Module Overviews
Click the links in the grid below for an overview of each Science Companion module.
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Additional Modules for Physical Science |
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Module Overview: Collecting and Examining Life (Level 1 -- Life Science)
From collecting animal tracks to dissecting flowers, children deepen their understanding of what makes something alive, and of the similarities and differences among living things.
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Curriculum SamplesClick below for printable (PDF) samples. |
Module Summary
View a printable (PDF) Unit Summary of the module.
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Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: Comparing Living and Nonliving
Big Idea: How can you tell when something is alive?
Children collaborate to think and talk about what is alive. They look at some "mystery" substances and set up an experiment to discover which substance is actually alive.
Lesson 2: Identifying Living Things
Big Idea: How can you tell when something is alive?
Children examine the results of the previous lesson's experiment. They observe and describe hatched brine shrimp. They begin developing criteria to identify and classify animals.
Lesson 3: Going on a Fall Wild Walk
Big Idea: Many different kinds of living things share our neighborhood environment.
Children visit a study site and learn about the natural environment. They look for signs of living things and collect leaves, soil, and seeds for follow-up lessons in the classroom.
Lesson 4: Looking for Animals in Soil
Big Idea: Many different kinds of living things share our neighborhood environment.
Children construct special tools, called Berlese funnels, to extract tiny animals from soil samples. They count the number of animals found and graph their data in a mathematics extension.
Lesson 5: Making a Fall Nature Book
Big Idea: Many different kinds of living things share our neighborhood environment.
Children write captions for the pressed leaves and photographs from the fall Wild Walk. They create a class book to serve as a point of comparison for the spring Wild Walk.
Lesson 6: Observing Snails
Big Idea: Animals are living things. They have many parts that help them move, breathe, eat, and sense their environment.
This lesson is one of three in which children closely observe and then compare different animals. In this lesson they observe, measure, and draw land snails, focusing on body parts used for moving, breathing, eating, and seeing.
Lesson 7: Observing Crickets
Big Idea: Animals are living things. They have many parts that help them move, breathe, eat, and sense their environment.
This lesson is one of three in which children closely observe and then compare different animals. In this lesson they observe, measure, and draw crickets, focusing on body parts used for moving, breathing, and seeing.
Lesson 8: Observing Fish
Big Idea: Animals are living things. They have many parts that help them move, breathe, eat, and sense their environment.
This lesson is one of three in which children closely observe and then compare different animals. In this lesson they observe fish, focusing on body parts used for moving and breathing.
Lesson 9: Using Zoo Clues
Big Idea: Animals are living things. They have many parts that help them move, breathe, eat, and sense their environment.
Children observe various animals on a zoo field trip. They play "Zoo Clues," a game in which they search for animals that display different characteristics or live in different environments.
Lesson 10: Comparing Animals and Plants
Big Idea: Like animals, plants are living things.
Children discuss whether plants are living things. To compare and contrast animals and plants, they create collages, generate a poster, and construct a Venn diagram.
Lesson 11: Studying Leaves
Big Idea: Plants are living things. They have many parts that work together to help them grow and make new plants.
Children observe, sort, classify and measure a variety of leaves to learn about similarities and differences among leaves, basic leaf structure, and the function of leaves.
Lesson 12: Investigating Fruits and Seeds
Big Idea: Plants are living things. They have many parts that work together to help them grow and make new plants.
Children observe and compare various familiar fruits and their seeds. They learn the scientific definition of a fruit and consider the functions of fruits and seeds.
Lesson 13: Learning About Seed Dispersal
Big Idea: Plants are living things. They have many parts that work together to help them grow and make new plants.
Children observe different seeds to learn about seed variety and dispersal. They look at the characteristics of seeds and then try to figure out how seeds travel to a new location to sprout.
Lesson 14: Sprouting Seeds
Big Idea: Plants are living things. They have many parts that work together to help them grow and make new plants.
Children observe sprouts and dissect a bean seed to see what is inside. They prepare bean and corn seeds to sprout, then observe and monitor the growth of the sprouts for several days.
Lesson 15: Examining Roots
Big Idea: Plants are living things. They have many parts that work together to help them grow and make new plants.
Children explore root structure and function. They compare the weight of plant parts that grow above ground to those that grow underground, and experiment with rooted and rootless plants.
Lesson 16: Experimenting With Celery Stems
Big Idea: Plants are living things. They have many parts that work together to help them grow and make new plants.
Children investigate stems and their functions. They compare soft stems to woody stems and learn that stems provide support for plants, and move water and nutrients to plant parts.
Lesson 17: Going on a Spring Wild Walk
Big Idea: Many different kinds of living things share our neighborhood environment.
The class returns to the site of its fall Wild Walk to observes the sights and sounds of spring. Children choose a living thing or evidence of life to document for the spring nature book.
Lesson 18: Dissecting Flowers
Big Idea: Plants are living things. They have many parts that work together to help them grow and make new plants.
Children observe, compare, dissect, and draw pictures of flowers. They begin learning about flower parts and structure by noting similarities and differences between flowers.
Lesson 19: Making a Spring Nature Book
Big Idea: Many different kinds of living things share our neighborhood environment.
Children write about and draw the living thing or evidence of life they observed on the spring Wild Walk. They make a class book to serve as a point of comparison to fall's Wild Walk.
Lesson 20: Growing Mold
Big Idea: Fungi are living things that are neither plants nor animals.
Children are introduced to a third living kingdom, called fungi, and update their "Living Things" poster or Venn diagram. They set up a growing medium to examine a simple fungus called mold.
Lesson 21: Observing Mold Growth
Big Idea: Fungi are living things that are neither plants nor animals.
Children observe the mold farms they started on their growing medium. They also compare the characteristics of molds and other fungi to the characteristics of plants and animals.
Lesson 22: Playing Bio Bingo
Big Idea: Animals, plants, and fungi are living things.
Children review the three major categories of life they studied: animals, plants, and fungi. They recall and record the living things, and use what they learned to play a game called "Bio Bingo."
Skill Building Activity 1: Using Magnifiers
Big Idea: A magnifying lens makes things look larger than they really are. You can use a magnifying lens to examine objects closely and to see details that you might not see without it.
Children learn how to use a magnifying lens, like the ones supplied in the Science Companion kit. There is also an extension in which children learn how to use a jeweler's loupe.
Skill Building Activity 2: Making Scientific Drawings
Big Idea: A scientific drawing is accurate. It contains details about its subject.
Children look at scientific drawings, identify their characteristics, and discuss how they differ from other types of drawings. They make their own scientific drawings, with a focus on looking closely at and accurately drawing the object.
Skill Building Activity 3: Measuring Small Things
Big Idea: Measurements are not exact. It's all right to round to the nearest unit and say the object is "about ___ units long."
Children practice measuring objects and rounding measurements to the nearest centimeter.
Skill Building Activity 4: Using Balances and Scales
Big Idea: Measuring how much something weighs is a basic scientific skill.
Children compare the weight of various objects using balances and scales. They gain an appreciation and awareness of weight, and strengthen their measuring skills.
Module Overview: Motion (Level 1 -- Physical Science)
Through activities that engage children’s bodies and minds, children move their own bodies in various ways to learn about motion, as well as build ramps, roll toy cars, drop and crash marbles, slide pennies and shoes, and even fly paper airplanes.
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Curriculum SamplesClick below for printable (PDF) samples. |
Module Summary
View a printable (PDF) Unit Summary of the module.
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Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: Searching for Motion
Big Idea: Motion is movement. You can describe an object’s motion by how long it takes, how far the object travels, how fast the object goes, and what path it follows.
Children contemplate what motion is as they become “motion detectives” who search for, identify, and describe motion in their surroundings. They think of words to describe motion and act out a variety of motions with their bodies, incorporating aspects such as distance, time, speed, change in speed, and path of motion in their demonstrations.
Lesson 2: Drawing Motion
Big Idea: Motion is movement. You can describe an object’s motion by how long it takes, how far the object travels, how fast the object goes, and what path it follows.
Children act out different motions with their bodies and then depict motion in a drawing. They try to incorporate some of the components of motion—such as time, distance, speed, and path—in their drawings.
Lesson 3: Observing and Describing the Path of Motion
Big Idea: Motion is movement. You can describe an object’s motion by how long it takes, how far the object travels, how fast the object goes, and what path it follows.
Children focus on the path of motion, using their bodies and a ball to create and describe different paths. By comparing different paths between the same points, they learn that a good description of an object’s motion includes information about its path.
Lesson 4: Conducting Speed Trials
Big Idea: Motion is movement. You can describe an object’s motion by how long it takes, how far the object travels, how fast the object goes, and what path it follows.
Children investigate and compare the speeds of various motions they make with their bodies. They move in different ways (jumping, walking backwards, and crawling) for a fixed amount of time and measure how far they travel doing each motion. Building on this activity, the children compare the speeds of different motions and begin to develop an understanding that speed is determined by factors of time and distance.
Lesson 5: Changing Motion: Starting Things Moving and Changing Direction
Big Idea: The way to change how something moves is to give it a push or a pull.
Children begin an extended study of how forces (pushes and pulls) change an object’s motion. They use toy cars and other props to discover that pushes and pulls are needed to get a still object to start moving. They also learn that pushes and pulls are required to change the direction of an object’s motion, and they contemplate other changes in motion, such as slowing down and speeding up.
Lesson 6: Comparing Big and Small Forces
Big Idea: The way to change how something moves is to give it a push or a pull.
Children explore the effects of forces of varying sizes on the motion of toy cars. They discover that big forces change the motion of toy cars more than little forces do.
Lesson 7: Creating Collisions: Rolling and Bumping
Big Idea: Collisions cause pushes that may change the motion of all the colliding objects.
