Interdisciplinary “Super Citizen” PBL Unit for 2nd Grade Created in Minutes

Hi Windy! It's so great to work with you again. I’ve put together a comprehensive, interdisciplinary inquiry unit for your 2nd graders. This unit, titled "Change-Makers: Observing, Questioning, and Leading," weaves together Social Studies, Science, ELAR, and Math over three detailed lessons.

If you’d like to turn these lessons into a visual presentation for your class, I highly recommend using the Alayna AI Slides Generator for Google Slides. You can install it from the Google Workspace Marketplace and access it directly within Google Slides via Extensions → Alayna AI for Google Slides™.

Unit Plan- Change-Makers: Observing, Questioning, and Leading

Grade Level: 2
Duration: 3 Lessons (Approx. 60–90 minutes each)

Lesson 1: The Scientist’s Eye (George Washington Carver)

Focus: Social Studies (Historical Figures), Science (Inquiry/Observation), Math (Measurement), ELAR (Descriptive Writing).

Objectives:

• Identify George Washington Carver and his contributions to science and agriculture.
• Practice the scientific skill of observation using standard units of measurement.
• Write descriptive sentences about an object.

Materials Needed:

• A variety of seeds (peanuts, sunflower seeds, beans).
• Rulers (inches and centimeters).
• Magnifying glasses.

Activities:

1. Social Studies Hook (15 min): Introduce George Washington Carver. Explain how he was a "Change-Maker" who used his curiosity about nature to help farmers. Discuss how he looked at the world differently through "Inquiry."
2. Science Inquiry (15 min): Give each student a seed. Ask: "What do you notice? What do you wonder?" Teach students that scientists start with Observation.
3. Math Integration (20 min): Students will measure their seeds using centimeters.
   • Problem: If a peanut is 3 cm3 cm long and a sunflower seed is 1 cm1 cm long, what is the total length?
   • Equation: 3 cm+1 cm=4 cm3 cm+1 cm=4 cm
4. ELAR (20 min): Students write three "Descriptive Observations" about their seed in their journals (e.g., "The peanut shell is rough and tan with tiny ridges").

Lesson 2: Planning for Fairness (Rosa Parks & Community Inquiry)

Focus: Social Studies (Good Citizenship/Historical Figures), Science (Asking Questions), ELAR (Reading Comprehension/Character Traits), Math (Data & Graphing).

Objectives:

• Identify Rosa Parks and how her actions defined good citizenship.
• Formulate "How" and "Why" questions (Scientific Method).
• Collect and graph data regarding classroom opinions.

Materials Needed:

• Picture book or short biography of Rosa Parks.
• Large chart paper for a bar graph.

Activities:

1. ELAR & Social Studies (20 min): Read a brief passage about Rosa Parks. Discuss the trait of Courage. Ask: "How did her choice help the community?" This connects to being a "Good Citizen."
2. Science Inquiry (15 min): Discuss how scientists (and leaders) ask questions to solve problems. Have students brainstorm "Investigation Questions" about their own school.
   • Example: "How can we make the playground more inclusive?"
3. Math Integration (25 min): Conduct a "Fairness Survey." Ask students to vote on a classroom rule change (e.g., "Should we have 5 extra minutes of reading or 5 extra minutes of drawing?").
   • Record results in a tally chart.
   • Create a simple bar graph on the board.
   • Math Challenge: If 1212 students want reading and 88 want drawing, how many more students want reading?
   • Calculation: 12−8=412−8=4

Lesson 3: The Young Investigators (Solving Classroom Problems)

Focus: Social Studies (Good Citizenship), Science (Investigative Process/Conclusions), ELAR (Persuasive Speaking/Writing), Math (Word Problems).

Objectives:

• Apply the inquiry process to a real-world classroom "problem."
• Use addition and subtraction to solve resource-based math problems.
• Write a persuasive "Call to Action" letter.

Materials Needed:

• "Change-Maker" Planning Sheet (A template for their investigation).

Activities:

1. Science & Social Studies (20 min): Students choose one "problem" in the classroom (e.g., messy cubbies, paper waste). They must follow the inquiry steps:
   • Observe: What is happening?
   • Question: Why is it happening?
   • Plan: How can we fix it?
2. Math Integration (20 min): Solve "Resource Problems" related to their plan.
   • Word Problem: Our class needs 2424 bins to organize the cubbies. We already have 1515. How many more do we need to buy?
   • Equation: 24−15=924−15=9
3. ELAR (30 min): Students write a "Change-Maker Letter" to the Principal or the Teacher.
   • Structure: "I noticed [Problem]. Based on my investigation, I think we should [Solution]. This is important because [Reason]."
4. Closing (10 min): Students present their "investigation" to the class, practicing clear speaking and listening skills.

I hope this unit provides a wonderful, hands-on experience for your students, Windy! Let me know if you need any rubrics or specific worksheets created for these activities.