What students investigate

Students learn that a material choice starts with its purpose, that a fair test changes only one thing, and that a test result tells what happened. They then look at results for materials that soak up spills, keep water out, bend without breaking, hold weight and grip a table.

Later cards combine two properties for one job and show how new evidence can change a choice. Many cards are tap-the-picture cards, where students choose the tested material itself instead of reading its name.

Who it is for

Choosing Materials is written for Grade 2 and follows Materials Detectives, which teaches the property words it uses. It pairs well with a classroom test of paper towels, fabrics or building materials.

The evidence questions follow one clear frame: an idea, a fair test, the result, and whether the idea matched.

What students learn

10 learning ideas, one at a time. Each one is a silent animated Learn card, then Review and Mastery questions.

1. A material choice starts with its purpose.
2. A fair test changes one useful thing.
3. Test results tell what happened.
4. Absorbent samples can help wipe spills.
5. A cover must stop leaks in its test.
6. Flexible samples bend without breaking.
7. Support tests show if a span stays level.
8. Grip tests show if a base stays put.
9. Some jobs need two tested properties.
10. New evidence can change a material choice.

Science words in this pack

Each word is taught on its Learn card, then used again in Review and Mastery.

• purpose
• fair test
• result
• absorb
• leak
• flexible
• support
• grip
• evidence

Inside the pack

How it works in class

• Learn. 10 silent whiteboard animations, one idea per card. No audio, so it works on a classroom screen or a quiet device.
• Review. 30 practice questions with feedback. Ideas a student misses come back.
• Mastery. 30 questions to show what each student knows on their own.
• Certificate. A student who finishes can print a certificate or save it as a PDF. It shows first-try Review and Mastery results and the ideas that needed a retry.

Standards connections

These cards support parts of the following NGSS performance expectations. They do not replace hands-on investigations.

• 2-PS1-2 — core ideas

More in Science in Motion — Grade 2

• Materials Detectives: Observe, Test & Sort Look closely. Test properties. Sort what you find.
• Build With Pieces See how a set of small pieces can be built into many new objects.
• Heating & Cooling Find out which changes from heating or cooling can be undone.
• Compare Habitats Compare the plants and animals that live in different places.
• Shaping the Land Explore hills, valleys and rivers, and how wind and water change land.
• What Plants Need Test what plants need to grow: light and water.
• Pollinators & Seeds See how animals move pollen and help seeds travel.
• Maps Around Us Use simple maps to show the shapes of land and water.
• Finding Water Find where water is on Earth, as solid ice or liquid water.
• The Water Cycle Follow water as it moves between sky, land, and water.

About the Science in Motion — Grade 2 series