Look Closer · Grade 2 science · 36 weeks
Answers, the point of each week, and the specific wrong turn each one produces. Written for a teacher who is not a science specialist and does not need to become one.
Every table of results in the book is practice data, invented so the whole class can answer the same questions, and the page says so every time. When your class does the real investigation its numbers will differ. Ask which numbers are more trustworthy, theirs or the book’s. The answer is theirs, because they watched it happen.
Read page 1 aloud, together. Second graders can do real investigations if the steps are short. Do the investigation as a class, talk the page 2 questions through before anyone writes, and accept a drawing as an answer. There is no running notebook in Grade 2; it begins in Grade 3.
verify.py, which ships beside this file and runs on every build, checks
all 143 answers below: every number is recomputed from the practice data as
printed in the workbook, and every worded answer is checked against its expected
wording. It also checks that every table a page calls a fair test changes exactly one
thing.
Maps show land and water from above, with a key. Land has shapes: hills, mountains, valleys and plains. Water is a liquid or a solid, it melts and freezes, and it flows downhill to collect in low places.
A map shows a place from above, and land and water can be counted on it.
| Land squares | 8 |
| Water squares | 22 |
| More water than land | 14 |
Students who count only the water squares touching the land. Every white square is water.
Any map with exactly 10 shaded squares. Check that land plus water equals all the squares.
A map uses small pictures, and the map key says what they mean.
| The most | trees |
| Ponds and hills together | 5 |
| Trees against hills | 6 |
Bars drawn to the wrong line. Each line is 2, so 3 is halfway between 2 and 4.
Four pictures, each used on the map, and a key that names them.
Land has shapes: hills, mountains, valleys and plains.
| Tallest | B |
| B against C | 12 cm |
| Shortest to tallest | C, A, D, B |
Students who order the letters instead of the heights.
Measured from the top of a hill down to the bottom of the valley.
Water can be a liquid, which flows, or a solid, ice and snow.
| Row a | liquid |
| Row b | solid |
| Row c | liquid |
| Row d | solid |
| Row e | liquid |
| Row f | liquid |
| Places with solid water | 2 |
| More liquid than solid | 2 |
Students who think a glacier is a rock because it is hard. It is frozen water.
A pond frozen in winter: cold weather makes it solid.
Ice melts into liquid water when it warms, and the water is still there.
| Melted fastest | in the sun |
| Shade against sun | 25 minutes |
| Still water | yes |
Students who say the ice disappeared. It is in the cup as water.
Keep it cold: a cooler, a freezer, or wrap it up. Test against an unwrapped ice cube.
Water freezes into ice when it gets cold enough, and melting and freezing go back and forth.
| Solid after | 4 hours |
| First slushy | at 2 hours |
| Frozen all year | on high mountains and near the North and South Poles |
Students who call slushy water solid. It has started to freeze, not finished.
A big bowl takes longer to freeze. Accept any guess that is then tested.
Water flows downhill and collects in low places.
| Most water | the valley |
| Spoonfuls in all | 5 |
| Why low places | water flows downhill |
Students who think the top of the hill keeps water because rain falls there first.
A new low spot: a dug-out hollow on the plain collects the water.
A model can predict where water will go: to the lowest place it can reach.
| Lowest | C |
| A against C | 12 cm |
| Where a lake forms | at C, the lowest place |
Students who pick the highest place for the lake because it has the most rain.
The school on high ground, away from the river.
Part 1 in one page: landforms, kinds of water, and water flowing downhill.
| Row a | mountain |
| Row b | plain |
| Row c | valley |
| Row d | ocean |
| Row e | river |
| Row f | lake |
| Land | 3 |
| Water | 3 |
Students who mix up a lake and an ocean. An ocean is salty and huge.
One picture with all six, each labeled.
Materials have properties: hard or soft, bendy or stiff, absorbent or waterproof. The best material depends on the job. Small pieces build big things. Heating changes materials, and some changes can be undone.
Materials have properties you can notice, like hard or soft and smooth or rough.
| Hard objects | 4 |
| Hard and smooth | 2 |
| Soft and rough | a sponge |
Students who count every hard object for the second question. It must be hard AND smooth.
For example, a silk scarf for soft and smooth, a brick for hard and rough.
Bending is a property. People choose bendy or stiff materials for the job.
| Bent | 3 |
| Did not bend | a pencil and a craft stick |
| Something that should not bend | a table leg, a ladder or a door: they must hold their shape |
Students who bend the pencil hard to prove it bends. Bend everything gently.
Something that bends but does not tear, like a thin piece of plastic or cloth.
Some materials absorb water and some do not. The best one depends on the job.
| Soaked up the most | paper towel |
| Paper towel against newspaper | 18 |
| For a spill | paper towel |
Students who think wax paper is broken because it soaked up nothing. Not absorbing is a property too.
Wrapping a sandwich, or lining a pan: keeping water out.