Children continue their investigation of forces by performing controlled collision experiments with marbles rolling along a track. By varying several factors, the children begin to realize they can change the strength of the forces involved in the collisions. They also identify conditions that make a marble roll partway along a track and those that make it roll all the way to the end of the track.
Lesson 8: Experimenting with Collisions
Big Idea: Collisions cause pushes that may change the motion of all the colliding objects.
Children use the marbles and tracks from Lesson 7 to create controlled collisions and observe the motion of the colliding objects. They design their own collisions, trying to change just one condition at a time.
Lesson 9: Slowing Things Down With Friction
Big Idea: Friction is a force (a pull) that slows down moving objects.
Children study friction by sliding pennies on a variety of surfaces and comparing how far the pennies travel before they stop. Through their explorations, they learn that friction is a force that is always present (though often overlooked) and that different surfaces exhibit different amounts of friction. A common misconception, that moving objects slow down on their own, is also addressed in this lesson.
Lesson 10: Sliding and Sticking: Exploring Friction and Traction
Big Idea: Friction is a force (a pull) that slows down moving objects.
Children continue to investigate friction as they test the amount of traction created by various kinds of shoes. They discover that the degree of traction shoes supply depends on the materials, textures, and tread patterns of the shoes’ soles: there is more traction when there is more friction between the shoe and the surface it is sliding on. They also realize that, although friction is sometimes a nuisance because it slows things down, at other times we rely on friction for just that reason.
Lesson 11: Gravity: Down to Earth
Big Idea: On Earth, gravity is a force that pulls everything down all the time.
Children observe and describe the effects of gravity on their bodies and on falling objects and begin to think about the relationship between weight and the pull of gravity. They draw pictures of what the classroom would look like without gravity to help them realize how universal gravity really is. They also participate in a science talk in which they consider whether gravity is a force.
Lesson 12: Dropping Marbles: More Experimentation With Gravity
Big Idea: On Earth, gravity is a force that pulls everything down all the time.
Children drop marbles of different weights to further explore the effects of gravity. They observe that marbles dropped at the same time always land at the same moment, no matter how much the marbles weigh. The children also see that the heaviest marbles make the biggest holes.
Lesson 13: Motion Madness
Big Idea: Motion is movement. You can describe an object’s motion by how long it takes, how far the object travels, how fast the object goes, and what path it follows. The way to change how something moves is to give it a push or a pull.
Children review important concepts from the Motion Unit as they slide, jump, and experiment with colliding balls. They try to give detailed descriptions of each of the motions used in these activities and consider some of the pushes and pulls (forces) involved. This fun, action-packed lesson can be taught outdoors on the playground or indoors in the gymnasium or another suitable open space.
Skill Building Activity 1: Observing and Describing
Big Idea: Observation is a powerful tool for learning about something. Detailed and accurate descriptions of your observations help you communicate them to others.
Children practice making accurate and detailed descriptions before and after observing a familiar object. In doing so, they discover the importance of careful observation and detailed description in science.
Skill Building Activity 2: Using Balances and Scales
Big Idea: Measuring how much something weighs is a basic scientific skill.
Children compare the weight of various objects using balances and scales. They gain an appreciation and awareness of weight, and strengthen their measuring skills.
Module Overview: Weather (Level 1 -- Physical Science)
One day students learn to use a thermometer to record temperature, another day they measure rainfall or investigate the nature of ice. Throughout the year, students use their senses as well as scientific tools to discover that weather is a dynamic and sometimes unpredictable part of nature.
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Curriculum SamplesClick below for printable (PDF) samples. |
Module Summary
View a printable (PDF) Unit Summary of the module.
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Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: What Is Weather?
Big Idea: Weather is how the sky looks and feels.
Children look at pictures of various types of weather, talk about their perceptions of weather, and listen to weather poems. The class writes a weather poem and develops a definition of weather.
Lesson 2: What Is a Meteorologist?
Big Idea: Weather is how the sky looks and feels. A meteorologist observes, measures, describes, and records the weather.
Children learn about some symbols and descriptive terms commonly used by meteorologists. A class meteorologist starts recording daily weather observations on a class weather calendar.
Lesson 3: Using a Thermometer
Big Idea: Weather is measurable.
Children use thermometers to measure temperature. They learn how to read a thermometer color scale, and practice using it by measuring the temperature of their hands and the air.
Lesson 4: Measuring Temperature
Big Idea: Weather is measurable.
Children measure water and air temperatures to practice reading the thermometer color scale. The class meteorologist begins recording the outdoor temperature on the weather calendar.
Lesson 5: The Sun Warms
Big Idea: Weather is measurable. The sun plays a role in weather.
Children think about the sun’s role in weather, focusing on how sunlight illuminates and warms. They measure temperature and observe ice cubes melt to compare shady and sunny spots.
Lesson 6: Discovering Weather Patterns: September
Big Idea: We notice weather patterns by observing, measuring, and graphing weather over time.
Children record and analyze the daily weather observations compiled from September’s class weather calendar. They also learn to use sky observation data to make a bar graph.
Lesson 7: Measuring Rain
Big Idea: Water, in its many forms, plays a role in the weather.
Children consider the role of water in weather and measure rainfall with a rain gauge. They use their rain observations to summarize the day’s weather, and look at a model of annual rainfall.
Lesson 8: Clouds in the Sky
Big Idea: Water, in its many forms, plays a role in the weather.
The children consider how clouds are made. They look at a cloud chart and make models of the three basic cloud shapes -- cumulus, cirrus, and stratus.
Lesson 9: Water Freezes: Ice
Big Idea: Water, in its many forms, plays a role in the weather.
Understanding how water changes -- from liquid to solid and back again -- is essential to understanding weather. In this lesson, the children place small items in cups of water and observe what happens when they freeze them.
Lesson 10: Water Melts
Big Idea: Water, in its many forms, plays a role in the weather.
The children explore ways of melting the ice from Lesson 9. They practice thermometer skills by measuring the temperature of the ice and the water as it melts.
Lesson 11: Discovering Weather Patterns: October
Big Idea: We notice weather patterns by observing, measuring, and graphing weather over time.
Children record and analyze the daily weather observations compiled from October’s class weather calendar. They make two bar graphs: sky observations and temperature colors.
Lesson 12: Water Goes Into the Air
Big Idea: Water, in its many forms, plays a role in the weather.
Understanding how water changes -- in this lesson from liquid to vapor and back again -- helps us understand weather. Children explore the unfamiliar idea that water can be a part of the air, an invisible gas called water vapor. They are introduced to the idea by watching liquid water disappear into the air as it evaporates.
Lesson 13: Water Comes Out of the Air
Big Idea: Water, in its many forms, plays a role in the weather.
Children continue to explore the idea that water can be a part of the air. They watch as water condenses out of the air and forms droplets on cold surfaces.
Lesson 14: Exploring Dew
Big Idea: Water, in its many forms, plays a role in the weather.
The children investigate the phenomenon of condensation outdoors by taking a morning dew walk. They discuss where the liquid water came from.
Lesson 15: Catching Dew
Big Idea: Water, in its many forms, plays a role in the weather.
Children review their theories of dew formation and set up "dew catchers." They monitor the dew catchers and develop a more sophisticated understanding of where dew comes from.
Lesson 16: Discovering Weather Patterns: November
Big Idea: We notice weather patterns by observing, measuring, and graphing weather over time.
Children record and analyze the daily weather observations compiled from November’s class weather calendar. They expand their data collection and analysis to include precipitation data.
Lesson 17: Water Freezes: Frost
Big Idea: Water, in its many forms, plays a role in the weather.
Children create frost and observe the conditions conducive to its formation. They learn that frost, like dew, comes out of the air, but that it forms as tiny ice crystals rather than water droplets.
Lesson 18: Water Freezes: Snow
Big Idea: Water, in its many forms, plays a role in the weather.
The children look at snowflakes in photomicrographs and in photographs or drawings. They observe how snowflakes form in six-sided (hexagonal) or six-pointed patterns of many designs and make their own representations of snowflakes from paper and pattern blocks. If snow is available, children observe preserved and fresh snowflakes and compare the volume of snow to the volume of melted snow.
Lessons 19 -- 21: Discovering Weather Patterns: December -- February
Big Idea: We notice weather patterns by observing, measuring, and graphing weather over time.
Children record and analyze the daily weather observations compiled from each month’s class weather calendar. In addition to sky observations and temperature data, they record and analyze precipitation data.
Lesson 22: Air Surrounds Us
Big Idea: Air plays a role in the weather. Air surrounds us, and takes up space.
Children investigate some of the properties of air. They observe a demonstration of how air fills the "empty" space in a bottle, and experiment with air trapped inside objects and plastic bags.
Lesson 23: Observing Wind
Big Idea: Air plays a role in the weather. Wind is a moving flow of air.
Children go outdoors to experience wind and observe the direction of the wind. They are also introduced to the concept of the four cardinal directions.
Lesson 24: Making Wind Tools
Big Idea: Air plays a role in the weather. Wind is a moving flow of air.
The children discuss how people use various tools to learn about the wind. They make tools that can measure wind strength and speed.
Lesson 25: Measuring Wind
Big Idea: Air plays a role in the weather. Wind is a moving flow of air.
Children sense and measure wind speed, strength, and direction using the tools they made in the previous lesson. They learn several different categories of wind speed.
Lesson 26 -- 28: Discovering Weather Patterns: March -- May
Big Idea: We notice weather patterns by observing, measuring, and graphing weather over time.
Children record and analyze the daily weather observations compiled from each month’s class weather calendar.
Lesson 29: Discovering Weather Patterns for the Year
Big Idea: We notice weather patterns by observing, measuring, and graphing weather over time.
Children compile their weather data and reflect on overall patterns over the months and seasons.
