensions across the series.

Indicator 2A.i
01/02

Students understand how the materials connect the dimensions from unit to unit.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 partially meet expectations that students understand how the materials connect the dimensions from unit to unit.

The Grade 2 materials are made of three units that are each made up of a series of lesson sequences called Activities. Each Activity is typically made up of two to four individual learning opportunities called Lessons. The materials consistently demonstrate how the dimensions connect between Lessons in the same Activity, and often connect content between different Activities. The materials inconsistently make connections between dimensions across Units.

The materials most frequently make connections between disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) across Lessons and Activities. These sequences often address the same, or closely related, topics and the connections between the DCIs of the Lessons in an Activity are often clear. The connections for the science and engineering practices (SEPs) and crosscutting concepts (CCCs) are less frequently made explicit to students. 

The materials include a Teacher Background Information section at the beginning of each Unit, Activity, and Lesson. This includes scientific information to support the teacher’s understanding of the concepts and how they are connected, teaching practices, and common misconceptions. While this section may include information that helps the teacher understand the connections between DCIs from different lessons or units, there are missed opportunities to support teachers in making those connections explicit to students. 

Examples of student learning experiences that demonstrate connections across lessons:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 6, Lesson 6B: Reducing the Effects of Rain on a Hillside-Engineering Design Challenge, students solve the problems caused by rain on a hillside. A Teaching Tip in the sidebar of the teaching materials for this lesson instructs the teacher to have students recall their knowledge of the function of plant roots from Grade 1, Plant and Animal Traits. The teacher then guides students to apply this knowledge to their design solutions for preventing erosion along a hillside that doesn’t have vegetation growing on it. In the same lesson, another Teaching Tip tells teachers to reinforce language and concepts from students’ experience in the Kindergarten physical science unit.

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Activity 6, Lesson 6D: Big Events that Change Earth’s Surface–Earthquakes, the teacher is directed to “Review the properties that would be useful for building materials in an area where earthquakes occur” if the class has already completed the Grade 2 physical science unit.

Indicator 2A.ii
02/02

Materials have an intentional sequence where student tasks increase in sophistication.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades K-2 meet expectations that they have an intentional sequence where student tasks increase in sophistication. Materials are designed with an intentional or suggested sequence and student tasks related to explaining phenomena and/or solving problems increase in sophistication within each unit and across the grade band. Across the K-2 grade-band, the materials have a recommended sequence with three units divided by physical, life, and earth and space science assigned to each grade level. Within grade levels, the units can be sequenced in any order.

Materials increase in sophistication across the grade band as students engage with phenomena and problems. As students progress through the grade band, student expectations, as they engage in activities connected to phenomena and problems, increase. Supports for students are also gradually released, and by Grade 2, students are doing more work independently or with fewer aids. Because the order of units within a grade level is not suggested, there is not a general increase in sophistication within a single grade. However, there are instances where student expectations increase within a single unit.

Examples of student tasks increasing in sophistication across the grade band:

  • The materials increase in sophistication as students conduct investigations connected to phenomena and problems. By the time students reach Grade 2, they are doing more work independently and take on more responsibility for determining investigation procedures. For example, in Kindergarten, Motion: Pushes and Pulls, Activity 6, Lesson 6B: Observing Swinging Motion on the Playground, the teacher provides students with a question on the motion of swings that they will all investigate, and in Lesson 6C: Investigating Motion on the Playground, students work in pairs to investigate motion in playground equipment. In Grade 1, Plants and Animal Traits, Activity 1, Lesson 1B: Planning for Fiddler Crab Observations, the teacher plays less of a role in designing the investigation, and the class as a whole plans an investigation to learn how fiddler crabs use their claws. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 1, Lesson 1B: What Are Objects Made Of?, students investigate the properties of materials to solve an engineering problem. Again, the teacher plays less of a role as the class works together to decide the properties they need to investigate to answer to collect data on what materials to use to design a house.

  • The materials increase in sophistication as students ask questions related to phenomena and problems. In Kindergarten, the teacher provides significant support to students to develop questions, and students often work as a whole class to generate questions. By Grade 2, the teacher provides less guidance and fewer scaffolds, such as sentence stems, and students work independently or in smaller groups to develop questions connected to phenomena and problems. For example, in Kindergarten, Plants and Animals Live Here, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Planting Seeds, students read a story about pumpkins that unexpectedly grew in a ditch. After reading the story, the teacher provides them with the question, “How do you think the pumpkins got there?” The teacher then supports the class as a whole to generate additional questions that will help answer their initial question, including providing a sample question. In Grade 1, Plant and Animal Traits, Activity 2, Lesson 2A: Relating Structure and Function, the students still generate questions in a whole group setting, but the teacher provides fewer supports. Following the students’ observations of fiddler crabs, the teacher asks them what questions they have about what they saw. Rather than providing an investigation question for the students, the teacher prompts the students to return to their observations to develop their own questions. In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 1, Lesson 1B: Plants and Animals Interact, students begin an investigation of plant and animal interactions by observing a photograph of a dragonfly on a plant. Before providing any support or leading a whole-class discussion, the teacher tells students to record their questions in their own Student Journal. After students write down their own questions, they share and discuss them in small groups, again without direct teacher support.

