Hands-On Science and Technology for Ontario, Grade 2

Book excerpt: Hands-On Science and Technology for Ontario, Grade 2 is an easy-to-use resource for teaching the five strands of the Ontario science and technology (2022) curriculum: STEM Skills and Connections Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Animals Matter and Energy: Properties of Liquids and Solids Structures and Mechanisms: Simple Machines and Movement Earth and Space Systems: Air and Water in the Environment Hands-On Science and Technology for Ontario, Grade 2 encourages students’ natural curiosity about science and the world around them as they participate in hands-on activities and explore their environment. Using the inquiry approach, this comprehensive resource fosters students’ understanding of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills makes coding and emerging technologies approachable for both teachers and students emphasizes personalized learning using a four-part instructional process: activate, action, consolidate and debrief, enhance relates science and technology to sustainability and our changing world, including society, the economy, and the environment focuses on practical applications of the engineering design process as students work on solutions to real-life problems builds understanding of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives specific to Ontario explores contributions to science and technology by people with diverse lived experiences Using proven Hands-On features, this book provides resources for both teachers and students including background information on the science topics; complete, easy-to-follow lesson plans; materials lists; and digital image banks and reproducibles (find download instructions in the Appendix of the book). Innovative elements developed specifically for the Ontario curriculum include the following: plugged and unplugged coding activities in nearly every lesson land-based learning activities opportunities for students to use the scientific research process, scientific experimentation process, and engineering design process a fully developed assessment plan to guide assessment for, as, and of learning ideas and prompts for STEM Makerspace project