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The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

My Height Over Time: How Much Do We Grow in 2nd Grade?

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How Much Do We Grow in 2nd Grade?

A 2nd grade STEM lesson

Tawny Bounds

6/20/2024

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Notes for teachers

This activity requires you to begin collecting data, roughly, at the same time each month during the school year.
You can introduce students to a ruler or a variety of rulers prior to beginning this activity. You could take a moment for the first few measurement days to introduce students to each ruler you have in your classroom. After this, students could record a partner’s height with your help OR independently.
You can start collecting data on student height, then introduce students to graphs in a few months OR begin right away. I recommend introducing graphing their height around same time you introduce students to collecting progress monitoring data.

List of Materials

Butcher paper to record student height data
Marker for you to write on the butcher paper
Tape measure, yard stick, and/or meter stick
Graph paper
What do we need to grow worksheets
Projector to walk students through creating a line graph.

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Arizona Standards

Science Standards

2.L2U1.10: Develop a model representing how life on Earth depends on energy from the Sun and energy from other organisms.

NGSS Standards

K-LS1-1.

Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

Math Standards

2.MD.A.1: Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools (e.g., ruler, meter stick, yardstick, measuring tape).

Writing Standards

2.W.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).

Science and Engineering Practices:

plan and carry out investigations
analyze and interpret data
use mathematical and computational thinking
engage in argument from evidence
obtain, evaluate and communicate information

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Objectives:

Today, we will talk about what we need to grow. Then, we will measure our height.

Throughout the school year, we will measure our height using a variety of rulers.

We will record our height each month AND use that information to create a line graph.

Then, we will answer some math questions about our growth over time and talk about what we eat and how it helps us grow. We will also talk about how much we have grown throughout 2nd grade.

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Agenda Part 1 (45 min) Monthly (15-30 minutes)

First Measurement Day

Individual: Have students take time to create a web with things that can help them grow.

Whole Group: Allow students time to walk around the class to look and see what others wrote on their papers.

Whole Group: Discuss what students wrote down. Record their answers

Monthly

Whole Group: Introduce or review a measuring tool

Individual or pairs: Record student height on the butcher paper.

Individual: Have students update their growth charts AND their height graphs.

Last Day

Discuss how much we have grown.

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Introduction

Hello scientists! Today we are going to talk about what we need to grow. Then, we will learn about different measuring tools and how to measure our own height. We will use the data we collect to create a line graph about our height over the school year. How much do you think you will grow throughout 2nd grade? Do we only grow physically or do we grow in other ways?

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What do we need to grow?

You will need:

science journal OR What do we need to grow handouts
pencil

Listen Carefully! Follow the directions. Ask a grown-up for help!

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What do we need to grow?

NOTE TO TEACHER: You can introduce the activity here. You will need to write down what students say. Ask students to give examples of what they need to grow. Take a few answers down. Then, have them turn and talk with a partner. After they turn and talk, ask them to share a few more examples.

Once you feel that students understand the question, allow them time to return to their desk or another area to work. They can work individually, in pairs, or in a small group. Give students about 7 minutes to complete this part of the activity.

When students are finished, ask them to walk around the room to add to others’ papers and gather ideas to add to their own paper. You will need to explicitly teach students how to walk around the room and complete this part of the activity. Give students about 7 minutes to walk around the room to share and gather more ideas. Then, give them time to return to their own desks and add to their own charts.

Finally, have students return to a whole group setting to share and discuss what they need to grow. Write down their ideas. Alternatively, you could have students write ideas on sticky notes and rewrite their answers on your chart for a whole group copy. Place a check next to ideas that are repeated.

Answers to look for include:

Water

Food

Shelter

Education

Exercise

Sunshine

(This is not an exclusive list)

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How much will we grow?

In second grade, we grow in a variety of ways. We may grow our athletic skills, reading skills, or friendships. We may even lose baby teeth and grow our adult teeth. However, I want to know how much we will grow when it comes to our height. Will we grow 2 inches? 5 inches? Will we stay the same height? How many inches will we grow as a whole class? These are some things that we can think about while we collect data about our height throughout the school year. How much do you think YOU will grow?

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Let’s create a hypothesis!

How much do you think you will grow this year?
How should we measure our height?

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It’s measurement time!

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Let’s create a line graph!

Now, you are going to begin creating your height over time graph. Remember to listen to directions and ask for help if you need it!

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It’s measurement time!

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Let’s record on our line graphs!

Now, you are going to update your height over time graph. Remember to listen to directions and ask for help if you need it!

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How much have I grown?

Now, it’s time to see how much we have grown this year!

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Discussion time!

As a class, we are going to add the amount we have grown together to see how many inches or centimeters we have grown as a class all year. Then, we are going to have a discuss about what we think helped us grow. We will also discuss how we may have grown in other ways.

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Assessment

Formative

Observe what and how students write in their journals. and/or the handouts.

Assess student understanding throughout the activity and any discussions.

Summative

Group discussions and individual check-ins

Worksheets

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Differentiation

Give students more time to explore using a ruler.

Discuss food chains and how we fit into those food chains. Ask students about what they eat and drink. Talk about using food and exercise as fuel.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Read:

Your Height My Height

The Math Adventurer Measure Up

Your Place in the Universe

As students gain inches or centimeters, allow them to color in a classroom bar chart or tally chart.