Skill Building Activity 1: Using a Compass
Big Idea: A compass can be used to find north and other directions.
This skill building activity teaches children how to read a compass to find north, and from there to determine the other cardinal directions.
Skill Building Activity 2: Reading Number Scales on Thermometers
Big Idea: Number scales give precise temperature measurements.
Children become familiar with the numbers and marks on their thermometers. They relate the color scale to numbers on the number scale, and then practice reading just the number scale. Teach this skill building activity to individual children as they are ready, or to the whole class.
Skill Building Activity 3: Using Magnifiers
Big Idea: A magnifying lens makes things look larger than they really are. You can use a magnifying lens to examine objects closely and to see details that you might not see without it.
Children learn how to use a magnifying lens, like the ones supplied in the Science Companion kit. There is also an extension in which children learn how to use a jeweler’s loupe.
Module Overview: Life Cycles (Level 2 -- Life Science)
From watching a pea sprout to feeding apples to butterflies, children closely study four organisms, including humans, to observe the remarkable growth and change that living things experience during their life spans.
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Curriculum SamplesClick below for printable (PDF) samples. |
Module Summary
View a printable (PDF) Unit Summary of the module.
View ExploraGear and Classroom Supplies.
Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: Introduction to Life Cycles
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and eventually, dying.
Children are introduced to the Life Cycles Unit. They brainstorm the concept of a cycle and discuss some of the cycles in their own lives. They also create a life-cycle diagram for a human.
Lesson 2: Exploring Life Cycles and Spans
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and eventually, dying.
Children look at organisms pictured with their offspring. They notice that many offspring resemble their parents, while others do not. The children complete life cycle diagrams for a bean, a frog, and a sheep, and explore the concept that life spans of living things vary.
Lesson 3: Humans -- Life Cycles and Generations
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. The stages of the human life cycle repeat from one generation to the next.
Children identify the human life stages portrayed in a family reunion photograph and recreate the life cycles of a grandmother, mother, and daughter.
Lesson 4: Humans -- Life Cycles and Generations (Interview)
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. The stages of the human life cycle repeat from one generation to the next.
Children interview classroom guests from their parents' and grandparents' generations, using questions prepared in advance. During the interview process, the children develop a sense of the passage of time inherent to generations.
Lesson 5: Trees -- Fall Observations
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Physical growth and change are natural parts of the tree life cycle.
Children use their senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch to observe a class tree. They predict how the tree and its surroundings might grow or change during their yearlong tree study.
Lesson 6: Trees -- Fall Measurements
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Physical growth and change are natural parts of the tree life cycle.
Children take baseline measurements of the class tree in order to track its physical growth from the fall to the spring.
Lesson 7: Humans -- Measuring My Physical Growth (Fall)
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Rapid physical growth is a natural part of the human life cycle until adulthood.
Children take baseline measurements of themselves in order to track their physical growth from the fall to the spring.
Lesson 8: Humans -- Measuring My Intellectual Growth (Fall)
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Intellectual growth is a natural part of the human life cycle.
Children learn that making new connections in the brain is the basis for intellectual growth. They explore a food sample and map out on a brain diagram the connections being made in their brains as they explore.
Lesson 9: Humans -- Survival Needs
Big Idea: Humans, like all animals, need food, water, air, shelter, security, and healthy sanitary conditions in order to survive. Humans also have emotional, social, and intellectual needs.
Children consider the basic survival needs of all animals as they design an adventure and explain how particular needs would be met. They recognize the basic needs of all animals as well as the needs humans have above and beyond these basic needs.
Lesson 10: Trees -- Growth Rings
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Trees are more likely to survive and thrive in each stage of their life cycle when their survival needs are met.
Children examine a cross section of a tree and learn how to determine its age. They observe that the distance between tree rings varies and speculate about the reasons why.
Lesson 11: Trees -- Winter Observations
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Physical growth and change are natural parts of the tree life cycle.
Children discuss how the weather during winter might affect the tree, and make observations of the tree and its surroundings. They also discuss the concept of dormancy.
Lesson 12: Seed to Seed -- Examining and Planting Seeds
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Seeds are an important stage in the life cycle of a plant.
Children begin a study of the life cycle of a pea plant. They examine seeds and learn about seed germination. They identify the parts of a seed that are instrumental to growth and plant seeds that they will observe over the next two months.
Lesson 13: Seed to Seed -- Transplanting and Stressing Sprouts
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Plants are more likely to survive and thrive in each stage of the life cycle when their survival needs are met.
Children transplant pea sprouts and begin tracking the plants' growth in both an optimal and a stressful environment.
Lesson 14: Butterflies -- Baby Caterpillars
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Caterpillars are an important stage in the butterfly life cycle.
Children begin studying the life cycle of butterflies. They observe, measure, and draw young caterpillars. They also start a life span calendar for the caterpillars that turn into butterflies.
Lesson 15: Butterflies -- Larger Caterpillars
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Physical growth and change are natural parts of the butterfly life cycle.
Children become more familiar with caterpillars: how they look, how they move, and how they behave. The children watch caterpillars eating and observe their limbs and locomotion. They also learn the caterpillar's basic body parts.
Lesson 16: Trees -- Spring Observations
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Physical growth and change are natural parts of the tree life cycle.
Children discuss how spring weather affects the tree, and make observations of the tree and its surrounding environment. They also discuss the stages of a tree's life cycle, and identify the likely stage of the class tree.
Lesson 17: Butterflies -- Chrysalises
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Chrysalises are an important stage in the butterfly life cycle.
Children observe the pupa stage of the life cycle of butterflies. They continue their observations and discussions of the butterfly life cycle, with an emphasis on the concept of metamorphosis.
Lesson 18: Seed to Seed -- Looking at Flowers
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Flowers are an important stage in the pea plant life cycle.
Children consider the part the flower plays in the life cycle of a plant. They review the parts of the flower to understand how it plays a critical role in seed formation.
Lesson 19: Trees -- Spring Measurements
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Physical growth and change are natural parts of the tree life cycle.
Children take final measurements of the class tree and calculate its physical growth since the beginning of the school year.
Lesson 20: Trees -- Study Results
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. A tree has multiple annual cycles within its life cycle.
Children culminate their yearlong study of the class tree by illustrating the annual cycle of a deciduous tree and attaching it to a "Life Cycle of a Tree" poster. They discuss how the poster reveals the many annual cycles that occur within a single life cycle of a deciduous tree.
Lesson 21: Butterflies -- Adult Butterflies
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. The adult is the final stage in the butterfly life cycle.
Children explore the final stage in the metamorphosis of the butterfly -- the adult. They examine the eating behavior and physical features of the adult butterfly, and then compare and contrast these characteristics with those of the caterpillar.
Lesson 22: Butterflies -- Generations
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. The adult butterfly may reproduce and lay eggs that hatch to create the next generation.
Children continue to learn about adult butterflies. They observe butterfly eggs and discover the birth of a second generation as caterpillars hatch and the life cycle repeats.
Lesson 23: Seed to Seed -- Observing Fruits and Seeds
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Fruits are the final stage in the pea plant life cycle.
Children examine the fruits that developed on the class pea plants as well as a wide range of other fruits. They learn that the ovary is the part of the flower that develops into the fruit and reflect on the life cycle of the pea plant.
Lesson 24: Humans -- Measuring My Physical Growth (Spring)
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Rapid physical growth is a natural part of the human life cycle until adulthood.
Children take final measurements and calculate their physical growth since the beginning of the school year.
Lesson 25: Humans -- Measuring My Intellectual Growth (Spring)
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and, eventually, dying. Intellectual growth is a natural part of the human life cycle.
The children review their new science understandings and skills they've learned over the school year. They demonstrate the skill they selected in the fall and practiced all year.
Lesson 26: Comparing Cycles
Big Idea: All living organisms have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and eventually, dying.
Children create a "Who Am I?" guessing game using information that they recorded about the life spans, survival needs, and types of changes that humans, trees, pea plants, and butterflies undergo as they grow.
Skill Building Activity 1: Measuring Length and Circumference
Big Idea: You can measure the length of different sides of an object, or the distance around an object, or both, depending on its shape. Measurements are not exact; it's alright to round up or down to the nearest unit and say the object is "about . . . units long."
The children practice measuring the length and circumference of objects and rounding them to the nearest centimeter.
Skill Building Activity 2: Observing and Describing
Big Idea: Observation is a powerful tool for learning about something, and detailed and accurate descriptions help you communicate your observations.
Children practice making accurate and detailed descriptions before and after observing an object.
Skill Building Activity 3: Using Magnifiers
Big Idea: A magnifying lens makes things look larger than they really are. You can use a magnifying lens to examine objects closely and to see details that you might not see without it.
Children learn how to use a magnifying lens, like the ones supplied in the Science Companion kit. There is also an extension in which children learn how to use a jeweler's loupe.
Module Overview: Sound (Level 2 -- Physical Science)
Whether making water ripple with a tuning fork or building their own musical instruments, children explore the world around them to investigate the sounds that permeate their lives.
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Curriculum SamplesClick below for printable (PDF) samples. |
Module Summary
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Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: Searching for Sound
Big Idea: Sounds are produced by sources all around us. You can describe sounds in a variety of ways.
Children focus on listening carefully and making detailed descriptions of sounds as they become "sound detectives" who search for, identify, and describe sounds in their surroundings.
Lesson 2: What Makes Sound?
Big Idea: All sounds are made by vibrations.
Children explore ideas about how sound is produced. They learn what a vibration is, and that all sounds are produced by vibrations. They vibrate different materials to make a variety of sounds.
Lesson 3: Sound Travels Through Many Things
Big Idea: Sound travels through air and other materials. Sound travels through some materials better than others.