  • The materials increase in sophistication as students work with data related to phenomena and problems. In Kindergarten, students typically record their observations as drawings or with highly scaffolded organizers, and much of their work with data is to record and share their observations. By Grade 2, students make a broader range of observations that includes quantitative measurements, written description, and annotated drawings. They also use data in more sophisticated ways that include making predictions and constructing more sophisticated explanations. For example, in Kindergarten, Motion: Pushes and Pulls, Activity 2, Lesson 2A: Collisions: Moving/Not Moving - Understanding the Problem, students make observations of a moving ball colliding with a stationary ball. The teacher leads data collection by recording what they observed on a simplified table shared by the entire class. In Kindergarten, Weather and Climate, Activity 3, Lesson 3A: Blowing in the Wind, students record and share their observations of the wind in the schoolyard as drawings. In Grade 1, Space Systems: Patterns and Cycles, Activity 2, Lesson 2B: The Earth Goes Round and Round, students work in pairs to make observations of shadows at different times of day. They now use a tape measure to record numerical data and independently add the data to a table in their Student Journal. In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 1, Lesson 1A: Schoolyard Detectives, students continue collecting observations with more detail and sophistication. They not only draw and label their observations of the schoolyard, but also connect that data to the causes of changes in the schoolyard and their predictions of how those changes occurred. Students also do more with the data they collect. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 2, Lesson 2A: Exploring Property Stations, students make predictions about the properties of various materials (e.g., sinking or floating, flexible vs. rigid), collect data on those properties, and then compare their data with their predictions.

Indicator 2B
00/02

Materials present Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) in a way that is scientifically accurate.

The materials for Grade 2 do not meet expectations that they present disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), science and engineering practices (SEPs), and crosscutting concepts (CCCs) in a way that is scientifically accurate. 

There are instances of both major and minor errors in DCIs presented to students, as well as numerous minor errors in the teacher materials.

Examples of DCIs presented inaccurately:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Today and Overtime, (Lesson 1B, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3C, 7C), students use a set of 7 pictures, each featuring a landscape from the Colorado Plateau, that is referred to as the Weathering Card Set. However, students investigate and model erosion during instruction. The presentation teaches erosional processes under the label of ‘weathering.’ This is scientifically inaccurate as weathering and erosion are not synonymous terms and misuse of these terms in this manner obscures the different roles that water has in weathering versus erosional processes. 

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Overtime, Lesson 4A, students refer to the provided Bodies of Water card set for content information about bodies of water. The ‘Rivers’ card states that rivers, “cause slow changes in the Earth’s surface by moving earth materials and forming valleys”, an idea that is reiterated in the Key Terms section in the Appendix of the Teacher’s Guide where under the definition for “rivers” states that rivers, “cause slow changes in the Earth’s surface by moving earth materials and forming valleys”. These claims are not fully accurate representations of how rivers, through the disciplinary core idea that water can shape land, connect to the disciplinary core idea that some events happen very quickly, while others occur very slowly due to lack of consideration for how rivers can also quickly change a valley landscape during high flow periods.

  • In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Student Journal Answer Key, 2A Activity, the materials provide answer keys for an activity investigating items that sink or float. There are a number of items, such as button, bottle cap, balloon, feather, paper clip, rubber band, and cotton ball that the answer key indicates should sink, but which students may observe to float depending on how the object is placed in the water due to the structural properties of these objects. Overall, the possible discrepancies between the answer key and accurate observations can lead to inaccurate feedback from this formative assessment of student engagement with the disciplinary core idea that matter can be described and classified by its observable properties and have the potential to mislead students in Lesson 2B when using their observations to identify patterns among the investigated properties, and in Lesson 3A when students use information from their charts to inform the design of a wind and water resistant structure from the provided materials. 

Examples of Minor Errors in Teaching Support Materials:

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Overtime, Teacher Guide, Appendix, Key Terms: fresh water, the materials state that “fresh water relates to water in the inland lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, and groundwater”. These water bodies are not defined by chemical composition and are not always ‘freshwater’.

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Today and Overtime, Teacher Guide, Activity 2, Lesson 2B: A Journey Across the United States, Teacher Background Information, the text states that “true mountains” result when portions of Earth’s surface are deformed”. The term ‘true mountain’ is not a scientific term. 

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Today and Overtime, Unit at a Glance Chart, the materials inaccurately refer to a provided relief map of the United States as a ‘topographic map’. 

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Today and Overtime, Activity 3: Major Landforms, Teacher Background Information, the materials state, “a valley is formed when running water weathers and erodes rock and soil from an area”. This explanation omits the mechanisms for the formation of glacial valleys. 

Examples of minor errors in student resource materials: 

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Today and Overtime, Activity 3, Lesson 3A: Major Landforms, the nonfiction trade book Earth’s Landforms and Bodies of Water states that, “beaches are made of sand”. The sedimentary composition of beach materials is not restricted to sands.

