Dates |
Content Topics |
Essential Concepts |
Activities/Assessments |
August
|
Introduction material |
- Lab equipment
- Safety
- Scientific method
|
- Calculator
- Balance
- Spring scale
- Thermometer
- Volume
- Experiment
|
September/
October
|
Ecosystems |
- Definition of ecosystem
- Relationships in ecosystems
- Energy flow in ecosystems
- Characteristics of ecosystems
|
- Prairie ecosystem activity: milkweed id, observation of eggs, data collection
- Vocabulary activity
- SQ3R/KWL
- Section test
- Flow of energy explore at home activity
- Energy in a pond activity
- SQ3R
- Food web activity
- Owl pellet dissection
- Every breath you take lab investigation
- Section test
- Make a biome
- Group poster project & presentation
|
November/
December
|
Properties of light
|
- Definition of light
- How light moves
- How light behaves
|
- Seeing light activity
- Circuit lab
- Vocabulary activity
- SQ3R
- Light bulb demonstration
- Graphing activity
- Slinky wave investigation
- Mirror activity
- Reflect & evaluate
- Chapter test
|
January/
February |
Properties of sound
Hearing and recording sound |
- Definition of sound
- Show sound travels
- How sounds differ
- Sound control
- Human hearing
- Transmission
- Recording
|
- Rubber band banjo demonstration
- Ear to wall activity
- String phone investigation
- SQ3R
- Portfolio story
- Highs & lows investigation
- Pitch activity
- Reflect & evaluate
- Further investigation:
Decibels
- Hearing investigation
- SQ3R
- Recording activity
- Unit test
|
March
|
Energy |
- Forms of energy
- Changing forms
|
- Stretch activity
- Stored energy battery investigation
- Integrating sciences graph activity
- Food energy investigation
- Roller coaster activity
- SQ3R
- Unit test investigation
- Test
|
| April |
Solar System |
- Exploring the night sky
- Solar system
- Stars and galaxies
- Living in space
|
- Constellation investigation
- Meteorites
- Planet watching
- How do planets differ
- Star life cycle
- Traveling in space
|
| May |
Solid Earth |
- Minerals
- Rocks
- Earths structure
|
- Identifying minerals
- Minerals of the world-use
- Classifying rocks
- Fossils
- How do rocks bend
- Faults and earthquakes
|