Unit 1: Patterns in the Sky
Students will observe, describe, and predict the patterns of sunrise and sunset each season.
Students will demonstrate that the movement of the Sun, Moon, and stars follows a predictable pattern.
Students will describe and predict observable seasonal patterns.
What patterns do we see in the day and night sky in different seasons?
How can we predict the movement of the Sun, Moon, and stars?
What objects can we see in the sky during the day versus at night?
What does the sky look like right now? What can we see?
What time did the sun come up this morning? Is it earlier or later than it was last month?
What do the trees in our yard look like right now? How will they change as the seasons change?
Can you find the moon in the sky? What does it look like today? Does it look the same every night?
The Sun Is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch. This book follows a curious bear's observations of the sun throughout the day and in different seasons.
Moonbear's Shadow by Frank Asch. A simple story about a bear and his shadow, which can spark conversations about how shadows change as the sun moves.
The Reasons for Seasons by Gail Gibbons. This book explains in a clear, easy-to-understand way why we have seasons and how they affect the world around us.
On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier. This book celebrates a baby's birth by describing the predictable cycles of the Earth and sky.
Unit 2: Communicating with Light and Sound
Students will explain how vibrations can create sound.
Students will describe how light helps us see objects.
Students will explain that light passes through materials differently, and that some materials reflect light, while others create shadows.
Students will describe how people use various devices to communicate over a long distance.
How can light and sound be used to communicate?
What causes something to make sound?
What causes us to be able to see something in the dark?
In what ways can the path of light be changed?
How do you make a sound with your voice? What do you feel in your throat when you talk or sing?
What happens to a shadow when you get closer to a light source?
Can you think of something that makes both a sound and a light to communicate? (For example, a fire truck or an alarm clock.)
How do we use light to communicate with each other?
The Listening Walk by Paul Showers. This book encourages children to pay attention to different sounds they hear in the world around them.
The Magic School Bus and the Science of Light by Joanna Cole. The popular class explores how light travels and helps us see, making it a fun and informative read.
Lights Out, Lights On by Jody Jensen Shaffer. This book uses simple rhymes to show how light and dark affect what we see.
The Sound Book by Aliki. This book explains what sound is, where it comes from, and how it travels.
Unit 3: Designs from Nature
Students will explain how the external parts of animals help them grow, survive, and meet their needs.
Students will explain how the external parts of plants help them grow, survive, and meet their needs.
Students will describe how plants and animals respond to their environment in order to survive.
How can humans learn from the way plants and animals use their external parts to survive?
How do animals use their external parts to survive?
What are some ways plants and animals respond to their environment to survive, grow, and meet their needs?
What do your pet's paws, whiskers, or beak help it do?
Look at a plant in our house or yard. What do its leaves or roots help it do?
If you see a squirrel burying an acorn, how is it using its body to survive?
What happens to a plant when you put it in a dark place?
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. This book shows how different animals use their unique body parts for survival, like a monkey's tail for grabbing.
A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston. This book beautifully illustrates the parts of a seed and how they help a plant grow and survive.
How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan. A classic that clearly explains how a plant grows from a seed, focusing on the roles of the external parts like the stem and leaves.
Unit 4: Parents and Their Offspring
Students will explain how some adult animals engage in behaviors that help their offspring survive.
Students will describe how some offspring engage in behaviors to help them survive.
Students will demonstrate that animals of the same species are similar but can vary in many ways.
Students will demonstrate that plants of the same type are similar but can vary in many ways.
Do all plants and animals of the same kind look alike?
How do parent animals protect their young?
What behaviors do offspring animals engage in to survive?
How are animals and plants of the same species similar, and how are they different?
How do you know that a puppy is similar to its parent but not exactly the same?
What are some ways that we help take care of our pets or other young animals?
Look at the trees in our yard. What is similar about them? What is different?
What are some ways you are like your parents, and what are some ways you are different?
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman. A classic story about a baby bird searching for its mother, which can lead to a discussion about how young animals look like their parents.
The Family Book by Todd Parr. This book celebrates the variety of different families, which can be a great way to discuss how family members share traits but also have differences.
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert. This book follows the process of growing vegetables, which can be used to discuss how plants of the same kind can look a little different.