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Today and Overtime, Activity 3, Lesson 3A: Major Landforms, the nonfiction trade book  Earth’s Landforms and Bodies of Water states that “a canyon is deeper than a valley”. Profile, not relative depth, is the key factor that differentiates valleys and canyons from one another. 

  •  In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Today and Overtime, Activity 4, Lesson 4C, the non-fiction trade book Follow the Water From Brook to Ocean states that “water will keep flowing until it reaches an ocean”. The ocean is not the ultimate destination of all surface waters. 

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Today and Overtime, Activity 7, Lesson 7B: Obtaining Information About the Effect of Volcanoes on Earth’s Surface, the provided You Tube video Volcanoes, Their Formation, Impact, & Eruption, defines an active volcano as one that erupted in 2009, 2010, or 2011, a dormant volcano as one that last erupted in 1960, and an extinct volcano as one that has not erupted in 100 years. These time frames are inaccurate by one to several orders of magnitude,

  • In Grade 2, Changing Earth, Today and Overtime, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Major Bodies of Water, the nonfiction trade book  Earth’s Landforms and Bodies of Water inaccurately claims that all water on earth that is not in the ocean is freshwater.

Indicator 2C
02/02

Materials do not inappropriately include scientific content and ideas outside of the grade-level Disciplinary Core Ideas.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations that the materials do not inappropriately include scientific content and ideas outside of the grade-level disciplinary core ideas. The materials consistently incorporate student learning opportunities to learn and use DCIs appropriate to the grade.

Indicator 2D
Read

Materials incorporate all grade-level Disciplinary Core Ideas.

Indicator 2D.i
02/02

Physical Sciences

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-level disciplinary core ideas for physical sciences.

Materials incorporate all grade-level components and associated elements of the physical science disciplinary core ideas (DCIs). Most DCIs appear in multiple learning opportunities and are fully met. Students interact with the concepts in a variety of ways, including reading trade books and engaging in investigations and class discussions.

Examples of grade-level physical science DCI elements present in the materials:

  • PS1.A-P1. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 4, Lesson 4D: Turn up the Heat, students plan and conduct an investigation with ice cubes to observe and record how changing the temperature affects the physical properties of solid and liquid water. 

  • PS1.A-P2. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 2, Lesson 2A: Exploring Properties, students rotate through four different stations in which they observe and record the different properties of materials (texture, flexibility, buoyancy, absorption). Then, they select the best material to meet a mini design challenge (build a slide, build a structure that is rigid at the base and flexible at the top, build a “boat” to float a marble, build a structure that can sink but keep a cotton ball dry). 

  • PS1.A-P3. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 7, Lesson 7A: Putting Pieces Together, students are given a small structure that has been made of many small building blocks (Lego-like blocks) and are instructed to take it apart and, using all of the original pieces, construct a new structure. 

  • PS1.B-P1. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 5: Melting and Freezing-Beyond Water, students plan and conduct an investigation to observe what happens to different materials (chocolate, crayons, cheese, juice) when they are exposed to heat or cold and determine if any of the changes are reversible.

Indicator 2D.ii
02/02

Life Sciences

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-level disciplinary core ideas for life sciences.

Materials incorporate all grade-level components and associated elements of the life science disciplinary core ideas (DCIs). Most DCIs appear in multiple learning opportunities and are fully met. Students interact with the concepts in a variety of ways, including reading trade books, engaging in investigations, making models, and having class discussions.

Examples of the grade-level life science DCI elements present in the materials:

  • LS2.A-P1. In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Raising Questions and Planning Our Investigation About Our Plant, students observe the preferred growth direction of a plant growing in the classroom and consider if this is a response to the plant’s need for water or light, each of which is provided on one side of the plant. 

  • LS2.A-P2. In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 5, Lesson 5B: Sock Walk, students participate in an activity where they walk around a field wearing socks, which the students relate to animal fur, to model how plants depend on animals to move their seeds around. 

  • LS4.D-P1. In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 1C: What Lives Under the Pond?, students read about the many different kinds of animals and plants on the land, under the water, and at and above the water’s surface in a pond habitat, as described in the trade book Over and Under the Pond.

Indicator 2D.iii
02/02

Earth and Space Sciences

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-level disciplinary core ideas for earth and space sciences.

Materials incorporate all grade-level components and associated elements of the earth and space science disciplinary core ideas (DCIs). Most DCIs appear in multiple learning opportunities and are fully met. Students interact with the concepts in a variety of ways, including reading trade books, engaging in investigations, making models, and having class discussions.

Examples of the grade-level earth and space science DCI elements present in the materials:

  • ESS1.C-P1. In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 3, Lesson 3C: Discussing and Presenting Our Findings, students discuss content about fast moving rivers and glaciers in the trade book How do Wind and Water Change the Earth? to identify that some events happen very quickly, while others occur very slowly, over a time period much longer than one can observe. 

  • ESS2.A-P1. In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 3, Lesson 3A: Major Landforms, students watch two videos showing erosion: one by water and one by wind. Students review the landforms they were introduced to in the previous activity and discuss how water and wind could affect those landforms. Students work in groups to develop a model of a landform with sand. Then, they plan to investigate how introducing water and wind will change to their model. 

