Grades 3-5: Grade 3-5 Science Units

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Unit 3.1: Forces & Interactions

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Have you ever seen something in the world that is balanced in an interesting or puzzling way? Have you wondered how it stays balanced without falling over? This unit launches with art sculptures that do just this – the sculptures balance and move in ways that make students wonder how they work. Through a series of investigations, students develop ideas about the multiple forces acting on a sculpture to keep it upright and not fall over, or to create predictable motion. Students plan and carry out investigations to test what works and does not work to design sculptures. The unit re-anchors with a new type of sculpture – one that moves in interesting ways using magnets with nothing making contact. Students learn about the size and direction of forces between magnets and between magnets and some metal objects. Students then apply these ideas about magnets to design an object and device that solves a problem. OpenSciEd curriculum promotes deep and engaging science learning, and it is freely accessible to all. As an Open Educational Resource (OER), we encourage teachers to adapt, transform, and build upon OpenSciEd materials, allowing them to cater to the specific requirements of their classrooms. To view other elementary units, please visit: https://www.openscied.org/curriculum/elementary-school/explore-the-curriculum/

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson

Authors: Jamie Rumage, OpenSciEd

Unit 4.1: Energy Transfer: Collisions

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What sports and games do you like to play? What objects move in those games? How do they change motion? In this unit, students experience and observe what happens to a soccer ball as they pass it back and forth to a partner at different distances and then explore other games. The unit supports students in developing foundational ideas about energy, its relationship to changes in motion and shape, and to find evidence that energy has been transferred between two objects when they collide. Through a series of investigations, students understand that contact forces between two colliding objects (e.g., a foot and a soccer ball or a ball and a surface) transfer energy from one object to the other, and that increasingly bigger kicks (stronger forces) cause the ball to travel farther and with more speed. Students also investigate how energy transfer occurs when a ball or other moving object slows down as it transfers energy to the surface it is moving on, how energy transfers as sound and/or heat to the surroundings in addition to changing motion and shape. OpenSciEd curriculum promotes deep and engaging science learning, and it is freely accessible to all. As an Open Educational Resource (OER), we encourage teachers to adapt, transform, and build upon OpenSciEd materials, allowing them to cater to the specific requirements of their classrooms. To view other elementary units, please visit: https://www.openscied.org/curriculum/elementary-school/explore-the-curriculum/

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson

Authors: Jamie Rumage, OpenSciEd

Unit 5.1: Ecosystems & Matter Cycling

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Have you ever seen a fallen log in a forest? Have you wondered how plants could be growing on it or why animals might be visiting it? In this unit, students explore nurse logs to figure out just that. Students begin their exploration of nurse logs by considering how the plant life that grows on them gets the matter needed to grow. They plan, carry out, and evaluate investigations that provide them with evidence that plants get the matter they need to grow primarily from air and water and the energy they need to grow from the Sun. As students build their understanding of matter and energy transfer, they investigate how there are also many animals that live in, on, and around nurse logs. They model to explain the transfer of energy and matter between plants, animals, the nurse log, and the sun. Students figure out that decomposers are a vital component of the nurse log system. Finally, students consider how new species can disrupt that balance and flow of matter and energy, using the example of American bullfrogs that have been recently introduced to nurse log ecosystems. OpenSciEd curriculum promotes deep and engaging science learning, and it is freely accessible to all. As an Open Educational Resource (OER), we encourage teachers to adapt, transform, and build upon OpenSciEd materials, allowing them to cater to the specific requirements of their classrooms. To view other elementary units, please visit: https://www.openscied.org/curriculum/elementary-school/explore-the-curriculum/

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson

Authors: Jamie Rumage, OpenSciEd

Forces and Interactions (3rd Grade Physical Science Unit)

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In this Unit, students embark on a mission to create a campaign which promotes seat belt use for a teenage audience. In the context of this project, students explore NGSS PE’s 3-PS2-2, 3-PS2-1, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-PS2-3, and 3-PS2-4 while investigating the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces acting on an object. Through a series of collect evidence to write a claim based on evidence for why seatbelts are important.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Pranjali Upadhyay

Grade 3 - Forces and Interactions

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Portland Public Schools has developed this unit. Their hope is that ALL K-5 students will be able to access rigorous, standards-aligned science instruction that engages them in hands-on experiences and sense-making through student discourse. They want to encourage all students to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners. To that end, the science and ESL departments at Portland Public Schools, in consultation with NGSS writer Rita Januszyk, have developed units that are aligned with both Next Generation Science Standards and Oregon’s English Language Proficiency standards. In this unit, students investigate how to protect a passenger in a mock car crash. Students learn about forces, including magnetic forces, and how they interact with objects. Students engineer a solution to protect a play-dough model based on what they have learned. Language focus is on describing movement, patterns, and supporting claims with evidence.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson

Authors: Geoff Stonecipher, Jamie Rumage, Jennifer Mayo, Jennifer Scherzinger, Kate Yocum, Rita Januszkyk, Susan Holveck

