Unit Plan 32 (Grade 2 Science): Plants, Land & Water Connections

Focus: Connect plant growth, seed/pollination systems, and habitats to land, water, and environmental change in local areas.

Grade Level: 2

Subject Area: Science (Life Science • Earth Systems Connections • Engineering Readiness)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, students connect what they know about plant needs, seed dispersal/pollination, and biodiversity to the land and water around them. They revisit how plants need sunlight and water, then explore where plants actually grow in and around the school (grass, cracks in sidewalks, near drains, in planters, by puddles). Students use simple models to show how animals move seeds or pollen, helping plants appear in new spots with different land and water conditions.

Finally, they think about how environmental changes (puddles drying, new pavement, erosion, flooding, mowing) affect plants and animals that live there. The unit ends with a Plants, Land & Water Connections map/poster where students show how habitats, water, and change all fit together.

Essential Questions

• What do plants need to grow, and how does land (soil, rocks, grass) and water (puddles, ponds, wet spots) help or hurt them?
• How do animals help move seeds and pollinate plants, and how does that change where plants grow?
• How can we use observations of plants and animals to compare different habitats around our school or neighborhood?
• How do changes to land and water (like flooding, drying, or building something new) affect where plants and animals can live?
• How can maps, models, and data help us explain connections between plants, land, and water?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Plan and conduct an investigation to see how sunlight and water affect plant growth over time (2-LS2-1).
2. Develop simple models that show how an animal might move seeds or pollen from one place to another (2-LS2-2).
3. Make observations of plants and animals in at least two different local habitats, recording what they see and comparing diversity (2-LS4-1).
4. Use their observations to explain how different land and water conditions (wet/dry, sunny/shady, soil/rock) affect which plants and animals can live there.
5. Create a Plants, Land & Water Connections map or poster that shows where plants grow, how seeds/pollen move, and how environmental changes might help or harm living things.

Standards Alignment — 2nd Grade (NGSS-Aligned)

• 2-LS2-1 — Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.
  • Example: Grow plants in different conditions (with/without water, with/without light) and compare growth.
• 2-LS2-2 — Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.
  • Example: Use Velcro or paper “fur” and seeds to model burrs sticking to animal fur.
• 2-LS4-1 — Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
  • Example: Compare the kinds of plants and insects in a grassy area vs. a paved area with cracks.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can plan and carry out a simple plant-growing test that changes water or light and record what happens.
• I can build or act out a model that shows how an animal moves seeds or pollen.
• I can observe and record the plants and animals I see in two different places and tell how they are similar and different.
• I can explain how land and water (wet/dry, soil/rock, sunny/shady) affect where plants and animals live.
• I can make a map or poster that shows where plants grow, how they get there, and how changes to the land or water can help or hurt them.