Second Grade

English
Can





SEASONS
We divide up the year into four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Each season lasts 3 months with summer being the warmest season, winter
being the coldest, and spring and autumn lying in between.

The seasons have a lot of impact on what happens on the earth. In the spring,
animals are born and plants come back to life. Summer is hot and is when kids
are usually out of school and we take vacations to the beach. Often crops are
harvested at the end of the summer. In autumn the leaves change colors and
fall off the trees and school starts again. Winter is cold and it snows in many
places. Some animals, like bears, hibernate in the winter while other animals,
like birds, migrate to warmer climates.
DAYS OF THE WEEK



MONTHS OF THE YEAR


WHAT AND WHERE




SCIENCE
Matter is the Stuff Around You


Matter is everything around you. Matter is anything made
of atoms and molecules. Matter is anything that has mass and takes
up space. If you are new to the idea of mass, it is the amount of
stuff in an object. We talk about the difference between mass and
weight in another section. Matter is sometimes related to light and
electromagnetic radiation.

Even though matter can be found all over the Universe, you only
find it in a few forms. As of 1995, scientists have identified five
physical states of matter. Each of those states is sometimes called
a phase. They may even discover one more state by the time you
get old.


Five States of Matter
You should know about solids, liquids, gases, plasmas, and one state
called the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). Scientists have always
known about solids, liquids, and gases. Plasma was a new idea when
it was noticed by William Crookes in 1879. The scientists who
worked with the Bose-Einstein condensate received a Nobel Prize
for their work in 1995.

But what makes a state of matter? It's about the physical
state of the molecules and atoms. Think about solids. They are
often hard and brittle. Liquids are all fluidy at room temperature.
Gases are there, but you usually smell them before you can see
them. You don't see them because their molecules are really far
apart. The BEC is all about molecules that are really close to each
other (even closer than atoms in a solid).


Changing States of Matter


Elements and compounds can move from one physical state to
another and not change their basic atomic parts. Oxygen (O
2
) as a
gas still has the same properties as liquid oxygen. The liquid state
is colder and denser, but the molecules (the basic parts) are still
the same. Water (H
2
O) is another example. A water molecule is
made up of two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom. It
has the same molecular structure whether it is a gas, liquid,
or solid. Although its physical state may change, its chemical state
remains the same.

So you're asking, "What is a chemical change?" Let's start with a
glass of pure water. If the formula of water were to change, that
would be a chemical change. If you could just add a second oxygen
atom, you would have hydrogen peroxide (H
2
O
2
). The molecules in
your glass would not be water anymore. The reality of creating
hydrogen peroxide is more difficult.

A chemical change happens when the atoms in a molecule are moved
around or when atoms are added or taken away. Chemical changes
happen when bonds between atoms are created or destroyed.
Changing physical states of matter is about changing densities,
pressures, temperatures, and other physical properties. The basic
chemical structure does not change when there is a physical
change.


Related Activities

General
Chemistry
Quiz
- Take the Quiz

General
Matter
Quiz
- Take the Quiz
Keywords to Review
States: States of matter are the different forms in which matter
exists. The easy states to remember are solid, liquid, gas, and
plasma. Although you might not find it around you every day, there
is more plasma in the Universe than any state of visible matter.
Remember that plasma is found in stars and between planets,
stars, and systems of every galaxy. As you learn more, you will
discover several other states of matter. Some of these states are
still theoretical.

Atoms: The basic unit of matter. Atoms are not the smallest
pieces of matter you will find. They are made of protons, neutrons,
and electrons. There are other smaller particles of matter as well.
However, your studies will focus on atoms and the different types
of atoms that make up each element of the periodic table. There
are also variations of atoms called ions and isotopes. As the number
of atoms increases, you have more matter. As you have more
matter, you have more mass.

Mass: Mass is the amount of matter in a thing. Usually, when a
thing is heavier, it has a greater mass. If you have a piece of iron
the size of a marble and a piece of iron the size of a bowling ball,
the bowling ball will have more mass. That example looked at similar
substances. If you have a balloon the size of a bowling ball, it may
be the same size, but will definitely have a smaller mass. There is
less matter in the balloon. When you use a scale, you measure
weight. Weight is dependent on gravity while mass is not. Mass is
measured in kilograms.

Volume: The amount of space than an object can occupy. A balloon
will have a volume similar to a bowling ball, but it will have a much
different mass. You will usually encounter the idea of volume when
you learn about gases and liquids. Gases and liquids can change
their shape easily, but still take up the same volume. The concept
of volume is also related to pressure. As pressure goes up or down,
the volume of a gas changes as the distance between the molecules
changes. Volume is measured in cubic meters or liters.

