Second Grade
Second graders are studying matter and its interactions. Specifically, we are describing and classifying different kinds of materials by observable properties of color, flexibility, hardness, texture, and absorbency. Your student should have brought home a very interesting-looking hat! That hat was an engineering-design solution to solve the problem: If you were stuck on a deserted island, and all you had was a paper towel, some aluminum foil, a paper plate and a brown paper bag, how would you design a hat based on the properties of your materials? The kids did a great job. They were able to describe the aluminum foil as reflective and waterproof, the paper towel as absorbent, the paper plate as stiff and the brown paper bag as flexible. Students were able to arrive at these conclusions after conducting a series of tests on each of the materials.
Next, students tested the insulating properties of materials and explored the terms "insulating" and "conducting". They were asked to pick up cold water bottles and water bottles containing water that was quite warm. On their hands were styrofoam cups, socks and pieces of tinfoil shaped into oven mitts. They were able to come to the conclusion that styrofoam was the most insulating, socks were mediocre and tinfoil was a horrible insulator. Ask your student if it's possible to cook an egg on the sidewalk on a hot day! And, if it is, how would they pick it up. I'm sure they'll be able to provide you with clever answers. We'll continue our study of properties by changing materials through the use of heating and cooling to highlight reversible and irreversible change.
Second graders are studying matter and its interactions. Specifically, we are describing and classifying different kinds of materials by observable properties of color, flexibility, hardness, texture, and absorbency. Your student should have brought home a very interesting-looking hat! That hat was an engineering-design solution to solve the problem: If you were stuck on a deserted island, and all you had was a paper towel, some aluminum foil, a paper plate and a brown paper bag, how would you design a hat based on the properties of your materials? The kids did a great job. They were able to describe the aluminum foil as reflective and waterproof, the paper towel as absorbent, the paper plate as stiff and the brown paper bag as flexible. Students were able to arrive at these conclusions after conducting a series of tests on each of the materials.
Next, students tested the insulating properties of materials and explored the terms "insulating" and "conducting". They were asked to pick up cold water bottles and water bottles containing water that was quite warm. On their hands were styrofoam cups, socks and pieces of tinfoil shaped into oven mitts. They were able to come to the conclusion that styrofoam was the most insulating, socks were mediocre and tinfoil was a horrible insulator. Ask your student if it's possible to cook an egg on the sidewalk on a hot day! And, if it is, how would they pick it up. I'm sure they'll be able to provide you with clever answers. We'll continue our study of properties by changing materials through the use of heating and cooling to highlight reversible and irreversible change.