Science

Detection and Interpretation, Instrumentation

Students will

• Explore simple tools and senses to make observations

Molecules to Organisms:  Structures and Processes

Students will

• Recognize that animals and plants have basic needs, characteristics and life cycles

Structure and Properties of Matter

Students will

• Describe objects by their temperature
• Describe objects as being able to sink or float

Weather and Climate

Students will

• Recognize common weather conditions

Detection and Interpretation, Instrumentation

Students will

• Use senses and tools to make observations

Molecules to Organisms:  Structures and Processes

Students will

• Compare and contrast living and nonliving things
• Understand that living things grow, change, reproduce and need air and water
• Recognize that animals and plants have basic needs, characteristics and life cycles

Weather and Climate

Students will

• Use a thermometer to measure temperature
• Recognize and describe weather conditions
• Describe the four seasons and their characteristics

Nature of Technology

Students will

• Begin to be aware of technology and how it affects their lives

Detection and Interpretation, Instrumentation

Students will

• Make observations, develop related questions, collect and record data
• Identify the uses of common scientific instruments and recognize how using measuring tools improves the accuracy of measurements

Molecules to Organisms:  Structures and Processes

Students will

• Understand that all living things need food, air, water and space
• Recognize that living things grow and change differently according to their specific life cycles

Structure and Properties of Matter

Students will

• Identify physical properties of objects and sort objects by one or more of these physical properties
• Recognize that the weight or shape of an object determines whether it will sink or float

The Solar System, Galaxy and Universe

Students will

• Describe the different sizes and positions of the Sun, Moon and Earth in relation to one another
• Understand that it takes one year for the Earth to orbit around the Sun
• Understand that the Earth rotates on its axis causing day/night cycle
• Understand that the appearance of the Moon changes over a four-week cycle

Scientific Method

Students will

• Make observations, develop hypothesis and collect and record data

Ecosystems:  Interactions, Energy and Dynamics

Students will

• Explain that a habitat is a part of an environment made up of plants, animals, other living organisms and nonliving things
• Discuss how plants and animals adapt to living in different environments
• Identify food chains and food webs and classify plants and animals by their role in these
• Demonstrate ways to reduce, reuse and recycle materials

Structure and Properties of Matter

Students will

• Describe objects by using properties such as size, shape and color
• Identify and classify objects as solids, liquids and gases

Earth’s Structures, Processes and History

Students will

• Understand that the Earth’s basic parts are land, water and air
• Know that there are three types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic
• Describe the Earth’s layers (crust, mantle and core)
• Recognize that fossils are remnants in rocks of organisms that once lived

Technology and Society

Students will

• Identify and describe ways that science and technology affect people’s everyday lives

Scientific Method

Students will

• Design and perform simple experiments and begin to utilize the procedures relating to scientific investigations

Technology and Society

Students will

• Identify important contributions and discoveries that men and women have made to science and technology
• Understand ways in which science and technology affect people’s lives and careers

Molecules to Organisms:  Structures and Processes

Students will

• Identify the divisions of animals, their basic needs and their common characteristics
• Understand the makeup and function of living things and analyze how each animal has specialized structures that support growth, reproduction and survival of the species

Ecosystems:  Interactions, Energy and Dynamics

Students will

• Classify organisms as producers, consumers, herbivores and carnivores

Interactions, Stability and Change

Students will

• Define a force as a push or pull that tends to move an object

• Identify forces such as friction, magnetism and gravity

• Recognize the structure and function of simple machines

Earth’s Surface Processes and Changes

Students will

• Explain the stages of the water cycle, including evaporation, condensation and precipitation
• Identify the major kinds of land and water formations

Scientific Method

Students will

• Learn the steps of the scientific method

Human Interactions with Earth

Students will

• Understand that human activities, as well as natural changes in the environment can affect ecosystems
• Describe renewable and nonrenewable resources and understand what fossil fuels are

