Kindergarten
The kindergarten science program contains experiences designed to satisfy individual student’s natural curiosity. Many appropriate kindergarten activities may not appear to be science or engineering in the classic sense. However, when a child mixes colors, compares the amount of sand in different size containers, or tries to balance blocks in an open construction s/he is developing skills while exploring objects and phenomena that have personal meaning. Students draw and ?write? their observations, ideas and feelings.
During group meeting time students share their personal experiences in science talk, grounded in “accountable” or productive talk research, engage in brainstorming, and/or plan group investigations.
Grade One:
There are four science units and one mini unit in grade one. They are Windowsill
Gardens, Schoolyard Explorers, Animal Artifacts and FOSS Air and Weather.
There is a mini unit, Fossils, based in a guided reading book with activities with fossil
replicas that extends the ideas in the Animal artifacts unit and centers on asking
questions.
In first grade science students extend their observational skills and
begin to quantify their observations. Two major themes are found in the firstgrade
units.
The first is living and non-living things in a given environment are
interrelated.
The second is that organisms have physical and structural
adaptations that allow them to survive.
Since many of the concepts are found in more than one unit, some teachers spend
a block of time on a unit and reinforce the concepts and skills from it later in the
year. Other teachers teach activities from different units at the same time.
Schoolyard Explorers and Weather contain seasonal activities. Drawings,
observations, and weather records are collected, compared and analyzed. For
example, the daily weather records taken at noon over three months and
compiled in bar graphs are compared to the data collected over the prior three
months and analyzed as evidence for seasonal changes.
Grade Two
There are four science units in grade 2. They are:
Seed to Seed,
Life in Balance:
Fast Plants and Butterflies,
Beyond the Earth, and
The Ramp Kit.
The two major themes are found in the second‐grade science units are cycles and forces (push,
pull, gravity and friction).
Seed to Seed begins with seed observations andcollecting to determine ways seeds travel. This unit builds on the seed to plant investigations in the grade 1 unit Windowsill Gardens.
Students notice the pattern of day and night and use models to investigate what happens in space to
cause this cycle, they collect data on moon phases for a month to notice a pattern
and cycle, and the life cycles of the Painted Lady Butterfly and Wisconsin Fast
Plants/ Cabbage.White Butterfly cycle including dependence and reproduction.
The idea of gravity is introduced in the Beyond the Earth unit and the Ramp Kit.
In the Ramp Kit students work cooperatively and carry out quantitative
investigations with ramps and vehicles. They make changes in variables of ramp
height, ramp surface and car weight. Each time students change one variable,
they test the change in the distance a car travels three times and record their
measurements ‐ collect data. Their collected data is graphed and the graphs are
analyzed by the class to come up with conclusions on what happens when the
variable is changes.
Grade Three
The science units in grade three are organized into four units that take place during the Fall, Winter, and Spring.
Major concepts/understandings found in the science curriculum include:
All living things need shelter, food, clean water and the ability to survive in their environment.
Different environments have different characteristics.
People and other animals interact with, adapt to and alter their environment.
Seasonal changes and weather conditions affect the natural world. These changes help shape an organism?s yearly routines and life cycle.
Areas of study include Trees, Amphibians, Properties of Matter, and Mystery Powders. Tents and Towers
Grade Four
There are four connected mini-units in life and earth science, a unit for physical science, a space unit and one introductory mini- unit in grade four.
The mini- unit Introduction to Grade Four Science introduces different kinds of scientists, science vocabulary, and the proper use of a hand lens. Earth Science and Life Science are connected in smaller units that allow for teachers to organize them in ways that make sense for their classrooms.
In Soil students engage in soil studies recognizing that soil is a mixture of decomposed organic and inorganic matter, eroded rocks and minerals.
Rocks and Minerals, the first geology unit in the K-5 sequence, topics include: layers of the earth, earth forces (erosion and weathering, volcanoes, earthquakes, glaciers), rock formation and the identification of common rocks and minerals.
Discovering Decomposition unit continues the life cycle units in the K-5 sequence focusing on this last stage in the life cycle and of nutrient cycling. Living Decomposers; Earthworms unit highlightsthe role of living organisms in the decomposition, returning nutrients to the
ecological cycle.
The unit Energy, Light and Sound should be considered as an introduction to the difficult concepts of energy, light and sound.
The FOSS Sun, Moon and Stars consists of three sequential investigations, each designed to introduce students to objects we see in the sky. Through outdoor observations made during the day and at night, active simulations, readings, videos, and discussions, students
study the Sun, Moon, and stars to learn that these objects move in regular and predictable patterns that can be observed, recorded, and analyzed.
Grade Five
There are four science units and one mini‐unit in grade five; Pond
Life/Aquarium, Weather and Climate, Simple Circuits / Magnets and Motors and
Simple Machines.
Systems are a focus on the grade five units; Pond Life introduces ecosystems and food chains/ pyramid relationships in an ecosystem. The unit is designed to focus studentʹs attention on the interactions within a New England Pond. There is an emphasis on the use of a microscope and drawing from observation.
The Weather and Climate unit and optional Owl Pellets mini
unit contain activities which reinforce the concepts found in this unit. Weather
and Climate considers weather to consist of the action of energy (sunlight) on the
earthʹs air and water and climate based on many years of collected weather data.
The optional mini‐unit, Owl Pellets provides students with an opportunity to
develop dissection skills while learning about owls, bone identification, skeletal
structure, food chains and adaptations.
Simple Circuits a simple system of energy use, connecting batteries, wires and
bulbs to light a bulb.
Magnets and Motors lessons highlight the two‐sides of
the same coin ‐ electricity and magnetism.
In using Simple Machines, students gather data on mechanical advantage and use this as evidence to make a claim.
Students have opportunities to read about science topics, design, set up, and
carry out controlled experiments. By the end of the year, students should have
an opportunity to design and carry out an investigation with a partner.