Units/Lessons

Kindergarten students explore the effect of sunlight on Earth’s natural surfaces of sand, soil, rock and water. Students learn that surfaces in sunlight are warmer than those surfaces in the shade. In addition, students explore how the color and material of a surface affects how warm it gets after being in sunlight. Students use tools and materials to build a prototype that reduces the warming effect of sunlight. 

Students will have fun exploring solids, liquids, and gases at three stations. To developdefinitions and understanding they will record their observations and experiences intheir own science notebooks.

We will explain several key properties of soil (texture, color, structure) and the processesthat turn rock into soil. We will demonstrate how rocks through chemical and physicalweathering can become sand, silt, and clay. We will also show students how vegetation isturned into compost.Students will learn to identify the components of soil based on feel. Students will learn therole of weathering and soil organisms on converting rocks into soil.

Given a model of a shoreline with an oil spill, students will use the EDP and their own creativity to design, implement, evaluate, and improve a process for cleaning an oil spill so that the oil has the least impact on the surrounding ecosystem

This chart can be used to make observations about the properties of rocks. Included is short writing prompt which can be used as pre-assessment, exit task, or both.

Description of lessons one teacher in Vermont used to teach about geologic change over time.

This lesson will introduce the idea of change over time and the methods that scientists use to interpret these changes. Students will have the opportunity to make observations and ask questions that can be revisited throughout the unit.

Simple poem to teach about gas.