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p>Grade 2. In 10 lessons, students explore the properties of materials and how solids and liquids can change by heating, cooling, putting together, and taking apart. Module includes a teacher guide, 16 Smithsonian Science Stories student readers, and enough materials for 32 students to use 1 time.

Grade 2. Module Highlights: In 10 lessons, students explore the properties of materials and how solids and liquids can change by heating, cooling, putting together, and taking apart. Students first sort and categorize objects by properties to build multiple sculptures out of the same set of pieces. They next explore melting and freezing and the properties of solids and liquids to explain how a crayon changed when melted. Students then develop a solution to fix the melted crayons. In the end-of-module science challenge, students apply what they have learned to construct an argument with evidence about the best filling for a cold pack.

This module includes a teacher guide, 16 Smithsonian Science Stories student readers, and enough materials for 32 students to use 1 time.

Student Readers Available HERE

Alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards*
Performance Expectations

• 2-PS1-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
• 2-PS1-2: Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.
• 2-PS1-3: Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object.
• 2-PS1-4: Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and some cannot.
• K-2-ETS1-1: Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.

Disciplinary Core Ideas
PS1.A: Structure and properties of matter

• Different kinds of matter exist and many of them can be either solid or liquid, depending on temperature. Matter can be described and classified by its observable properties.
• Different properties are suited to different purposes.
• A great variety of objects can be built up from a small set of pieces.

PS1.B: Chemical reactions

• Heating or cooling a substance may cause changes that can be observed. Sometimes these changes are reversible, and sometimes they are not.

ETS1.A: Defining and delimiting engineering problems**

• A situation that people want to change or create can be approached as a problem to be solved through engineering.
• Asking questions, making observations, and gathering information are helpful in thinking about problems.
• Before beginning to design a solution, it is important to clearly understand the problem.

**Indicates a DCI that is addressed in the module but not summatively assessed.

Science and Engineering Practices
Focal:

• Planning and carrying out investigations
• Analyzing and interpreting data
• Engaging in argument from evidence

Crosscutting Concepts
Focal:

• Scale, proportion, and quantity
• Patterns
• Energy and matter
• Cause and effect

Phenomena and Problems Storyline
Lesson Summaries
Lesson 1: Piece by Piece
Materials have observable properties that allow them to be described, categorized, and sorted to make it easier to identify the best materials for a specific purpose. A variety of objects can be built up from a set of pieces of materials.
Students explain how they think the artist might have created the sculpture and then build their own sculptures to gather evidence for their ideas.
Lesson 2: Properties of Pieces
Students identify patterns in the properties of the individual pieces that make up the artist's sculpture, then look for patterns in their sculpture materials from Lesson 1. Students build a different sculpture from the same pieces and then use their experiences to revise their ideas about how the artist created the sculpture.
Lesson 3: What Happens to Wax?
The crayon was heated enough to melt and become a liquid, then it cooled down to form a solid in the shape of its container.
Students use their prior experiences to construct an initial explanation of what happened to the crayons, then gather evidence from melted candles to refine their explanations.
Lesson 4: A Solid Explanation
Students identify patterns in the properties of solids and liquids to explain why the crayons took a new shape after melting.
Lesson 5: Can We Make a Crayon?
Students define properties for their new crayons and design molds to achieve them, then they melt the crayons and pour the liquid wax into the molds to create new crayons. Students design initial solutions for creating new crayons and then gather evidence to determine whether the changes to the melted crayon wax are reversible.
Lesson 6: Making a Mold
Students use evidence from a reading to make a claim about how they can use a mold to change the shape of the crayon wax.
Lesson 7: Testing the Templates
Students test and design templates for a mold that will create a crayon with their desired properties.
Lesson 8: Creating Our Crayons
Students create and test new crayons from the melted wax.
Science Challenge
Lesson 9: Boo-Boo Pack, Part 1
Students compare properties of the materials and select which to freeze and test. They test the frozen materials to determine which one makes the best boo-boo pack.
Students use what they have learned about observable properties, solids, and liquids to make predictions about which two materials to freeze.
Lesson 10: Boo-Boo Pack, Part 2
Students compare the frozen materials and create an argument about which one is the best filling for their boo-boo packs.

*Next Generation Science Standards® is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.