Living Systems-Grade 2

Standards of Learning
2.5
The student will investigate and understand that living things are part of a
system. Key concepts include
a) Living organisms are interdependent with their living and nonliving
surroundings;
b) An animals habitat includes adequate food, water, shelter or cover, and
space;
c) Habitats change over time due to many influences; and
d) Fossils provide information about living systems that were on Earth
years ago.
Questions for the Class
1. What is a habitat?
2. How do animals and plants evolve over time?
3. Where do fossils come from?
Essential Knowledge
In order to meet this standard, it is expected that students should be able to:
Classify objects as to whether they are living or nonliving.
Describe the nonliving components of an organisms surroundings, including
water, space, and shelter. (Shelter may be living or nonliving.)
Construct and interpret simple models of different kinds of habitats, including a
forest and a stream.
Predict and describe seasonal changes in habitat and their effects on plants and
animals, for example, how trees change through the seasons and how animals
respond to changes in the seasons.
Describe how animals are dependent on their surroundings, for example, how
squirrels and other animals are affected by the loss of forest habitat.
Read-Alouds
Edwards, W. (2006). The extinct files: My science project. Toronto: Kids Can Press.
Our group decided to use this book for a read aloud because it covers all of the
points listed in the standard we addressed above. Although this book is fictional, it
still gets at the points associated with what a habitat is and how dinosaurs get food,
what they eat, and basic survival. This book is a fun, creative way to approach a
topic that may be a little more difficult to grasp.
***Could use this book to create writing prompts about what you would do if you
were a dinosaur.
Small Groups
Below LevelMarzollo, J., & Moffatt, J. (1996). I'm a seed. New York: Scholastic.
Wormell, C. (1996). Where I live. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

We decided to use these books for below level because there are a lot of pictures
that can help with context clues. The words are very simple and also relate to the
standard. The pictures give the reader a very vivid picture of a habitat and allow
various readers to access the book.
On LevelSill, C., & Sill, J. (2012). About habitats: Oceans. Atlanta: Peachtree.
Oceans gives the reader a great start to the small group guided reading. It provides
foundational knowledge for what a habitat is and how an ocean animal would
interact with its environment (i.e. plants, animals, etc)
Above LevelCole, J. (1987). Evolution. New York: Crowell.
Evolution goes into the different periods of the Earth (Tertiary, Jurassic, Cambrian,
etc) what fossils tell us about the history of our Earth. The book also addresses
Charles Darwin and his theory of Evolution. The end of the book addresses the
evolution of humans. This book is intended for higher-level readers because of the
content and word per page. Unlike the others, it could be used for most of the week
because the content is so large. However, the topic is controversial so this book
would need to be approved before using it in instruction.
Independent Reading
Silverstein, A., & Silverstein, V. (2008). Growth and development. Minneapolis:
Twenty-First Century Books.
We decided to use this book to show how things grow, vertebrates versus
invertebrates, different examples of animals, plants, and it even has definitions in
the back to help children understand terms they may be unfamiliar with.
Johnson, J. (2006). Rain forest. Boston: Kingfisher.
This book includes all animals and plants that live in the rain forest. It also adds
humans into the story and shows how different people live and survive in the
environment. The book also describes different hunters and it uses terms such as
canopy versus forest floor, climbers and clingers. The pictures are actual
photographs taken so children can flip through the book independently during
silent reading time.
Taylor, P. (2004). DK Eyewitness Books: Fossil. S.I.: DK Publishing.
This book is really great to use when children want to see actual photos of fossils. As
the teacher, it would be neat to bring in fossils to accompany the book. We can learn
the different types of fossils, where they come from and what can be fossilized.

Know

Want to Know

Learned