  • ESS2.B-P1. In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 2, Lesson 2B: A Journey Across the United States, students observe and explore a topographic map and describe land features they are able to identify. Students match descriptions of landforms to the landforms and bodies of water found on a map. Students also draw pictures of the landforms and bodies of water as they would look up close based on what they learned from the map and the Student Journal. 

  • ESS2.C-P1. In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 4, Lesson 4B: Making Models of Bodies of Water, student groups use the plans they created in the previous lesson to build a sand model of their assigned body of water. In their model, groups include landforms that may exist near their body of water, how their body of water may have formed, and the relationship of their body of water with rain and snow. Students individually draw and label a picture of the model they created as well as write a description of their assigned body of water and how it is formed.

Indicator 2D.iv
02/02

Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades K–2 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-band and grade-level disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) for engineering, technology, and applications of science (ETS) and all associated elements. 

In Kindergarten, three performance expectations (PEs) are associated with a physical, life, or earth and space science DCI that also connect to an ETS DCI. The ETS elements within these kindergarten PEs are present in the materials.

Examples of the Kindergarten grade-level ETS DCI elements present in the materials:

  • ETS1.A-P1. In Kindergarten, Weather and Climate, Activity 2, Lesson 2C: Hiding from the Sun, students design a structure to protect an animal model made of UV beads from the sun. As students prepare for the activity, the teacher guides students to discuss how engineers design things to help solve a problem. After their designs are complete, students share their designs with one another and they discuss the variety of solutions the groups developed.

  • ETS1.A-P2. In Kindergarten, Weather and Climate, Activity 3, Lessons 3A and 3B, students research a variety of instruments that measure wind and observe how the direction and speed of wind can change in various parts of the school yard. Using their research and observations, students design and create a windsock to determine the speed and direction of the wind at different places in the schoolyard. 

  • ETS1.B-P1. In Kindergarten, Weather and Climate, Activity 2, Lesson 2C: Hiding from the Sun, students design a structure to protect an animal model made of UV beads from the sun. Students draw their plans, build a prototype, and then share their designs with one another to make refinements. 

In Grade 1, no PEs associated with a physical, life, or earth and space science DCI connect to an ETS DCI. However, the materials do include opportunities for students to engage with ETS elements in this grade.

Examples of ETS DCI elements present in the Grade 1 materials:

  • ETS1.A-P1. In Grade 1, Plant and Animal Traits, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Planning and Designing A Device That Solves A Problem, students think about a human problem and design a solution that mimics or adapts a part of an animal or plant. As students work on defining problems and developing their solution, the class discusses their work in terms of engineers solving problems.

  • ETS1.B-P1. In Grade 1, Space Systems, Activity 2, Lesson 2C: Temperature Changes Throughout the Day, students design and build a device that will provide shade during the hottest part of the day but allow light to pass through when the sun is not at its strongest. Students brainstorm, draw, and describe their designs in their student journals, share their designs with each other, and provide feedback on one another's designs.

  • ETS1.C-P1. In Grade 1, Waves: Light and Sound, Activity 3, Lesson 3D: Lighting a Tree House, students build a model of their solution to the problem of a tree house being dark on the inside. After students build a model of their solution, they test their designs, share their designs with other groups, compare their designs with one another, and compare their solutions with the solutions presented in a book.

In Grade 2, there are two PEs associated with a physical, life, or earth and space science DCI that also connect to an ETS DCI. The ETS elements within these Grade 2 PEs are present in the materials.

Examples of the Grade 2 grade-level ETS DCI elements present in the materials:

  • ETS1.A-P1. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 1, Lesson 1B: What Are Objects Made Of?, after reading a version of the story The Three Little Pigs, students are challenged to use materials to build a structure that can withstand wind and rain. In groups, students explore a selection of items (balloon, rock, nail, etc) and begin to identify their properties. Students identify properties that are useful for solving the design challenge and plan tests for the objects to determine if they have desirable properties.

  • ETS1.C-P1. In Grade 2, Plants and Animal Relationships, Activity 6, Lesson 6D: Not Enough Bees, students are told about the decrease in the honeybee population over the last 50 years. Using information from previous lessons about how bees and other animals pollinate plants, students are presented with the engineering design challenge to build a hand pollinator. Students plan, collect materials, and build/test their pollinator devices, then they share their solutions with the class. Students are encouraged to comment and question the designs of others including the materials used.

The K–2 grade band includes three ETS PEs that are designed to be taught at any point across the grade band. These PEs include five elements. The materials provide opportunities to engage with ETS DCIs and their elements in all three grades within this band.

Examples of the K–2 grade-band ETS DCI elements present in the materials:

  • ETS1.A-P1. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 1, Lesson 1B: What Are Objects Made Of?, after reading a version of the story The Three Little Pigs, students are challenged to use materials to build a structure that can withstand wind and rain. In groups, students explore a selection of items (ballon, rock, nail, etc) and begin to identify their properties. Students identify properties that are useful for solving the design challenge and plan tests for the objects to determine if they have desirable properties.

