Unit Plan 26 (Grade 2 Science): Engineering Landform Solutions

Focus: Design, build, and test simple barriers, plantings, and structures that help slow erosion or protect landforms, then compare how well different designs work.

Grade Level: 2

Subject Area: Science (Engineering Design • Earth Science Applications)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 30–45 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students step into the role of engineers who create solutions to protect land from erosion. Building on their understanding of how wind and water change the land, they now sketch, build, and test different barriers, plantings, or structures that help keep soil in place or redirect water.

Using tray models, students design at least two objects (such as rock walls, plant strips, or fences) that solve the same problem and then analyze data to compare their strengths and weaknesses. By the end of the week, they can explain how the shape of a design helps it work, and use test results as evidence when deciding which design is better.

Essential Questions

• How can engineers use the shape of a barrier, planting, or structure to help protect landforms from erosion?
• What makes one erosion-control design stronger or more useful than another?
• How can we test two objects fairly to compare how well they solve the same problem?
• How do data from tests help us decide which design has strengths and which has weaknesses?
• Why is it important to improve our designs based on what we learn from testing?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Use a simple sketch or drawing to show how the shape of a barrier, planting, or structure helps it slow erosion or redirect water.
2. Build a physical model of at least two different designs that try to solve the same erosion problem (e.g., soil washing off a hill).
3. Plan and conduct tests of their designs in a tray model, keeping important parts of the test the same (amount of water, slope, starting setup).
4. Collect and record data (observations, tallies, simple ratings) about how well each design protects the land.
5. Compare data from the tests to describe the strengths and weaknesses of each design and talk about how they might improve one of them.

Standards Alignment — 2nd Grade (NGSS-Aligned)

• K-2-ETS1-2 — Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
  • Example: Draw and build a curved wall, plant strip, or fence on a hill to show how its shape helps hold soil or turn water aside.
• K-2-ETS1-3 — Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
  • Example: Test two different barrier designs and use observations to decide which one slows erosion best and where each one fails.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can draw and label a design that shows how its shape helps protect land from erosion.
• I can build and test at least two designs that try to solve the same erosion problem.
• I can record what happens in my tests (how much soil moved, where the water went).
• I can use our data to tell how each design has strengths and weaknesses.
• I can explain which design I would choose to protect landforms and give a reason using my test results.