Dark Matter: A theoretical form of matter that we cannot see. It
does not emit electromagnetic radiation, so we are not able to see
or detect it. Astronomers believe it may make up 84.5% of all
matter in the Universe. When they studied the visible matter of
the Universe, they found that something was exerting a
gravitational effect on the visible matter. However, the source
could not be found. That hidden source of gravity has been
described as dark matter.

ENERGY


Energy is Ability to do work.

The energy can take a wide variety of forms - heat (thermal), light
(radiant), mechanical, electrical, chemical, and nuclear energy.
There are two types of energy - stored (potential) energy and
working (kinetic) energy. For example, the food you eat contains
chemical energy, and your body stores this energy until you release
it when you work or play.
All forms of energy are stored in different ways, in the energy
sources that we use every day. These sources are divided into two
groups -- renewable (an energy source that we can use over and
over again) and nonrenewable/conventional (an energy source that
we are using up and cannot recreate in a short period of
time). Renewable energy sources include solar energy (which comes
from the sun and can be turned into electricity and
heat), wind energy,geothermal energy (from inside the
earth), biomass from plants, and hydropower from water are also
renewable energy sources.
However, we get most of our energy from nonrenewable energy
sources, which include the fossil fuels -- oil, natural gas,
and coal. They're called fossil fuels because they were formed
over millions and millions of years by the action of heat from the
Earth's core and pressure from rock and soil on the remains (or
"fossils") of dead plants and animals. Another nonrenewable energy
source is the element uranium, whose atoms we split (through a
process called nuclear fission) to create heat and ultimately
electricity.
We use all these energy sources to generate the electricity we
need for our homes, businesses, schools, and
factories. Electricity "energizes" our computers, lights,
refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners, to name only
a few uses.
We use energy to run our cars. The gasoline we burn in our cars is
made from oil. We use energy to cook on an outdoor grill or soar in
a beautiful hot-air balloon. The propane for these recreational
activities is made from oil and natural gas.
Energy is in everything. We use energy to do everything we do,
from making a jump shot to baking our favorite cookies to sending
astronauts into space -- energy is there, making sure we have the
power to do it all.
Read the brief biographies of individuals who have made significant
contributions to energy and science.
We get most of our energy from nonrenewable energy sources,
which include the fossil fuels - oil, natural gas, and coal. They're
called fossil fuels because they were formed over millions and
millions of years by the action of heat from the Earth's core and
pressure from rock and soil on the remains (or "fossils") of dead
plants and animals. Another nonrenewable energy source is the
element uranium, whose atoms we split (through a process called
nuclear fission) to create heat and ultimately electricity.
Oil (Petroleum)


Oil was formed from the remains of animals and plants that lived millions of years
ago in a marine (water) environment before the dinosaurs. Over the years, the
remains were covered by layers of mud. Heat and pressure from these layers
helped the remains turn into what we today call crude oil. The word "petroleum"
means "rock oil" or "oil from the earth."


Where does Oil come from?
Crude oil is a smelly, yellow-to-black liquid and is usually found in underground areas called
reservoirs. Scientists and engineers explore a chosen area by studying rock samples from the
earth. Measurements are taken, and, if the site seems promising, drilling begins. Above the hole, a structure
called a 'derrick' is built to house the tools and pipes going into the well. When finished, the drilled well will
bring a steady flow of oil to the surface.

Natural Gas


Where does Natural Gas come from?
Millions of years ago, the remains of plants and animals decayed and built up
in thick layers. This decayed matter from plants and animals is called organic
material -- it was once alive. Over time, the mud and soil changed to rock,
covered the organic material and trapped it beneath the rock. Pressure and
heat changed some of this organic material into coal, some into oil
(petroleum), and some into natural gas -- tiny bubbles of odorless gas. The
main ingredient in natural gas is methane, a gas (or compound) composed of
one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms.



How coal was formed?
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock composed mostly of carbon and hydrocarbons.
It is the most abundant fossil fuel produced in the United States.
Coal is a nonrenewable energy source because it takes millions of years to create. The energy in coal comes
from the energy stored by plants that lived hundreds of millions of years ago, when the earth was partly
covered with swampy forests. For millions of years, a layer of dead plants at the bottom of the swamps was
covered by layers of water and dirt, trapping the energy of the dead plants. The heat and pressure from the
top layers helped the plant remains turn into what we today call coal.


