LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Science — Grade 2

Goal 2: The learner will conduct investigations and use appropriate tools to build an understanding of the changes in weather.

Objective 2.03. Describe weather using quantitative measures of:

  • Temperature.
  • Wind direction.
  • Wind speed.
  • Precipitation.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

Weathering the water cycle: Precipitation
Students will learn that precipitation is one of the three stages of the water cycle and how it relates to the other stages. The other lessons in this series include lessons on evaporation and condensation as well as a conclusion.
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 and 5 Mathematics and Science)
By Cathie Hill, Jackie Parker, and Karen Neilson.
Weather watchers
This is a week long activity during which the students record the weather, track weather changes, and make predictions about future weather patterns.
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Computer/Technology Skills, Information Skills, and Science)
By Virginia Shaddix.
Project Groundhog
The students will determine the groundhog prediction of either six more weeks of winter or an early spring and see if the prediction was accurate by recording daily weather data for six weeks. Over that six week period the students will be comparing their weekly data with schools around the USA and Canada using the Project Groundhog website.
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Mathematics and Science)
By Jane Diamond.

Resources on the web

What is a tornado?
Students will learn about how tornadoes are formed and why most tornadoes occur in “tornado alley.” Students will create a tornado in a bottle and review basic safety information about what to do in a tornado. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K and 2 Science and Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
The warmth of the sun
Students recognize the sun's critical function in heating and warming the air, land, and water that sustain our lives. They will perform indoor and outdoor activities that help them begin to identify the sun as the natural, universal source of heat in the... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Science)
Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Rain, ice, steam: Using reading to support inquiry about the water cycle
This unit of study allows students to discover the repetitive cycle of water. Read-alouds introduce the topic of rain and hands-on experiments and classroom centers teach students about the water cycle and how it functions. After introducing the topic of... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts and Science)
Provided by: ReadWriteThink
Prepare yourself!
Introduces students to location and frequency of natural disasters in the United States. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K and 2 Science)
Provided by: National Geographic
How's the weather today?
Students examine maps, record temperatures, and draw pictures showing different weather conditions as an introduction to weather and temperature trends in different latitudes of the United States. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K and 2 Science and Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
El Niño: More Than Just Hot Air?
Students are introduced to the El Niño phenomenon by doing a brief experiment and looking at pictures of El Niño. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Science and Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
The active earth
Students investigate natural disasters and create a poster showing “The Active Earth.” (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Science and Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic