Science Inquiry

Students understand and use the processes of scientific investigation and scientific ways of knowing. They are able to design, conduct, describe, and evaluate these investigations. They are able to understand and apply concepts that unify scientific disciplines.

Students understand the nature of matter and energy including their forms, the changes they undergo and their interactions.

Students understand the impact of science on human activity and the environment and are proficient in the uses of technology as they relate to science

Students understand the composition, formative processes, and history of the earth, the solar system and the universe.

Life Science

Cell Structure and Function

Use magnifiers to study the smaller parts of plants and identify their functions.

Identify the part that belongs to a specific plant or animal.

Identify the part that is missing from a specific plant or animal.

Recognize that smaller parts of organisms are essential to their well  being.

Identify the function of specific plant and animal parts.

Interactions Between Living Things and Their Environment

+Examine an object’s characteristics to determine if the object is living or nonliving. +Distinguish between living and nonliving things in an illustration.

+Explain how plants and animals depend upon each other and the nonliving elements of an environment to meet basic needs.        +Select the plants and animals found in a specific environment .+Identify the sense used to collect specific information.

Describe how environments are affected by various kinds of pollution.

Identify the environment that has been impacted by pollutants.

Food Production and Energy for Life

+Explain how animals depend on plants to meet their need for energy.

+Identify the basic needs of plants and animals.

+Recognize that animals obtain their food by eating plants or other animals.

+Examine the major parts of plants and determine their functions.

+Recognize that plants use sunlight, water, and air for photosynthesis.

Heredity and Reproduction

+Recognize that organisms develop the ability to reproduce as they mature.

+Note similarities and differences between parents and offspring.

+Choose the diagram that depicts a parent with its offspring.

+Select the illustration that shows an adult organism.

+Describe how an organism (e.g., frog, butterfly) changes as it matures.

+Select the illustration that shows how an organism changes as it matures.

Diversity and Adaptation Among Living Things

+Provide specific examples of differences among plants of the same kind. Identify groups of similar organisms (i.e., plants and animals).

+Specify the features that enable a plant or animal to survive in its environment

+Identify an organism that belongs in a specific environment.

+Identify the characteristics that enable a specific plant and/or animal to survive in its environment.

Biological Change

+Identify an example, other than a dinosaur, of an extinct organism.

+Identify evidence used to determine that an organism previously existed.

+Match the organism to the evidence for its former existence.

Earth/Space Science

Atmospheric Cycles

Select appropriate clothing for a given weather condition.

+ Match the cloud type to a specific kind of weather.

+ Explain how changes in temperature, precipitation, wind speed/direction result in different weather conditions.

+ Identify the season when given a description of weather, plants, and animals

+ Match temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and cloud conditions with different weather conditions.

+ identify the appropriate tools to measure temperature and precipitation.

+ Use data to prepare an illustration of a specific day’s weather.

weather

Earth Science Standards

+ Choose the appropriate tool for observing a specific distant object.

+ Recognize that planets are major features of the universe.

+ Identify the components of the solar system (e.g., planets, moon).

+ Explain how day and night result from the rotation of the Earth relative to the sun.

+ Identify objects found in the day or nighttime sky.

+ Identify the approximate time of day from a picture of the sun’s position in the sky.

+ Identify the four basic phases of the moon

Earth Features

+ Compare and contrast a variety of different landforms and bodies of water.

+ Identify the labeled part of a map or illustration as a continent, ocean, lake, river, mountain, or island.

+ Select the illustration that identifies a specific geological feature.

+ Identify a geological feature given specific information.

Earth Resources

+ Explain the relationship between rocks and minerals.

+ Identify common types of rocks.

+ Identify materials and resources that can be reused.

+ Identify an object as natural or man-made.

+ Recognize the properties used to identify specific earth materials.

+ Identify methods for conserving natural resources.

Physical Science

Forces and Motion

Describe the relationship between the amount of force applied to an object and the distance the object moves.

+ Identify that an unbalanced force is needed to change the direction of an object.

+ Recognize that objects move differently on different surfaces.

+ Select how surface characteristics affect the movement of an object.

+ Recognize that magnets can move objects without touching them.

Structure and Properties of Matter

+Classify materials according to their physical properties.

+ Select an object according to a particular property.

+ Order objects according to a specific property (e.g., longest to shortest, heaviest to lightest).

+ Identify an object when given its properties

+ Select and use appropriate tools to observe and measure the physical properties of materials

+ Identify appropriate tools for determining the weight or length of materials.

Interactions of Matter            + Explain how materials change their form, color, or texture when they are mixed, separated, or heated.

+ Identify the effects of mixing two types of materials (e.g., salt and pepper).

+ Choose features associated with physical changes.

+ Identify methods for separating mixtures.

Energy

+ Analyze data to explain the heating and cooling of land, air, and water.

+ Identify the source of the Earth’s heat and light energy.

+ Identify the illustration that demonstrates the effects of the sun on various materials.

+ Differentiate between pitch and volume.

+ Identify how sounds are produced.

Personal/Social

Perspective

-Explain environmental problems that vary form one community to another.

-Name major causes of land and air pollution

-Explain environmental problems that vary form one community to another.

-State safety procedures for violent weather

-Identify parts and functions of digestive system

-Explain importance of proper nutrition for growth

Related

Literature

Solids & Liquids

Weekly Reader

 Weekly Reader

 Weekly Reader

Weather & Climate Guide

Volcanoes & Earthquakes

Weekly Reader

Mountains & Volcanoes

Inside a Hurricane

Rocks & Fossils

Children of  Sun

Traveling In Space

Discovering Planets

 Weekly Reader

Space, Exploration

Astronaut

Weekly Reader

 Weekly Reader

 Weekly Reader

Field Studies

Visit a pond

Bristol Caverns

-Ron Wankel – Rock Presentation

Science Fair Presentation

Bower’s Farm

Technology

Rock &

Mineral

Video

Inside Earth

CD

Bill Nye

Video

Software

*Geo Safari

Software

*Magic School Bus

Explore the

Solar System

Software

*Bill Nye

Video

*The Planets

Video

*Billy Nye

Planets

*Butterfly & Moth

Video

*Charolette’s Web

Video

Assessment

Working model

of a simple

machine

Written Test

Classify a

variety of

animals by

traits

Written Test

Construct

habitat of

an animal

Written Test

Presentation

of rock

collection

Written Test

Rock Test

Experiments

Written Test

Research

project on

planets

Written Test

Make a travel

brochure for

visiting a

planet.

Dissect parts of an

egg.

Written Test

graphing