Uranium (nuclear)


Nuclear energy is energy in the nucleus (core) of an atom. Atoms are tiny
particles that make up every object in the universe. There is enormous energy in
the bonds that hold atoms together.
Nuclear energy can be used to make electricity. But first the energy must be
released. It can be released from atoms in two ways: nuclear fusion and nuclear
fission.

In nuclear fusion, energy is released when atoms are combined or fused together to form a larger atom. This is
how the sun produces energy.

In nuclear fission, atoms are split apart to form smaller atoms, releasing energy. Nuclear power plants use
nuclear fission to produce electricity.
Electricity


Electricity is the flow of electrical power or charge. It is a secondary
energy source which means that we get it from the conversion of other
sources of energy, like coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear power and other natural
sources, which are called primary sources. The energy sources we use to
make electricity can be renewable or non-renewable, but electricity itself is
neither renewable or non-renewable.

Electrical phenomena have been studied since antiquity, though advances in the science were not made until the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Practical applications for electricity however remained few, and it would
not be until the late nineteenth century that engineers were able to put it to industrial and residential use.
The rapid expansion in electrical technology at this time transformed industry and society.
Electricity's extraordinary versatility as a source of energy means it can be put to an almost limitless set of
applications which include transport, heating, lighting, communications, and computation. The backbone of
modern industrial society is, and for the foreseeable future can be expected to remain, the use of electrical
power.

In general usage, the word "electricity" is adequate to refer to a number of physical effects. In scientific
usage, however, the term is vague, and these related, but distinct, concepts are better identified by more
precise terms:
Electric charge a property of some subatomic particles, which determines their electromagnetic
interactions. Electrically charged matter is influenced by, and produces, electromagnetic fields.
Electric current a movement or flow of electrically charged particles, typically measured in
amperes.
Electric field an influence produced by an electric charge on other charges in its vicinity.
Electric potential the capacity of an electric field to do work on a electric charge, typically
measured in volts.
Electromagnetism a fundamental interaction between the magnetic field and the presence and
motion of an electric charge.
Hydrogen


Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is
represented by the symbol H. At standard temperature and
pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic,
tasteless, highly flammable diatomic gas with the molecular
formula H2. With an atomic weight of 1.00794 u, hydrogen is
the lightest element.
Hydrogen is the simplest element known to man. Each atom of
hydrogen has only one proton. It is also the most plentiful gas
in the universe. Stars are made primarily of hydrogen.


SOCIAL STUDIES
FAST FACTS


OFFICIAL NAME: Canada
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Federal parliamentary state
CAPITAL: Ottawa
POPULATION: 34,834,841
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: English, French
MONEY: Canadian dollar
AREA: 3,849,674 square miles (9,970,610 square kilometers)
MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Rockies, Coast, Laurentian
MAJOR RIVERS: St. Lawrence, Mackenzie


Map of Canada
NATURE

Canada's remote north and extensive forests are home to wildlife, from bears,
wolves, beavers, deer, mountain lions, and bighorn sheep to smaller animals like
raccoons, otters, and rabbits. The country's lakes and rivers, which contain
about 20 percent of all fresh water on Earth, are full of fish such as trout and
salmon.

Canada's prairies in the south are home to bison and pronghorn antelope.
Farther north are Canada's sprawling evergreen forests, which have lots of
wildlife, including moose and black bears. Even farther north is the cold, bare
tundra, where herds of caribou and musk ox live.

Canadians work hard to protect the native wildlife. Canada has 41 national
parks and three marine conservation areas. Nevertheless, species like wolves,
lynx, and Atlantic fish have been overhunted and overfished.
PEOPLE & CULTURE

In some ways Canada is many nations in one. Descendents of British and
French immigrants make up about half the population. They were followed by
other European and Asian immigrants. First Nations peoples make up about
four percent of the population.

Inuit people live mostly in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Many
Native Canadians live on their traditional lands, but many others have moved
to cities across Canada. First Nations artwork is widely recognized and is seen
as a symbol of Canadian culture.

Canadian Flag
GEOGRAPHY

Canada is a vast and rugged land. From north to south it spans more than half
the Northern Hemisphere. From east to west it stretches almost 4,700 miles
(7,560 kilometers) across six time zones. It is the second largest country in
the world, but it has only one-half of one percent of the world's population.

Canada features black-blue lakes, numerous rivers, majestic western
mountains, rolling central plains, and forested eastern valleys. The Canadian
Shield, a hilly region of lakes and swamps, stretches across northern Canada
and has some of the oldest rocks on Earth.

Canada's far north lies in the frozen grip of the Arctic, where ice, snow, and
glaciers dominate the landscape. Few trees grow here, and farming is not
practical. Native Canadians, called First Nations people, live in this region by
hunting and fishing.