  • ETS1.A-P2. In Kindergarten, Weather and Climate, Activity 3, Lessons 3A and 3B, students research a variety of instruments that measure wind and observe how the direction and speed of wind can change in various parts of the school yard. Using their research and observations, students design and create a windsock to determine the speed and direction of the wind at different places in the schoolyard. 

  • ETS1.A-P3. In Grade 1, Waves, Activity 6, Lesson 6A: People Use Light and Sound, students design a nonverbal communication system using light and sound. Before they design their system, the class discusses a scenario where a town does not have telephones to communicate, that the town needs to be able to contact various community members (e.g., emergency workers), and that their solution needs to meet the needs of the scenario.

  • ETS1.B-P1. In Kindergarten, Weather and Climate, Activity 2, Lesson 2C: Hiding from the Sun, students design a structure to protect an animal model made of UV beads from the sun. Students draw their plans, build a prototype, and then share their designs with one another to make refinements. 

  • ETS1.C-P1. In Grade 2, Plants and Animal Relationships, Activity 6, Lesson 6D: Not Enough Bees, students are told about the decrease in the honeybee population over the last 50 years. Using information from previous lessons about how bees and other animals pollinate plants, students are presented with the engineering design challenge to build a hand pollinator. Students plan, collect materials, and build/test their pollinator devices. Then, they share their solutions with the class. Students are encouraged to comment and question the designs of others including the materials used.

Indicator 2E
Read

Materials incorporate all grade-level Science and Engineering Practices.

Indicator 2E.i
04/04

Materials incorporate grade-level appropriate SEPs within each grade.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 2 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-level science and engineering practices and associated elements.

Materials incorporate all grade-level science and engineering practices (SEPs) and associated elements within the grade level. Students are provided with multiple opportunities in which to engage with a variety of SEPs.

Examples of SEPs and elements associated with the grade-level performance expectations that are met in the materials:

  • MOD-P3. In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 1, Lesson 1A: Schoolyard Detectives, students explore the schoolyard and identify a location where the shape of the land was changed. They discuss, as a class, the possible causes of those changes such as wind and water. Students draw and label a model of one of their observations in their Student Journal and explain the relationship between the change and the possible cause of the change.

  • MOD-P4. In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 5, Lesson 5E: Designing a Seed Model for Dispersal, students work in pairs and select a particular method of seed dispersal. They use what they learned previously in this activity to design a model of a seed that is dispersed using this specific method. Students test and revise the model to improve dispersal.

  • INV-P2. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 5, Lesson 5A: Melting and Freezing - Beyond Water, students are introduced to Mark, who is taking several items on a trip in his car. Students work in groups and choose one material from the list (crayons, books, ice cream, crackers, etc.) and design an investigation to determine how that material is affected by heat and cold. Using the results of this investigation, students determine whether or not that material would be a good choice for Mark to bring on his trip.

  • INV-P4. In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 1, Lesson 1D: Where Else Do Plants and Animals Live?, students investigate different habitats and compare the animals that live in them. Students make observations of the plants and animals found in various locations around the schoolyard (e.g., in shade, in the sun, rocky soil), share what they recorded, and compare the organisms they found in the different locations.

  • DATA-P5. In Grade 2, Plants and Animal Relationships, Activity 6, Lesson 6D: Not Enough Bees, students are told about the decrease in the honeybee population over the last 50 years. Using information from previous lessons about how bees and other animals pollinate plants, students are presented with the engineering design challenge to build a hand pollinator. After students have planned, collected materials, built, and tested their pollinator devices, they share their solutions with the class. In their Student Journals, students draw a model of the hand pollinator as well as how they revised the model after their initial tests.

  • CEDS-P1. In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 3, Lesson 3G: Making Models and Testing Over Time, students build models to represent landforms and test the effect of moving water and wind on the model. After investigating the effects of wind and moving water on their models, students use their observations to draw a model of the effect as well as write a possible explanation as to how wind and moving water can affect the shape of the land.

  • CEDS-P3. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Lesson 2, Activity 2B: Sharing Our Solutions, students share their findings from a previous lesson in which they designed a structure that would withstand wind and water and discuss how those findings can be used in the design of the structure. Students are asked to identify patterns in the properties of the materials chosen. After the discussion, students write in their Student Journals about how they would alter their structure to be more wind or water-resistant, using the information shared during the class discussion.

  • ARG-P6. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Lesson 4, Activity 4D: Turn Up the Heat, students are asked to plan and carry out an investigation that will help them learn more about the melting of an ice cube. After the completion of the investigation, the students share their results with the class, identifying common patterns or findings that were observed. Students then write a claim, evidence, and reasoning (CER) addressing the question they explored in their investigation, using the evidence they collected.

  • INFO-P3. In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Bodies of Water, students are assigned a body of water. Using materials such as videos, nonfiction books, and Bodies of Water cards, students draw and write a description of their body of water as well as draw a labeled model for their plan to build this body of water.

Indicator 2E.ii
04/04

Materials incorporate all SEPs across the grade band

The instructional materials reviewed for Grades K-2 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-level science and engineering practices and associated elements across the grade band.

