Lesson plan Grade 2 Health & Consumer Science

Bottle Levels After PE at Alder Park: A Grade 2 Line Plot

Second graders measure the water left in ten bottles after PE at Alder Park School, build a centimeter line plot, and read what the class drank.

Grade: Grade 2
Subject: Health & Consumer Science
Material: Lesson plan
Time: 40 min
Prep: Low prep
Materials: Ten identical clear bottles or tall clear cups, filled to the same height before PE, Centimeter rulers, one per pair, Chart paper for the class line plot, Masking tape to mark the starting height, Printed handout, one per student

Standards

2.MD.D.9 Common Core Math

Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of several objects to the nearest whole unit, or by making repeated measurements of the same object. Show the measurements by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in whole-number units.

How this material aligns: Students measure ten bottles to the nearest centimeter during guided practice and show every measurement on a whole-number line plot on the handout.

All materials for 2.MD.D.9 →

2.MD.B.5 Common Core Math

Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve word problems involving lengths that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings (such as drawings of rulers) and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.

How this material aligns: Handout items 5 and 6 subtract an after-PE bottle height from the 12 centimeter starting height, a length word problem within 100.

All materials for 2.MD.B.5 →

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This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely, without attribution. Updated 2026-07-23.

Objectives

Students will measure the height of the water left in a bottle to the nearest centimeter.
Students will build a line plot from ten measurements and answer questions about it.
Students will name one good time to drink water before, during, or after physical activity.

Vocabulary

Key words: line plot, centimeter, measure, thirsty

Teacher overview

Room 12 at Alder Park School keeps ten identical clear bottles on a tray by the gym door, filled to the same height before every PE block. Because the bottles start alike, the water left in each one after PE can be measured with a centimeter ruler and compared fairly, which gives the class measurement data drawn from its own drinking habits. The lesson builds a line plot from those ten measurements and then reads it. One misconception to address directly is that a bottle that looks emptier must belong to the thirstiest child, since two bottles can look different and still measure the same, and the ruler is what settles the question.

Fill the bottles to the same height before PE and mark that height with a piece of tape so students can see the starting line. The lesson assumes a starting height of 12 centimeters, which is the number the handout uses.

Procedure

Hook (5 min): Hold up two bottles from the tray, one clearly lower than the other, and ask students to guess in centimeters how tall the water is in each. Record two or three guesses on the board without correcting them. Tell the class that guessing is a fine place to start and that measuring is how the class will find out for certain.

Direct instruction (8 min): Model measuring one bottle. Stand the ruler beside the bottle with the zero end on the table, read the height of the water to the nearest whole centimeter, and say the number aloud. Then draw a number line on chart paper labeled 4, 5, 6, and 7, and explain that each measurement will get one X above its number. Name the tool: this picture is called a line plot.

Guided practice (10 min): In pairs, students measure the ten bottles from the tray and call out each height. Record every height on the board as a list. Then place the X marks on the class line plot together, counting the X marks aloud as they go so the class hears the total reach ten.

Independent practice (12 min): Students complete the handout using the list of ten measurements printed on the page, so no student is stuck waiting for the board. They build their own line plot, answer the reading questions, and finish the two subtraction items that compare each bottle to its 12 centimeter starting height.

Closure and exit ticket (5 min): Ask the whole class one question with thumbs up or thumbs down: "Did most bottles on the handout measure 5 centimeters or less?" The correct response is thumbs up, since seven of the ten did. If more than five students answer thumbs down, reread the line plot together before moving on. Finish by asking three students to name one good time to drink water on a PE day.

Bottle Levels After PE at Alder Park: A Grade 2 Line Plot — Grade 2 Health & Consumer Science

Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Student Handout

The teacher reads each question aloud before students answer.

Room 12 measured the water left in ten bottles after PE. Every bottle held water 12 centimeters tall before PE started. Here are the ten heights, in centimeters:

4, 6, 5, 4, 7, 5, 4, 6, 5, 4

Make a line plot. Mark 4, 5, 6, and 7 on the line. Put one X above the number for each bottle. How many X marks are on your plot in all?
Which height has the most X marks?
How many bottles measured 5 centimeters?
How many bottles measured more than 5 centimeters?
Nell's bottle measured 7 centimeters after PE. It held 12 centimeters before PE. How many centimeters of water did Nell drink?
Omar's bottle measured 4 centimeters after PE. It held 12 centimeters before PE. How many centimeters of water did Omar drink?
Why is it a good idea to drink water before PE and again after PE? Write one sentence.

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key

Answer: 10 marks. The plot holds four X marks above 4, three above 5, two above 6, and one above 7, which is ten measurements in all.
Answer: 4 cm. Four bottles measured 4 centimeters, more than any other height.
Answer: 3 bottles. The list holds three fives.
Answer: 3 bottles. Two measured 6 centimeters and one measured 7 centimeters, so 2 plus 1 equals 3.
Answer: 5 cm. Nell started at 12 centimeters and ended at 7, and 12 minus 7 equals 5.
Answer: 8 cm. Omar started at 12 centimeters and ended at 4, and 12 minus 4 equals 8.
Answer: Drinking before PE and after PE keeps the body from getting too thirsty. Accept any sentence that names a reason such as feeling less tired, cooling off after running, or replacing the water lost while sweating.

Differentiation

Support (below grade level)

Give these students a line plot with the numbers 4, 5, 6, and 7 already printed and spaced on the line so the only new work is placing the X marks. Read the ten measurements aloud one at a time and pause after each so students can place a single mark before the next number comes. For items 5 and 6, provide a drawn bottle with a 12 centimeter ruler beside it so the subtraction can be counted up the picture rather than done in the head.

Extension (above grade level)

Ask these students to write two new questions that their line plot can answer, trade with a partner, and check each other's work. A second challenge is to find the total number of centimeters the whole class drank by subtracting each of the ten heights from 12 and adding the differences, which keeps the arithmetic inside 100.

ELL supports

Pre-teach measure, taller, shorter, and left with the bottles in hand, pointing to the water line while saying each word. Post a labeled photograph of a ruler standing beside a bottle so students can check the setup without asking. Sentence frames for item 7 help: "I drink water before PE because ___" and "I drink water after PE because ___."

Extensions

Repeat the measurement on a second PE day and post the two line plots side by side, then ask whether the class drank more on the warmer day. Some classes keep the tray going all month and mark the date on each plot, which gives a running record of a habit rather than a single snapshot.