Students construct topographical maps to represent mountains, along with actual models of the mountain. Responsibility for animals is learned through feeding and maintaining a natural habitat as closely as possible. Fifth graders study plants. They discover the ways plants absorb nutrients and the ways plants depend on animals. They also learn that plants can be used to prevent soil erosion.
Fifth graders explore natural resources.
They explore ways that natural resources can be conserved by limiting usage, recycling and by reducing pollution. Fifth graders investigate landforms, weather, and climate. Fifth graders discover that the land has been shaped by forces such as water, weather, earthquakes and volcanoes. They look at the ways the earth has physically changed over time. They also compare and contrast weather and climate.