Before deciding how to present your science lesson on solids to your second-grade class, review the mandatory curriculum. Prepare for any questions that your students may have, and be sure that you can address questions relative to the subject. Familiarize yourself with every piece of information that the students will need for in-class tests as well as mid-year and end-year tests, such as the Standards of Learning tests. Keep in mind that your class is a mix of auditory, visual and hands-on learners -- also called kinesthetic learners -- and while auditory learners benefit from listening to your lecture, visual and hands-on learners need different learning tools.
Use materials in your lesson plan that will benefit visual and hands-on learners by having visual aids and props that can be touched. Write the main points of your lecture on the board in the order they will be presented. For this lesson plan, you will need a pencil or piece of chalk, a sandwich bag, a glass of water, a bowl and additional empty containers of various sizes and shapes.
Explain to the students that all things can be classified as one of three states of matter -- solid, liquid or gas. Show the children an example of a solid -- the pencil or piece of chalk -- then show the children a liquid -- the glass of water. Clarify that solids do not change shape when placed into a container, but that liquids do. Place the pencil or chalk in the sandwich bag, then pour the glass of water into the bowl. Tell the students that a liquid will fill the bottom of a container. Have each child come up and experiment with the glass in the bowl and encourage the students to pour some of the water back into the glass or into the other containers. Explain to the students that gases react differently when placed in a container and that it will fill the container evenly. Draw a picture of balls of gas evenly filling a closed container. Further clarify that solids are only physically changed if a force causes them to change. At this point, break the pencil or piece of chalk in half.
Reinforce your lesson plan with the key points immediately after your presentation. Provide worksheets that will demonstrate their understanding of solids versus other states of matter. Alternatively, you can instruct the children to write down 10 solids that are present in the classroom. Encourage questions from your students to be sure that any questions or concerns are addressed before moving on to your next subject.