Connecticut Grade 2 Science

Make a map that explains land and water

Connecticut Grade 2 science: build a land-and-water model, recognize solid and liquid water, and connect observations to lessons and NGSS references.

The Connecticut science standards directory identifies the state’s adoption of NGSS on November 4, 2015. Use the publisher’s complete NGSS document for performance expectations and their examples and boundaries. This activity selects a Grade 2 expectation. It is one part of a science course, not a complete curriculum.

What can a small landscape map tell us?

Draw an imaginary landscape with a hill, a stream flowing into a lake, and a coastline beside the ocean. Label it “classroom model,” so no one mistakes it for an actual Connecticut map. Make a key: one symbol for hills, one line for a stream, and shaded areas for the lake and ocean. Ask a partner to use only the map and key to locate each feature. At this age, the purpose is to represent different land shapes and bodies of water; exact distances and a numerical map scale are not needed.

Explain the evidence or model

The hill represents land that rises above the surrounding area. The line represents the stream’s course, while the larger shaded shapes represent the lake and ocean. The key makes those choices understandable to another reader. Next, add a winter photograph of an ice-covered pond from a reliable book or teacher-selected source. Water can be liquid or solid. Ice on a pond is solid water; a frozen surface does not turn the pond into a new piece of solid land. The map can keep its pond location and add an ice symbol with a seasonal note.

What to check in the explanation

A useful map distinguishes the features instead of filling every space with the same blue shape. Ask “How would someone tell the stream from the lake?” rather than demanding a beautifully colored picture. Also separate what the map represents from what it cannot show. A blue shape alone does not tell us how deep the water is, whether it is drinkable, or whether ice is safe to stand on. Those questions require other information. Use pictures for the ice comparison rather than visiting or walking on frozen water.

Plan the next activity

1. Identify land and water features in a teacher-selected photograph and explain how you recognize them.
2. Draw the imaginary area, make a key, and label the features.
3. Exchange maps and ask a partner to locate a hill, stream, lake, and coast.
4. Add a seasonal ice symbol and explain what changed and what stayed in the same place.

Change the model by adding a second hill or moving the stream. Ask the reader to describe the new arrangement in words. For a local connection, compare the drawing with a published map or aerial photograph of a Connecticut area chosen by the teacher. Students should identify what the real source shows, rather than assume their imaginary landscape describes their own town.