Topic: Animal and Plant Life Cycles
Groups of two
video: Life Cycles
Life Cycle Hunt activity
Students bring computers to lab for Internet search
Build insect with Play-doh if time
Topic: Animals
Individual
video: animal characteristics
activity: Animal web site
Students use the web site to select an animal that they like. Then they write the name, draw a picture, list its habitat and diet, and write two sentences describing the animal.
Topic: Weights/Lengths
Groups of two
Circle longest item
Circle heaviest item
Measure to nearest inch and centimeter
Measure with gram and ounce weights
Topic: Animals Meeting Their Needs
Groups of two
video: EcoSystem
video: Beaver Dams
Students build beaver dams on cookie sheets using cotton balls, tape, craft sticks then test them with running water.
Topic: Environment
Whole class activity
video: Biomes
video: Food Chains
poster: Food chain pyramid
activity: hawk/mice game
worksheet: Food chain
Topics: Heredity and Inheritance of Traits
Whole class activity
brainpop: Heredity
video: traits
activity: Kids chart traits
worksheet: Inherited or Not?
Topic: BeeBot Robot Activity
Individual
Emulator to become familiar with instructions
Video: Introduction
activity: Pirate Challenge
Topic: Changes to Land
Groups of two or three
brainpopjr: Slow Changes
brainpopjr: Fast Changes
Video: Hawaii Kilauea
Baking soda, dish soap, vinegar, safety glasses
Topics: Weathering and Erosion
Groups of three or four
brainpop video: Erosion
video: erosion experiment
- 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.
activity: erosion type and pictures
hair dryer, rocks, ice cup
Explore school area for examples of weathering and erosion
Topic: Mapping the World
Groups of two or three
video — Map Symbols
song -- Compass Rose
resource: Example landforms
poster: landforms
activity: state physical maps
Choose the physical maps for two states, then answer the following questions.
What kinds of landforms do you see? Mountains, rivers, lakes, peninsula
Do both maps have these landforms?
What difference do you notice?
Which map has more mountains?
Which map has more lakes and rivers?
How can landform maps help us?
Topic: Navigating the World
Groups of two
video: Latitude and Longitude
activity: use a globe to determine the latitude and longitude of several locations
activity: compass
activity: hide a treasure in the room or schoolyard, then create a treasure map using compass directions and feet to find the treasure from a fixed starting point
Topic: Water on Earth
Groups of two or three
video: interesting ocean facts
How can you locate the water on a map? What shape is the water? What names do we give these different bodies of water? Can you find any frozen water, or ice, on the map? What other reliable sources can be used to find water?
activity: NASA water
Topics: Water Properties and Uses
Groups of two
video: Clean Water
video: Roman Aqueduct
activity: NASA cleaning water
Build an aqueduct out of clay at least 8 inches tall, then test it with a half cup of water
Topic: Spaghetti Tower
Topic: Sound
Groups of two
brainpopjr: Making Observations
brainpopjr: Sound
video: Tuning Fork
activity: Sound Directions
Topic: Vibrations
Groups of two
video: What is Sound
handout: Ears
phenomena: Laurel vs Yanny
brainpopjr: Pitch Tone Beat
video: Guess Sounds
Topic: Telephone Communication
Groups of two
video: Sound on Matter
video: Paint on Speaker start at 1:41
app: Visualizer
Topic: Light and Sound Waves
Groups of two
video: Morse Code
activity: Morse Code History and Directions
worksheet: Sending Messages
Topic: Rockets
Class as a group
phenomena: Apollo 8
brainpop: Space Flight
go outside and use a water-bottle rocket or a real rocket, such as from Estes Rockets
ask the kids to estimate height before and after launch
Topic: Potential Energy
Groups of three
Car speed and gravity lesson
brainpopjr: Gravity
hot wheels, ramps, yardstick or tape measure
students measure distance versus ramp height
use rough surface as contrast
Topic: Using a Microscope
Individual
video: how to
video: Everyday Objects
art: Designing retro glasses
Topic: Defining and Solving Problems
Class participation
brainpopjr: Engineering Design
activity: Roller Coaster
video: Busch Gardens Griffon
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