Skip to main content
    Second Grade
    Today

    Scoring guide · Weeks 31–36 · 30–35 min · 32 points

    Science Unit 6 Test: Year-End Science Portfolio & Science Fair

    Directions for the grown-up

    You may read every question, choice, table and passage aloud to your child. This test checks science thinking, not reading. Do not explain science words or hint at answers. Have crayons ready for the drawings. Your child may add numbers on scrap paper. This test reviews the whole year, so it is fine to take a short break between sections.

    Part 1: Life Cycles & Biodiversity (8 points)

    Standards: 2-LS4-1

    1. Number the frog's life cycle stages 1 to 4. ___ frog ___ egg ___ tadpole with legs ___ tadpoleAnswer: 4, 1, 3, 2 · 2 points
    2. Draw the life cycle of a bean plant as a circle. Show 4 stages with arrows.Answer: seed -> sprout -> plant with flowers -> plant with seed pods -> back to seed, drawn in a circle · 2 points
    3. Which stage of a butterfly's life eats leaves and grows fast?Answer: caterpillar · 2 points
    4. Look at the table. How many kinds of living things were in each square? Which square has more biodiversity?Answer: Grass square: 11 kinds (5 + 4 + 2). Pavement square: 2 kinds (1 + 1 + 0). The grass square has more biodiversity. · 2 points

    Scoring: Item 1: 2 points for all four right, 1 point if egg is first and frog is last. Item 2: 1 point for 4 correct stages in order, 1 point for arrows in a circle that return to the seed. Item 3: 2 points. Item 4: 1 point for both totals, 1 point for the grass square.

    First taught in: Week 31, Week 32

    Part 2: Matter & Earth Review (8 points)

    Standards: 2-PS1-1, 2-ESS2-2

    1. A sponge and a rock are put in a bowl of water. Name one property that is different for them.Answer: Answers vary: the sponge is soft and the rock is hard; the sponge soaks up water and the rock does not; the sponge bends and the rock does not. · 2 points
    2. Which object is hard, shiny and does not bend?Answer: metal key · 2 points
    3. Draw a map from above with a mountain, a river and a lake. Make a key with a symbol for each one.Answer: Answers vary. Look for: a view from above, all three features, and a key with a symbol for each. · 2 points
    4. A river flows from the mountains to the ocean. Why does it not flow from the ocean up to the mountains?Answer: Water flows downhill. The mountains are high and the ocean is low. · 2 points

    Scoring: Item 1: 2 points for a real difference named for both objects; 1 point if only one object is described. Item 2: 2 points. Item 3: 1 point for all three features, 1 point for a key that matches. Item 4: 2 points for downhill or high to low.

    First taught in: Week 32, Week 36

    Part 3: Science Fair: Question & Data (8 points)

    Standards: K-2-ETS1-1, K-2-ETS1-3

    1. Which question can you test? Circle it. Then tell what you would measure.Answer: Which flies farther: a plane made of heavy paper or one made of light paper? Measure how far each plane flies (in centimeters or steps). · 4 points
    2. Find the total for the rubber bouncy ball. Which ball bounced highest? Name one thing Omar kept the same.Answer: 247 cm (82 + 85 + 80). The rubber bouncy ball bounced highest. Kept the same: the drop height (100 cm), or the same floor, or three trials for each ball. · 4 points

    Scoring: Item 1: 2 points for circling the testable question, 2 points for naming what to measure (distance). Item 2: 2 points for 247 (1 point if the work is right but the sum is off by a small slip), 1 point for the rubber bouncy ball, 1 point for one thing kept the same.

    First taught in: Week 33, Week 34

    Part 4: CER Response (8 points)

    Standards: K-2-ETS1-3, 2-PS1-1

    1. Which paper towel soaks up the most water? Claim: My answer is ____. Evidence: The table shows ____. Reasoning: I trust this answer because ____.Answer: Answers vary. Look for: Claim: Brand B soaks up the most water. Evidence: Brand B's total was 20 spoons, more than Brand A (13) and Brand C (10), and it was highest in every trial. Reasoning: Kim kept the size and the water the same and only changed the brand, so the test was fair; she tested three times, so it was not a fluke; soaking up water is a property, and different materials have different properties. · 8 points

    Scoring: Claim: 2 points for a clear answer to the question, 1 for a partly correct answer. Evidence: 3 points for two or more facts or numbers from the table, 2 for one, 1 for evidence that is true but not from the table. Reasoning: 3 points for a science idea that links the evidence to the claim, 2 for a link with a small gap, 1 for a restated claim. Spelling does not count. If your child says it well but cannot write it, write down their words and score them.

    First taught in: Week 34, Week 35

    D/A/P/E point bands (out of 32)
    LevelPoints
    D · Developing0–15
    A · Approaching16–22
    P · Proficient23–28
    E · Exemplary29–32