Professor Pip has dropped a box of science materials, and 2nd grade students sort the mess back into Solid and Liquid. The word bank holds 15 items, from sand and a crayon to maple syrup and shampoo. Two Think About It questions follow the sort. The answer key explains why sand, sugar, honey, and shampoo trip students up. The sheet runs to three pages and is written for NGSS 2-PS1-1.
2-PS1-1
“Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.”
The 15-item sort classifies materials by what students can observe, and question 1 asks them to name the property that made one item hard to place.
Fifteen materials are listed, including rainwater, a coin, an ice cube, honey, and a wooden block. Students write each one in the Solid or Liquid column of the sorting table.
Question 1 asks which item was hardest to place and why. Question 2 asks students to add one new solid and one new liquid that are not in the bank.
Discussion starter
Stop after the sort and ask who put sand under Liquid. The answer key's point that sand is many tiny solid pieces makes a good two-minute class talk.
Hands-on check
Set out small cups of sugar and honey. Students pour each one and watch whether it keeps its shape before they pick a column.
Early finishers
Question 2 has no fixed answer. Fast finishers can keep adding solids and liquids they spot around the room.
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