We live in a dynamic world where everything is in motion, or so it seems. But not everything is moving the same way. Some things move from one place to another. Other things go around and around in a rotational motion. Still, other things are stationary, stable for a time, balanced on a thin line between stop and go. These are the global phenomena that students experience in this module.

Publisher: FOSS (Full Option Science System), Delta Education

North Carolina State Standards

PS.K.2 Understand the positions and motions of objects and organisms observed in the environment.

• PS.K.2.1 Use models to compare the relative position of various objects observed in the classroom and outside using position words
  such as: in front of, behind, between, on top of, under, above, below, beside.

PS.1.1 Understand how forces (pushes or pulls) affect the motion of an object.

• PS.1.1.1 Use models to explain the effect of a push or pull on the motion of an object, with or without contact.
• PS.1.1.2 Carry out investigations to compare the effects of a given force on the motion of an object.

“Organisms” provides hands-on experiences that help students develop an understanding of and sensitivity to living things. Students create and maintain a woodland habitat containing pine seedlings, moss, pill bugs, and Bess beetles or millipedes. They also set up and observe a freshwater habitat into which they introduce Elodea and Cabomba plants, pond snails, and guppies. With both plants and animals in each habitat, students have the opportunity to observe how these organisms coexist. Through studying the needs and characteristics of a variety of organisms, the students are able to draw conclusions about how plants and animals are similar and different. Students apply what they have learned about organisms to humans by exploring how humans are similar to and different from other living things.

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), Carolina Biological Supply Company

North Carolina State Standards

LS.1.1 Understand the basic needs of a variety of plants and animals in different ecosystems.

• LS.1.1.1 Obtain, evaluate and communicate information to summarize the needs of different plants and animals.
• LS.1.1.2 Analyze and interpret data to compare how the needs of plants and animals can be met in different environments. (WITH MODIFICATION)

ESS.1.3 Understand that natural resources are important to humans.

• ESS.1.3.2 Engage in argument from evidence to explain ways that humans can protect natural resources in the environment. (WITH MODIFICATION)

The Pebbles, Sand, and Silt module consists of four sequential investigations, each designed to introduce concepts in earth science. The investigations provide experiences that heighten students’ awareness of rocks as earth materials and natural resources. They will come to know rocks by many names and in a variety of sizes. Pebbles and sand are the same material—just different in size. Students are expected to:

• Develop a curiosity and interest in the physical world around them.
• Observe, describe, and sort earth materials based on properties.
• Separate earth materials by size, using different techniques.
• Observe the similarities and differences in the materials in a river rock mixture: silt, sand, gravel, and small and large pebbles.
• Explore places where earth materials are found and ways earth materials are used.
• Compare the ingredients in different soils.
• Organize and communicate observations through drawing and writing.
• Acquire the vocabulary associated with earth materials.

Publisher: FOSS (Full Option Science System), Delta Education

North Carolina State Standards

ESS.1.2 Understand the physical properties of Earth materials.

• ESS.1.2.1 Obtain, evaluate and communicate information to summarize the physical properties of Earth materials, including rocks, minerals, soils, and water.
• ESS.1.2.2 Carry out investigations to compare the properties of different soil samples from local places relating their capacity to retain water, provide nutrients, and support the growth of plants.

The Solids and Liquids module provides experiences that heighten students’ awareness of the physical world. Matter with which we interact exists in three fundamental states: solid, liquid, and gas. In this module first and second graders have introductory experiences with two of these states of matter, solid and liquid. STC expects students to:

• Develop curiosity and interest in the objects that make up their world.
• Investigate materials constructively during free exploration and in a guided discovery mode.
• Recognize differences between solids and liquids.
• Explore a number of liquids.
• Observe and describe the properties of solids and liquids.
• Sort materials according to properties.
• Combine and separate solids of different particle sizes.
• Observe and describe what happens when solids are mixed with water.
• Observe and describe what happens when other liquids are mixed with water.
• Use information gathered to conduct an investigation on an unknown material.
• Acquire the vocabulary associated with the properties of solids and liquids.
• Use written and oral language to describe observations

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), NSRC

The Air and Weather module consists of four sequential investigations, each designed to introduce concepts in earth science. The investigations provide opportunities for young students to explore the natural world by using simple tools to observe and monitor change. Students are expected to:

• Develop an interest in air and weather.
• Experience air as a material that takes up space and can be compressed into a smaller space.
• Observe the force of air pressure pushing on objects and materials.
• Observe and compare how moving air interacts with objects.
• Observe and describe changes that occur in weather over time.
• Become familiar with instruments used by meteorologists to monitor air and weather conditions.
• Compare monthly and seasonal weather conditions using bar graphs.
• Observe the location of the Sun and the Moon in the sky over a day and the change in the appearance of the Moon over a month.
• Organize and communicate observations through drawing and writing.
• Acquire vocabulary associated with properties of air and weather conditions.

