Grade 2 Lesson plan
Slowing the Storm on Copperfield Hill: A Barrier-Design Lesson
A 40-minute grade 2 lesson where students test bare, rock-wall, and grass-mat barrier designs to see which one best slows water from washing soil off a hill.
NGSS · Grade 2
2-ESS2-1 Compare solutions that slow wind or water from changing the land
Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.
Clarification statement: Examples of solutions could include different designs of dikes and windbreaks to hold back wind and water, and different designs for using shrubs, grass, and trees to hold back the land.
Why water teaches this standard well
This is erosion control, the same problem stormwater engineers solve with levees, rain gardens, and planted slopes. Students can test small dikes, gravel barriers, and grass mats on a tray of soil under a watering can and compare which design best holds the land in place.
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2 materials aligned to 2-ESS2-1
Lesson plans
Reading passages
Grade 2 Reading passage
After the Rain at Corley Park: Two Ways to Hold the Bank
A grade 2 read-aloud passage about a park that tried a stone wall and a grass strip to keep a creek bank from washing away, with eight comprehension questions.