Grade 2 Lesson plan
Two Covers for the Ambledown Garden Tub: A Drying Test
A three-session grade 2 test of an open tub against a solid lid and a mesh cover, tracking water lines to find where a garden tub's stored water goes.
NGSS · Grades K–2
K-2-ETS1-3 Compare test data from two designs for the same problem
Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
Why water teaches this standard well
Testing two simple water tools side by side, such as two cup-and-cloth filters or two rain catchers of different shapes, gives students real comparison data they can see in the collected water. It is the earliest version of the design testing that water engineers do at full scale.
Materials tagged with this code are written to the full standard , and each carries a written note explaining the alignment. See how we review materials.
27 materials aligned to K-2-ETS1-3
Lesson plans
Kindergarten Lesson plan
Two Rain Catchers at Pebblewick Kindergarten: A Water Saving Lesson
A 40-minute kindergarten lesson at a fictional school where students set out two rain catchers overnight, compare what each caught, and water the class plants with it.
Kindergarten Lesson plan
A Sun Shade for the Honeycomb Park Bird Bath
A 40-minute kindergarten design lesson where students build two paper sun shades for pie-tin bird baths, compare how much water is left, and dictate an opinion.
Grade 1 Lesson plan
Testing Two Rain Catchers at Marigold Lane: A Grade 1 Lesson
A 40-minute grade 1 engineering lesson where students test a funnel-shaped and a flat rain catcher, then compare how much water each one collects.
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.
Worksheets
Grade 2 Worksheet
Gorsebury Hydrant Painting: Colors That Stand Out on the Street
Grade 2 students read a made-up town's hydrant-painting rules, compare how many kids spotted two test designs, and plan a hydrant that stands out from the grass.
Grade 1 Worksheet
Skinny Pipe or Wide Pipe on Ironhill Lane: A Grade 1 Worksheet
Room 5 poured water through a skinny straw and a wide straw for the same count, then used the cup totals to explain why pipe width changes the flow.
Grade 1 Worksheet
Barley Field's Flooded Bus Lane: A Grade 1 Soak-Up Test Worksheet
A grade 1 worksheet using tray test data from blacktop and grass so students compare run-off amounts and add and subtract within 20 to fix a flooded bus lane.
Grade 1 Worksheet
Damson Lane's Cold Jar Test: A Grade 1 Water Catcher Worksheet
A grade 1 worksheet using drop counts from a cold jar and a room jar so students subtract within 20 and design a collar that guides drops into the tray.
Grade 2 Worksheet
Rockaway Pond's Muddy Water: A Filter Layer Worksheet
A grade 2 worksheet in which students compare test results from a cloth filter and a cloth-and-sand filter, subtract within 100, and pick the better design.
Grade 2 Worksheet
Tidewell Art Room's Dripping Tap: A Drip Catcher Worksheet
A grade 2 worksheet in which students read five days of test data from two drip catcher designs, add and subtract within 100, and choose the better design.
Grade 1 Worksheet
Birchwood's Puddle Problem: A Grade 1 Rain Spout Design Worksheet
A grade 1 worksheet where students compare test data from two rain spout shapes and use addition and subtraction within 20 to decide which one solves a puddle problem.
Math problem sets
Grade 1 Math problem set
Tumbleweed Ridge Field Day: A Grade 1 Water Stand Problem Set
A grade 1 problem set on three field day water stands where students total spill tallies across three categories and subtract within 20 to compare the designs.
Grade 2 Math problem set
Pebblewood's Rain Catcher Contest: A Grade 2 Bar Graph Set
A grade 2 problem set built on four teams' rain catcher results, with bar graph reading and one- and two-step add and subtract problems within 100.
Labs & experiments
Grade 2 Lab / experiment
Ivyford Pond's Cloudy Jar: Testing Two Strainers
Grade 2 groups describe a cloth and a screen by their properties, then pour cloudy pond-style water through each and compare which strainer catches more bits.
Grade 2 Lab / experiment
Ashfield's Cold Pipe Wrap: A Grade 2 Insulation Test
A two-session grade 2 investigation comparing a paper towel wrap and a felt wrap on cups of ice, then refreezing the melted water to show the change reverses.
Grade 2 Lab / experiment
Hard Ground or Grassy Ground? A Grade 2 Runoff Test
A grade 2 lab where students compare rainwater runoff collected from a foil-lined tray and a soil-filled tray to see which surface absorbs more water.
Classroom activities
Grade 1 Classroom activity
Gravel Strip or Plant Strip at Marlberry Lane School
A grade 1 station activity where groups pour rain over a bare tray, a gravel strip, and a plant strip, then count spoonfuls of runoff to compare the two strips.
Grade 2 Classroom activity
Puddle, Splash, and Drip Prints: A Grade 2 Storm Texture Rotation
A four-station printing rotation where grade 2 students make storm textures, test two tools against each other for the ripple print, and caption each finished print.
Grade 1 Classroom activity
Chicory Creek's Oil Spill Squad: A Grade 1 Cleanup Tool Test
A grade 1 activity where teams test two cleanup tools on a few drops of oil floating in a tub of water and compare which one lifts more oil off the surface.
Grade 1 Classroom activity
Snapdragon Row's Leaf-Proof Drain Grate: A Grade 1 Design Shop
A grade 1 build-and-test rotation where teams cut a cardboard storm drain grate that lets rain through while holding back the leaves that clog the schoolyard drain.
Grade 2 Classroom activity
Crabapple Pond's Floating Boom: A Grade 2 Design Station
A 35-minute grade 2 station activity in which teams build floating booms from yarn, foil, and straws to corral floating litter in a tub and compare two designs.
Kindergarten Classroom activity
The Mossy Marsh Sponge Wall: Two Ways to Slow the Water
A 30-minute kindergarten tray activity where small groups test a sponge row against a block row to see which one slows the water running toward a paper town.
Kindergarten Classroom activity
Spoon or Straw: Two Watering Tools for the Bean Cups
A 30-minute kindergarten activity where groups test a spoon against a straw dropper on matching bean cups and choose the tool that waters without spilling.
Kindergarten Classroom activity
Race to the Drain: A Kindergarten Storm Drain Design Race
A kindergarten activity where small groups test two cardboard channel designs, racing a cotton-ball raindrop into a cup drain to compare which design works better.
Grade 2 Classroom activity
Rainy Day at the Model House: A Grade 2 Rain Diverter Design Activity
Grade 2 teams define why water pools at a model house's door, then design, build, and test two foil or index-card diverters to route rain to a rain garden cup.
Kindergarten Classroom activity
Duckville Pond Filter Test: Comparing Two Simple Water Filters
A kindergarten engineering activity where small groups build and test two simple water filters, then compare which one leaves cleaner water for toy pond ducks.