Top 4 STEM Read Alouds for Teaching 2nd Grade Physical Science

In 2nd grade, students learn about states of matter, disassembling and reassembling objects, properties of materials, and reversible and irreversible changes to matter.

All of these STEM Challenges and Science Investigation Labs are included in the Elementary STEM Teachers Club Membership or can also be found in our TpT Store.

Top 4 STEM Read Aloud Books for Teaching 2nd Grade Physical Science:

1. Joe-Joe The Wizard Brews Up Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Eric Braun

2. Building Our House by Jonathan Bean

3. Dream Something Big by Dianna Hutts Aston

4. Melting Matter by Amy S. Hanson

We created the following activities for you to connect STEM with Stories.

Students explore matter and its interactions by using their sense of touch and sight to conduct investigations about the physical world around them.

Discover States of Matter with Joe-Joe Wizard!

Material List:

• Balloon full of air

• ice cube in a clear plastic cup

• bottles of water

• different shaped plastic containers

• rock

• balloons

• Alka-Seltzer tablets

• various classroom supplies you can find as examples states of matter

Explore Solids, Liquids, and Gasses with this read aloud STEM activity! Connect STEM and Literacy with an amazing companion to Joe-joe The Wizard Brews Up Solids, Liquids, And Gases by Eric Braun.

In the story, Joe-Joe and the other students explore chocolate as a liquid, then a solid, and finally as a gas. They use magic to investigate these states of matter. In this STEM Activity, students conduct an experiment to learn about solids, liquids and gases too.

Covers NGSS 2-PS1-1

Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.

Learn About Properties of Materials with Building Our House!

“Group A” Material List:

• Construction paper

• Index cards

• Scotch tape

• Toothpicks

• Play dough

“Group B” Material List:

• Craft sticks

• Glue

• Building blocks (Legos, Magna-Tiles, or other reusable materials)

• Cardboard

• Duct tape

Compare and contrast building materials with a fun read aloud STEAM activity! Connect STEM and Literacy with an amazing Materials Science Activity as a companion to Building Our House by Jonathan Bean.

Covers NGSS 2-PS1-2

Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.

Explore Disassembling and Reassembling Objects with Dream Something Big!

Material List:

• Building Bricks (ex. Lego Bricks) - Each pair will need 10 bricks to build with.

• Dream Something Big by Dianna Hutts Aston

Teach properties of materials and how a small set of materials can be disassembled and made into a new object with this physical science activity!

Everything around us is made up of different parts. Sometimes things are made up of only a few parts and some have lots of different parts.

In the Story dream Something Big, Uncle Sam creates an incredible structure using small parts of materials that he found. In this read aloud STEM challenge, students practice reusing materials and putting them together in new and unique ways just like Uncle Sam.

Covers NGSS 2-PS1-3

Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object.

Investigate Reversible and Irreversible Changes to Matter with Melting Matter!

Material list:

• Ice cubes

• Clear plastic cups

• Ice cube trays

• Scissors

• Melting Matter by Amy S. Hanson

Teach solids, liquids, and gasses plus reversible and irreversible changes to matter with this physical science activity! In this STEM investigation, students explore how matter changes from solids, liquids, and gasses through heating and cooling. They will participate in an ice cube investigation while observing what happens as it warms up.

In the story, Melting Matter, we can see the way that ice cream can change from a solid to a liquid and back again.

Covers NGSS 2-PS1-4

Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and some cannot.

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