Energy and its Transformations

Students will

• Demonstrate the effect of magnets on objects
• Understand electricity to be the energy of charged particles
• Understand the difference between static and current electricity
• Understand that energy can be transformed from one form to another

Waves as Carriers of Energy and Information

Students will

• Recognize the features of sound energy
• Understand the basic properties of light

The Solar System, Galaxy and Universe

Students will

• Recognize the relationship between the Sun, Moon and Earth
• Explain how conditions on Earth are affected by its rotation, revolution and the tilt of its axis
• Describe general features of the planets in our solar system

Scientific Method

Students will

• Understand that conditions in an experiment are carefully controlled
• Understand what makes an experiment reliable
• Know how to use basic scientific instruments and understand the reason for their use

Molecules to Organisms:  Structures and Processes

Students will

• Describe the process of photosynthesis and understand its importance in ecosystems
• Recognize basic parts of a plant and the role they play in plant growth and reproduction
• Compare and contrast the structure and function of plant and animal cells

Ecosystems:  Interactions, Energy and Dynamics

Students will

• Recognize that competition for resources between species affect their survival potential

Structure and Properties of Matter

Students will

• Identify and explain the properties of matter
• Identify and explain the basic structure of atoms
• Explain basic differences between chemical and physical change
• Compare seasonal climates and understand how they are affected by latitude, altitude and geography

Earth’s Structures, Processes and History

Students will

• Describe Earth’s atmosphere
• Explain patterns of atmospheric movement and the impact on weather

Scientific Method

Students will

• Understand and apply steps of the scientific method
• Differentiate between control variables and experimental variables and understand the significance of each
• Understand that one set of data is not sufficient evidence for making generalizations

Interactions, Stability and Change

Students will

• Understand how force affects objects
• Describe Newton’s laws of motion and present examples of each
• Know applications of simple machines in common tools

Earth’s Structures, Processes and History

Students will

• Understand the Earth’s layers and know the theory of plate tectonics and evidence that supports it
• Understand the process of the rock cycle
• Explain how the Earth’s surface is always changing due to various geological events

The Solar System, Galaxy and Universe

Students will

• Describe the relationship between the Sun, Moon and Earth
• Relate the Earth’s rotation, revolution and tilt to cycles in nature
• Conclude that our solar system is a very tiny part of a very large universe

Scientific Method

Students will

• Apply steps of the scientific method to draw valid conclusions that reference collected data
• Identify controlled and experimental variables and apply them while designing an experiment
• Identify basic trends in data and graphs

Inheritance and Variation of Traits

Students will

• Describe how traits are passed from one generation to the next
• Understand that cells divide
• Explain how the theory of natural selection describes how species adapt to environmental change

Molecules to Organisms:  Structures and Processes

Students will

• Distinguish between plant and animal cells
• Describe the parts of a cell and their function
• Understand how cells form tissues, organs, organ systems and organisms
• Classify organisms based on common characteristics

Structure and Properties of Matter

Students will

• Explain the structure of an atom
• Understand how atoms combine to form molecules
• Distinguish between physical and chemical properties
• Identify between physical and chemical changes
• Describe how particle movement affects phase changes
• Understand the organization of the periodic table

Scientific Method

Students will

• Apply steps of the scientific method to draw valid conclusions that reference collected data

• Identify controlled, independent and dependent variables and apply them while designing an experiment

• Identify trends in data and graphs

Human Interactions with Earth

Students will identify current practices of energy generation

• Evaluate natural resources as renewable or nonrenewable

• Recognize factors that impact the quality of the environment

Energy and its Transformations

Students will

• Understand that there are different forms of energy

• Understand the effect of heat on matter

Interactions, Stability and Change

Students will

• Understand that forces affect an object’s motion

• Identify the six simple machines and explain how they make work easier

The Solar System, Galaxy and Universe

Students will

• Describe the events caused by the interaction of the Earth, Moon and Sun

• Identify characteristics of stars and be able to interpret their stages of development

• Understand that gravity is a universal force
• Differentiate among the inner, outer and dwarf planets