EARTH SCIENCE STRAND
Students learn that plants need soil, sun, air, and water to grow. Then, they watch them grow in a bag. They learn the parts of a plant, roots, stems, and leaves. Suggestions are given for activities that can be done through the seasons so that the unit can be used throughout the school year. Additional activities in the resource guide include learning about sun shadows, growing plants from cuttings, going a plant scavenger hunt, and center activities for the classsroom. There are lists of literature books, poetry, films, math, crafts, and more...
Students learn that water is an important part of weather. Using clues from the sky, the clouds, and a rain gauge, students try to find patterns in the weather. Students then learn how a thermometer works and make a simple one as a class. Different kinds of materials absorb heat differently which causes wind. Students create weather instruments to measure the presence of wind, its speed and direction. Putting all the clues together, students predict weather and compare their predictions to television weather people and the actual weather. Additional activities in the resource guide include a series about evaporation and melting, suggestions for literature, poetry, and more...
Second Grade Rocks and Minerals
Students search for different kinds of soil and then sort it into different types and components. Common aquarium gravel is used to practice sorting of rocks into different attributes. Then, students draw, measure, scratch, and smash rocks created for kitchen materials. Using skills learned using the created rocks, students study rocks from a collection of rocks from Oregon. Activities in the unit wrap up with a study of minerals and the creation of several kinds of crystals to illustrate the unique qualities of crystals. The resource guide includes more activities, internet resources, language, and more...
Third Grade Weather and Climate
Heat activities begin the unit, followed by air pressure, and water. These three components of weather are experienced by students in an effort to find patterns in the weather we experience. The causes of the season are introduced and suggestions are given for activities that fit each season. In the resource section, ideas are given for the study of the Greenhouse Effect, air inversions, prevailing winds, rainbows, thunder, and lightning. There are also curriculum suggestions for language, literature, poetry, math, social studies, and more...
Introduce the layers of the Earth using worksheets, puzzles, and a game. Then, students learn about Earth changes both fast and slow. Activities include volcanoes, earthquakes and their scales, and erosion caused by wind and water. Students study topographic maps, learn about the topography of their local area, and create topographic maps of their own. The resource guide suggests eroding soap, simulations of folded earth, a simple seismograph, and integrations for math, language, literature, projects, and more...
Shadows of the sun begin this unit, followed by phases of the moon and the path of its orbit around the Earth. Scale activities model the distance between planets and the relative sizes of the planets. Optional activities cover the the surface temperatures, speed of orbit, and shape of the orbits of the planets in our solar system. Students can study each planet and complete a project to help cement learning. The resource guide includes activities about gravity, rockets, stars, and constellations. There are also lists of literature books, poems, and much more...
Students are divided into teams and each team reports on a different aspect of weather. This is followed by a study of the layers of the atmosphere, air pressure, barometers, and isobar maps. Heat, an important cause of weather, is studied and then students learn about thermometers and isotherm maps. Water is next as students learn about cloud types, rain cycles, rain gauges, and dewpoint. The unit wraps up with the reasons for the seasons.
This unit begins with a study of the ancient and current theories of the structure of the Earth. Models are created and compared. Plate tectonics in introduced, followed by volcanoes, earthquakes, erosion by wind, erosion by water, and glaciers. The unit finishes with a student of the rocks including growing a variety of crystals, a great connection to chemistry.
Ancient and current theories of our solar system begin this unit. Then, the sun and its structure are studied and students can create sundials and sun clocks. The solar system is introduced and then each planet and its unique features are reviewed with models and hands on activities. Comets, stars, and galaxies complete the unit.