Science
Science Overview
The mission of the Plano Independent School District elementary science program is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. The instructional program provides opportunities for students to develop understandings and skills necessary to function productively as problem-solvers in a scientific and technological world.
Curriculum
The science curriculum in Plano ISD is aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards set by the Texas Education Agency. The link below provides more information on the standards appropriate for your student.
Resource Links for At-Home Learning or Studying for Assessments
Discovery Education Techbook (The student must be logged in through Webdesk first in order to access this link)
UNIT 1: Processes and Physical Properties of Matter
Meaning
UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand that …
U1 Inquiry progresses through a continuous process of questioning, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
U2 Methods, models, and conclusions built from investigations change as new observations are made.
U3 Science is the method of observation and investigation used to understand the natural world.
U4 Different factors affect changes in matter.
U5 Matter can be changed/manipulated but cannot be created or destroyed.
Students will know …
K1 scientists give reasons (evidence) for their claims and conclusions and consider reasons given by others.
K2 observations are made from multiple positions to achieve a variety of perspectives and are repeated to ensure accuracy.
K3 scientists develop ideas based on evidence and change ideas when new evidence becomes available or the old evidence is viewed in a different way.
K4 matter can have the ability to conduct or insulate thermal or electric energy.
K5 differences in mass/volume
K6 a mixture is a combination of two or more substances that do not form a new substance.
K7 a solution is a mixture with one substance spread out evenly in another substance.
K8 changes that can occur in the physical properties of the ingredients of solutions
UNIT 2 Organisms and Environments
Meaning
UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand that …
U1 Balance of an ecosystem is subject to change.
U2 Natural, as well as human, interactions cause changes to environmental systems and cycles with predictable effects.
U3 Organisms have structures and processes that serve various functions.
U4 Different species can be classified by common characteristics and life cycles.
U5 All organisms depend on the living and nonliving features of the environment for survival.
U6 An organism's characteristics are inherited, the results of interactions with the environment, or a combination of the two.
Students will know …
K1 changes to a food web affect the flow of energy in an ecosystem.
K2 food webs are models that show the complex variety of energy sources available to most consumers in an ecosystem.
K3 decomposers play an important role in an ecosystem by recycling nutrients that plants and then animals need to stay alive.
K4 populations of species within an ecosystem are affected by the availability of resources
K5 populations can be reduced or increased by environmental changes caused by nature.
K6 predator-prey relationships help to maintain a balanced ecosystem.
K7 all organisms cause changes in the environment where they live
K8 changes in an ecosystem can be positive and negative.
UNIT 3 Force, Motion, and Energy
UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand that …
U1 Energy exists in many forms all around us and can be observed in patterns, systems, and cycles.
U2 Force, motion, and energy are related.
U3 Different forms of energy have a variety of characteristics and uses.
U4 Physical properties of objects can cause energy to behave differently.
U5 The total amount of energy in the Universe remains constant, merely changing from one form to another.
U6 Changes take place because of the transfer of energy.
Students will know …
K1 energy is the ability to do work
K2 the flow of electrons can take a variety of paths to create a closed circuit (series/parallel).
K3 the flow of electricity in closed circuits can produce light, heat, or sound
K4 light travels in straight lines from its source and may be absorbed, blocked, or reflected.
K5 when light travels through air into a prism, it bends and separates into many colors.
K6 motion and force are evident in everyday situations.
K7 friction is directly related to its load.
K8 forces can change the motion, shape, or position of something made of matter.
Unit 4 Weather and Water
UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand that …
U1 There are recognizable patterns among Earth’s cycles and systems that can be observed, described, predicted and explained with models.
U2 The relationship between the Earth and the Sun creates changes over time encompassing the water cycle and climate, weather, and seasonal patterns.
U3 Water is necessary to sustain life on Earth, and ties together the Earth’s lands, oceans, and atmosphere into an integrated system.
Students will know …
K1 Weather and climate involve the transfer of energy in and out of the atmosphere.
K2 The unequal heating and cooling of the Earth’s surface causes our weather and climate differences.
K3 Energy from the Sun interacts with Earth’s oceans and other bodies of water to change the physical state of water.
K4 Earth has a variety of climates.
K5 A region’s climate can be affected by a region’s latitude, elevation, nearness to large bodies of water, and nearby ocean currents.
Unit 5: Space
UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand that …
U1 There are recognizable patterns among Earth’s cycles and systems that can be observed, described, predicted and explained with models.
U2 Observable, predictable patterns of movement in the Sun, Earth, and Moon system occur because of gravitational interaction and energy from the Sun.
U3 Most objects in the Solar System orbit the Sun and have distinctive physical characteristics and recognizable patterns of movement.
U4 Advances in technology allow individuals to acquire new information about the world.
Students will know …
K1 components of the solar system.
K2 forces that keep objects in orbit in the solar system
K3 properties of the Sun, Earth, Moon
K4 a planet’s movement (orbit and rotation) are related to the length of its day, night, year and seasons.
K5 Earth’s physical characteristics allow for the existence and sustaining of life.
K6 Earth is part of a system that includes other planets.
Unit 6: Earth's Changing Surface and Resources
UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand that …
U1 Earth’s systems and cycles are dynamic and interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface, materials, and processes.
U2 Interactions between matter, energy, and living organisms change Earth’s surface in predictable ways.
U3 Patterns in rock formations and fossils provide evidence of the changes in landscape over time.
Students will know …
K1 fossils are evidence of past life, allowing inferences about the environment at the time.
K2 patterns in rock formations and fossils provide evidence of changes in landscape over time.
K3 landforms are the result of changes to Earth’s surface by wind, water, and ice.
Unit 8: Organisms and Environment
Students will independently use their learning to evaluate a scientific claim, construct explanations and/or design solutions
Meaning
UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand that …
U1 Balance of an ecosystem is subject to change.
U2 Natural, as well as human, interactions cause changes to environmental systems and cycles with predictable effects.
U3 Organisms have structures and processes that serve various functions.
U4 Different species can be classified by common characteristics and life cycles.
U5 All organisms depend on the living and nonliving features of the environment for survival.
U6 An organism's characteristics are inherited, the results of interactions with the environment, or a combination of the two
Students will know …
K1 changes to a food web affect the flow of energy in an ecosystem.
K2 food webs are models that show the complex variety of energy sources available to most consumers in an ecosystem.
K3 decomposers play an important role in an ecosystem by recycling nutrients that plants and then animals need to stay alive.
K4 populations of species within an ecosystem are affected by the availability of resources
K5 populations can be reduced or increased by environmental changes caused by nature.
K6 predator-prey relationships help to maintain a balanced ecosystem.
K7 all organisms cause changes in the environment where they live
K8 changes in an ecosystem can be positive and negative.