A waterproof material does not let water through. A fair test uses the same cup and the same water for each.
| Kept the cup dry | plastic bag and foil |
| Let the most through | paper |
| For an umbrella | plastic bag: it keeps water out and folds without tearing |
Students who choose foil without thinking about how it would crinkle and tear as an umbrella.
Plastic folds without tearing; foil tears. Tearing is the second property.
Big things can be built from small pieces, and the same pieces can build something new.
| Used the most | a tower |
| Left when building the bridge | 8 |
| House against bridge | 4 |
Students who subtract the house from the box for the bridge question.
Two different 12-block builds, both drawn.
Taking something apart does not make pieces disappear.
| Second tower | 9 |
| Both together | 24 |
| Disappeared | no |
Students who think the two short towers must have fewer blocks because they look smaller.
Any three different heights that add to 30, like 15, 10 and 5.
Some changes from heating can be undone by cooling, and some cannot.
| Row a | yes |
| Row b | yes |
| Row c | no |
| Row d | no |
| Row e | yes |
| Can be undone | 3 |
| Cannot be undone | c and d |
| The cooled butter | it got hard again |
Nothing is heated by a child: warm tap water only. And nothing is tasted, butter included.
A different shape, but still chocolate. The material did not change.
Cooling can undo some changes from heating, like melting, but not others, like cooking.
| Row a | no |
| Row b | no |
| Row c | yes |
| Row d | yes |
| Cooling could undo | 2 |
| Made something bigger | popcorn |
An adult does all the heating this week. Students only watch and cool. The melted ice water refreezes only in a freezer, not in the room.
Two groups, each change in the right one.
Part 2 in one page: every object is made of a material, chosen for its properties.
| Row a | metal |
| Row b | glass |
| Row c | wood |
| Row d | cloth |
| Row e | metal |
| Row f | wood |
| Made of metal | 2 |
| Made of wood | a wooden chair and a pencil |
Students who say a pencil is made of lead. The outside is wood.
Any object redrawn in a new material, with a reason it would or would not work.
Some changes are fast and some are very slow. Wind and water move sand and soil, and ice can crack rock. The year's engineering problem: understand it, draw ideas, and test models to find the best fix.
Some changes to the land are fast and some are very slow. Wearing away is erosion.
| Row a | fast |
| Row b | slow |
| Row c | fast |
| Row d | slow |
| Row e | fast |
| Row f | slow |
| Fast changes | 3 |
| The slow change that makes a canyon | b |
Students who think a canyon formed in one big flood. Most took a very long time.
One fast and one slow change, each shown before and after.
Wind can move sand, a little more with every gust.
| After 4 blows | 12 cm |
| Each blow | 3 cm |
| After 5 blows | 15 cm |
Sand in eyes and mouths. Second graders do suck in through straws: say "blow out only" before every turn. Use washed play sand, faces back, safety glasses if you have them, and one straw each.
A small wall or a damp layer of sand. Accept any idea that was tried.
Running water carries sand downhill. Covering the ground helps hold it.
| Lost the most | bare sand |
| Pebbles against bare | 5 |
| What holds sand | pebbles and leaves |
Students who pour the water faster on one hill. The same water, poured the same way, makes it fair.
Plants, which hold sand with roots, or larger rocks.
An engineer starts by understanding the problem: asking questions and measuring.
| The most sand | Wednesday |
| Cups in all | 17 |
| What the windy days show | wind blows the sand out |
Students who jump to building a fix. This week is only about the problem.
Three real questions, like which side the sand blows out of.
Engineers draw ideas before building, and compare them.
| Takes the longest | a hedge of bushes |
| Hedge against lid | 58 |
Students who think the fastest idea must be the best one.
A labeled drawing with a reason it would stop the sand.
Models of each fix are tested the same way to find out which works best.
| Kept the most sand in | a wall of blocks |
| Wall against no fix | 9 |
| Why choose the fence | it may cost less, be easier to build, or let people in |
Students who blow harder on one tray. Same blowing for every tray.
One change to the fence, tested, with what happened.
Rubbing wears things away a little at a time. Rock wears much more slowly than chalk.
| After 60 rubs | 7 cm |
| Shorter every 20 rubs | 1 cm |
Students who rub harder for some rounds. Keep the rubs the same.
Two more centimeters takes 40 more rubs: 100 rubs in all.
A steep slope can slide all at once: a fast change.
| First slid | 3 books |
| 4 books against 3 | 5 |
| Fast or slow | fast |
Students who think the land slides a little at a time. Nothing moved, then a lot moved at once.
Very wet sand slides sooner. Damp sand sticks together, but soaked ground gets heavy and slippery, which is why hillsides slide after heavy rain. Results in a tray vary: accept any answer that was tested.
Part 3 in one page: wind, water and ice change the land.
| Row a | wind |
| Row b | water |
| Row c | ice |
| Row d | wind |
| Row e | water |
| Caused by wind | 2 |
| Caused by ice | c |
Students who say the rock cracked because it was hit. The water inside it froze and pushed.
Sand and soil moved from the top to the bottom of the hill.
