Unit Plan 28 (Grade 2 Science): Weather & Water Connection

Focus: Explain and model how precipitation (rain, snow) and moving water (runoff, rivers) shape the land, where Earth’s water is found (solid and liquid), and how simple solutions can slow or prevent erosion.

Grade Level: 2

Subject Area: Science (Earth’s Systems • Earth’s Surface • Engineering Applications)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, students connect weather (especially precipitation) to water on Earth and to the way land changes over time. They explore how rain and melting snow move downhill, becoming runoff that can carve small channels, form streams and rivers, and change the shape of the land through erosion.

Students build and test small landform models with different water paths, examine where water is found on Earth and whether it is solid or liquid, and try out simple solutions (like plant strips or walls) to slow erosion. By the end, they create a Weather & Water Connection Model that shows how precipitation, landforms, water, and erosion solutions all fit together.

Essential Questions

• How does precipitation (rain and snow) move across and through the land after it falls?
• How can moving water (runoff, streams, rivers) change the shape of the land?
• Where is water found on Earth, and when is it usually solid or liquid?
• What are some solutions people use to slow or prevent erosion when water flows over land?
• How can a model help us see the connection between weather, water, and landforms?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Describe how precipitation (rain, snow) becomes moving water that flows downhill and can change land by carrying soil and sand away.
2. Build a model area with basic landforms (hills, valleys) and bodies of water (streams, ponds), and show where water will flow after a “storm.”
3. Obtain and organize information about where water is found on Earth (oceans, lakes, rivers, ice, snow, underground, clouds) and whether it is usually solid or liquid.
4. Compare at least two solutions designed to slow or prevent water from changing the shape of the land, using simple tray tests and observations.
5. Create and explain a Weather & Water Connection Model that includes precipitation, landforms, water features, and an erosion solution, and describe how they work together.

Standards Alignment — 2nd Grade (NGSS-Aligned)

• 2-ESS2-1 — Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.
  • Example: Test two different barriers or plantings on a sand hill and observe which slows erosion more.
• 2-ESS2-2 — Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area.
  • Example: Build a tray model with hills, valleys, and a stream or pond, showing where water will collect.
• 2-ESS2-3 — Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid.
  • Example: Sort images of ocean, river, glacier, snowfield, puddle, cloud by location and state (solid or liquid).

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can tell what happens to rain or melted snow after it hits the ground and how it can move soil.
• I can build a model that shows landforms and water features, and show where the water will flow.
• I can name at least three places where water is found on Earth and say if the water there is usually solid or liquid.
• I can compare two erosion solutions and say which one slowed water or erosion better and why.
• I can explain my Weather & Water Connection Model and how precipitation, land, water, and erosion solutions fit together.