Children establish that sound travels through air. They experiment with sound traveling through different materials, and discover that some substances conduct sound better than others.
Lesson 4: How Sound Travels
Big Idea: Sound travels by causing vibrations in the air or in other materials.
Children demonstrate how the vibration of a sound source can cause vibrations of other materials. This activity is the basis for a basic explanation and discussion of how sound travels.
Lesson 5: Sound Through a String
Big Idea: Sound travels by causing vibrations in the air or in other materials.
Children send secret messages over cup-and-string telephones to explore sound vibrations and sound transmission. While experimenting, they find several ways to affect sound transmission.
Lesson 6: Ears Hear
Big Idea: Sound travels by causing vibrations in the air or in other materials. The shape and parts of the ear allow sound to travel through it so we can hear.
Children enact how sound travels through the three main parts of the ear.
Lesson 7: Exploring Pitch
Big Idea: All sounds are made by vibrations. Changing the vibrations changes the sounds.
Children describe sounds that have different pitches, identify which parts of sound-producing materials vibrate to make a sound, and reflect on the relationship between vibration and pitch.
Lesson 8: Exploring Volume
Big Idea: All sounds are made by vibrations. Changing the vibrations changes the sounds.
Children experiment with different materials to change the volume of sounds, and amplify sounds with a "sound box" and "sound tube." They identify materials that vibrate to make a sound, and consider the relationship between vibration and volume.
Lesson 9: Designing Musical Instruments
Big Idea: You can apply what you know about sound and vibration to design and build musical instruments that can change pitch and volume.
Children apply their knowledge of sound and vibration by using a variety of common materials to design percussion, wind, or stringed instruments that can change pitch and volume.
Lesson 10: Building Musical Instruments
Big Idea: You can apply what you know about sound and vibration to design and build musical instruments that can change pitch and volume.
Children experiment with various materials to build their musical instruments. They redesign their instruments, if necessary, and discuss problems they have implementing their designs.
Lesson 11: Refining Musical Instruments
Big Idea: You can apply what you know about sound and vibration to design and build musical instruments that can change pitch and volume.
Children evaluate, refine and, if necessary, redesign their musical instruments.
Lesson 12: Sharing Instruments
Big Idea: You can apply what you know about sound and vibration to design and build musical instruments that can change pitch and volume.
Children demonstrate their musical instruments, explain what features vibrate to produce sound, and show how to change the pitch and volume. They reflect on the design and building process.
Skill Building Activity 1: Observing and Describing
Big Idea: Observation is a powerful tool for learning about something, and detailed and accurate descriptions help you communicate your observations.
Children practice making accurate and detailed descriptions before and after observing a familiar object.
Module Overview: Rocks (Level 2 -- Earth Science)
One day children examine fossils, another day they might test minerals. As children collect, examine, describe, and experiment with rocks, minerals and fossils, they hone their observation skills and begin to unravel the puzzle of what rocks are and how they are formed.
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Module Summary
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Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: What Is a Rock?
Big Idea: What makes a rock a rock?
Children are introduced to the topics of rocks and geology as they sort a collection of rocks and non-rock objects, some of which may be difficult to classify. They discuss what makes a rock a rock and begin a class list of things they know and want to learn about rocks.
Lesson 2: Properties of Rocks
Big Idea: You can learn a lot about an object (a rock or a mineral) by carefully observing and describing its properties.
Children generate a list of rock properties and then describe and record the properties of a single rock. They sort rocks according to different properties, noting similarities and differences among the collection. They use field guides to identify rocks and find out more about their properties.
Lesson 3: Where Do Rocks Come From?
Big Idea: The earth forms and changes rocks. Some of a rock's properties are a result of how it was formed.
Children are introduced to the three main groups of rocks -- igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic -- and learn about the processes that formed them. They visit three stations, one devoted to each group, and look for rocks that display typical characteristics of that type of rock.
Lesson 4: Rocks Are Made of Minerals
Big Idea: Rocks are made of minerals. Some of a rock's properties are a result of the properties of the minerals it is made of.
Children learn that all rocks are made of minerals. They examine a piece of granite and identify the minerals commonly found in it. They consider how a rock's minerals affect its properties.
Lesson 5: Properties of Minerals
Big Idea: You can learn a lot about an object (a rock or a mineral) by carefully observing and describing its properties. Rocks are made of minerals. Some of a rock's properties are a result of the properties of the minerals it is made of.
Children separate rocks from minerals and begin to explore mineral properties. Each child describes and records some of the properties of a single mineral.
Lesson 6: More Properties of Minerals
Big Idea: You can learn a lot about an object (a rock or a mineral) by carefully observing and describing its properties. Rocks are made of minerals. Some of a rock's properties are a result of the properties of the minerals it is made of.
Children continue exploring the properties of their minerals by trying some tests to determine mineral hardness and streak.
Lesson 7: Minerals as Resources
Big Idea: Minerals provide many of the resources we use.
Children play a game to set the stage for realizing that many objects are made from minerals or mineral products. They conduct a mineral scavenger hunt that reinforces the idea that minerals are important resources.
Lesson 8: Introduction to Fossils
Big Idea: Fossils are rocks that contain evidence of ancient life.
Children examine several fossils and compare them to similar present-day objects. They learn that nearly all fossils are rocks that preserve the shapes and textures of former plants and animals, but generally don't contain any original organic material.
Lesson 9: Mold and Cast Fossils
Big Idea: Fossils are rocks that contain evidence of ancient life. Different types of fossils form in different ways.
Children examine and compare mold and cast fossils. They make models of fossils using small objects, "rock dough," and "rock goo" to learn about how each type of fossil forms in nature.
Lesson 10: Petrified Fossils
Big Idea: Fossils are rocks that contain evidence of ancient life. Different types of fossils form in different ways.
Children discuss how petrified fossils form. They use a mineral-rich solution and sponges to make models of petrified "bones." They excavate their model fossils and compare them with control "bones" treated with plain water.
Lesson 11: A Rock of My Own
Big Idea: You can learn a lot about an object (a rock or a mineral) by carefully observing and describing its properties.
Children culminate their study of rocks and minerals by choosing a rock and creating a book to describe the characteristics that make their rock special.
Skill Building Activity 1: Using Magnifiers
Big Idea: A magnifying lens makes things look larger than they really are. You can use a magnifying lens to examine objects closely and to see details that you might not see without it.
Children learn how to use a magnifying lens, like the ones supplied in the Science Companion kit. There is also an extension in which children learn how to use a jeweler's loupe.
Skill Building Activity 2: Observing and Describing
Big Idea: Observation is a powerful tool for learning about something, and detailed and accurate descriptions help you communicate your observations.
Children practice making accurate and detailed descriptions before and after observing an object.
Skill Building Activity 3: Using Field Guides
Big Idea: You can use a field guide to learn about and identify things in the natural world.
Children learn how to use a field guide to identify and learn about a specimen. This lesson can be done with any type of field guide or specimen.
Module Overview: Habitats (Level 3 -- Life Science)
From going on a nature walk to dissecting owl pellets, children are asked to think about how organisms (plants, animals, fungi, and microscopic living things) survive in the places they live, and how they interact with other living things.
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Module Summary
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Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: What's My Habitat
Big Idea: All organisms have basic survival needs: air, food, water, protection, and space. A habitat is the place where an organism gets everything it needs to survive.
Children discuss items they prepare for an imaginary trip, and learn the difference between wants and needs. They evaluate their habitat by sharing how their own basic survival needs are met.
Lesson 2: Who Needs an Oak Tree?
Big Idea: Many organisms share an environment and interact because their habitats overlap.
Children discuss a story about an oak tree and all of the organisms that use the tree in different ways. They place drawings of the organisms on a class mural of an oak tree.
Lesson 3: How a Bird Feeds
Big Idea: Organisms have characteristics that make it possible for them to survive in their habitat.
Children use different tools ("bird bills") to retrieve different types of "bird food." Children experience how different types of bird bills help birds survive in their particular habitats.
Lesson 4: Bird Features
Big Idea: Organisms have characteristics that make it possible for them to survive in their habitat.
Children play a game to figure out which physical characteristics are most likely to belong to birds that live in certain habitats and eat certain foods. In the process, they build their classification skills.
Lesson 5: Owl Food
Big Idea: Many organisms share an environment and interact because their habitats overlap.
Children identify the organisms an owl ate by looking at the skeletal remains in an owl pellet. They try to identify the owl's habitat from what they know about the organisms in its diet.
Lesson 6: Habitat Walk, Habitat Talk: Birds
Big Idea: Organisms have characteristics that make it possible for them to survive in their habitat.
The children observe birds in their local habitat, if possible. They focus on the physical characteristics and behavior of the birds.
Lesson 7: Who Needs a Saguaro?
Big Idea: Many organisms share an environment and interact because their habitats overlap.
Children listen to a book about a saguaro cactus. They discuss how the saguaro resembles an oak tree in the ways that animals use it as part of their habitat and how it differs in other ways.
Lesson 8: How a Cactus Survives
Big Idea: Organisms have characteristics that make it possible for them to survive in their habitat.
Children observe characteristics of a living cactus plant. They compare and contrast the cactus' appearance and functions with other plants, focusing on how different plants retain water.
Lesson 9: Habitat Walk, Habitat Talk: Plants
Big Idea: Many organisms share an environment and interact because their habitats overlap.
Children observe local plants, focusing on the plants' physical characteristics, and learning how local animals depend on the plants.
Lesson 10: What is a Biome?
Big Idea: A biome is a large geographic area that contains many habitats.
Children discuss the difference between a biome (a large geographical area) and a habitat (the place where a particular organism meets its survival needs).
Lesson 11: Researching a Biome
Big Idea: A biome is a large geographic area that contains many habitats.
