Unit 1: Dealing with Weather
Students will use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.
Students will obtain and use information about weather forecasting to prepare for and respond to different types of local weather.
Students will investigate and communicate the idea that different kinds of materials can be solid or liquid depending on temperature.
Students will make observations to determine that sunlight warms materials on Earth's surface.
What causes the weather to change each day?
How can we predict the weather?
Why do people buy food, water, and other supplies before a bad storm?
How does sunlight affect different types of surfaces on Earth?
What makes some things solid and others liquid?
What's the weather like today? Is it sunny, rainy, or something else?
How do we know what to wear outside?
Why are some surfaces hot when they are in the sun, and some are not?
If we put this ice cube in the sun, what will happen? What if we put it in the shade?
The Sun: Our Nearest Star by Franklyn M. Branley. This book provides a basic introduction to how the sun affects Earth.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. This fun, fictional story can spark conversations about different types of weather and imagination.
The Little Raindrop by Joanna Gray. This book follows a raindrop's journey to explain the water cycle.
Snow Is Falling by Franklyn M. Branley. This book explains why and how snow falls, connecting to weather patterns.
Unit 2: Using Force to Change Motion
Students will demonstrate that a push or a pull can change the speed or direction of an object's motion.
Students will show that different amounts of strength and different directions can change the motion of an object.
How can we change an object's motion?
What happens when you push or pull an object?
Where have you seen a push or a pull in your daily life?
What happens when you push a toy car? What happens when you push it harder?
How can you change the direction of a rolling ball?
When you're playing with a ball, how do you make it go faster or slower?
Can you find something in the house you can pull? How about something you can push?
Push and Pull by Patricia J. Murphy. This book uses simple language and clear photographs to show pushes and pulls in action.
The Push and Pull of Machines by Mark Weakland. It helps kids understand how forces like pushes and pulls work to move machines.
Push, Pull, Empty, Full: A Book of Opposites by Tana Hoban. This is a classic board book that uses simple images to explore the concepts of push and pull as opposites.
Unit 3: Life Cycles
Students will explain that plants have a life cycle.
Students will explain that animals have a life cycle.
Students will describe how some animals, like frogs, have unique life cycles.
What do life cycles have in common?
What is the difference between a frog's life cycle and a chicken's life cycle?
How is a plant's life cycle like an animal's life cycle?
Why do living things have life cycles?
What do you see in our yard that has a life cycle? (like a tree, a flower, a dog, or a bird)
How did our pet grow from a baby to an adult?
How are you different now from when you were a baby?
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. A classic story that beautifully illustrates the life cycle of a butterfly.
A Tree Is a Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla. This book uses simple language to explain how a tree grows from a seed.
Unit 4: Humans and the Needs of Organisms
Students will explain that all plants and animals (including humans) have basic needs to survive.
Students will explain that an organism's surroundings must provide all the basic needs necessary for it to survive.
Students will demonstrate that organisms (including humans) can change the environment.
Students will explain that humans can make choices to reduce their impact on the land, water, and air.
What do living things need to survive?
How do living things, including humans, change their environment?
What are some positive and negative impacts humans have on the environment?
What do our pets need to survive? What about the plants in our house?
How do you get the things you need to survive, like food and water?
How does building a new road or building a new store change our neighborhood?
What are some things we do at home to help the environment?
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. This classic story illustrates the negative effects of environmental destruction and the importance of conservation.
A Tree Is a Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla. This book helps children understand the basic needs of plants and their life cycle.
We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom. A beautiful book that teaches children about the importance of protecting the environment, especially water sources.