The focus of this unit is for students to gather, analyze, and interpret data from both investigations and local and regional daily weather conditions in order to describe how water cycles through the atmosphere and to compare local and regional weather conditions and changes. Students will gather daily local weather data for a period of at least 4-6 weeks to describe and compare local weather conditions with other regional weather data and to look for patterns and trends to predict short and long term weather conditions. Students will investigate water cycle processes to describe how water cycles from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface. Students will research sever weather conditions to explain how people can reduce the impact of these events.
The focus of this unit is for students to gather data from various sources, including direct observations and modeling to construct explanations and develop models to illustrate the Solar System, explain how the Moon’s appearance changes in a predictable patterns, why we have day and night, how and why the Sun appears to move across the sky, and why the Earth has seasons. Students will directly observe the phases of the Moon for a lunar cycle and use their observational data to describe the patterns of the Moon’s appearance. Students will use data and observations to explain how day and night result from the rotation of the Earth and how that rotation results in the apparent movement of the Sun in the sky. Students will model how the tilt of the axis and the Earth’s orbit result in the Earth’s seasons. Students will research the planets in the Solar System in order to develop a model that communicates their relative size, order, position, and composition. Students will gather evidence to support claims about the importance of astronomy and different astronomical tools and instruments to the fields of early explorations and navigation as well as current space exploration.
The focus of this unit is for students to gather information from various sources, including research and direct investigations and observations about plants and animals in order to classify and describe how organisms grow and are adapted to survive in their environments. Students will gather information about animals in order to classify animals, describe different life cycles, and construct explanations for how structural adaptations and characteristics help them survive in their habitats. Students will grow plants in order to gather data to classify them, describe their life cycle, and construct explanations for how their structural adaptations and characteristics help them survive in their habitats.
The focus of this unit is for students to gather observations and measurement data through investigations to describe the properties of light and sound. Students will investigate the different properties of light related to color, visibility, interactions with materials, and brightness. Students will conduct investigations to test different variables that affect the volume and pitch of different sounds.
Harbor Seal, Volcano, Flowers, and Robot Banner Images Courtesy of National Science FoundationHurricane Banner Image Courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationGalaxy Banner Image Courtesy of NASA