Second graders learn to observe and describe materials by their properties — hard or soft, rough or smooth, bendy or stiff — and to sort and choose materials based on what they’re like.
Students will be able to…
A rock is hard, a pillow is soft, a rubber band is bendy. Everything is made of materials with different properties. How do we describe and sort them?
Project this and sort each thing by whether it is made of a hard material or a soft one.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
A rock, a pillow, a rubber band — how are they different?
Students investigate.
Students explain.
Students elaborate.
Students conclude.
Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (Grade 2 / Elementary Science).
Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify materials by their observable properties.
Analyze data on materials to decide which are best for a purpose.
Make an object from a set of small pieces.
Analyzing and interpreting data.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have families find and describe materials around the house — which are hard, soft, bendy, or smooth. A printable materials sheet is in the Science library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.