Materials incorporate all science and engineering practices (SEPs) and associated elements within the grade band, and include few elements of the SEPs from above or below the grade band without connecting to the grade-band appropriate SEP.

Examples of SEP elements associated with the grade-band performance expectations that are met in the materials:

  • AQDP-P1. In Kindergarten, Weather and Climate, Activity 1, Lesson 1A: Weather Watchers: Making Observations, students make observations of the weather and draw and label pictures of the weather that they like the most and least. Then, students generate questions they have about the weather based on their observations.

  • MOD-P3. In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 1, Lesson 1A: Schoolyard Detectives, students explore the schoolyard and identify a location where the shape of the land was changed. They discuss, as a class, the possible causes of those changes such as wind and water. Students draw and label a model of one of their observations in their Student Journal and explain the relationship between the change and the possible cause of the change.

  • MOD-P4. In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 5, Lesson 5E: Designing a Seed Model for Dispersal, students work in pairs and select a particular method of seed dispersal. They use what they learned previously in this activity to design a model of a seed that is dispersed using this specific method. Students test and revise the model to improve dispersal.

  • INV-P1. In Kindergarten, Motion: Pushes and Pulls, Activity 1, Lesson 1B: Balls in Motion, as a class, the teacher and students develop a question about how balls of different size and/or weight move. Students select two different balls and other materials to conduct an investigation of how they move compared to each other. They select one of the balls they observed and draw and label a picture of how it moved.

  • INV-P2. In Grade 1, Waves: Light and Sound, Activity 3, Lesson 3C: What Can We Learn From A Shadow?, students work in pairs to plan and conduct an investigation and collect data to use as evidence for whether or not the length, direction, and shape of their shadows will differ between morning, noon, and afternoon.

  • INV-P4. In Grade 1, Space Systems: Patterns and Cycles, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Stargazing, students use the Stellarium computer simulation program to observe and compare the positions of stars over the course of a night. 

  • DATA-P3. In Kindergarten, Plants and Animals Live Here, Activity 5, Lesson 5A: Plants and Animals Cause Change, students observe one of seven different pictures of animals and plants and their impact on their environment found in their Student Journal. They are asked to identify the cause of the changes that occurred to the environment. The groups share their observations with the class. Then ,students individually select one animal and draw and write about how it changes its habitat to get food or make a home.

  • DATA-P5. In Grade 2, Plants and Animal Relationships, Activity 6, Lesson 6D: Not Enough Bees, students are told about the decrease in the honeybee population over the last 50 years. Using information from previous lessons about how bees and other animals pollinate plants, students are presented with the engineering design challenge to build a hand pollinator. After students have planned, collected materials, built, and tested their pollinator devices, they share their solutions with the class. In their Student Journals, students draw a model of the hand pollinator as well as how they revised the model after their initial tests.

  • CEDS-P1. In Grade 1, Waves: Light and Sound, Activity 4, Lesson 4B: Sounds We Have Heard, students participate in a variety of stations (rubber band guitar, bottle rattlers, screeching cups, etc) to determine and explain that sound is caused by vibrations.

  • CEDS-P2. In Kindergarten, Weather and Climate, Activity 3, Lesson 3B: Blowing in the Wind, students record observations of the wind and design devices for measuring wind speed and direction. Students compare the wind at various places around the schoolyard, then brainstorm ideas, select materials for their device, and build their device.

  • CEDS-P3. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Lesson 2, Activity 2B: Sharing Our Solutions, students share their findings from a previous lesson in which they designed a structure that would withstand wind and water and discuss how those findings can be used in the design of the structure. Students are asked to identify patterns in the properties of the materials chosen. After the discussion, students write in their Student Journals about how they would alter their structure to be more wind or water-resistant, using the information shared during the class discussion.

  • ARG-P6. In Kindergarten, Plants and Animals Live Here, Activity 3, Lesson 3B: Investigating Worms, students construct an argument, with evidence from simple tests, of a worm’s reaction to various stimuli (light, sound, a wet cotton swab, a wet versus dry paper towel, nearby cornmeal or soil, and any other stimuli tests students carry-out), to support a claim about whether worms have senses.

  • INFO-P1. In Kindergarten, Motion: Pushes and Pulls, Activity 1, Lesson 1D: And Everyone Shouted, “Pull”!, students use the trade book And Everyone Shouted, “Pull”!, about forces and motions of a farm cart traveling along a road to find evidence of when a push or pull is necessary to start, change direction, speed up, or slow down an object.

  • INFO-P3. In Grade 1, Space Systems: Patterns and Cycles, Activity 3, Lesson 3B: The Shape of the Moon, the teacher reads two trade books, Faces of the Moon and The Phases of the Moon. Students use the text to identify the pattern of the phases of the moon and draw a model of each phase of the moon based on the information conveyed in the text.

  • INFO-P4. In Kindergarten, Weather and Climate, Activity 7, Lesson 7A: Making Sense of Our Weather Data, students work in groups to communicate information about a weather pattern they observe in the class Weather Watchers Observation Chart through an oral presentation or skit.

Indicator 2F
08/08

Materials incorporate all grade-band Crosscutting Concepts.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade K-2 meet expectations that they incorporate all grade-level crosscutting concepts and associated elements across the grade band.

