What students investigate

Students learn that a habitat is a place where plants or animals live, that plants and animals are living things, and that matching animals are the same kind. They practice observing a garden, a wooded area and a pond edge.

Then they compare. A record tells what was observed, more kinds means a larger count, and evidence is what we see or record. Students decide which habitat has more kinds of plants or animals and point to the evidence.

Who it is for

Compare Habitats is written for Grade 2 life science. It is a good warm-up for a schoolyard walk, because students practice counting kinds, not single plants or animals, before they go outside.

It pairs naturally with Pollinators & Seeds and What Plants Need.

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 habitat is a place where plants or animals live.
2. Plants and animals are living things.
3. Matching butterflies look alike.
4. Observe means look closely and notice things.
5. A wooded area has trees.
6. A pond holds water. The pond edge is where the water meets land.
7. Compare means look for what is alike or different.
8. A record tells what we observed.
9. More kinds means a larger count.
10. Evidence is what we see or record.

Science words in this pack

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

• habitat
• living thing
• plant
• animal
• kind
• same kind
• different kinds
• observe
• garden
• wooded area
• pond
• pond edge
• compare
• same group
• record
• plant kinds
• animal kinds
• more kinds
• fewer kinds
• same number
• 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-LS4-1 — core ideas

More in Science in Motion — Grade 2

• Materials Detectives: Observe, Test & Sort Look closely. Test properties. Sort what you find.
• Choosing Materials Pick the best material for a job by testing its properties.
• 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.
• 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