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2nd grade · Science · Unit 6 of 9

Build, Test & Rebuild

Plan it, build it, test it, take it apart and build again.

What your child practices

Practices engineering steps: asking questions to define a problem, sketching how a shape helps an object work, comparing two designs from test data, and seeing how an object made of small pieces can be taken apart and built into something new.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: K-2-ETS1-1; K-2-ETS1-2; K-2-ETS1-3; 2-PS1-3 · defining a problem, how shape helps an object work, comparing test data, and building new objects from the same pieces

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Ask questions to find the problem.
  2. The shape of a thing helps it work, like bumpy tires that grip.
  3. A fair test gives both designs the same test.

Example: Why do bike tires have bumps? Bumps help the tire hold on to the road. Answer: to grip the ground

Build, Test & Rebuild in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 6 of 9 in 2nd grade Science, after Plants, Seeds & Pollinators and before Habitats Near & Far.

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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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

    A shopping bag rips. What problem should an engineer solve?

    • Make it louder
    • Make it smaller
    • Make a bag that holds more weight
    • Make it a new color

  2. Question 2

    Why do bike tires have bumps?

    • To make them heavy
    • To grip the ground
    • To hold air out
    • To make noise

  3. Question 3

    Why does a chair have four legs?

    • So it is soft
    • So it can float
    • So it can run
    • So it stands steady

  4. Question 4

    Two paper bridges hold pennies. A holds 5, B holds 12. Which is stronger?

    • A
    • They are the same
    • Neither
    • B

  5. Question 5

    What should you do after a test shows a weak spot?

    • Paint it
    • Hide it
    • Make that part stronger
    • Give up

  6. Question 6

    A design is strong but too heavy to carry. A good next step is…

    • throw it away
    • make it heavier
    • stop testing
    • make it lighter and test again

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