Publisher: FOSS (Full Option Science System), Delta Education

North Carolina State Standards

ESS2.1 Understand patterns of weather and factors that affect weather.

• ESS.2.1.1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to summarize how energy from the sun serves as a source of light and warms the land, air, and water.
• ESS.2.1.2 Use mathematics and computational thinking to summarize weather conditions (temperature, wind direction, wind speed, precipitation)
• ESS.2.1.3 Carry out investigations to collect data and compare weather patterns that occur over time and relate observable patterns to time of day and time of year.
• ESS.2.1.4 Obtain, evaluate and communicate information to recognize the tools scientists use for observing, recording, and predicting weather changes from day to day and during the season.

Beginning investigations of physical science, chemistry and commonplace physical changes all around us. Students test, observe, and make records of properties, then develop critical thinking skills by sorting and classifying based on these properties. Changes include changes of state and various chemical changes.

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), Carolina Biological Supply Company

North Carolina State Standards

PS.2.1 Understand properties of solids and liquids and the changes they undergo.

• PS.2.1.1 Carry out investigations to illustrate examples of matter that can change from a solid to a liquid and from a liquid to a solid by heating and cooling.
• PS.2.1.2 Analyze and interpret data to compare the amount (volume and weight) of water in a container before and after freezing. (WITH MODIFICATION)
• PS.2.1.3 Analyze and interpret data to compare the amount (volume and weight) of water left in an open container over time to
  the water left in a closed container.

This unit introduces the concept of life cycles through an investigation of the Painted Lady butterfly. Students observe, record, and describe the metamorphosis from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. The butterfly ultimately dies a natural death, completing students’ observations of the life cycle.

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), Carolina Biological Supply Company

North Carolina State Standards

LS.2.1 Understand animal life cycles.

• LS.2.1.1 Use models to summarize the life cycle of animals including: birth, developing into an adult, reproducing, aging and death.
• LS.2.1.2 Obtain, evaluate and communicate information to compare life cycles of different animals. (WITH MODIFICATION)

Students use tuning forks, slide whistles, strings, and other sound-producing objects to investigate the characteristics of sound. Students learn that sound is caused by vibrations, and they explore how sound travels. They learn about the relationship of pitch and volume to the frequency and amplitude of vibrations. They discover, for example, that they can alter pitch by varying the length or tension of a string. Constructing simple stringed instruments, they discover how they can increase the volume of the sound produced by the strings. Students investigate the characteristics of another common sound-producing mechanism–the human vocal cords–and build model vocal cords. They also learn about the anatomy and functioning of the human ear. They apply what they learn in the unit by designing and building musical instruments or other sound-producing devices.

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), Carolina Biological Supply Company

North Carolina State Standards

PS.2.2 Understand the relationship between sound and vibrating objects.

• PS.2.2.1 Carry out investigations to illustrate how sound is produced by vibrating objects and columns of air.
• PS.2.2.2 Use models to summarize the relationship between sound and how sounds are produced and detected by parts of the body that vibrate.

Engage students in thoughtful activities about the form and function of a most remarkable machine, their own bodies. Students build mechanical models to demonstrate how muscles power human movement and develop an appreciation for the design and coordination of the human body.

Publisher: FOSS (Full Option Science System), Delta Education

North Carolina State Standards

LS.3.1 Understand human body systems and how they are essential for life: protection, movement, and support.

• LS.3.1.1 Use models to infer the functions of the skeletal and muscular systems.
• LS.3.1.2 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate scientific information to explain why skin is necessary for protection and for the body to
  remain healthy. (WITH MODIFICATION)

Students explore and describe the position, appearance, and motion (or apparent motion) of objects in the sky, specifically the Moon, the Sun, and the stars. They use their shadows to determine the changing position of the Sun in the daytime sky and use direct observations to describe the changing position of the Moon during the day and at night and of the stars in the nighttime sky. Students also observe that the Moon appears to change its shape every day in a repeating pattern that takes approximately one month.

Publisher: TRACS (Teaching Relevant Activities for Concepts & Skills), BSCS

North Carolina State Standards

ESS.3.1 Remember the major components and patterns observed in the earth/moon/sun system.

• ESS.3.1.1 Use models to recognize that the Earth is part of a system called the solar system that includes the sun (a star), planets,
  and many moons, and that the Earth is the third planet from the sun.
• ESS.3.1.2 Carry out investigations to recognize that changes in the length and direction of an object’s shadow indicate the apparent changing position of the sun during the day.
• ESS.3.1.3 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to recognize the patterns of the stars (including the sun) stay the same as they appear to move across the sky.

