Scope and sequence · Science
Grade 2 Engineering & Physics
A year of true stories about people who learned to move giant stones, span rivers, raise towers, send messages, float boats and fly, each followed by the physics in plain words and a build the child tests and improves at home.
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What to cover
32 of 36 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: Motion and Machines
- MUST COVER 1.1 Think Like an Engineer: Moving a Giant Statue · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 Gravity: Galileo’s Rolling Balls · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 Wheels and Rollers: Moving the Thunder Stone · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 Archimedes and the Lever · unit test
Unit 2: Bridges
- MUST COVER 2.1 Four Kinds of Bridges · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Why Triangles? Covered Bridges and Trusses · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 Arches and the Pont du Gard · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 The Golden Gate Bridge · unit test
Unit 3: Buildings
- MUST COVER 3.1 The Wise Builder: Foundations and the Leaning Tower · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Domes and Igloos · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Castles: Thick Walls, Round Towers and a Giant Wheel · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 Skyscrapers and Otis’s Safe Elevator · unit test
Unit 4: Electricity
- MUST COVER 4.1 Static Electricity: William Gilbert and the Amber · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 Volta’s Battery and the Closed Circuit · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Switches and Samuel Morse’s Telegraph · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 Joseph Henry’s Electromagnet · unit test
Unit 5: Water, Power and Roads
- MUST COVER 5.1 From the Rain to the Tap: The Croton Aqueduct · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 Wells and Pumps · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Waterwheels and Dams Make Power · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 Roads, Signs and Traffic Lights · unit test
Unit 6: Boats
- MUST COVER 6.1 Archimedes and the King’s Crown · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 Hull Shape and Load: The Ark and the Foil Boat · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 Viking Longships · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 Robert Fulton’s Steamboat · unit test
Unit 7: Flight
- MUST COVER 7.1 The Four Forces of Flight · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 Kites and Alexander Graham Bell · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 The Wright Brothers Fly · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 Helicopters and Spinning Maple Seeds · unit test
Unit 8: Robots and Inventions
- MUST COVER 8.1 Machines Inside Robots: Al-Jazari’s Elephant Clock · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 Programming a Path: Driving a Rover on Mars · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 Robot Sensors: Grey Walter’s Tortoises · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 Drones, the Mars Helicopter and Our Engineering Fair · unit test
Unit 9: Toy Lab: The Physics of Play OPTIONAL unit
- OPTIONAL 9.1 The Slinky: A Spring That Walks
- OPTIONAL 9.2 Lincoln Logs and Tinkertoys
- OPTIONAL 9.3 The Swing and the Seesaw
- OPTIONAL 9.4 The Little Red Wagon
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 36-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Session 1: Lesson 1.1 Think Like an Engineer: Moving a Giant Statue: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.1 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 2 | Session 1: Lesson 1.2 Gravity: Galileo’s Rolling Balls: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.2 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 3 | Session 1: Lesson 1.3 Wheels and Rollers: Moving the Thunder Stone: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.3 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 4 | Session 1: Lesson 1.4 Archimedes and the Lever: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.4 build project and engineer’s notebook Session 3: Unit 1 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 5 | Session 1: Lesson 2.1 Four Kinds of Bridges: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.1 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 6 | Session 1: Lesson 2.2 Why Triangles? Covered Bridges and Trusses: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.2 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 7 | Session 1: Lesson 2.3 Arches and the Pont du Gard: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.3 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 8 | Session 1: Lesson 2.4 The Golden Gate Bridge: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.4 build project and engineer’s notebook Session 3: Unit 2 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 9 | Session 1: Lesson 3.1 The Wise Builder: Foundations and the Leaning Tower: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.1 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 10 | Session 1: Lesson 3.2 Domes and Igloos: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.2 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 11 | Session 1: Lesson 3.3 Castles: Thick Walls, Round Towers and a Giant Wheel: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.3 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 12 | Session 1: Lesson 3.4 Skyscrapers and Otis’s Safe Elevator: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.4 build project and engineer’s notebook Session 3: Unit 3 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 13 | Session 1: Lesson 4.1 Static Electricity: William Gilbert and the Amber: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.1 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 14 | Session 1: Lesson 4.2 Volta’s Battery and the Closed Circuit: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.2 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 15 | Session 1: Lesson 4.3 Switches and Samuel Morse’s Telegraph: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.3 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 16 | Session 1: Lesson 4.4 Joseph Henry’s Electromagnet: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.4 build project and engineer’s notebook Session 3: Unit 4 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 17 | Session 1: Lesson 5.1 From the Rain to the Tap: The Croton Aqueduct: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.1 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 18 | Session 1: Lesson 5.2 Wells and Pumps: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.2 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 19 | Session 1: Lesson 5.3 Waterwheels and Dams Make Power: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.3 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 20 | Session 1: Lesson 5.4 Roads, Signs and Traffic Lights: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.4 build project and engineer’s notebook Session 3: Unit 5 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 21 | Session 1: Lesson 6.1 Archimedes and the King’s Crown: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.1 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 22 | Session 1: Lesson 6.2 Hull Shape and Load: The Ark and the Foil Boat: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.2 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 23 | Session 1: Lesson 6.3 Viking Longships: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.3 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 24 | Session 1: Lesson 6.4 Robert Fulton’s Steamboat: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.4 build project and engineer’s notebook Session 3: Unit 6 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 25 | Session 1: Lesson 7.1 The Four Forces of Flight: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.1 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 26 | Session 1: Lesson 7.2 Kites and Alexander Graham Bell: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.2 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 27 | Session 1: Lesson 7.3 The Wright Brothers Fly: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.3 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 28 | Session 1: Lesson 7.4 Helicopters and Spinning Maple Seeds: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.4 build project and engineer’s notebook Session 3: Unit 7 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 29 | Session 1: Lesson 8.1 Machines Inside Robots: Al-Jazari’s Elephant Clock: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.1 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 30 | Session 1: Lesson 8.2 Programming a Path: Driving a Rover on Mars: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.2 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 31 | Session 1: Lesson 8.3 Robot Sensors: Grey Walter’s Tortoises: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.3 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 32 | Session 1: Lesson 8.4 Drones, the Mars Helicopter and Our Engineering Fair: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.4 build project and engineer’s notebook Session 3: Unit 8 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 33 | Session 1: Lesson 9.1 The Slinky: A Spring That Walks: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.1 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 34 | Session 1: Lesson 9.2 Lincoln Logs and Tinkertoys: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.2 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 35 | Session 1: Lesson 9.3 The Swing and the Seesaw: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.3 build project and engineer’s notebook | ||
| Wk 36 | Session 1: Lesson 9.4 The Little Red Wagon: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.4 build project and engineer’s notebook Session 3: Unit 9 review and portfolio project |