Scope and sequence · Practical
Grade 2 Gardening & Animals
A year of looking closely, digging in and caring well: seasons and harvest, backyard wildlife, living soil, small pets, how plants grow, farm animals and bees, planting, and keeping a garden healthy.
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What to cover
32 of 32 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: Seasons and Harvest
- MUST COVER 1.1 Why We Have Seasons · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 Cool-Season and Warm-Season Crops · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 The Harvest Calendar: When Is It Ripe? · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 Drying and Preserving Food · unit test
Unit 2: Backyard Wildlife
- MUST COVER 2.1 Backyard Birds and Feeders · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Mice and Moles Underground · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 Raccoons, Opossums and Skunks · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 Coyotes and Foxes: Keeping Pets and Hens Safe · unit test
Unit 3: Soil
- MUST COVER 3.1 Sand, Silt and Clay · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Humus: The Dark, Rich Part of Soil · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 A Compost Pile: Browns and Greens · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 A Worm Bin · unit test
Unit 4: Pets
- MUST COVER 4.1 Guinea Pigs · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 Hamsters and Gerbils · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Cats · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 Parakeets · unit test
Unit 5: Seeds and What Plants Need
- MUST COVER 5.1 Plants Make Food from Light · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 Warm and Cold: Temperature and Frost · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Water Travels Up the Stem · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 Plant Food: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium · unit test
Unit 6: Farm Animals and Bees
- MUST COVER 6.1 Goats · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 Dairy and Beef Cows on Grass · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 Horses and Ponies · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 From Flower to Honey · unit test
Unit 7: Planting
- MUST COVER 7.1 Repotting a Houseplant · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 A Windowsill Herb Garden · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 Raised Beds · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 Planting a Fruit Tree or Berry Bush · unit test
Unit 8: Plant Health
- MUST COVER 8.1 Good Bugs and Bad Bugs · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 Slugs, Snails and Caterpillars · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 Fungi That Help and Fungi That Harm · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 Garden Detective: What’s Wrong with My Plant? · unit test
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 32-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 Why We Have Seasons: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.1 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 2 | Session 1: Lesson 1.2 Cool-Season and Warm-Season Crops: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.2 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 3 | Session 1: Lesson 1.3 The Harvest Calendar: When Is It Ripe?: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.3 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 4 | Session 1: Lesson 1.4 Drying and Preserving Food: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.4 hands-on project and nature journal Session 3: Unit 1 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 5 | Session 1: Lesson 2.1 Backyard Birds and Feeders: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.1 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 6 | Session 1: Lesson 2.2 Mice and Moles Underground: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.2 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 7 | Session 1: Lesson 2.3 Raccoons, Opossums and Skunks: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.3 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 8 | Session 1: Lesson 2.4 Coyotes and Foxes: Keeping Pets and Hens Safe: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.4 hands-on project and nature journal Session 3: Unit 2 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 9 | Session 1: Lesson 3.1 Sand, Silt and Clay: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.1 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 10 | Session 1: Lesson 3.2 Humus: The Dark, Rich Part of Soil: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.2 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 11 | Session 1: Lesson 3.3 A Compost Pile: Browns and Greens: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.3 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 12 | Session 1: Lesson 3.4 A Worm Bin: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.4 hands-on project and nature journal Session 3: Unit 3 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 13 | Session 1: Lesson 4.1 Guinea Pigs: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.1 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 14 | Session 1: Lesson 4.2 Hamsters and Gerbils: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.2 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 15 | Session 1: Lesson 4.3 Cats: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.3 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 16 | Session 1: Lesson 4.4 Parakeets: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.4 hands-on project and nature journal Session 3: Unit 4 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 17 | Catch-up and review week (no new lessons) | ||
| Wk 18 | Session 1: Lesson 5.1 Plants Make Food from Light: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.1 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 19 | Session 1: Lesson 5.2 Warm and Cold: Temperature and Frost: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.2 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 20 | Session 1: Lesson 5.3 Water Travels Up the Stem: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.3 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 21 | Session 1: Lesson 5.4 Plant Food: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.4 hands-on project and nature journal Session 3: Unit 5 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 22 | Session 1: Lesson 6.1 Goats: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.1 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 23 | Session 1: Lesson 6.2 Dairy and Beef Cows on Grass: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.2 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 24 | Session 1: Lesson 6.3 Horses and Ponies: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.3 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 25 | Session 1: Lesson 6.4 From Flower to Honey: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.4 hands-on project and nature journal Session 3: Unit 6 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 26 | Session 1: Lesson 7.1 Repotting a Houseplant: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.1 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 27 | Session 1: Lesson 7.2 A Windowsill Herb Garden: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.2 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 28 | Session 1: Lesson 7.3 Raised Beds: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.3 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 29 | Session 1: Lesson 7.4 Planting a Fruit Tree or Berry Bush: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.4 hands-on project and nature journal Session 3: Unit 7 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 30 | Session 1: Lesson 8.1 Good Bugs and Bad Bugs: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.1 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 31 | Session 1: Lesson 8.2 Slugs, Snails and Caterpillars: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.2 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 32 | Session 1: Lesson 8.3 Fungi That Help and Fungi That Harm: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.3 hands-on project and nature journal | ||
| Wk 33 | Session 1: Lesson 8.4 Garden Detective: What’s Wrong with My Plant?: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.4 hands-on project and nature journal Session 3: Unit 8 review and portfolio project | ||
| Wk 34 | Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done | ||
| Wk 35 | Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done | ||
| Wk 36 | Year-end review, portfolio and records |