Grade 5 - Ecosystems: Energy, Matter, and Modeling

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Portland Public Schools has developed this unit. Their hope is that ALL K-5 students will be able to access rigorous, standards-aligned science instruction that engages them in hands-on experiences and sense-making through student discourse. They want to encourage all students to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners. To that end, the science and ESL departments at Portland Public Schools, in consultation with NGSS writer Rita Januszyk, have developed units that are aligned with both Next Generation Science Standards and Oregon’s English Language Proficiency standards. Students explore where the energy in our food comes from, the flow of energy in an ecosystem, and the cycle of matter. Students generate an initial model of a farm system and revise it throughout the unit as they learn more about the flow of energy and cycling of matter through seed investigations, observations, and discussions. The unit culminates in an engineering challenge using mostly recycled materials.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Authors: Geoff Stonecipher, Jamie Rumage, Jennifer Mayo, Jennifer Scherzinger, Kate Yocum, Rita Januszkyk, Susan Holveck

Grade 4 - Our Ever-Changing Earth

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Portland Public Schools has developed this unit. Their hope is that ALL K-5 students will be able to access rigorous, standards-aligned science instruction that engages them in hands-on experiences and sense-making through student discourse. They want to encourage all students to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners. To that end, the science and ESL departments at Portland Public Schools, in consultation with NGSS writer Rita Januszyk, have developed units that are aligned with both Next Generation Science Standards and Oregon’s English Language Proficiency standards. In this unit, students observe a video of the Scablands. Students test the effects of different rates of water flows in stream tables and use it as evidence to argue that the Scablands were formed by flooding. They then engineer and test flood mitigation in stream tables and also build a model of rock layers. Lastly, students observe maps of Oregon and argue where one could avoid earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson

Authors: Geoff Stonecipher, Jamie Rumage, Jennifer Mayo, Jennifer Scherzinger, Kate Yocum, Rita Januszky, Susan Holveck

Grade 5 -The View from Earth

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Portland Public Schools has developed this unit. Their hope is that ALL K-5 students will be able to access rigorous, standards-aligned science instruction that engages them in hands-on experiences and sense-making through student discourse. They want to encourage all students to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners. To that end, the science and ESL departments at Portland Public Schools, in consultation with NGSS writer Rita Januszyk, have developed units that are aligned with both Next Generation Science Standards and Oregon’s English Language Proficiency standards. In this unit, students investigate how gravity affects a variety of objects. They make and support a claim that the sun is a star and that the brightness of stars is related to their distance from Earth. Students use models to support a claim that the Earth’s movement is responsible for the patterns of movement that we see in the sky.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson

Authors: Geoff Stonecipher, Jamie Rumage, Jennifer Mayo, Jennifer Scherzinger, Kate Yocum, Rita Januszky, Susan Holveck

PEI SOLS 5th grade Food Waste

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While food waste is not typically seen as contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, it is a major contributor. Reducing food waste is the 3rd most beneficial drawdown solution. Wasted food, and the resources to produce that food, are responsible for approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. When individuals and groups reduce food waste, it has a huge impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Food waste awareness is applicable to every person and community. In this storyline, students conduct a “food waste audit”. Each participating class of students collects, sorts and measures their food waste for one day at lunch. Students discuss the local and global causes and effects of food waste in the environment. Students will also learn the cultural connections around food waste from experts or elders from the local Indian tribe and inquire how different agencies in the community deal with food waste (e.g, grocery store, food bank, city). Suggestion for how students can present their findings and create an action plan are also included. 

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 5th grade Forests: Forest Ecosystem Benefits

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The goal of the fifth grade Forests: Forest Ecosystem Benefits storyline is to build on students’ previous knowledge of plant/animal needs, ecosystems, and protection of Earth’s resources. In this storyline students develop an understanding of forest ecosystems, tree benefits including carbon sequestration, and what trees need to grow/gain mass. 

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 4th Grade Natural Hazards: Erosion

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What we see on Earth’s surface is a complex and dynamic set of interconnected systems that include the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere and biosphere. Earth’s processes are the result of energy flow and matter cycling within and among these systems. Understanding Earth’s systems is important for many decisions made in communities today such as where to build a road, where a salmon can successfully build a redd to lay eggs, and how to ensure air quality. Erosion involves all five spheres giving students an excellent example of the interconnectedness of these large systems.  Students may begin the storyline by hearing a story about the relationship between the land and plants from an Indigenous perspective, a local tribe elder or expert if possible. This perspective can be woven throughout the storyline while students explore different types of erosion: wind, water and ice in sand and soil. For real life experiences, students visit their schoolyard or nearby area to find examples of erosion. They may find examples from very small to larger examples of places where soil has eroded. They may find places where human foot traffic has made pathways through a previously planted area.  

