Learning Curiosity from a Nonfiction Text
Grade
Grade 2
UNIT
4
•
Curiosity
Unit 4, Lesson 2, “Learning Curiosity from a Nonfiction Text,” reinforces the vocabulary word curiosity. Students will learn examples of curiosity from a nonfiction text. Additionally, students will practice their reading comprehension skills by reading independently and hearing a reading from the teacher. Finally, students will create their own sentences that demonstrate their reading comprehension.
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SUGGESTED TIME:
20 minutes
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Practice reading independently to support reading comprehension
- Compose sentences that demonstrate comprehension of the word curiosity
- Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar
- Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- 1 balloon for each student
- Video: The Sticky Balloon Trick by SciShowKids (~1 min)
- Video: 15 Year-Old Kelvin Doe Wows MIT by THNKR (~10 min)
- Prohuman Grade 2 Unit 4 Worksheet 2: Learning Curiosity from a Nonfiction Text
VOCABULARY:
- Curiosity: I want to learn new things.
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
Today we will continue to learn about curiosity.
- One thing that many people have been curious about throughout history is electricity.
- Ask students: What is electricity?
- Give the definition: a form of energy that comes from charged particles (such as electrons or protons), either statically as an accumulation of charge or dynamically as a current.
- Let’s create static electricity. Give each student a balloon and have them blow them up. Help them tie the balloons.
- First, have the students try to make the balloons stick to the wall and ask them what happens.
- Second, have students rub the balloons on their shirts, gently and quickly, for 20 seconds, then stick them to the wall.
- Ask the students: Why do they think the balloons stick to the wall after rubbing them on their shirts?
- Explain that when you rub a balloon against your clothing and then stick it to a wall, it's a demonstration of static electricity. The rubbing transfers electrons, making the balloon negatively charged, which then attracts to the wall's positive charges.
- Play the video: The Sticky Balloon Trick by SciShowKids (~1 min)
- Today we will learn about an amazing kid who was curious about electricity. He was interested in how batteries make electricity. While static electricity and batteries both involve electricity, they work differently. As we just learned, static electricity is a buildup of charge due to an imbalance, not a stored energy source. Batteries store chemical energy that is converted into electrical energy.
- Let’s learn about how Kelvin learned how to make batteries and other things.
- Play the video: 15 Year-Old Kelvin Doe Wows MIT by THNKR (~10 min)
- Have students read the nonfiction text on their worksheets independently, quietly to themselves. Circle the room to support the students.
- After giving the students 10 minutes to practice reading, then read the text aloud to the class.
- Ask students how Kelvin showed curiosity.
- Have students answer the questions on the worksheet.
- Have students take turns sharing their sentences with a partner.
GRADE 2 UNIT 4 WORKSHEET 2: LEARNING CURIOSITY FROM A NONFICTION TEXT
Curiosity: I want to learn new things.
NONFICTION TEXT: KELVIN’S CURIOSITY
Kelvin Doe is from Africa. He was born in a country called Sierra Leone. Kelvin wanted to become a scientist to help people in his country. When he was eleven, he started teaching himself engineering. He was curious about how to make batteries. He searched trash cans for spare or broken parts. After several tries, he made his own batteries by wrapping acid, soda, and metal in tape. He used these batteries to power lights in people’s homes. He also made generators using only things he picked up around the house or in the trash.
In 2012, Kelvin created a radio station for his community. He did this by making a homemade FM transmitter from parts he found in the trash. A transmitter makes radio waves from an antenna and uses them to send and receive data. Kelvin broadcasted the news and played music under the name DJ Focus.
In 2012, Kelvin became the youngest person in history to be invited to the Visiting Practitioner's Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At age 20, he founded his startup, KDoe-Tech, and the Kelvin Doe Foundation that helps kids use their curiosity to make new things.
Sources:
https://www.blackhistory.mit.edu/archive/kelvin-doe-wows-mit-2012
https://aasd.umd.edu/undergraduate/unsung-hero-kelvin-doe
https://www.caglobalint.com/post/kelvin-doe-self-taught-engineering-whiz-from-sierra-leone-1/
ACTIVITY:
Write 1 sentence that explains how Kelvin showed curiosity:
How do you think Kelvin’s curiosity and engineering work helps others?
Write one sentence about this topic: What are you curious about?
Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/