Science instruction in Grades K-5 is a collaborative effort between classroom teachers, parent volunteer Science Docents, and our Science Lab Coordinator, Ms. Laura Gremett. Through a combination of classroom study and hands-on labs, instruction highlights the following topics:
Kindergarten
Asking meaningful questions in three strands: Physical Science, Earth Science and Life Sciences.
1st Grade
Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions. Physical Science - Matter and Energy:
Observations of solids, liquids and gases. Properties of heat and light. Life Science:
Needs and interdependence of plants and animals. Plants and animals inhabit different kinds of environments and have external
features that help them thrive in different kinds of places. Earth Science - Weather and the Seasons:
Measurement of weather. Elements of the four seasons.
2nd Grade
Physical Science:
The motion of objects can be observed and measured. Life Science:
Sequential stages of life cycles
are different for different animals, such as butterflies,
frogs, and mice. Earth Science:
Physical properties of different kinds of rocks.
3rd Grade
Physical Science:
Energy and matter have multiple forms and can be changed from
one form to another.
Energy comes from the Sun to Earth
in the form of light. Life Science:
Plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.
Earth Science: Patterns of stars, the Moon's appearance changes during the four-week lunar cycle.
4th Grade
Physical Science:
Electricity and magnetism. Life Science:
Producers and consumers (herbivores,
carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers) are related in
food chains and food webs and may compete with each other for
resources in an ecosystem.
Earth Science:
How to differentiate among igneous,
sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks by referring to their
properties and methods of formation.
5th Grade
Physical Science: All matter is made of atoms, which may combine
to form molecules. Metals have properties in common, such as high electrical
and thermal conductivity. During chemical reactions the
atoms in the reactants rearrange to form products with different properties.
Life Science: Plants and animals have structures for respiration, digestion,
waste disposal, and transport of materials.
Students learn body systems, like how blood circulates through the heart chambers, lungs, and body. Earth
Science: Water moves between the oceans and land through the processes of evaporation and condensation.
The Sun heats the earth unevenly, causing air movements
that result in changing weather patterns. Investigation
and Experimentation: Scientific progress is made by asking
meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.