Students observe each stage in the life cycle of a simple plant. Students plant seeds and watch the seedlings emerge. They thin and transplant seedlings. As they watch plants grow, students learn that plants need nutrients from the soil, as well as water and light, to thrive. To explore the interdependence of living things, students pollinate the flowers with dried honeybees. Finally, they harvest mature seeds and determine seed yields.

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), Carolina Biological Supply Company

North Carolina State Standards

LS.3.2 Understand how plant structures aid in survival.

• LS.3.2.1 Carry out investigations to explain the structures and functions of plants and how they are essential for life.
• LS.3.2.2 Use models to exemplify the distinct stages of the life cycle of seed plants.

LS.3.3 Understand how environmental factors aid in the survival of plants.

• LS.3.3.1 Carry out investigations to explain how environmental conditions determine how well plants survive and grow. (WITH MODIFICATION)

Examinations of properties of different soil components. Students characterize the various soil components, then use this information to identify mystery soils and analyze characteristics of their local soils.

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), Carolina Biological Supply Company

North Carolina State Standards

LS.3.3 Understand how environmental factors aid in the survival of plants.

• LS.3.3.2 Construct an explanation to infer how the basic properties and components of soil determine its ability to support the growth and survival of many plants.

By caring for and observing three animals from different habitats—the dwarf African frog, the fiddler crab, and the millipede—students learn about what animals need to survive, the primary parts of their anatomical structure, and the ways in which they are suited for life in a particular environment. Students create and maintain individual logs in which they record their observations of each animal over time. These observations focus on animal behavior, including methods for food getting, movement, and protection. Toward the end of the unit, students apply what they have learned about structure, habitat, survival needs, and behavior to study a fourth classroom animal: the human. They also conduct an animal research project and decide how they will present their findings to the class.

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), Carolina Biological Supply Company

North Carolina State Standards

LS.4.1 Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations, and behaviors that enable organisms to survive in changing habitats.

• LS. 4.1.2 Use models to explain that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information, and
  respond to the information in different ways.
• LS.4.1.3 Engage in argument from evidence to explain how differences among animals of the same population sometimes gives
  individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing in changing habitats. (WITH MODIFICATION)

ESS.4.3 Understand changes caused by human impact on the environment.

• ESS.4.3.1 Ask questions to infer whether changes in an organism’s environment are beneficial or harmful.
• ESS.4.3.2 Engage in argument from evidence to explain how humans can adapt their behavior to live in changing environments (e.g. recycling wastes, establishing rain gardens, planting native species to prevent flooding and erosion).

Students explore basic concepts related to food and nutrition. They set up their own classroom laboratory and perform physical and chemical tests to identify the presence of starch, glucose, fats, and proteins in common foods. Some of the tests are relatively simple and produce “yes-or-no” results; others require multiple steps. Still other tests, such as the glucose test, produce results that require interpretation. Through readings, students discover how proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins, are related to good health. They also learn how to interpret food labels. In a final challenge, students apply their knowledge and skills to analyze the nutritional components of a marshmallow.

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), Carolina Biological Supply Company

Click Here for Forces, Matter, and Energy Teacher Resources

A complete 9-week unit encompassing three physical science standards. Students will experience lessons on magnets, electricity, properties of matter and light, and more.

Publisher: CIBL (Center for Inquiry-Based Learning)

North Carolina State Standards

PS.4.1 Understand how various forces affect the motion of an object.

• 4PS.4.1.1 Ask questions to summarize the relationship of magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.
• PS.4.1.2 Carry out investigations to explain how electrically charged objects push or pull on other objects to produce motion.

PS.4.2 Understand that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

• PS.4.2.1 Ask questions to identify basic forms of energy (light, sound, heat, and electrical) that cause motion or create change.
• PS.4.2.2 Use models to explain a simple electrical circuit and the necessary components.
• PS.4.2.3 Carry out investigations on common materials to classify them as insulators or conductors of electricity.

PS.4.3 Understand the nature of light and how light interacts with objects.

• PS.4.3.1 Carry out investigations to infer the path light travels from a light source to a mirror and how it is reflected (by the mirror) using different angles.
• PS.4.3.2 Carry out investigations to explain how light is refracted and absorbed.

Students explore the differences and similarities between rocks and minerals by investigating samples of these earth materials, performing a series of tests similar to geologists’ field tests, and reading about rocks and minerals and how they are used. The first lessons focus on rocks. The students then turn their attention to a set of 12 minerals and test them to identify properties such as streak color, luster, transparency, hardness, shape, and magnetism. After completing these observations, students compile them into their own “Minerals Field Guide.” In a culminating activity, they are challenged to apply their knowledge and skills to identify new minerals. They then report on how rocks and minerals are used.

