Lesson plan Grade 2 Science

Mapping Nutmeg Creek: A Grade 2 Storm Drain Litter Lesson

A 40-minute grade 2 lesson where students model a storm drain leading to a fictional creek, sort litter from natural items, and write an opinion sentence.

Grade: Grade 2
Subject: Science
Material: Lesson plan
Time: 40 min
Prep: Low prep
Materials: Large sheet of butcher paper or poster paper, 1 per group of 4, Blue paper strip or blue yarn, 1 per group, to represent Nutmeg Creek, A small paper cutout of a storm drain grate, 1 per group, Crayons or markers, 10 picture or word cards per group showing items (leaf, food wrapper, soda can, oil-stained rag, stick, plastic bag, acorn, candy wrapper, flower petal, plastic bottle cap), Glue sticks

Standards

2-ESS2-2 NGSS

Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area.

How this material aligns: Groups develop a paper model in the Model Building step that represents the playground, the storm drain, and Nutmeg Creek, showing the shapes and connection between land and a body of water exactly as this standard requires.

All materials for 2-ESS2-2 →

W.2.1 Common Core ELA

Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

How this material aligns: Each student writes or dictates an opinion sentence with a supporting reason during the closing step, using the sentence frame's "because" to link the opinion about litter and storm drains to a reason, matching this standard's opinion-writing structure.

All materials for W.2.1 →

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This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely, without attribution. Updated 2026-07-16.

Objectives

Students will build a simple model showing the playground, a storm drain, and Nutmeg Creek, the body of water the drain empties into.
Students will sort items into natural items that break down outdoors and litter that should stay out of storm drains.
Students will state and support one opinion about keeping litter out of storm drains.

Vocabulary

Storm drain: A storm drain is the grate at the edge of a street that swallows rainwater and sends it through pipes to the nearest creek or river. That water is usually not treated, so only rain belongs down the drain.

Also: litter, model, opinion

Teacher overview

Rain that falls on a playground often runs into a nearby storm drain, and whatever sits near that drain can travel with it. This lesson has students build a simple paper model of their schoolyard showing the playground, a storm drain, and Nutmeg Creek, a fictional creek the drain empties into, then sort items into what is safe to leave outside and what should go in the trash instead. The lesson closes with each student stating one opinion, with a reason, about keeping litter out of storm drains.

Procedure

Hook (5 min): Ask: "If you dropped a leaf on the playground and it rained, where might it end up? What about a candy wrapper?" Take a few guesses without confirming or correcting yet.

Direct instruction (8 min): Explain that storm drains carry rainwater, and anything floating in it, straight to a nearby creek or river, usually without any cleaning in between. Introduce Nutmeg Creek, the fictional creek that the school's storm drain in this lesson empties into. Point out that a storm drain looks like a metal grate set into the pavement or curb, and that its job is only to carry rainwater away quickly during a storm, not to treat or filter anything that happens to fall in along with it.

Model building (12 min): In groups of four, students draw the playground on their sheet of paper, add the storm drain cutout near one corner, and glue on a strip of blue paper or yarn leading away from the drain to represent Nutmeg Creek.

Card sort (10 min): Each group sorts its 10 picture cards into two piles: natural items that break down outdoors (leaf, stick, acorn, flower petal) and litter that should stay away from the drain (food wrapper, soda can, oil-stained rag, plastic bag, candy wrapper, plastic bottle cap). Groups draw a trash can beside their model and glue the litter cards onto it, away from the drain. After the sort, point out that big piles of leaves or grass clippings should also be kept out of storm drains, because they can clog the drain and feed algae in the creek.

Opinion writing and formative check (5 min): Each student writes or dictates one sentence completing the frame: "People should keep litter out of storm drains because ___." Circulate while students work to confirm that each sentence states an opinion with at least one reason attached.

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

Differentiation

Support

Provide the two sorting categories already labeled on two paper circles, "Natural, OK Outside" and "Litter, Trash Can," before groups sort their cards, and allow the opinion sentence to be dictated to a teacher or aide instead of written independently.

Extension

Ask groups to add one more location to their model, such as a storm drain on the far side of the playground, and explain in a sentence why litter near that drain would also reach Nutmeg Creek.

ELL supports

Use picture cards for every item rather than word-only cards, and pre-teach "storm drain," "litter," and "creek" with simple gestures or sketches before the model-building step. Provide a sentence frame in the student's home language alongside the English frame for the closing opinion sentence.

Extensions

Walk the school grounds as a class and find a real storm drain near the playground. Keep students on the sidewalk, away from traffic, and remind them not to touch the grate or reach into the drain. Ask students to point out anything nearby that could wash into it during the next rain, and have them report what they notice to the class the following morning. If a local water or public works department offers classroom visits, a real storm drain crew member explaining where the drain actually leads can make the model's lesson concrete for students who are still building a mental picture of pipes they cannot see.