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2nd grade · Science · Unit 6 of 11

Plant Experiments

Test how plants grow

What your child practices

Children sort seeds, predict and test which conditions help plants grow, and record and graph plant growth. This is practice, not a report-card mark.

Alabama Course of Study content standard: 2.5 · fair tests that change one condition to see how plants grow

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A testable question changes one thing, like “Do plants grow taller with more light?”
  2. Measure growth, like “The stem is 8 cm tall.”
  3. On a bar graph, the tallest bar is the biggest number.

Example: Plant A is 5 cm, Plant B is 3 cm and Plant C is 7 cm. Which is tallest? Compare: 7 is more than 5 and 3. Answer: Plant C

Plant Experiments in Alabama

In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 6 of 11 in 2nd grade Science, after Plants, Seeds & Pollinators and before Water World.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Kai says, “I think the plant with water will grow best.” What is that?

    • a prediction
    • a result
    • a measurement
    • a graph

  2. Question 2

    Which plant would you predict grows best?

    • one with no water
    • one with light, water and good soil
    • one kept in a drawer
    • one with no light

  3. Question 3

    When we estimate how tall a plant is, we…

    • draw a picture of it
    • make a careful guess
    • measure it exactly
    • count its leaves

  4. Question 4

    Leo sorts bean seeds into brown ones and white ones. What is he sorting by?

    • smell
    • size
    • shape
    • color

  5. Question 5

    Which is a growing condition for a plant?

    • the amount of light
    • the color of the pot
    • the day of the week
    • the name of the seed

  6. Question 6

    Why is it a good idea to plant new trees after some are cut down?

    • So birds have nowhere to nest.
    • So the soil blows away.
    • So we keep a supply of wood and shade.
    • So the forest gets smaller.

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