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), Carolina Biological Supply Company

North Carolina State Standards

ESS.4.2 Understand patterns of change in the Earth’s surface over time.

• ESS.4.2.1 Carry out investigations to classify minerals using tests for the physical properties of hardness, color, luster, cleavage and streak.
• ESS.4.2.2 Carry out investigations to classify rocks as metamorphic, sedimentary, or igneous based on their composition, how they are formed, and the processes that create them.
• ESS.4.2.3 Use models to explain changes in Earth’s surface over time (to include slow changes of erosion and weathering, and fast
  changes of earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activity).

Click Here for Ecosystems Teacher Resources

Students begin the unit by setting up a terrarium in which they grow grass, mustard, and alfalfa plants. They then add crickets and isopods. They also set up an aquarium into which they introduce snails, guppies, elodea, algae, and duckweed.

By connecting the terrarium and aquarium bottles to create an “ecocolumn,” students are able to observe the relationship between the two environments and the organisms living within them. Using test ecocolumns that contain only plants, students simulate the effects of pollutants—such as road salt, fertilizer, and acid rain—on an environment.

Students then use a food chain wheel to make inferences about the effects these pollutants might have on their own miniature ecosystems.

Later, students read about, explore, and discuss the Chesapeake Bay as a model ecosystem. They analyze this ecosystem from the viewpoint of various users—-waterman, dairy farmer, land developer, recreational boater, and resident—-and present their findings to the class. This activity enables students to appreciate the trade-offs that must be made to reach mutually acceptable solutions to environmental problems.

CIBL has developed three supplementary activities to explore the interdependence of plants and animals in an ecosystem.

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), Carolina Biological Supply Company

North Carolina State Standards

LS.5.2 Understand the interdependence of plants and animals within their ecosystem.

• LS.5.2.1 Engage in argument from evidence to compare the characteristics of several common ecosystems (including estuaries and salt marshes, oceans, lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, forests, and grasslands) in terms of their ability to support a variety of
  populations.
• LS.5.2.2 Use models to classify organisms within an ecosystem according to the function they serve: producers, consumers, or
  decomposers.
• LS.5.2.3 Use models to infer the effects that may result from the interconnected relationships of plants and animals to their ecosystem.

Click Here for Investigating Weather Systems Teacher Resources

A variety of explorations of weather systems. Students discover the major factors that affect weather, including latitude, altitude, and proximity to bodies of water. They make physical models that illustrate the driving forces of weather. They keep records of weather changes outside their classroom and graph the resulting data.

CIBL developed three supplementary activities for students to observe and predict weather patterns.

Publisher: TRACS (Teaching Relevant Activities for Concepts & Skills), BSCS

North Carolina State Standards

ESS.5.1 Understand how Earth systems (hydrosphere and atmosphere) impact patterns of weather and climate.

• ESS.5.1.1 Analyze and interpret data to compare daily and seasonal changes in weather conditions (including wind speed and direction, precipitation, and temperature) and patterns.
• ESS.5.1.2 Analyze and interpret weather data to explain current and upcoming weather conditions (including severe weather such as hurricanes and tornadoes) in a given location.
• ESS.5.1.3 Construct an explanation to summarize the ocean’s influences on weather and climate in North Carolina.
• ESS.5.1.4 Use models to explain how the sun’s energy drives the processes of the water cycle (including evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation).

Click Here for Materials Teacher Resources

An entire 9-week unit devoted to physical science, including conservation of matter, the difference between mixtures and chemical change, heat transfer, and more.

Publisher: CIBL (Center for Inquiry-Based Learning)

North Carolina State Standards

PS.5.1 Understand the interactions of matter and energy and the changes that occur.

• PS 5.1.1 Carry out investigations to compare the weight of objects before and after an interaction.
• PS. 5.1.2 Carry out investigations to explain whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.
• PS 5.1.3 Carry out investigations to compare how heating and cooling affect some materials and how this relates to their purpose and practical applications.

Investigations of motion of vehicles and challenges in technological design and engineering. Students create vehicles and use them to explore the effects of force, friction, and wind resistance on speed and distance. They graph data gathered about the motion of their vehicles under various forms of power. They are challenged to build their own vehicles to meet specifications such as distance traveled in a given time and cost.

Two supplementary activities expand on students’ understanding of motion and change in position over time.

Publisher: STC (Science and Technology for Children), Carolina Biological Supply Company

North Carolina State Standards

PS.5.2 Understand force, motion, and the relationship between them.

• PS.5.2.1 Carry out investigations to explain how factors such as gravity, friction, and change in mass affect the motion of objects.
• PS.5.2.2 Use mathematics and computational thinking to infer the motion of an object (including position, direction, and speed).