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MORGAN HILL UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
SCIENCE STANDARDS
FOR GRADE TWO
(Board Adopted March 2001)
[Bold print are the essential standards. ]
STUDENTS WHO MEET THIS STANDARD WILL:
*Italics indicate district standards exceed state standards Physical Sciences
1. The motion of objects can be observed and measured. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
a. the position of an object can be described by locating it
relative to another object or the background.
b. an object’s motion can be described by recording the change
in its position over time.
c. the way to change how something is moving is to give it a
push or a pull. The size of the change is related to the strength,
or the amount of “force,” of the push or pull.
d. tools and machines are used to apply pushes and pulls
(forces) to make things move.
e. objects near the Earth fall to the ground unless something
holds them up.
f. magnets can be used to make some objects move without being touched.
g. sound is made by vibrating objects and can be described by
its pitch and volume.
Life Sciences
2. Plants and animals have predictable life cycles. As a basis for
understanding this concept, students know:
a. organisms reproduce offspring of their own kind. The
offspring resemble their parents and each other.
b. the sequential stages of life cycles are different for different
animals, for example butterflies, frogs, and mice.
STUDENTS WHO MEET THIS STANDARD WILL:
*Italics indicate district standards exceed state standards c. many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the
parents. Some characteristics are caused by, or influenced by,
the environment.
d. there is variation among individuals of one kind
within a population.
e. the germination, growth, and development of plants can be
affected by light, gravity, touch, or environmental stress.
f. in plants, flowers and fruits are associated
with reproduction.
Earth Sciences
3. Earth is made of materials that have distinct properties and provide
resources for human activities. As the basis for understanding this
concept,
students know:
a. how to compare the physical properties of different kinds of rocks and that rock is composed of different combinations of minerals.
b. smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of
larger rocks.
c. soil is made partly from weathered rock and partly from
organic materials, and that soils differ in their color, texture,
capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of
many kinds of plants.
d. fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that
lived long ago, and scientists learn about the past history of
Earth by studying fossils.
e. rock, water, plants and soil provide many resources including
food, fuel, and building materials that humans use.
Investigation and Experimentation
4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and
conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this
concept, and to address the content the other three strands, students
should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students
will:
a. make predictions based on patterns of observation rather
than random guessing.
b. measure length, weight, temperature, and liquid volume with
appropriate tools and express measurements in standard and
non-standard units.
Science Standards-GRADE 2 Page 2(Board Adopted March 2001) STUDENTS WHO MEET THIS STANDARD WILL:
*Italics indicate district standards exceed state standards c. compare and sort common objects based on two or more
physical attributes (including color, shape, texture, size, weight).
d. write or draw descriptions of a sequence of steps, events,
and observations.
e. construct bar graphs to record data using
appropriately labeled axes.
f. write or draw descriptions of a sequence of steps, events and observations, and include the use of magnifiers or microscopes to extend senses.
g. follow verbal instructions for a scientific
investigation.
Science Standards--GRADE 2 Page 3(Board Adopted March 2001)

Source: http://www.mhu.k12.ca.us/documents/Curriculum/Science_Standards/Science_Grade_2_2-01p65.pdf