Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic

2.1 The student will conduct investigations in which

• observations are repeated to improve accuracy;
• two or more attributes are used to classify items;
• pictures and bar graphs are constructed using numbered axes;
• linear, volume, mass, and temperature measurements are made in metric (centimeters, meters, liters, degrees Celsius, grams, kilograms) and standard English units (inches, feet, yards, pints, quarts, gallons, degrees Fahrenheit, ounces, pounds);
• observation is differentiated from personal interpretation, and conclusions are drawn based on observations;
• simple physical models are constructed;
• conditions that influence a change are defined; and
• unexpected or unusual quantitative data are recognized.

Force, Motion, and Energy

2.2 The student will investigate and understand that natural and artificial magnets have certain characteristics and attract specific types of metals. Key concepts include

• magnetism, iron, magnetic/nonmagnetic, opposites, poles, attract/repel; and
• important applications including the magnetic compass.

Matter

2.3 The student will investigate and understand basic properties of solids, liquids, and gases. Key concepts include

• mass and volume; and
• processes involved with changes in matter from one state to another (condensation, evaporation, melting, freezing, expanding, and contracting).

Life Processes

2.4 The student will investigate and understand that plants and animals go through a series of orderly changes in their life cycles. Key concepts include

• some animals (frogs and butterflies) go through distinct stages during their lives while others generally resemble their parents; and
• flowering plants undergo many changes from the formation of the flower to the development of the fruit.

Living Systems

2.5 The student will investigate and understand that living things are part of a system. Key concepts include

• living organisms are interdependent with their living and nonliving surroundings; and
• habitats change over time due to many influences.

Interrelationships in Earth/Space Systems

2.6 The student will investigate and understand basic types and patterns of weather. Key concepts include

• temperature, wind, condensation, precipitation, drought, flood, and storms; and
• the uses and importance of measuring and recording weather data.

Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change

2.7 The student will investigate and understand that weather and seasonal changes affect plants, animals, and their surroundings. Key concepts include

• effects on growth and behavior of living things (migration, estivation, hibernation, camouflage, adaptation, dormancy); and
• weathering and erosion of the land surface.

Resources

2.8 The student will investigate and understand that plants produce oxygen and food, are a source of useful products, and provide benefits in nature. Key concepts include

• important plant products (fiber, cotton, oil, spices, lumber, rubber, medicines, and paper);
• the availability of plant products affects the development of a geographic area; and
• plants provide homes and food for many animals and prevent soil from washing away.