Children use print and electronic resources to research the characteristics of one of Earth's major biomes. In subsequent lessons they design organisms that could survive in that biome.
Lesson 12: Designing Organisms
Big Idea: You can use what you know about a habitat and a biome to design imaginary organisms that might be able to survive there.
Children collaborate in pairs to design an imaginary animal and plant that share a habitat within the biome they researched.
Lesson 13: Developing an Assessment Rubric
Big Idea: It's useful to have criteria when designing a project.
Children practice using a rubric to evaluate a sample assignment. They collaborate to develop a class assessment rubric that defines what they should include in their animal and plant designs.
Lesson 14: Refining and Modeling Organism Designs
Big Idea: You can use what you know about a habitat and a biome to design imaginary organisms that might be able to survive there.
Groups review one another's organism designs and suggest improvements. Students refine their designs and draw a pictorial model of their imaginary animal and plant organisms.
Lesson 15: Presenting Organism Designs
Big Idea: You can use what you know about a habitat and a biome to design imaginary organisms that might be able to survive there.
Children present their imaginary animal and plant to the class. They share background information about the biome the organisms inhabit, present their models, and explain all the survival characteristics their organisms have that make them well-suited to live in their habitat.
Lesson 16: The Human Habitat
Big Idea: All organisms have basic survival needs: air, food, water, protection, and space. A habitat is the place where an organism gets everything it needs to survive. Many organisms share an environment and interact because their habitats overlap.
Children re-examine their personal habitat and determine how far it extends. They recognize that the human habitat can be global. They also discuss the good and bad habitat changes humans sometimes cause while satisfying their wants and needs.
Skill Building Activity: Using Models in Science
Big Idea: Scientists use models to represent things that are too big, small, fast, slow, far away, or dangerous to observe in the real world.
Children study various types of models and learn how they are used in science. They also make models of their own.
Skill Building Activity: Using Field Guides
Big Idea: You can use a field guide to learn about and identify things in the natural world.
Children learn how to use a field guide to identify and learn about a specimen. This lesson can be done with any type of field guide or specimen.
Module Overview: Light (Level 3 -- Physical Science)
Whether watching light "bend" a pencil in water or building a periscope, the combination of hands-on, multi-sensory learning enables children to understand what light is, how it behaves, and why it makes sight possible.
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Curriculum SamplesClick below for printable (PDF) samples. |
Module Summary
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Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: Light Is Everywhere
Big Idea: Light is all around us. If you can see something, then light must be present.
Through a science talk, children examine how they sense light and how they think light moves from place to place. They also draw models, which they refer back to at the end of the unit, that show their ideas about the behavior of light.
Lesson 2: Light and Dark
Big Idea: Light is all around us. If you can see something, then light must be present.
The children examine sources of light and attempt to create total darkness in their classroom. The difficulty of creating an absence of light provides a context for exploring how light travels.
Lesson 3: The Path of Light
Big Idea: Light travels in straight lines. It moves outward in all directions from a source until it hits something.
Children explore how light travels by observing a light beam pass through a cloudy solution, and by creating a model that simulates its straight path.
Lesson 4: Light Bounces
Big Idea: When light hits something, one or more of these three things can happen: the light can bounce off the object, go through it, or be absorbed by it.
Children investigate what happens when light bounces, or reflects, off things. They learn that when light hits an object, it can bounce directly back, creating a mirror-like reflection, or bounce in many directions and scatter.
Lesson 5: Light and the Eye
Big Idea: The eye detects light. You see when light comes into your eye.
Children consider how the eye reacts to differences in light. They learn that we are able to see things because light bounces off of objects and into our eyes. They also observe that the more light there is, the easier it is to see.
Lesson 6: Modeling How Light Travels
Big Idea: Light travels in straight lines. It moves outward in all directions from a source until it hits something. When light hits something, one or more of these three things can happen: the light can bounce off the object, go through it, or be absorbed by it.
Children manipulate periscopes to observe a variety of objects. They consider how the model of reflecting light presented in Lesson 4 applies to their periscope observations.
Lesson 7: Light and Materials
Big Idea: When light hits something, one or more of these three things can happen: the light can bounce off the object, go through it, or be absorbed by it.
Children investigate how much light can "go through" different materials. They experiment with a variety of opaque, transparent, and translucent materials to compare how much light passes through each material.
Lesson 8: Opaque Materials
Big Idea: When light hits something, one or more of these three things can happen: the light can bounce off the object, go through it, or be absorbed by it.
Children learn that opaque materials reflect light, absorb light, or both. They compare opaque materials that reflect light to materials that absorb light. They also discover that sometimes an opaque material can be changed into a translucent material by altering its thickness.
Lesson 9: Transparent Materials
Big Idea: When light hits something, one or more of these three things can happen: the light can bounce off the object, go through it, or be absorbed by it. When light goes through a transparent object, it either goes straight through or changes directions.
Children experiment with transparent materials and gain a deeper understanding that light passes through these materials. They think about how transparent objects reflect light, enabling us to see them. In addition, they see examples of how light can change directions.
Lesson 10: Another Look at Light
Big Idea: Light travels in straight lines. It moves outward in all directions from a source until it hits something. When light hits something, one or more of these three things can happen: the light can bounce off the object, go through it, or be absorbed by it. You see when light comes into your eye.
The children re-evaluate the models of light they drew in Lesson 1. They review their questions about light and reflect on their understanding of light. Using this information, they generate a list of criteria for making models of light, which they use to revise their own initial models.
Lesson 11: Light Extravaganza
Big Idea: Light travels in straight lines. It moves outward in all directions from a source until it hits something. When light hits something, one or more of these three things can happen: the light can bounce off the object, go through it, or be absorbed by it. You see when light comes into your eye.
Children role-play two different scenarios that model the behavior of light. While providing an opportunity for children to apply their understanding of light kinesthetically, this lesson also functions as an in-class, summative assessment of the unit.
Skill Building Activity: Using Models in Science
Big Idea: Scientists use models to represent things that are too big, small, fast, slow, far away, or dangerous to observe in the real world.
Children study various types of models and learn how they are used in science. They also make models of their own.
Module Overview: Our Solar System (Level 3 -- Earth Science)
One day children chart the moon's cycles, another day they might make a scale model of our solar system. By observing the world around them, they address questions such as "Why are there seasons?" and "Why does the moon appear to change shape?"
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Module Summary
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Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: Daytime and Nighttime
Big Idea: The sun appears to travel through the sky in a predictable daily pattern.
A science talk that explores children's ideas about the reasons for daytime and nighttime.
Lesson 2: A Sense of Sun
Big Idea: The sun appears to travel through the sky in a predictable daily pattern.
Children use their senses to experience the sun. They consider the sun as Earth's source of light and think about the effect sunlight has on Earth in terms of heat and shadows.
Lesson 3: Watching the Sun for a Day
Big Idea: The sun appears to travel through the sky in a predictable daily pattern.
Children observe the sun several times throughout the day and discern how it seems to move across the sky. In addition, they learn about the variables, such as landmarks and shadows, needed to make accurate observations of the sun.
Lesson 4: The Sun in Fall: Data Collection
Big Idea: The sun appears to travel through the sky in a predictable daily pattern. The apparent path of the sun across the sky changes slowly over a year.
The children use scientific tools to observe shadows and record the sun's position several times during the day. They collect data they will compare to data collected in winter and spring.
Lesson 5: Modeling the Sun in Fall
Big Idea: The sun appears to travel through the sky in a predictable daily pattern. The apparent path of the sun across the sky changes slowly over a year.
Children use flashlights with the sky dome and shadow-recording tool to model the sun's position in the sky throughout the day.
Lesson 6: Our Models of Daytime and Nighttime
Big Idea: The sun appears to travel through the sky in a predictable daily pattern. The sun's daily pattern can be explained by the rotation of Earth.
Children create models that help explain their observations of daytime, nighttime and the sun's apparent movement across the sky during the daytime. They begin to understand that daytime and nighttime are caused by Earth's rotation on its axis.
Lesson 7: Earth Rotates
Big Idea: The sun appears to travel through the sky in a predictable daily pattern. The sun's daily pattern can be explained by the rotation of Earth.
The children use models to discern that the rotation of Earth explains their observations of daytime and nighttime and the apparent movement of the sun across the sky.
Lesson 8: Class Astronomer
Big Idea: The length of daylight slowly changes over the year.
Children collect sunrise and sunset data on a daily, then weekly, basis and calculate elapsed time to determine the length of daylight for each day. They record the data collected and begin to look for patterns as the year progresses.
Lesson 9: Watching the Moon for a Day
Big Idea: Like the sun, the moon appears to move across the sky daily. Sometimes you can see the moon during the day.
Children observe the moon multiple times on a single day and discern how it appears to move across the sky.
Lesson 10: Watching the Moon for a Month
Big Idea: The observable shape of the moon changes from day to day. The moon's cycle takes about a month.
Children learn how to conduct daily observations of the moon and record its shape over one lunar cycle.
Lesson 11: Wondering About the Moon
Big Idea: Wondering about the world leads to scientific investigations and research.
Children wonder about the moon and create a "K-W-P-L" (Know-Want to Know-Predict-Learned) of their ideas. They also think of strategies for researching their ideas about the moon.
Lesson 12: The Moon's Cycle
Big Idea: The observable shape of the moon changes from day to day in a predictable pattern. The moon's cycle takes about a month.
The children review and reflect on the moon phase data they collected over the previous month. They also record their current ideas about what they think causes the moon's cycle.
Lesson 13: Modeling the Moon's Cycle
Big Idea: The moon's shape seems to change from day to day because we see different views of the moon's sun-lit portion as the moon orbits around Earth. The moon's cycle takes about a month, the time it takes for the moon to orbit Earth.