Canadian Dollar,
Photograph by Peter Spirer, Dreamstime
GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY

The British monarch is the head of state of Canada. The monarch is
represented by a governor-general, who has very limited powers. Laws are
made by Canada's elected federal government, which includes a parliament and
a prime minister.

Britain's Quebec Act of 1774 granted Quebec its own legal and religious
rights. Despite this concession, many Quebec citizens have long sought
independence. In votes held in 1980 and 1995, Quebec decided to stay in
Canada. But the second vote was very close, and the debate is still alive.

Canada has provided fish, furs, and other natural resources to the world since
the 1500s. Today, it is a world leader in agricultural production,
telecommunications, and energy technologies. The vast majority of Canada's
exports go to the United States.
Ad by EnjoyCoupon. More Info | Hide These Ads
HISTORY

The first people to come to Canada arrived between 15,000 and 30,000 years
ago across a land bridge that joined Asia and North America. Around A.D.
1000, the Viking explorer Leif Eriksson reached Newfoundland, Canada. He
tried to establish a settlement, but it didn't last.

In the 16th century, French and British settlers arrived. Land disputes
between farmers and fur traders led to four wars between 1689 and 1763.
The final war, called the French and Indian War, left the British in control of
Canada, but French influence remains strong even today.

In 1867, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick combined to form
a dominion with its own government, parliament, and prime minister. Manitoba
joined soon after. In 1931, Canada became an independent nation.
Math
How to Learn
Your life will be a lot easier when you can simply remember the
multiplication tables.
So ... train your memory!
First, use the table above to start putting the answers into your
memory.
Then use the Math Trainer - Multiplication to train your memory, it
is specially designed to help you memorize the tables.
Use it a few times a day for about 5 minutes each, and you will
learn your tables.
Try it now, and then come back and read some more ...
But here are some "tips" to help you even more:
Tip 1: Order Does Not Matter

When we multiply two numbers, it does not matter
which is
first or second, the answer is always the same.

Example: 35=15, and 53=15
Another Example: 29=18, and 92=18

In fact, it is like half of
the table is a mirror image
of the other!
So, don't
memorize both "35" and
"53", just memorize that
"a 3 and a 5 make 15"
when multiplied.
This is very important! It
nearly cuts the whole job
in half.



In your mind you should think
of
3 and 5 "together" making 15.
so you should be thinking
something like this:


Tip 2: Learn the Tables in "Chunks"
It is too hard to put the whole table into your memory at once. So,
learn it in "chunks" ...


A

Start by learning the 5 times
table.
B
Then learn up to 9 times 5.

C

Is the same as B, except the
questions are the other way
around. Learn it too.

D

Lastly learn the "66 to 99"
chunk



Then bring it all together by
practicing the whole "10 Times
Table"

And you will know your 10 Times Table!
(We look at the 12x table below)
Some Patterns
There are some patterns which can help you remember:
2 is just doubling the number. The same as adding the number to
itself.
22=4, 23=6, 24=8, etc.
So the pattern is 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20
(And once you remember those, you also know 32, 42, 52,
etc., right?)
5 has a pattern: 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. It ends in either 0 or 5.

9 has a pattern, too: 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, 90
Now, notice how the "units" place goes down: 9,8,7,6, ...? And
at the same time, the "tens" place goes up: 1,2,3,...?
Well, your hands can help!
Example: to multiply 9 by 8: hold your 8th finger down, and
you can count "7" and "2" ... the answer is 72
10 is maybe the easiest of them all ... just put a zero after it
102=20, 103=30, 104=40, etc.
The Hardest Ones
For me the hardest ones are 67=42, 68=48 and 78=56. I often
have to say in my mind:
"six sevens are forty-two", "six eights are forty-eight", "seven
eights are fifty-six"
What About the 12 Times Table?
Sounds tough, but once you have mastered the 10 table, it is just
a few steps away.

Firstly, 11 is mostly easy: from 112 to 119 you just
put the two digits together. 112=22, 113=33, ...,
119=99.


And of course 2, 5 and 10 just follow their simple
rules you know already, so it just leaves these to
remember:
312=36,
412=48,
612=72,
712=84,
812=96,
912=108


And the "Big 3":
1111=121,
1112=132 and
1212=144
More Help
I also have a longer list of multiplication tips and tricks if you are
interested.
You can test yourself using the times tables test.
You can try out Speed Math.
Learn Long Multiplication.
And if you are really good, see if you can beat the high scores
at Reaction Math.