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 5th grade: Regenerative Agriculture (Eastern Washington)

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Soil quality is an important aspect of growing food. In this storyline, students will discover what soil is made of and how carbon is an important part of soil quality as well as how carbon moves between plants, soil, and air. Students will learn how Indigenous people used practices such as composting. Finally, students will explore what regenerative agriculture practices are and how they can be a solution to how the climate is changing over time.  

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

Grade 3 - Elementary Science and Integrated Subjects: How Do Plants Grow and Survive

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Elementary Science and Integrated Subjects is a statewide Clime Time collaboration among ESD 123, ESD 105, and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Development of the resources is in response to a need for research- based science lessons for elementary teachers that are integrated with English language arts, mathematics and other subjects such as social studies. The template for Elementary integration can serve as an organized, coherent and research-based roadmap for teachers in the development of their own NGSS aligned science lessons.  Lessons can also be useful for classrooms that have no adopted curriculum as well as to serve as enhancements for  current science curriculum. The EFSIS project brings together grade level teams of teachers to develop lessons or suites of lessons that are 1) focused on grade level Performance Expectations, and 2) leverage ELA and Mathematics Washington State Learning Standards.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Reading, Unit of Study

Authors: Georgia Boatman, Barbara Soots, Ellen Ebert, Kimberley Astle, Washington OSPI OER Project

PEI SOLS 4th Grade Natural Hazards: Erosion (Spanish)

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Lo que vemos en la superficie de la Tierra es un conjunto complejo y dinámico de sistemas interconectados que incluyen la geósfera, la hidrósfera, la atmósfera, la criósfera y la biósfera. Los procesos de la Tierra son el resultado del flujo de energía y el ciclo de la materia que está dentro y entre estos sistemas. Comprender los sistemas de la Tierra es importante para muchas decisiones que se toman hoy en las comunidades, por ejemplo en dónde construir una carretera, en dónde un salmón puede poner huevos con éxito y cómo garantizar la calidad del aire. La erosión involucra las cinco esferas, lo que brinda a los estudiantes un excelente ejemplo de la interconexión de estos grandes sistemas.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 4th grade Renewable Energy: Solar

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Solar energy in the form of light is available to organisms on Earth in abundance. Natural systems and other organisms have structures that function in ways to manage the interaction with and use of this energy. In this storyline, students compare resources used for energy and their effect on the atmosphere. Students will explore how light energy interacts with materials and how light energy can be transformed into energy for heating and cooling.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 3rd Grade Coastal Hazards: Flooding

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The Washington State coastline is a culturally important place and valuable resource for communities of people, animals, and plants throughout Washington and the United States. As coastal flooding from storms and erosion threatens our coastal environments, communities are forced to make difficult decisions about how to protect themselves, their history, and their livelihoods. In this Storyline, students will learn what coastlines are and why they are important to humans and other types of natural communities. Given the specific weather hazard of coastal flooding, they will test materials and design structures that could be used to help reduce the impacts caused by this hazard.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Authors: Pacific Education Institute, Washington OSPI OER Project

PEI SOLS 5th grade Food Waste (Spanish)

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Mientras que el desperdicio de comida no es típicamente visto como un contribuyente de emisiones de gas de efecto invernadero, es un contribuyente mayor. Reducir el desperdicio de comida es la 3era solución más beneficiosa para la reducción de dichos gases. La comida desperdiciada y los recursos para producirla, son responsables del aproximadamente 8% de las emisiones globales de gases de efecto invernadero. Cuando los individuos y grupos reducen el desperdicio de comida, esto tiene un gran impacto en la reducción de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. La conciencia del desperdicio de comida es aplicable a cada persona y comunidad. En este caso, los estudiantes van a conducir una “auditoría de desperdicio de comida”. Cada clase de estudiantes participantes recolecta, clasifica y mide su desperdicio de comida por un día durante el almuerzo. Los estudiantes discuten las causas locales y globales y los efectos del desperdicio de comida en el ambiente. Los estudiantes también aprenden las conexiones culturales alrededor del desperdicio de comida de los expertos o gente mayor de las tribus locales, e indagan cómo las diferentes agencias en la comunidad lidian con el desperdicio de comida (e.g. tiendas de abarrotes, bancos de comida, la ciudad). Los estudiantes presentan sus resultados y crean un plan de acción.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEISOLS 5th grade Urban Forestry: Urban Heat Islands

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Students will learn how trees grow and cycle matter, and trees’ roles in a changing climate. The urban heat island effect is examined and students learn about the many benefits trees offer cities. The storyline culminates with students examining the trees and canopy cover in their or a nearby city and proposing actions to increase the urban forest through a letter to city officials.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

Engineering in the Garden - Designing Trellises

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Elementary educators are encouraged to facilitate students in engineering design to meet the expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). BSCS Science Learning, in collaboration with Life Lab, developed the Engineering in the Garden program to help 3rd-5th grade teachers and garden educators engage students in designing solutions to address real-world problems that arise in schoolyards and school gardens.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Authors: BSCS, Jamie Rumage, Life Lab