Unit 1: Interactions in Matter
Students will recognize that matter is composed of particles too small to be seen and that these particles make up all substances.
Students will demonstrate that the total weight of substances remains constant even when heated, cooled, or mixed (Conservation of Mass).
Students will identify materials based on their observable and measurable properties (e.g., solubility, density, conductivity, magnetic attraction).
Students will explain that mixing certain materials can lead to the formation of a new substance (chemical change), which has different properties than the original materials.
How can we use the properties of matter to clean up water after a natural disaster?
What properties are helpful to consider when separating matter from each other?
What tools can be used to separate mixtures?
What materials are good electrical insulators?
Can you think of something around the house that we can't see, but we know is made of matter? How do we know it's still there?
If you mix sugar into your drink, why can't we easily get the sugar back out? What's an example of a mixture we can easily separate (like cereal and milk)?
If you have an ice cube and let it melt in a cup, does the cup full of water weigh more, less, or the same as the cup with the ice cube? Why?
If we had dirty water from a rain barrel, what everyday items could we use to try and filter out the big pieces of dirt or leaves?
Melting, Freezing, and Other Forms of Change (Matter in Action) by Jennifer Pitt. This book provides a clear explanation of physical changes and states of matter.
Matter: Physical Science for Children by Janice VanCleave. A great resource with easy-to-do experiments and clear definitions of matter properties.
A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick. Features incredible photographs illustrating condensation, evaporation, and other properties of water and matter changes.
What Is the World Made Of?: All About Solids, Liquids, and Gases by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld. A simple, engaging introduction to the states of matter and the tiny particles that form them.
Unit 2: Observing Our Sky
Students will explain why the Sun appears larger and brighter than other stars by describing the relationship between distance and apparent size/brightness.
Students will analyze observable patterns (like seasons and tides) caused by the orbital motions of Earth and the Moon, and the rotation of Earth.
Students will describe how the rotation of Earth causes the predictable pattern of day and night and influences the length and direction of shadows throughout the day.
Students will explain the effect of Earth's gravity as a force that pulls objects toward the planet's center.
How do Earth's rotation and orbit create the observable patterns of day, night, and shadows?
Why do objects in the sky appear to change their location and appearance over time?
What is gravity, and how does it determine the motion and arrangement of objects in our solar system?
What makes the Sun appear different from other stars?
Why does the Sun look so much bigger and brighter than all the other stars we see at night? Can we try holding a flashlight close to you and then far away to show the difference?
Let's look at your shadow outside. If we look again later this afternoon, how will your shadow be different—longer, shorter, or pointing a new way? Why does that happen?
If you drop a ball, why does it always fall straight down instead of floating away or falling sideways? What is happening deep inside the Earth to make that happen?
Can you explain what Earth is doing right now that causes it to be day (or night) where we live? What would happen if Earth stopped moving?
The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars by Mike Goldsmith. A comprehensive guide that uses clear language and engaging graphics to cover key concepts about the solar system.
The Magic School Bus Presents Our Solar System by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. This popular series offers a fun, fact-filled introduction to planets, orbits, and gravity.
There's No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library) by Tish Rabe. A rhyming, accessible overview of space for younger readers that reinforces the core concepts of the unit.
The Earth Book by Todd Parr. While simple, this book inspires appreciation for Earth's place in space and its features, which ties into the concepts of rotation and gravity.
Unit 3: Human Impact on the Earth's Systems
Students will describe the movement of water through the hydrologic (water) cycle and explain its necessity for the production of fresh water.
Students will identify where Earth's water is located, recognizing that most water is saltwater in the ocean and most fresh water is frozen in glaciers and ice caps.
Students will analyze how human activities impact Earth's systems and water resources (human footprint).
What role does water play on our Earth, and what steps can be taken to conserve it?
How does water move through the hydrologic cycle?
Where does the fresh water on Earth originate and how much of it is available for use?
How can people use information about Earth's systems to protect its resources and environments?
Let's think about all the ways we use water just in the morning—showering, brushing teeth, making breakfast. Which of those could we do differently to save even a little bit of water?
When it rains, where does the water go after it hits our roof or the driveway? Can you explain how that water might eventually become part of a cloud again?
We know most of Earth's water is saltwater. If we wanted to see most of the fresh water, where would we have to travel? Why is so little of our water ready to drink?
A Drop Around the World by Jacqui Bailey. This book follows a single drop of water on its journey through the water cycle, explaining all the phases.
The Drop in the Middle of the Ocean: How Water Connects Everything by Kate Rauner. Explores the importance of water, where it's located, and how it flows across Earth.
Why Should I Save Water? by Jen Green. A simple and direct book that focuses on the human impact on water resources and offers practical ways to conserve.
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss. A compelling book that describes Earth's finite supply of fresh water and the need for global awareness and conservation.
Unit 4: Matter and Energy Flow in an Ecosystem
Students will explain that the ultimate source of energy for all living organisms comes from the Sun.
Students will identify that plants obtain the materials necessary for growth primarily from air and water, not only from the soil.
Students will describe the flow of energy through an ecosystem using the concepts of producers, consumers, and food webs.
Students will explain how matter cycles between the air, soil, plants, animals, and decomposers (like composting and waste breakdown).
How does matter move and change within an ecosystem?
How is energy transferred from the Sun through a food web?
What role do plants and decomposers play in keeping an ecosystem healthy and balanced?
When you eat dinner tonight, where did the energy in that food originally come from? Can you trace the energy back to the Sun?
If we put a banana peel in the trash, what happens to it? If we put it in a compost bin, what 'cleanup crew' is responsible for breaking it down and what happens to the matter?
If we were planning our own vegetable garden, what kinds of plants and insects would we need to include to make it 'self-sustaining' (so it could keep running without buying lots of new supplies)?
Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals. A fun, rhyming book that introduces the concept of composting and matter cycling in a very accessible way.
The Reasons for Seasons by Gail Gibbons. This classic non-fiction book clearly explains the relationship between the Sun's energy and life on Earth, linking to the start of all food webs.
A Tree Is a Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla. A simple but effective book that details how a plant grows and gets its materials from the environment (air, water, and soil).
Nature's Cleanup Crew: The Fungus Among Us by Sandra Markle. Focuses on decomposers (fungi and bacteria) and their essential role in recycling matter back into the ecosystem.