Children practice using a model that explains the cause of the moon's cycle.
Lesson 14: The Sun in Winter: Data Collection
Big Idea: The apparent path of the sun across the sky changes slowly over a year. The length of daylight slowly changes over the year.
Children look at how the sun's apparent path across the sky has changed since their observations in the fall. They observe shadows and record the sun's position several times during the day.
Lesson 15: The Sun in Winter: Modeling and Comparing
Big Idea: The apparent path of the sun across the sky changes slowly over a year. The length of daylight slowly changes over the year.
Children use a flashlight with the sky dome and shadow-recording tool to model the sun's apparent path across the sky throughout the day. This exploration compares and contrasts data collected in the fall and the winter.
Lesson 16: The Sun in Spring: Data Collection
Big Idea: The apparent path of the sun across the sky changes slowly over a year. The length of daylight slowly changes over the year.
Children again use tools to record the sun's position several times during a day.
Lesson 17: The Sun in Spring: Modeling and Comparing
Big Idea: The apparent path of the sun across the sky changes slowly over a year. The length of daylight slowly changes over the year.
Children use a flashlight with the sky dome and shadow-recording tool to model the sun's apparent path across the sky throughout the day. This exploration compares and contrasts data collected in the fall, winter, and spring.
Lesson 18: Predicting the Sun in Summer
Big Idea: The apparent path of the sun across the sky changes slowly over a year. The length of daylight slowly changes over the year.
Children compile all the daylight data they collected over the past six months on a line graph. They then compare the graph to all the other information they collected and make an educated prediction about the sun's pattern in summer.
Lesson 19: Modeling Earth's Orbit Around the Sun
Big Idea: The sun's annual pattern is the result of Earth orbiting the sun once a year.
Children model the yearly orbit of Earth around the sun. They become aware of the tilt of the globe, and consider how Earth's tilt relates to changes in the length of daylight and height of the sun in the sky throughout the year.
Lesson 20: Relative Sizes of the Sun, Moon, and Earth
Big Idea: The sun is a star like all other stars. The sun is the center of our solar system, and Earth is one of nine planets that orbit it.
Children view the comparative sizes of scale models of Earth, the moon, and the sun.
Lesson 21: Wondering About Our Solar System and Beyond
Big Idea: The sun is the center of our solar system, and Earth is one of nine planets that orbit it.
The children wonder about the solar system and create a class "K-W-P-L" (Know-Want to Know-Predict-Learned) chart of their ideas about the solar system and what lies beyond it.
Lesson 22: Stars Outside Our Solar System
Big Idea: The sun is a star like all other stars. Like the sun appears to move across a daytime sky, the stars appear to move across the nighttime sky because Earth rotates on its axis.
After reviewing that the sun is in the center of our solar system, children focus on how stars appear to move across the nighttime sky and discover why we don't see stars during the daytime. This lesson is the first of two that address stars outside our solar system.
Lesson 23: Stars and Planets
Big Idea: The sun is a star like all other stars. The sun is the center of our solar system, and Earth is one of nine planets that orbit it. Like the sun appears to move across a daytime sky, the stars appear to move across the nighttime sky because Earth rotates on its axis.
Children study several pictures of planets and their changing positions against a stable background of stars.
Lesson 24: Researching the Planets
Big Idea: Nine planets orbit around our sun. Each planet has unique characteristics that distinguish it from other planets.
To continue learning about objects in our solar system, children use print and online resources to gather information about a planet they choose to investigate.
Lesson 25: Describing the Planets
Big Idea: Nine planets orbit around our sun. Each planet has unique characteristics that distinguish it from other planets.
Children use the information they gathered from their research in the previous lesson to prepare a creative report describing one of the planets in our solar system.
Lesson 26: The Scale of Our Solar System
Big Idea: Nine planets orbit around our sun. Vast distances exist between the planets.
Children investigate the scale of the solar system, the size of the planets, and how far apart they are relative to the sun.
Skill Building Activity 1: Using Models in Science
Big Idea: Scientists use models to represent things that are too big, small, fast, slow, far away, or dangerous to observe in the real world.
Children study various types of models and learn how they are used in science. They also make models of their own.
Skill Building Activity 2: Building to Scale
Big Idea: Scale models represent real objects but are different sizes than the actual object. Scientists make scale models to help them look at something that is hard to study otherwise.
Children think about when changes of scale might be useful in making scientific models. Then they use pattern blocks to make shapes at larger scales, and talk about the fractions that identify the scales they used. Children share toys that represent real objects, comparing the scales of similar objects, and creating models with objects of the same or similar scale.
Skill Building Activity 3: Making Line Graphs
Big Idea: Line graphs are charts that measure how data changes over a period of time.
This activity provides a basic introduction on how to organize data on a line graph and how to use it as a tool to understand the data displayed. The children learn how to make educated predictions, a skill needed for many science activities.
Skill Building Activity 4: Elapsed Time
Big Idea: Elapsed time can be calculated by adding the number of hours and minutes that have passed between a beginning and ending time.
Children explore measuring time by using a paper clock or Judy Clock to calculate the amount of time that elapses between various starting and ending times.
Module Overview: Nature's Recyclers (Level 4 -- Life Science)
From watching composting worms create soil, to modeling the nutrient cycle, students have the opportunity to use their investigations to understand the organisms that carry out the process of decomposition and recycle nutrients in an ecosystem.
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Curriculum SamplesClick below for printable (PDF) samples. |
Module Summary
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Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: Wondering About Nature's Waste
Big Idea: Nature's waste and remains don't just pile up. They decompose.
In this introduction to the Nature's Recyclers Unit, students discuss what the term "waste" means and examine "mystery bags" that are filled with different examples of natural waste. They explore the concept of natural waste and share ideas about why the world is not covered in organic remains.
Lesson 2: Nature's Breakdown
Big Idea: Nature's waste and remains don't just pile up. They decompose.
This lesson offers pre-assessment of students' understanding about the sequence and process of decomposition. Students arrange illustrations showing the progressive decomposition of organisms (a tree and an animal) into the correct sequence. They speculate about why organisms decompose.
Lesson 3: Nature's Cleanup Crew
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers -- scavengers, fungi, and bacteria -- feed on dead organisms and waste. They carry out the process of decomposition.
Students begin this lesson by considering some of the animals that decompose and recycle nature's waste and remains. They study carrion beetles and dung beetles, and discuss what would happen if there weren't any scavengers.
Lesson 4: Looking at Worms
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers -- scavengers, fungi, and bacteria -- feed on dead organisms and waste. They carry out the process of decomposition.
This lesson introduces students to one type of scavenger, the earthworm. While there are many types of earthworms, students will have the opportunity to care for and examine live composting worms. Students develop their observational skills by drawings and writing about what they see. They also practice attentive handling and care of the worms and their environment.
Lesson 5: Feeding Worms
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers -- scavengers, fungi, and bacteria -- feed on dead organisms and waste. They carry out the process of decomposition.
Students investigate the effects that earthworms have on the process of decomposition. They prepare two decomposition cups to investigate and observe how composting worms break down plant remains. After about five days, they compare the changes in each cup.
This is a three-session lesson. Session 2 is an optional reading session.
Lesson 6: From Decomposers to Soil
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers -- scavengers, fungi, and bacteria -- feed on dead organisms and waste. They carry out the process of decomposition.
In Session 1 of this lesson, students examine a variety of inorganic and organic planting materials. They discuss the connections between the work of nature's recyclers, soil, and plant development. In Session 2, students continue investigating the connection by planting some seeds in potting soil and some in perlite. Over a few weeks, they observe and think about how each material may affect plant growth. They will graph their observations and discuss their conclusions in Lesson 12.
Lesson 7: How Fungi Feed
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers -- scavengers, fungi, and bacteria -- feed on dead organisms and waste. They carry out the process of decomposition.
Students are introduced to another of nature's recyclers, fungi. Students compare a bare wooden plug to a plug covered with fungal mycelium, and then set up an experiment with the plugs. After about a week, they observe how the mycelium grew into the coffee grounds. They discuss the process of how fungi obtain nutrients from organic materials.
Lesson 8: Investigating Bread Mold Growth
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers -- scavengers, fungi, and bacteria -- feed on dead organisms and waste. They carry out the process of decomposition.
Students begin investigations of mold by considering its function as a fungus and as a decomposer. In Session 1, they look at some examples of moldy food items, and think about the environmental conditions that might encourage or discourage mold growth. In Session 2, they choose one condition to vary for their own experiments with bread mold growth, learning about fair tests in the process. Session 3 is designed to teach students how to collect data during their experiment. They will graph their collected data in Lesson 11.
Lesson 9: Looking at Mushrooms
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers -- scavengers, fungi, and bacteria -- feed on dead organisms and waste. They carry out the process of decomposition.
Students continue their observations of fungi from Lesson 7 by examining those most familiar to them: mushrooms. They learn about the life cycle of a mushroom, identify the parts of a mushroom, and start to think about how a mushroom reproduces. Then they make spore prints of mushrooms so they can see evidence of the microscopic parts of a fungus that enable it to reproduce.
Lesson 10: Agents and Evidence of Decomposition
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers -- scavengers, fungi, and bacteria -- feed on dead organisms and waste. They carry out the process of decomposition.
Students take a field trip to search for evidence of decomposition and its agents. They observe and identify "FBI" (fungi, invertebrates, and bacteria) communities.
Lesson 11: Drawing Conclusions About Mold Growth
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers -- scavengers, fungi, and bacteria -- feed on dead organisms and waste. They carry out the process of decomposition.
