During the elementary grades,
children build understanding of biological concepts through direct
experience with living things. These
experiences emerge from the sense of wonder and natural interest of
children who ask questions such as: "How do plants get food? How many
different animals are there? Why do some animals eat other animals? What is
the largest plant? Where did the dinosaurs go?"
Making sense of the way
organisms live in their environments will develop some understanding of the
diversity of life and how all living organisms depend on their living and
nonliving environment for survival. The science experiences and activities in second
grade provide a solid foundation for the science curriculum of the upper
grades which includes concepts, such as evolution, heredity, matter and
energy in living systems, the cell, and the
biosphere.