Science

Grade 5: Smithsonian Science Topics and Disciplinary Core Ideas Covered

How Can We Identify Materials Based on Their Properties? (11/11/19 - 2/3/20)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• Matter of any type can be subdivided into particles that are too small to see, but even then the matter still exists and can be detected by other means. A model showing that gases are made from matter particles that are too small to see and are moving freely around in space can explain many observations, including the inflation and shape of a balloon and the effects of air on larger particles or objects.

• The amount (weight) of matter is conserved when it changes form, even in transitions in which it seems to vanish.

• Measurements of a variety of properties can be used to identify materials.

• When two or more different substances are mixed, a new substance with different properties may be formed.

• No matter what reaction or change in properties occurs, the total weight of the substances does not change.

• Plants acquire their material for growth chiefly from air and water.

How Can We Provide Freshwater to Those in Need? (2/3/20 - 4/13/20)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• Possible solutions to a problem are limited by available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success or how well each takes the constraints into account.

• Research on a problem should be carried out before beginning to design a solution. Testing a solution involves investigating how well it performs under a range of likely conditions.

• At whatever stage, communicating with peers about proposed solutions is an important part of the design process, and shared ideas can lead to improved designs.

• Tests are often designed to identify failure points or difficulties, which suggest the elements of the design that need to be improved.

• Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints.

• Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans). These systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes. The ocean supports a variety of ecosystems and organisms, shapes landforms, and influences climate. Winds and clouds in the atmosphere interact with the landforms to determine patterns of weather.

• Nearly all of Earth’s available water is in the ocean. Most freshwater is in glaciers or underground; only a tiny fraction is in streams, lakes, wetlands, and the atmosphere.

• Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have major effects on land, vegetation, streams, oceans, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments.

How Can We Predict Changes in Ecosystems? 4/16/20 – 6/22/20

Disciplinary Core Ideas:

· Food provides animals with the materials they need for body repair and growth and the energy they need to maintain body warmth and for motion.

· Plants acquire their material for growth chiefly from air and water.

· The food of almost any kind of animal can be traced back to plants. Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants for food and other animals eat the animals that eat plants. Some organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead organisms (both plants or plant parts and animals) and therefore operate as “decomposers.” Decomposition eventually restores (recycles) some materials back to the soil. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their particular needs are met. A healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life. Newly introduced species can damage the balance of an ecosystem.

· Matter cycles between the air and soil and among plants, animals, and microbes as these organisms live and die. Organisms obtain gases, and water, from the environment, and release waste matter (gas, liquid, or solid) back into the environment.

· Matter of any type can be subdivided into particles that are too small to see, but even then the matter still exists and can be detected by other means. A model showing that gases are made from matter particles that are too small to see and are moving freely around in space can explain many observations, including the inflation and shape of a balloon and the effects of air on larger particles or objects.

· The energy released from food was once energy from the sun that was captured by plants in the chemical process that forms plant matter (from air and water).

A link to Smithsonian Science Resources for Learning from Home

www.carolina.com/learningfromhome

Teacher Log-in to Carolina Website to access Smithsonian Curriculum Resource Pages

https://www.carolina.com/account/sso/login.jsp?goto=https://carolinascienceonline.com/server/users/cbs/logincallback