science education resource

Grade 2 - 2-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

To view these resources with no ads, please Login or Subscribe to help support our content development.

School subscriptions can access more than 175 downloadable unit bundles in our store for free (a value of $1,500).

District subscriptions provide huge group discounts for their schools. Email for a quote: sheri@exploringnature.org.

Grade 2 - 2-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Use Teacher Login to show answer keys or other teacher-only items.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans
 • There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water. (2-LS4-1)

Performance Expectations
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific animal and plant names in specific habitats.]
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Use the Template and Resource Links to Fulfill NGSS

l. Goals:

  1. Understand that there are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.

Essential Questions:

  1. Where do different kinds of living things live on land and in the water?

     NGSS Note: Think, question, entertain ideas.

 

ll. Introductory Activities to Assess Prior Knowledge

A. Simple Activities - that assess students’ understanding of where living things live.

Animal Habitat Matching (Color)

Animal Habitat Matching (Black and White)

Animal Home Matching (Color)

Animal Homes Matching (Black and White)

Animal Native Home Matching

Biodiversity - Matching

Desert Habitat Matching

Which Animals Live in Which Habitat? - Labeling Sheets

Animal Homes - Multiple Choice Test

 

lll. New Knowledge - Text

a. Learning About Where Animals Live: Choose a grouping of animals (from one habitat, country, phylum, class, etc.) in the Animal Database and have students read where in the world each lives (their range) and in what type of habitat.

b. Familiarize students with what animals need to survive and how specific habitats suit their survival needs:

Animals in their Habitat - Model Making (2nd-4th Grade)

Biodiversity and Humans - Read Aloud

Biodiversity and Humans - Vocabulary Cut and Paste

Biodiversity in Different Habitats - Mini-Poster

lV. Experiments, Activities, Model-making (Critical Thinking)

1. Inquiry related to the diversity and habitats of living things. Learning Which Biomes are Home to Which Living Things: Choose a biome in the Biomes Database and have students about the animals and plants found in a particular biome or habitat.

Biodiversity - An Investigation

Biodiversity Investigation Practice - Coral Reef

Biodiversity Investigation Practice - Deciduous Forest

Comparing the Biodiversity of Different Habitats

2. Creating Models: Have students color Habitat Coloring Pages to learn about which animals live in each type of habitat.

 

3. Studying Models: Below are some Biodiversity Models of living things in their habitats for students to use as models in their work.

American desert biodiversity model
African Grassland biodiversity model
Coral reef biodiversity model
Northern Boreal Forest biodiversity model

To view these resources with no ads, please Login or Subscribe to help support our content development.

School subscriptions can access more than 175 downloadable unit bundles in our store for free (a value of $1,500).

District subscriptions provide huge group discounts for their schools. Email for a quote: sheri@exploringnature.org.

Arctic Tundra biodiversity model

V. Summarize Knowledge - Enduring Understandings

  1. There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.

Comparing Traits in Animal Groups (Classes) - Graphic Organizer

 

Vl. New Generation of Science Standards (NGSS) - Grade 2

Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans
 • There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water. (2-LS4-1)
etches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s solutions to other people. (secondary to 2-LS2-2)


Science and Engineering Practices (NGSS)

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
Planning and carrying out investigations to answer questions or test solutions to problems in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to simple investigations, based on fair tests, which provide data to support explanations or design solutions.
• Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons. (2-LS4-1)

Connections to Nature of Science

Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence
• Scientists look for patterns and order when making observations about the world. (2-LS4-1)

Performance Expectations

Students who demonstrate understanding can:
2-LS2-1.
Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific animal and plant names in specific habitats.]

Common Core State Standards Connections

ELA/Literacy
W.2.7     Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
(2-LS4-1)
W.2.8   
  Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. (2-LS4-1)

Mathematics
MP.2    Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (2-LS4-1)
MP.4  
 Model with mathematics. (2-LS4-1),(2-LS4-2)
2.MD.D.10 
Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems using information presented in a bar graph. (2-LS4-2)

 

Grade 2 - 2-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Citing Research References

When you research information you must cite the reference. Citing for websites is different from citing from books, magazines and periodicals. The style of citing shown here is from the MLA Style Citations (Modern Language Association).

When citing a WEBSITE the general format is as follows.
Author Last Name, First Name(s). "Title: Subtitle of Part of Web Page, if appropriate." Title: Subtitle: Section of Page if appropriate. Sponsoring/Publishing Agency, If Given. Additional significant descriptive information. Date of Electronic Publication or other Date, such as Last Updated. Day Month Year of access < URL >.

Here is an example of citing this page:

Amsel, Sheri. "Grade 2 - 2-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity" Exploring Nature Educational Resource ©2005-2024. December 22, 2024
< http://exploringnature.org/db/view/1936 >

Exploringnature.org has more than 2,000 illustrated animals. Read about them, color them, label them, learn to draw them.