Plants need light and water, found out with fair tests. Animals carry seeds and pollen. Different places have different numbers of kinds of living things. Week 36 is the year.
Plants need light. A plant in the dark may grow taller but is pale and weak.
| Taller | in a dark closet |
| More green leaves | by a sunny window |
| Healthier | the one by the window: its leaves are green |
Students who say the taller plant is healthier. The dark plant stretched toward light; its pale leaves show it could not make food.
The leaves turn green again in the light.
Plants need water. Without it they droop and stop growing.
| Watered plant grew | 6 cm |
| Dry plant tallest | day 3 |
| Why the dry plant was lower | it had no water and its stem drooped |
Students who think plants shrink. The dry plant drooped, so it stood lower.
Several plants, each given a different amount of water, everything else the same.
A fair test changes only one thing.
| Row a | 1 |
| Row b | 2 |
| Row c | 1 |
| Row d | 2 |
| Fair tests | 2 |
| Change two things | b and d |
Row d: the size of the plant is a second change, as well as the light.
Same plant, same water, same light; one in sand and one in soil.
Some seeds catch a ride on animals, which helps plants spread.
| Most seeds | a wool sock |
| Wool against cotton | 8 |
| How hooks help | they stick to fur and catch a ride |
Students walk only where an adult says it is safe. An adult checks the path first for poison oak and foxtails, and everyone checks for ticks afterward.
A seed with hooks or sticky parts, drawn and labeled.
Animals like bees carry pollen from flower to flower, which helps plants make seeds.
| Carried to the most flowers | a fuzzy pipe cleaner |
| Pipe cleaner against eraser | 7 |
| Why fuzzy works | pollen sticks to it |
Watch real bees from far away only, and check with the school nurse for sting allergies before weeks 32 to 34. Keep chalk dust away from faces.
One change, like more fuzz, tested on the same flowers.
Even a small patch of ground is a habitat with many kinds of living things.
| Kinds of living things | 6 |
| Kinds that were plants | 3 |
Students who count each ant. Count kinds, not individuals.
Any prediction, then a count.
Different places have different numbers of kinds of living things.
| More kinds | garden bed |
| How many more | 4 |
Students who count the words in the list instead of the kinds: "tomato plants" is one kind.
Both places: grass, clover and ants. Only the garden: roses, tomato plants, bees and a worm.
A bar graph compares places at a glance. Water, plants and shelter usually mean more kinds.
| Most kinds | pond |
| Pond against lawn | 9 |
Bars drawn past the top. The scale stops at 12, and so does the pond.
Plant flowers or native plants in the dirt strip for food and shelter.
The year in one page: land and water, materials, changes, and living things.
| Row a | 1 |
| Row b | 2 |
| Row c | 3 |
| Row d | 4 |
| Row e | 1 |
| Row f | 3 |
| Part 1 | 2 |
| Part 3 | c and f |
Students who put the fence in Part 2 because it is made of a material. It was the engineering problem in Part 3.
One picture with something from each part.
Almost nothing needs buying. Most investigations use things a classroom already has: cups, water, paper, a ruler, a timer, crayons. A few are worth gathering before the year starts: trays and sand (weeks 3, 7, 20, 21, 24 and 26), ice cubes and a freezer (weeks 5, 6 and 17), squares of paper towel, cloth, wax paper, newspaper, plastic bag and foil, and a dropper (weeks 12 and 13), snap-together blocks (weeks 14 and 15), a little butter in a zipper bag (week 16), bread, a toaster, popcorn kernels and a microwave for an adult’s demonstration (week 17), washed play sand and straws, one for each student (weeks 20 and 24), sidewalk chalk (week 25), bean plants in cups (weeks 28 and 29), old fuzzy socks (week 31), paper flowers, chalk dust and pipe cleaners (week 32), and string loops and magnifying glasses (weeks 33 and 34). The Try it box on page 1 lists each week’s materials so you can gather them in one look.
The safety notes that carry the year. Nothing is heated by a child: week 16 uses warm tap water only, never hot, and week 17’s heating is done by an adult. Nothing is ever tasted, butter and popcorn included. Weeks 5 and 28 use a sunny spot: never look straight at the sun. Weeks 20 and 24 use straws and dry sand: only blow out, never suck in (say it before every turn), faces back, safety glasses if you have them, and nobody shares a straw. Week 10’s marbles stay out of mouths, and week 11’s rubber bands point away from faces. Week 25’s chalk is rubbed gently, fingers off the sidewalk, dust away from faces. Outdoors (weeks 25, 31, 33 and 34), students go only where an adult says it is safe and stay on the path, never touch plants with three leaves, never lift a rock or log, never touch an animal, and wash their hands after; an adult checks the path for poison oak and foxtails, and everyone checks for ticks after week 31. Check with the school nurse for sting allergies before weeks 32 to 34. Week 32’s chalk dust stays away from faces.
There is no flame, no heating by a child, and no chemical beyond what is in a kitchen anywhere in the book.