III: Using Scientific Knowledge in Life Science

III.2: Organization of Living Things

III.2.C: All students will investigate and explain how living things obtain and use energy:

III.2.C.4: Compare and contrast food, energy, and environmental needs of selected organisms.

Prairie Ecosystem

III.2.D: All students will analyze how parts of living things are adapted to carry out specific functions:

III.2.D.5: Explain functions of selected seed plant parts.

Germination

III.3: Heredity

III.3.A: All students will investigate and explain how characteristics of living things are passed on through generations:

III.3.A.1: Give evidence that characteristics are passed from parents to young.

Inheritance

III.5: Ecosystems

III.5.A: All students will explain how parts of an ecosystem are related and how they interact:

III.5.A.1: Identify familiar organisms as part of a food chain or food web and describe their feeding relationships within the web.

Forest Ecosystem
Prairie Ecosystem

III.5.B: All students will explain how energy is distributed to living things in an ecosystem:

III.5.B.2: Describe the basic requirements for all living things to maintain their existence.

Prairie Ecosystem

IV: Using Scientific Knowledge in Physical Science

IV.1: Matter and Energy

IV.1.A: All students will measure and describe the things around us:

IV.1.A.1: Classify common objects and substances according to observable attributes/properties.

Mineral Identification

IV.1.A.2: Identify properties of materials which make them useful.

Mineral Identification

IV.1.B: All students will identify and describe forms of energy:

IV.1.B.3: Identify forms of energy associated with common phenomena.

Energy Conversions

IV.1.C: All students will explain how electricity (and magnetism; see PMO) interact with matter:

IV.1.C.4: Construct simple, useful electrical circuits. (3-5)

Circuit Builder

IV.1.C.5: Describe possible electrical hazards to be avoided at home and at school. (K-2)

Circuit Builder

IV.2: Changes in Matter

IV.2.A: All students will investigate, describe and analyze ways in which matter changes:

IV.2.A.1: Describe common physical changes in matter-size, shape; melting, freezing (K-2); dissolving, evaporating (3-5).

Phases of Water

IV.3: Motion of Objects

IV.3.A: All students will describe how things around us move, explain why things move as they do, and demonstrate and explain how we control the motions of objects:

IV.3.A.1: Describe or compare motions of common objects in terms of speed and direction.

Measuring Motion

IV.3.A.2: Explain how forces (pushes or pulls) are needed to speed up, slow down, stop, or change the direction of a moving object.

Force and Fan Carts

IV.3.A.3: Describe patterns of interaction of magnetic materials with other magnetic and non-magnetic materials.

Magnetism

IV.3.A.4: Identify and use simple machines and describe how they change effort.

Ants on a Slant (Inclined Plane)
Levers
Pulleys
Wheel and Axle

IV.4: Waves and Vibrations

IV.4.B: All students will explain shadows, color, and other light phenomena:

IV.4.B.3: Use prisms and filters with light sources to produce various colors of light.

Color Absorption

V: Using Scientific Knowledge in Earth Science

V.4: Solar System, Galaxy and Universe

V.4.A: All students will compare and contrast our planet and sun to other planets and star systems.

V.4.A.1: Compare and contrast characteristics of the sun, moon and earth.

Solar System

V.4.B: All students will describe and explain how objects in the solar system move.

V.4.B.2: Describe the motion of the earth around the sun and the moon around the earth.

Phases of the Moon