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MATTER AND ENERGY IN HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS

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This 5th grade unit will take about 8 weeks, 25.5 hours to complete. Students plan and carry out an original investigation in which they observe the effect of different types of matter on the growth of plants. They create their own observable question with prompting such as: “What type of matter do you think will affect plants’ growth?” or “Do you think the amount of a particular type of matter will affect how the plant grows?” They observe their experiment over a period of seven days (or longer if time allows). At the conclusion of the investigation, students use their data to explain how plants convert matter (gas and liquid) into plant matter.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Sabrina Ramirez

What Makes Things Move?

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Students will use an inquiry based approach to discover and reinforce how things move. They will discover that a push and a pull are a pair of forces that put things into motion. They will also investigate how friction is a force that slows an object in motion.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Alexis Ketner

Alien Launchers

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What kiddo doesn't want to launch something across the room?! In this challenge, students work to launch an alien the greatest distance using everyday materials. This is a challenge that can easily be adapted to different age groups and a variety of circumstances such as needing substitute plans or just beginning the wonderful world of STEM.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Beth Norman

Remix

Go Green: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle, and Re-design a Plastic Grocery Bag

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This is a STEM unit that can be used in conjunction with ITEEA EbD TEEMS Grade 2 Our Environment, Our Health Unit. Teachers might want to use this STEM Unit with environmental units and Earth Day. Students learn about their positive and negative impact on their environment. Students learn that they can have a positive impact on their environment when they use the 4 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Redesign process.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: STEMToolkit Administrator

Grade 1 - Elementary Science and Integrated Subjects: Plants and Their Parts

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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

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

Energy Forms and Changes

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This simulation lets learners explore how heating and cooling adds or removes energy. Use a slider to heat blocks of iron or brick to see the energy flow. Next, build your own system to convert mechanical, light, or chemical energy into electrical or thermal energy. (Learners can choose sunlight, steam, flowing water, or mechanical energy to power their systems.) The simulation allows students to visualize energy transformation and describe how energy flows in various systems. Through examples from everyday life, it also bolsters understanding of conservation of energy. This item is part of a larger collection of simulations developed by the Physics Education Technology project (PhET).

Material Type: Simulation

Authors: Ariel Paul, Emily Moore, John Blanco, Kathy Perkins, Noah Podolefsky, Trish Loeblein

PBS KIDS Learning to Code with ScratchJr from KSPS PBS

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The lessons in this curriculum unit will help students learn the foundations of coding using the free PBS KIDS ScratchJr app. With PBS KIDS Scratch Jr, students can create their own interactive stories and games featuring their favorite characters from Wild Kratts, Nature Cat, WordGirl and Peg + Cat!. By snapping together colorful programming blocks, students make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. In the process, kids learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively. These lessons help students explore coding/programming vocabulary and offer non-device activities around coding/programming concepts.

Material Type: Lesson Plan, Unit of Study

Author: Bukola Breczinski

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