Students draw a bar graph in Session 1 with the data they collected since Lesson 8 about their bread mold growth experiments. They compare how conditions affected mold growth and make conclusions from the results. They draw a line graph in Session 2, showing how the area of mold growth changed over time.
Lesson 12: Soil Nutrients for Plants
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers return nutrients to the soil (or water) to be used by plants and other organisms.
Students compare the results of the planting experiment from Lesson 6. In Session 1, they make their final observations of the plants grown in organic planting material -- potting soil -- and compare them to those grown in an inorganic material -- perlite. In Session 2, they analyze data and conclude about how the plants in each of the planting materials grew. They continue to expand on their understanding of the role decomposers play in plant development.
Lesson 13: Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers return nutrients to the soil (or water) to be used by plants and other organisms.
With examples drawn from organisms that typically live in a tall grass prairie, this lesson introduces students to the roles of producers and consumers in a food chain and food web. As a Science Center activity, students create model food chains using pictures of native plants and animals from their own state or region. The lesson concludes with a class discussion about how scavengers and decomposers recycle nutrients from the organisms in a food chain.
Lesson 14: The Nutrient Game
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers return nutrients to the soil (or water) to be used by plants and other organisms.
Students play a game in which a large container of blocks represents nutrients in the soil. They act out the roles of plants, herbivores, carnivores, and recyclers to appreciate the importance of recycling nutrients.
Lesson 15: Recycling Nutrients
Big Idea: Nature's recyclers return nutrients to the soil (or water) to be used by plants and other organisms.
The students complete the Nature's Recyclers Unit by putting together a Mobius strip that models how nutrients are passed from one living thing to the next. Students' experience with the Mobius strip, along with the discussions in the lesson, solidifies their understanding of how producers, consumers, and decomposers all work together to ensure that nutrients are continually recycled in nature.
Skill Building Activity: Reading Science Books
Big Idea: Paying attention to a book's organization can assist reading comprehension.
Students familiarize themselves with the organization and layout of the Nature's Recyclers Student Reference Book. They are encouraged to look through each section before they begin reading so they can use visual and text cues -- such as headings, margin notes, and illustrations -- to help understand the material and its relationship to what they already know.
Ongoing reading strategies to help children absorb new information and vocabulary are included at the end of the lesson
Skill Building Activity: Observing and Describing
Big Idea: Observation is a powerful tool for learning about something. Detailed and accurate descriptions of your observations help you communicate them to others.
Children practice making accurate and detailed descriptions before and after observing a familiar object. They discover the importance of careful observations and detailed description in science.
Skill Building Activity: Designing a Fair Test
Big Idea: Scientists plan and design fair tests so they can determine how the one variable being changed affects the results of an experiment.
An important aspect of any scientific experiment is designing a fair test. In this lesson, students analyze the elements of a fair test and discuss ways to make the test fair. They identify variables that could affect how high a ball bounces and strategize about how to change only one variable while keeping all other parts of the experiment the same.
Skill Building Activity: Making Line Graphs
Big Idea: Line graphs are charts that can be used to measure how data changes over a period of time.
Scientists rely on graphs to help them analyze data they collect. A line graph is especially useful to scientists when they need to measure how data changes over a period of time. This activity provides a basic introduction on how to organize data on a line graph and how to use it as a tool to understand the data displayed. By looking for trends on a line graph, the students learn how to make educated predictions, a skill need for many science activities.
Module Overview: Matter (Level 4 -- Physical Science)
From exploring the properties of solids, liquids, and gases, to seeing what they can learn about an unknown substance called "Whatzit," students experience firsthand the excitement of scientific discovery and gain an appreciation of the scientific method employed by scientists everywhere.
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Module Summary
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Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: What Is Matter?
Big Idea: Matter commonly exists in one of three states: solid, liquid, or gas.
In this introductory lesson, students examine landscape scenes and brainstorm all of the materials they might find there. They sort and identify the materials as solid, liquid, or gas, and they think about how to define matter.
Lesson 2: Discovering the Properties of Matter
Big Idea: Some properties help us classify matter as solid, liquid, or gas.
Students compare an assortment of solids, liquids, and gases. They examine balloons filled with different materials, and write down descriptive words or phrases. Next, they open the balloons, explore the substances with a variety of tools, and record further observations and comparisons between the substances. Finally, they list the properties of solids, liquids, and gases.
Lesson 3: Exploring the Weight of Solids and Liquids
Big Idea: All matter takes up space (has a volume) and has weight. Materials can be described in terms of their properties.
Students explore one of the essential properties of all matter: matter has weight. They view a demonstration of weighing folded laundry, and predict whether it will weigh more, less, or the same after being unfolded and rumpled. Students then carry out their own hands-on explorations by weighing and re-weighing modeling clay and connectable or stackable solids formed into different shapes, and by weighing and re-weighing water held in different shapes of containers. To synthesize the lesson, students discuss their predictions about whether changing the shape of a material changes its weight, and conclude that it does not when no new matter has been added.
Lesson 4: Exploring the Volume of Solids and Liquids
Big Idea: All matter takes up space (has a volume) and has weight. Materials can be described in terms of their properties.
This lesson explores volume. Students begin by reviewing concepts from previous lessons in which materials changed shape, but did not change weight. Next, they see a demonstration of volume with base-10 blocks. In Session 2, students conduct an exploration for observing that a single solid maintains its volume, no matter how its shape is changed. They also see a demonstration of measuring the volume of a collection of solids.
Lesson 5: Investigating Air
Big Idea: Matter commonly exists in one of three states: solid, liquid, or gas. All matter takes up space (has a volume) and has weight.
This lesson is devoted to exploring the properties of gases, using air as the most readily available gas. Students begin with a sensory exploration of breathing, noticing what happens to their bodies when they inhale and exhale air. They are challenged to design and complete a simple investigation that shows that air takes up space. In the optional final session they use syringes to compress and expand air.
Lesson 6: Sensing Density
Big Idea: All matter takes up space (has a volume) and has weight. Materials can be described in terms of their properties.
Students explore another property of matter: density. Through various experiences with objects made of different materials, they are introduced to the concept that density is how heavy or light an object is for its size. In Session 1, they compare two solid objects of the same size that have different weights, and then compare two solid objects with the same weight but different sizes. The students then rank objects of different sizes and materials according to how heavy or light the objects feel for their size. In Session 2, they weigh and compare equal volumes of liquids with different densities, and then reach some conclusions about this property of matter.
Lesson 7: Heating and Cooling Solids and Liquids
Big Idea: Matter can change between states. Temperature affects the change of matter from one state to another.
Students focus on the idea that heating and cooling can change the state of solids and liquids. They melt materials which are liquid at room temperature, then melt substances which are solid at room temperature. They notice that some substances return to a solid state when cooled again to room temperature. This lesson supplies the first example of how matter always keeps the same weight even when it changes state.
Lesson 8: Evaporation: Changing from Liquid to Gas
Big Idea: Matter can change between states. Even if matter is not visible, it still exists.
Students investigate how water can become an invisible gas called water vapor. They observe and measure water as it evaporates in the classroom, and begin to think about variables that affect evaporation.
Lesson 9: Condensation: Changing from Gas to Liquid
Big Idea: Matter can change between states. Temperature affects the change of matter from one state to another. Even if matter is not visible, it still exists.
Students review the process of evaporation, and compare examples of evaporation and condensation. They conduct explorations focused on water changing states from gas to liquid. Students observe that water droplets form on the outside of a chilled container, and investigate where the water came from. They also observe condensation on chilled marbles, which clearly have no water inside them. By the end of the lesson, students can brainstorm additional examples of when water condenses out of the air.
Lesson 10: Evaporation Investigations: Setting Up
Big Idea: One way to answer a question is to design a simple experiment.
Applying their knowledge of evaporation, students conduct investigations that explore the phenomenon in detail. They consider a number of variables that affect evaporation and then conduct a fair test to investigate their ideas. Students increase their scientific inquiry skills by collecting data in this lesson and using the data to draw conclusions in the next lesson.
Lesson 11: Evaporation Investigations: Drawing Conclusions *
Big Idea: One way to answer a question is to design a simple experiment.
Students collect and record the final data for the evaporation investigations they designed. They analyze the results of their fair test experiment to draw conclusions and present their results to the class.
Lesson 12: Mixing and Separating Solids
Big Idea: When you mix materials together, the result weighs the same as the sum of the parts. A mixture can often be separated by the properties of the different materials in it.
In this lesson, students begin by describing the properties they observe of three different kinds of solids. They weigh the samples separately, then combine the samples in a mixture, and weigh them again. Students then use the properties of the different solids, including whether or not the solid is magnetic and whether the solid floats or sinks in water, to separate the mixture.
Lesson 13: Mixing and Separating Solutions
Big Idea: When you mix materials together, the result weighs the same as the sum of the parts. A mixture can often be separated by the properties of the different materials in it.
Mixing and separating solids and liquids are the main methods for learning about matter in this lesson. Students compare a mixture in which the materials (sand and water) remain distinct to a mixture in which the materials (salt and water) form a solution. Two activities follow: an exploration in which students create a solution, and another where they evaporate the water from the solution and examine the solid salt crystals left behind.
Lesson 14: Whatzit?!
Big Idea: Materials can be described in terms of their properties. Sometimes when you mix materials together, you get a new material with different properties.
Students investigate a mixture called "Whatzit" and find that it has properties unlike any other materials explored in the unit. They perform some investigations to determine whether Whatzit is a solid or a liquid. Depending on how they manipulate the Whatzit, they find that it is sometimes more like a solid and sometimes more like a liquid. Their experiences with this unusual material challenges students' understanding of solids, liquids, and mixtures. It also offers a brief exposure to the many different types of matter in the world that don't conform to people's expectations.
Lesson 15: Chemical Changes
Big Idea: Sometimes when you mix materials together, you get a new material with different properties.
