Fossils LS2.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves, and cope with changes. Groups may serve different functions and vary dramatically in size. Collect and observe fossils from your local environment. Use rubbings of leaves as compared to fossils of plants found in rocks. Observe tracks of animals. Make inferences about that animal and its habitat (e.g., webbed feet tracks indicate an aquatic environment). Discuss how scientists use fossilized tracks to make inferences about prehistoric animals and their environments. Bury a cooked chicken leg in the school yard. After 2 weeks (Please use gloves and allow the teacher to do this part!) dig the leg up to observe changes over time. Make representations of fossils using various objects (e.g., leaf, twig, shell, bone, feather) pressed into clay that hardens. After students discover what 3-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago.
Adaptations LS4.C: Adaptation any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there. is hidden in the hardened clay, draw conclusions about the organisms and the environments. Make a list of fast and slow changes observed on the playground. Discuss what factors influence those changes. Observe how the amount of air, water, nutrients, or light effects the growth and development of plants. Record observations in a chart in a Science Notebook. Observe a playground environment (e.g., under bushes, in a tree, under rocks, near a creek bed) to see how habitat meets 3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. 3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals
Inheritance and Variation of Traits LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits characteristics of organisms are inherited from their parents. (3-LS3-1) characteristics result from individuals’ interactions with the environment, which can range from diet to learning. Many characteristics involve both inheritance and environment. (3- LS3-2) LS3.B: Variation of Traits organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information. (3-LS3-1) environment also affects the traits that an organism develops. Natural Selection LS4.B: Natural Selection the differences in characteristics between individuals of the same species provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing. Create a family tree of inherited traits Discuss and observe the purpose of the physical traits of common animals (why a giraffe has a long neck, why animals have sharp/flat teeth, beaks of birds, etc.) Investigate the effect that an over-population has on the environment. Predict the effect that a population explosion has on the offspring of an organism. Predict the effect on the population of an organism if the death rate of its food source (plant or animal) is increasing. Observe plant and 3-LS3-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms. 3-LS3-2. Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment. 3-LS4-2. Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing. The
animal characteristics and make inferences about how these organisms are adapted to their habitats Days Unit/Topic Common Core Standards Activities Learning Targets (“I Can” Statements) Vocabulary Day 88 - 131 Forces and Interactions Forces and Interactions PS2.A: Forces and Motion force acts on one particular object and has both strength and a direction. An object at rest typically has multiple forces acting on it, but they add to give zero net force on the object. Forces that do not sum to zero can cause changes in the object’s speed or direction of motion. (Boundary: Qualitative and conceptual, but not quantitative addition of forces are used at this level.) (3-PS2-1) patterns of an object’s motion in various situations can be observed and measured; when that past motion exhibits a regular pattern, future motion can be predicted from it. (Boundary: Technical terms, such as magnitude, velocity, momentum, and vector quantity, are not introduced at this level, but the concept that some quantities need both size and direction to be described is developed.) Use common sport activities (e.g., tennis, kickball, soccer, baseball) to demonstrate that the rate of motion is affected by the strength of the push or pull (force). Using a playground swing, push students using varying strength of push. Observe the change in position when using a little force and greater amounts of force. Move identical objects different distances (e.g., box of copy paper 1 meter and 10 meters). Discuss the amount of force needed. Move different objects 3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. 3-PS2-2. Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion. Balanced and unbalanced forces, motion, electric interactions, magnetic interactions
Types of Interactions PS2.B: Types of Interactions in contact exert forces on each other. (3-PS2-1) and magnetic forces between a pair of objects do not require that the objects be in contact. sizes of the forces in each situation depend on the properties of the objects and their distances apart and, for forces between two magnets, on their orientation relative to each other. (box of reams of copy paper and box of lightly waded single sheets of paper) identical distances. Discuss the amount of force needed to move the objects. Use a bulb, battery, and wire system to test objects for conductivity. Observe the materials contained inside of a light bulb and diagram the flow of electricity that lights the bulb. Add objects to a bulb, battery, and wire system to test to see if objects are conductors or insulators of electricity. Add switches to a closed circuit. Add more batteries to a simple bulb, battery, and wire system. Observe the effect of additional energy in the system. Observe and describe 3-PS2-3. Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other. 3-PS2-4. Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets.*
Days Unit/Topic Common Core Standards Activities Learning Targets (“I Can” Statements) Vocabulary Day 131-175 Weather and Climate Weather and Climate ESS2.D: Weather and Climate record patterns of the weather across different times and areas so that they can make predictions about what kind of weather might happen next. describes a range of an area's typical weather conditions and the extent to which those conditions vary over years. Discuss and record daily observable weather characteristics over time. Compare inside and outside temperatures. Record the temperature changes of hot and cold water. Make and use a rain gauge. Record precipitation amounts daily. Observe, record, and classify cloud patterns. Observe, record, and graph wind direction and speed. 3-ESS2-1. Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season. 3-ESS2-2. Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world. 3-ESS3-1. Make a Seasons, weather conditions, climates, hazards, patterns, predictions, tables and graphic displays
Natural Hazards ESS3.B: Natural Hazards variety of natural hazards result from natural processes. Humans cannot eliminate natural hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts. claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.*