Materials incorporate all crosscutting concepts (CCCs) and associated elements within the grade band, and they include few elements of the CCCs from above or below the grade band without connecting to the grade-band appropriate CCC.

Examples of CCC elements associated with the grade-band performance expectations that are present in the materials:

  • CE-P1. In Grade 2, Plant and Animal Relationships, Activity 5, Lesson 5B: Sock Walk, students investigate one way that seeds are dispersed by animals by going on a walk wearing socks over their shoes. They look at the seeds that stuck to their socks and describe the features of the seeds that caused them to stick.

  • CE-P2. In Kindergarten, Weather and Climate, Activity 5, Lesson 5A: It’s Raining! It’s Pouring!, students draw how the clouds look on a rainy day. This helps students see that events (low, dark gray clouds) generate observable patterns (it rains).

  • EM-P1. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 7, Lesson 7A: Putting Pieces Together, students are given a structure made of smaller pieces (such as Legos or wooden blocks) and are instructed to take the structure apart and then, using all of the original pieces, create a new and different structure.

  • PAT-P1. In Kindergarten, Motion: Pushes and Pulls, Activity 2, Lesson 2A: Collisions: Moving/Not Moving - Understanding the Problem, in groups, students investigate the motions that result from the collision of two moving balls. The class combines the group data to identify patterns in the test result and use it as evidence to create individual student drawings that describe the motion of the two moving balls before and after collision.

  • SC-P2. In Grade 1, Space Systems: Patterns and Cycles, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Stargazing, students participate in a class model where students play the roles of earth, sun, and stars. The model includes labels for the astronomical seasons and cardinal directions. As the “earth” orbits around the “sun”, students observe that the stars that are visible to the “earth” volunteer change as the “earth” rotates to simulate day and night. The students then observe that there is also a slower change in what stars are visible from earth in terms of seasonal changes in the nighttime sky when the “earth” orbits around the “sun” to simulate the earth’s motion throughout the passage of a year.

  • SF-P1. In Grade 1, Plant and Animal Traits, Activity 2, Lesson 2B: Fiddler Crabs Use Their Body Parts, students work in groups to observe fiddler crabs and identify their different structures. Each group is assigned one structure to compare to a variety of human tools. Student groups identify the human tool that most closely resembles the assigned structure and use that comparison to identify the likely function of that structure.

  • SYS-P2. In Kindergarten, Plants and Animal Live Here, Activity 5, Lesson 5B: Human Habitats, students review their observations from a previous lesson identifying certain organisms that changed the environment in their schoolyard. Students work in groups to discuss where humans get the food, water, and shelter they need to survive. Students then create a model of their home or habitat and identify where they get their food, water, and find shelter in their home/habitat.

Indicator 2G
01/02

Materials incorporate NGSS Connections to Nature of Science and Engineering.

The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 partially meet expectations that they incorporate NGSS connections to nature of science and engineering.

Materials incorporate grade-band NGSS connections to the nature of science (NOS) and engineering (ENG) within individual activities or lessons across the series. Elements from two categories are included in the materials for the grade band, grade-band NOS elements associated with science and engineering practices (SEP) and grade-band ENG elements associated with crosscutting concepts (CCC). The materials miss the opportunity to include any NOS elements associated with CCCs. 

Examples of grade-band connections to NOS elements associated with SEPs present in the materials:

  • VOM-P1. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 1, Lesson 1B: What Are Objects Made Of?, students design a structure that will remain standing in a rain and wind storm. They begin by exploring the properties of possible materials to use in their solution. Before they investigate the materials, the teacher tells students they should have a question in mind and that scientists begin investigations with a question they would like to answer. 

  • VOM-P2. In Kindergarten, Weather and Climate, Activity 3, Lesson 3B: Blowing in the Wind, students discuss how to measure the speed and direction of the wind, and the teacher explains that meteorologists and other scientists use several different ways to measure the wind including windsocks, flags, and weather vanes. Students then build their own windsocks to measure the speed and direction of the wind.

  • BEE-P1. In Kindergarten, Motion: Pushes and Pulls, Activity 2, Lesson 2B: Investigating Collisions: Moving/Not Moving-Understanding the Problem, students investigate what happens to the speed and direction of two moving balls when they collide, and the teacher provides a clear summary of the class findings. Then, students discuss that, just like scientists, they made and recorded their observations so that they could look for patterns and use them to make sense of how the balls changed their motion. 

  • ENP-P1. In Grade 2, Changing Earth: Today and Over Time, Activity 7, Lesson 7C: Combining and Comparing Causes and Effects of Changes to Earth’s Surface, the teacher discusses with the class how scientists and engineers develop and use models to help them learn and explain phenomena. The class then discusses how the models they made in this unit helped them to better understand landforms, bodies of water, and how wind and water can change the surface of the earth. Students then draw two models that explain how planting grass on a hillside can prevent erosion.

