This Printable Thermometer shows Fahrenheit and Celsius scales side by side, giving 2nd grade students an easy classroom tool for tracking temperature and weather. Print, mark, and reuse all year long.
This Reading Thermometers Worksheet has 2nd graders read four Fahrenheit thermometers to the nearest two degrees, then color two more to match a given temperature. Answer key included for fast, no-prep measurement practice.
The Right Temperature Worksheet has 2nd graders read four Fahrenheit thermometers and match a temperature to three weather pictures. An answer key is included, so it works as no-prep morning work or a quick measurement check.
Our Temperature Lesson Plan comes with two Thermometer Activities and seven Thermometer Worksheets. We have book recommendations
This hot and cold activity lets children sort 12 picture cards onto a Hot and Cold mat to learn about temperature. For kindergarten to 2nd grade, answer key included.
This reading a thermometer worksheet gives 2nd graders four Fahrenheit scales to read and three real-life pictures to match to a temperature. Answer key included, so practice is quick to check and ready to print.
This save the snowman temperature activity has 2nd-4th grade students hunt for snowman cards, read each thermometer and decide if the snowman melts. Answer key included.
Hot, cold, and everything in between
Second graders learn to read a thermometer, which is really a number line standing up! They find the top of the red line and read the number, counting by 2s, 5s or 10s depending on the scale. Kids learn that degrees measure how hot or cold something is, and they compare: 80°F is warmer than 50°F. They match temperatures to real life, like a snowy day or a summer pool day. The click moment is when kids read the outdoor thermometer and decide for themselves if they need a jacket.
Temperature is measurement kids can feel. These moves connect the numbers to real days.
Kids build a paper thermometer with a slider for the red line. Call out a temperature and everyone moves their slider to show it. Then check with a partner. It's quick, hands-on and easy to see who needs help.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withPrintable ThermometerWorksheetsOpen it →Model how to read the scale by counting each tick mark out loud: "40, 42, 44, 46." Many kids count each line as one, so showing the skip count first prevents a very common mistake.
Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withTemperature Lesson PlanLesson PlansOpen it →Start math with three thermometer pictures and have kids write each temperature on a whiteboard. Doing it a few days in a row is the fastest way to build confidence reading scales.
Why it works: a big review of study methods ranked quick self-quizzing among the most powerful ways to remember (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withReading Thermometers WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Snowmen, hot and cold sorts and real-life choices. Second graders love these.
ActivitiesRead the temperature and decide if the snowman will melt. Kids cheer every time he stays frosty!
Open Save the Snowman Temperature Activity →
ActivitiesSort pictures of things into hot and cold, then guess a temperature for each one.
Open Hot and Cold Activity →
WorksheetsMatch each activity to the right temperature, like sledding at 25°F or swimming at 85°F.
Open The Right Temperature Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Printable Thermometer, Reading Thermometers Worksheet and The Right Temperature Worksheet.
Show that a thermometer is like a number line standing up. Find the top of the red line, then count the tick marks by the scale, usually 2s, 5s or 10s, to read the number.
Most US second grade classrooms use Fahrenheit for everyday weather, and some introduce Celsius too. Many thermometers show both, which is a fun comparison.
Water freezes at 32°F, a comfortable room is about 70°F, and a hot summer day can be 90°F or more. Real examples help kids picture what the numbers mean.
Check the weather together each morning and read the temperature. Ask "Is it warmer or colder than yesterday? By how much?" It's measurement and subtraction in one.
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