*what is a rotting log and why is it important to our ecosystem *what is decomposition *what kind of insects and animals live on a rotting log *what is soil made of *what is the difference between soil, humus, and clay *why is soil important
Worms *life cycle *parts of the worm *why they are important parts of our environment
Last Unit of Study- February Nutrition We will focus on the five food groups: Grains Protein Dairy Vegetables Fruit
Some activities we will be doing include: *designing the ideal meal *creating and sharing recipes *sorting foods by food group *group project on the different food groups *exploring the basics of the digestive system
Last Unit of Study
Force and Motion Students will be able to… Describe and classify different kinds of materials by observable properties of color, strength, flexibility, hardness, texture, absorbency and other properties Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials that have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose Construct a variety of objects from a small set of pieces Give examples of pushes and pulls that occur in our daily lives and explain what causes them Gather and record evidence from first-hand investigations in order to make claims about the cause and effect relationships between pulls and pushes of different directions and strengths, and the resulting motion of objects. Using evidence gathered during investigations, make claims about the relationships between friction and the motion of objects and between friction and the production of heat. Provide evidence to support the claim that things fall to the ground unless something holds them up. Plan and carry out investigations of how balls move on ramps Using evidence, discuss ideas about what is making something move the way it does and how some movements can be controlled Compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object
Unit Overarching Big Ideas (Content): Pushes and pulls (forces) make things move, stop, speed up, slow down and change direction. A push or a pull can be affected by many different things: weight, surface type, height, strength of push or pull, etc. Pushes and pulls can be caused by people (and other animals), water, air, magnets, gravity and machines (with an energy source). The physical properties of objects and the surfaces that they move on affect how well they move. Friction is the force that slows down motion when two objects are touching. The rougher the surfaces, the more friction there will be. Without friction, it would be very hard to slow or stop the motion of objects. Friction can make heat. Things near to the Earth fall to the ground unless something holds them up Gravity is a pulling force-it pulls things toward the Earth. Our physical world is made up of things that can be identified by their unique properties. Balls with different properties behave and move differently Ramps and roadways can be designed to make balls move in certain ways Unit Overarching Big Ideas (Science Practices): Scientists are curious and learn by asking questions and exploring different ways to answer them. Scientists gather evidence to answer their questions in many ways (observing, investigating, seeking information from reliable sources) Scientists use fair tests when designing investigations-they change only one thing at a time. Scientists make claims based on their evidence. Scientists share their claims and evidence with others (who may or may not agree with their findings). The most important tools of scientists are their minds, imaginations and creativity. However, they often use tools and technology to obtain more information than they can gather with their senses. As scientists study something, their understanding of how it works often changes Unit Overarching Essential Questions: What makes things move? Why don’t things that are moving keep moving? Why do they stop? How do the properties of objects affect how they move? What materials are used to make balls so that they roll and bounce? How do the properties of balls and ramps affect how a ball moves? How can you control the behavior of balls by building a ramp system?