Life Science

Nature's Recyclers

• All organisms have basic survival needs: air, food, water, protection, and space. A habitat is the place where an organism gets everything it needs to survive.
• Many organisms share an environment and interact because their habitats overlap.
• Organisms have characteristics that make it possible for them to survive in their habitat.
• A biome is a large geographic area that contains many habitats.
• You can use what you know about a habitat and a biome to design imaginary organisms that might be able to survive in them.
• It’s useful to have criteria when designing a project.

Skill Building Activities

• Paying attention to a book’s organization can assist reading comprehension. (Reading Science Books)
• Scientists use models to represent things that are too big, small, fast, slow, far away, or dangerous to observe in the real world. (Using Models in Science)
• You can use a field guide to learn about and identify things in the natural world. (Using Field Guides) 

Earth Science

Watery Earth

• Water is a natural resource that is essential for humans and other organisms. 
• Water can be on Earth’s surface, underground, or in the air. All water on Earth circulates through the water cycle. 
• Water is a natural resource that is essential for humans and other organisms. To use it, we must develop ways to access it and clean it.
• Water is a natural resource that is essential for humans and other organisms. Sometimes humans use more water than they need.
• Water resources are limited. It is important to protect and conserve water.

Skill Building Activities

• Paying attention to a book’s organization can assist reading comprehension. (Reading Science Books)
• Scientists use models to represent things that are too big, small, fast, slow, far away, or dangerous to observe in the real world. (Using Models in Science)
• Matter can change between states. Even if matter is not visible, it still exists. (Evaporation—Changing from Liquid to Gas)
• Matter can change between states. Temperature affects the change of matter from one state to another. Even if matter is not visible, it still exists. (Condensation— Changing from Gas to Liquid)

Physical Science

Engineering and Design

*Unless noted units are Project Lead The Way-Launch resources

Energy Conversion

Students

• learn about forms of energy
• identify the conversion of energy between forms and the energy transfer required to move energy from place to place
• identify and explain how energy can be converted to meet a human need or want
• exploring energy conversion and transfer
• apply scientific ideas about the conversion of energy to solve a simple design problem
• design a system that is able to store energy and then convert the energy to a usable form as it is released.

Input/Output: Computer Systems

Students

• discover how signals passing from cell to cell allow us to receive stimuli from the outside world, get this information to the brain for processing, and then send out a signal to generate a response
•  investigate how we take in information through the senses and where the information is processed in the brain.
• work as part of a team to design, plan, and create a video or podcast to raise awareness about concussions
• educate other children as to how concussions can either be identified early or prevented altogether.