Next, they make their own balls out of clay and other materials and test them. Finally, they explore the movement of balls down ramps, through tubes, and around bends. Organisms First Grade -This unit on living things examines plants and animals in both pond and land settings. Students work in small teams to create their own pond aquariums complete with guppies, snails, and water plants. They also create woodland terrariums with pillbugs, beetles, moss, and pine seedlings.
Students observe and compare the growth and life cycles of the different organisms.
Students compare characteristics of a variety of solids and liquids and focus on properties and clear descriptions of matter. This unit incorporates a variety of math and science skills as students explore the relationship between balance and weight. Students work with a balance beam to discover the how the positions of the fulcrum and the weights affect balance. They also build their own mobile to show their understanding of balance. Later in the unit students build a balance scale and learn the need for standard units of measure, and develop an initial understanding of density.