NPS: Curriculum Website K-12 - K

Science and Technology/Engineering

Overview

The Newton Public Schools Science and Technology/Engineering program is designed to support all students as they develop into scientifically literate citizens. Through active engagement in science and engineering practices, students will explore the disciplinary core ideas across four domains: physical science; life science; earth and space science; and technology and engineering. A strong core K-5 curriculum - supported by teacher disciplinary knowledge and sufficient instructional time - will allow all students to explore their curiosities about the world, learn how scientists have investigated similar questions, carry out increasingly complex scientific investigations, and engage in engineering design projects.

Unit One

Energy: Sunlight (OpenSciEd)

Learning Targets

Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface
Use tools and materials provided to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area
Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool
Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem

Essential Questions

What is different about surfaces in sunny and shady places?
Why are some surfaces hot, and why are some surfaces less hot?
How can we build a design to make the blacktop less hot?

Instructional Snapshot

In this unit, students will:

observe how surfaces feel hot and less hot outside around the schoolyard
make and record observations of different surfaces in different places in their schoolyard
identify patterns to answer their questions about what causes some surfaces to feel hot and others to feel less hot
brainstorm solutions to a problem: that the blacktop can get too hot and be uncomfortable to play on
use their investigations and observations to draw design solutions, and collaboratively build and test their designs.

Unit Two

Weather (OpenSciEd)

Learning Targets

Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface
Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area

Essential Questions

How can we find out and prepare for how warm it is outside?
How can we use patterns to know what the weather is usually like?
What makes the weather severe?

Instructional Snapshot

Students will:

notice and wonder about different weather conditions
make and use data collection tools to observe temperature, cloud cover, rain and/or snow amounts, and wind speed
use counting tools such as tally charts to identify consensus observations, which they record on a class Weather Calendar
obtain information about how we can prepare and respond to severe weather to keep ourselves and others safe and create Community Service Announcements to communicate what they have figured out

Unit Three

Forces and Motion (OpenSciEd)

Learning Targets

Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object
Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull.
Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.

Essential Questions

How can we move things to where we want them to go?
Which direction do things move when they are pushed and pulled?
How can we design a game to play in our classroom?

Instructional Snapshot

Students will:

share an experience of moving a box to hold and transport many objects at once
investigate how they can start, stop, and change the motion of objects using pushes, pulls, and collisions.
explore how different strengths and directions of pushes and pulls affect an object’s motion
use the engineering design process to plan, build, and test a game where the goal is to move a ball from a starting point, around an obstacle, to an ending point to win

Unit Four

Ecosystem (OpenSciEd)

Learning Targets

Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live.

Essential Questions

What do plants and animals need and should we help them?

Instructional Snapshot

Students will:

make observations of animals and plants to determine what they need to survive

Unit Five: Ladybugs

Learning Targets

Observe and communicate that animals need food, water, and air to survive
Observe ladybugs in order to recognize and describe that all animals grow and change over time

Essential Questions

What does a ladybug need to grow and survive?
How does a ladybug change and develop?

Instructional Snapshot

Students will:

observe ladybugs' predictable sequence of growth
participate in the care of the ladybugs
keep a journal to record ladybug growth and development

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