While observing examples of chemical changes, students learn how a chemical change is different from the physical changes they explored in previous lessons. They see an apple get brown when exposed to air, form a precipitate from mixing tea and pineapple juice, and create a gas by mixing vinegar and baking soda.
Skill Building Activity: Reading Science Books
Big Idea: Paying attention to a book's organization can assist reading comprehension.
Students familiarize themselves with the organization and layout of the Matter Student Reference Book. They are encouraged to look through each section before they begin reading so they can use visual and text cues -- such as headings, margin notes, and illustrations -- to help understand the material and its relationship to what they already know. Ongoing reading strategies to help children absorb new information and vocabulary are included at the end of the lesson.
Skill Building Activity: Observing and Describing
Big Idea: Observation is a powerful tool for learning about something. Detailed and accurate descriptions of your observations help you communicate them to others.
Observation is a powerful tool for learning about something. Detailed and accurate descriptions of your observations help you communicate them to others.
Skill Building Activity: Accurately Measuring Weight and Volume
Measurements are not exact, but trying to be accurate is one way scientists can make better comparisons of objects.
Taking accurate measurements of volume and weight and using graduated cylinders, beakers, calibrated cups, and scales are the skills students practice in this lesson. They compare their observations with observations made by others, and evaluate the accuracy of their measurements to learn that measurements are not exact.
Skill Building Activity: Writing Procedures
Big Idea: Scientists write clear procedures so that others can understand what they did and accurately repeat their investigations.
Many investigations require students to follow written procedures or to write their own. In this lesson, students write procedures for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and then watch a "robot" follow them. By seeing unexpected outcomes, the lesson helps them understand what makes an accurate written procedure.
Skill Building Activity: Designing a Fair Test
Big Idea: Scientists plan and design fair tests so they can determine how the one variable being changed affects the results of an experiment.
An important aspect of any scientific experiment is designing a fair test. In this lesson, students analyze elements of an unfair test and discuss ways to make the test fair. They identify variables that could affect how high a ball bounces and strategize about how to change only one variable while keeping all other parts of the experiment the same.
Skill Building Activity: Forming Conclusions
Big Idea: Scientists form conclusions about the world based on evidence from their investigations and what they already know about the world.
Students, using data provided to them, form and write conclusions. They evaluate their conclusions to check whether they are clear, supported by the data and logical reasons, and seem plausible based on previous knowledge. Finally, they consider what kind of new data they would need to verify their conclusions or to answer new questions.
Module Overview: Watery Earth (Level 4 -- Earth Science)
Whether following a drop of water through the water cycle, measuring their own water usage, or exploring how filters clean dirty water, students are encouraged to use what they learn about water to make choices and take actions in their own life to have a positive impact on water resources.
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Curriculum SamplesClick below for printable (PDF) samples. |
Module Summary
View a printable (PDF) Unit Summary of the module.
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Lessons at a Glance
Lesson 1: The Wonder of Water
Big Idea: Water is a natural resource that is essential for humans and other organisms.
Students engage in experiences that encourage them to appreciate water, look at it with "fresh" eyes (and other senses), and think about its importance and value in their lives.
Lesson 2: Exploring Who Uses Water
Big Idea: Water is a natural resource that is essential for humans and other organisms.
In Session 1, students discuss all the ways they used water during a prior 24-hour period. They learn a simple definition of the term "natural resource" and then discuss why we consider water a natural resource. In Session 2, students read about the ways that animals and plants need and use water. Then they speculate about the water use of a bear cub, a duckling, and a fry (a young fish). Finally, they compare the ways humans and the three other organisms use water, and see some of the ways that water is necessary for living things.
Lesson 3: Following a Drop of Rain
Big Idea: Water can be on Earth's surface, underground, or in the air. All water on Earth circulates through the water cycle.
Students begin a multi-lesson exploration of the water cycle by considering what happens to a drop of rain after it falls. They test and refine their ideas by simulating rain on different surfaces.
Lesson 4: Learning About Surface Water
Big Idea: Water can be on Earth's surface, underground, or in the air. All water on Earth circulates through the water cycle.
Examining and discussing views of Earth from space in Session 1, students see that most of Earth's surface is water. They build on their understanding of water by locating Earth's surface water on maps, and then assess the location and types of surface water they find. In Session 2, students see a model that represents the amount of surface water on the planet, and will eventually represent all the water on Earth.
Lesson 5: Learning About Groundwater
Big Idea: Water can be on Earth's surface, underground, or in the air. All water on Earth circulates through the water cycle.
Students create a model that helps them understand how water percolates through the earth's layers and is stored underground. The class adds the water that represents the fresh water in groundwater to the Earth's Water model begun in Lesson 4.
Lesson 6: Learning About Frozen Water
Big Idea: Water can be on Earth's surface, underground, or in the air. All water on Earth circulates through the water cycle.
To become familiar with the diversity of frozen water on Earth, students examine and discuss photographs of glaciers, pack ice, and polar ice. The class adds the water that represents the fresh water in glaciers and polar ice to the Earth's Water model begun in Lesson 4.
Lesson 7: Learning About Water in the Air
Big Idea: Water can be on Earth's surface, underground, or in the air. All water on Earth circulates through the water cycle.
Students consider the roles of evaporation and condensation in the water cycle. They learn about the tiny part of Earth's water that exists in clouds or as water vapor in the air, and they complete and discuss the Earth's Water model they began in previous lessons. In addition, they revisit the journey of the drop of rain from Lesson 3 and look ahead to Lesson 8, in which they synthesize their learning from Lessons 3-7 and investigate how all of Earth's water circulates through the water cycle.
Lesson 8: Modeling the Water Cycle
Big Idea: Water can be on Earth's surface, underground, or in the air. All water on Earth circulates through the water cycle.
Students reflect on what they learned in the "Water Follows a Cycle" cluster about Earth's water cycle. They begin this two session lesson by creating a mental image of the water cycle. Students then remodel their groundwater models so they can make observations of water moving through the water cycle in Session 2. Finally, students discuss their discoveries and solidify their understanding that water is a limited natural resource.
Lesson 9: Water In, Water Out
Big Idea: Water is a natural resource that is essential for humans and other organisms. To use it, we must develop ways to access it and clean it
In Session 1, students discuss the homework relating to their household water systems. They also record questions they have about their community's water supply system and wastewater system. In Sessions 2 and 3, students study their water supply and wastewater systems by going on field trips, by questioning classroom visitors, or by doing in-class research. In Session 4, they reflect on what they've learned about these systems.
Lesson 10: Considering Water Wants and Needs
Big Idea: Water is a natural resource that is essential for humans and other organisms. Sometimes humans use more water than they need.
Students revisit their water use lists from Lesson 2. They think about how much water each use requires and categorize their water use into "needs" and "wants." Through these activities, students begin to compare how much water they use with how much water they actually need. This lesson prepares students for thinking about water conservation later in the unit.
Lesson 11: Conserving Water at Home
Big Idea: Water resources are limited. It is important to protect and conserve water.
Students examine how water resources are used in the home. In Session 1, students analyze their tooth-brushing data and consider how their bushing behavior affects water use. In Session 2, they analyze how much water their families use at home, and recommend ways to conserve water. In Session 3, students compute data about two fictional homes to determine which family uses less water. Through these activities, students learn that personal behavior and individual choices impact the amount of water they use.
Lesson 12: Walk the Talk -- Looking for Pollution
Big Idea: Water resources are limited. It is important to protect and conserve water.
Students discuss what they think water pollution is. They take a "Pollution Walk" on the school grounds to search for and record evidence of pollution. They explore ways this pollution might affect the water supply, and then discuss how they could reduce pollution around the school.
Lesson 13: Investigating a Way to Clean Water
Big Idea: Water resources are limited. It is important to protect and conserve water.
Students explore using water filters to clean water they pollute with different substances. They learn about filters, consider other ways to treat water, and debate the definition of "clean" water.
Lesson 14: Water Resources Case Studies
Big Idea: Water resources are limited. It is important to protect and conserve water.
Students apply their learning from previous lessons as they read and discuss real-life case studies related to water conservation and water pollution. While discussing and comparing the case studies, they consider the implications of water use, misuse, and overuse; the impact of technology on water problems; and ways to address water conservation and pollution issues.
Lesson 15: Protecting Water Resources Project
Big Idea: Water resources are limited. It is important to protect and conserve water.
Students choose an issue pertaining to protecting water resources. They investigate the issue, decide how they can make an impact, and then take positive action. In up to six optional sessions, students plan their projects and produce a final product.
Skill Building Activity: Reading Science Books
Big Idea: Paying attention to a book's organization can assist reading comprehension.
Students familiarize themselves with the organization and layout of the Watery Earth Student Reference Book. They are encouraged to look through each section before they begin reading so they can use visual and text cues -- such as headings, margin notes, and illustrations -- to help understand the material and its relationship to what they already know. Ongoing reading strategies to help students absorb new information and vocabulary are included at the end of the lesson.
Skill Building Activity: Using Models in Science
Big Idea: Scientists use models to represent things that are too big, small, fast, slow, far away, or dangerous to observe in the real world.
Students study various types of models and consider how they are used in science. They also make models of their own.
Skill Building Activity: Evaporation -- Changing from Liquid to Gas
Big Idea: Matter can change between states. Even if matter is not visible, it still exists.
Students investigate how water can become an invisible gas called water vapor. They observe and measure water as it evaporates in the classroom, and begin to think about variables that affect evaporation.
Skill Building Activity: Condensation -- Changing from Gas to Liquid
Big Idea: Matter can change between states. Temperature affects the change of matter from one state to another. Even if matter is not visible, it still exists.
Students review the process of evaporation, and compare e