  • ENP-P2. In Grade 1, Waves: Light and Sound, Activity 5, Lesson 5A: Good Vibrations, students explore materials that produce sound and enable them to observe the vibrations that cause sound. Students make observations of sound traveling through air, water, and solid objects. As they discuss their observations, the teacher tells students that scientists call the relationship between vibrations and sound a pattern of cause and effect.

Examples of grade-band connections to ENG elements associated with CCCs present in the materials:

  • INFLU-P1. In Grade 1, Plant and Animal Traits, Activity 4, Lessons 4A and 4B, students apply their understanding of the function of plant and animal structures to brainstorm and design plans for a product that can solve a human problem by mimicking or modifying a plant or animal structure. Students then construct physical models of their solutions in Lesson 4B.

  • INFLU-P1. In Grade 2, Solving Problems with Properties, Activity 6, Lesson 6C: Engineering From Nature, the teacher reviews different tools, such as a hammer, and discusses how the design of a hammer is similar to a beaver’s teeth. Students then work collaboratively to design a useful tool, toy, or item of sports equipment using different properties that animals possess, keeping in mind the examples discussed in class (i.e., a hammer and beaver teeth, a bike helmet and turtle shell, velcro and burrs). 

  • INFLU-P3. In Grade 1, Waves: Light and Sound, Activity 6, Lesson 6A: People Use Light and Sound, using prior knowledge, students discuss as a class how people depend on light for communication in their lives (traffic signals, emergency vehicles, turn signals on vehicles, on/off lights on electrical devices, etc.), as well as sounds (sirens, horns, alarm clocks, clock chimes, telephone ringing, doorbells, church bells, school bells, and buzzers). The students then participate in an activity where they develop a set of emergency codes to use in a town that does not have modern communication technologies (i.e. no telephones, TVs, cellphones, computers, or radios).

Criterion 3.1: Teacher Supports

NE = Not Eligible. Product did not meet the threshold for review.
NE

The program includes opportunities for teachers to effectively plan and utilize materials with integrity and to further develop their own understanding of the content.

Indicator 3A
00/02

Materials provide teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for how to enact the student materials and ancillary materials, with specific attention to engaging students in figuring out phenomena and solving problems.

Indicator 3B
00/02

Materials contain adult-level explanations and examples of the more complex grade/course-level concepts and concepts beyond the current course so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject.

Indicator 3C
00/02

Materials include standards correlation information, including connections to college- and career-ready ELA and mathematics standards, that explains the role of the standards in the context of the overall series.

Indicator 3D
Read

Materials provide strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents, or caregivers about the program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.

Indicator 3E
00/02

Materials provide explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.

Indicator 3F
00/01

Materials provide a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities.

Indicator 3G
00/01

Materials provide clear science safety guidelines for teachers and students across the instructional materials.

Indicator 3H
Read

Materials designated for each grade are feasible and flexible for one school year.

Criterion 3.2: Assessment

NE = Not Eligible. Product did not meet the threshold for review.
NE

The program includes a system of assessments identifying how materials provide tools, guidance, and support for teachers to collect, interpret, and act on data about student progress towards the standards.

Indicator 3I
00/02

Assessment information is included in the materials to indicate which standards are assessed.

Indicator 3J
00/04

Assessment system provides multiple opportunities throughout the grade, course, and/or series to determine students' learning and sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up.

Indicator 3K
00/04

Assessments include opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of grade-level/grade-band standards and elements across the series.

Indicator 3L
Read

Assessments offer accommodations that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills without changing the content of the assessment.

Criterion 3.3: Student Supports

NE = Not Eligible. Product did not meet the threshold for review.
NE

The program includes materials designed for each student’s regular and active participation in grade-level/grade-band/series content.

Indicator 3M
00/02

Materials provide strategies and supports for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering.

Indicator 3N
00/02

Materials provide extensions and/or opportunities for students to engage in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering at greater depth.

Indicator 3O
Read

Materials provide varied approaches to learning tasks over time and variety in how students are expected to demonstrate their learning with opportunities for for students to monitor their learning.

Indicator 3P
Read

Materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.

Indicator 3Q
00/02

Materials provide strategies and supports for students who read, write, and/or speak in a language other than English to regularly participate in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering.

Indicator 3R
Read

Materials provide a balance of images or information about people, representing various demographic and physical characteristics.

Indicator 3S
Read

Materials provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student home language to facilitate learning.

Indicator 3T
Read

Materials provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student cultural and social backgrounds to facilitate learning.

Indicator 3U
Read

Materials provide supports for different reading levels to ensure accessibility for students.

Indicator 3V
Read

This is not an assessed indicator in Science.

Criterion 3.4: Intentional Design

NE = Not Eligible. Product did not meet the threshold for review.
NE

The program includes a visual design that is engaging and references or integrates digital technology (when applicable) with guidance for teachers.

Indicator 3W
Read

Materials integrate interactive tools and/or dynamic software in ways that support student engagement in the three dimensions, when applicable.

Indicator 3X
Read

Materials include or reference digital technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other, when applicable.

Indicator 3Y
Read

The visual design (whether in print or digital) supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject, and is neither distracting nor chaotic.

Indicator 3Z
Read

Materials provide teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning, when applicable.