K-5 Kindergarten Students in kindergarten are in the early stage of developing an understanding of the four disciplinary core ideas: physical sciences; life sciences; earth and space sciences; and engineering, technology, and applications of science. Students begin by recognizing patterns and formulating answers to questions about the world around them. In kindergarten, students formulate answers to questions such as: “What happens if you push or pull an object harder; Where do animals live and why do they live there; What is the weather like today and how is it different from yesterday?” Students are expected to develop understanding of patterns and variations in local weather utilizing the SMS WeatherBug station. They discover the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather. Students are able to apply an understanding of the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object to analyze a design solution. Students are also expected to develop understanding of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive and the relationship between their needs and where they live. Kindergarteners observe and discuss the life cycles of chicks and butterflies hatched in the classroom..  Grade 1 Students in Grade 1 are in the early stage of developing an understanding of the four disciplinary core ideas: physical sciences; life sciences; earth and space sciences; and engineering, technology, and applications of science. Students begin by recognizing patterns and formulating answers to questions about the world around them. In Grade 1, students formulate answers to questions such as: “What happens when materials vibrate; What happens when there is not light; What are some ways plants and animals meet their needs so that they can survive and grow; How are parents and their children similar and different; What objects are in the sky and how do they seem to move?” Students are expected to develop understanding of the relationship between sound and vibrating materials as well as between the availability of light and ability to see objects. The idea that light travels from place to place can be understood by students as this level through determining the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light. Students are also expected to develop understanding of how plants and animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs as well as how behaviors of parent and offspring help the offspring survive. The understanding is developed that young plants and animals are alike, but not exactly the same as, their parents. Students are able to observe, describe, and predict some patterns of the movement of objects in the sky utilizing the WeatherBug station.  Grade 2 Students in Grade 2 are in the early stage of developing an understanding of the four disciplinary core ideas: physical sciences; life sciences; earth and space sciences; and engineering, technology, and applications of science. Students begin by recognizing patterns and formulating answers to questions about the world around them. By the end of fifth grade, students are able to demonstrate grade-appropriate proficiency in gathering describing and using information about the natural and designed worlds. In Grade 2, students formulate answers to questions such as: “How does land change and what are some things that cause it to change; What are the different kinds of land and bodies of water; How are materials similar and different from one another, and how do the properties of the materials relate to their use; What do plants need to grow; How many types of living things live in a place?” Students are expected to develop an understanding of what plants need to grow and how plants depend on animals for seed dispersal and pollination. Students are also expected to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. An understanding of observable properties of materials is developed by students at this level through analysis and classification of different materials. Students are able to apply their understanding of the idea that wind and water can change the shape of the land to compare design solutions to slow or prevent such change. Students are able to use information and models to identify and represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area and where water is found on earth. Grade 3 Students in Grade 3 are developing an understanding of the three disciplinary core ideas: physical sciences; life sciences; and earth and space sciences. Students begin by recognizing patterns and formulating answers to questions about the world around them. By the end of fifth grade, students are able to demonstrate grade-appropriate proficiency in gathering describing and using information about the natural and designed worlds. In Grade 3, students formulate answers to questions such as: “What is typical weather in different parts of the world and during different times of the year; How can the impact of weather-related hazards be reduced; How do organisms vary in their traits; How are plants, animals, and environments of the past similar or different from current plants, animals, and environments; How does our body work and why are some things good and some things bad for our bodies; How does the moon affect the Earth?” Students are able to organize and use data collected from the WeatherBug station to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season. By applying their understanding of weather-related hazards, students are able to make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of such hazards. Third graders are expected to develop an understanding of the idea that when the environment changes some organisms survive and reproduce, some move to new locations, some move into the transformed environment, and some die. Students in Grade 3 study the Human Body. They learn about the different organs and systems of the body and how they work. Third graders also learn ways to take care of their bodies. They understand what proper nutrition is and good food choices. Plus they learn about things that are bad for their bodies like drugs, alcohol and smoking. Third graders learn about earthquakes, volcanoes, and other natural disasters. They study ways people and animals and nature can change the earth. Landforms are studied. A big part of our study is the solar system. We learn about the sun, all the planets and their moons and how our moon interacts with the Earth. Lastly, grade 3 studies the different ways scientist collect data from space. Grade 4 Students in Grade 4 are continuing to develop an understanding of the four disciplinary core ideas: physical sciences; life sciences; earth and space sciences; and engineering, technology, and applications of science. Students begin by recognizing patterns and formulating answers to questions about the world around them. By the end of fifth grade, students are able to demonstrate grade-appropriate proficiency in gathering describing and using information about the natural and designed worlds. In Grade 4, students formulate answers to questions such as: “What are waves and what are some things they can do; How can water, ice, wind and vegetation change the land; What patterns of Earth’s features can be determined with the use of maps; How do internal and external structures support the survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction of plants and animals; What is energy and how is it related to motion; How is energy transferred; How can energy be used to solve a problem?” Students are able to use a model of waves to describe patterns of waves in terms of amplitude and wavelength, and that waves can cause objects to move. Students are expected to develop understanding of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation. They apply their knowledge of natural Earth processes to generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of such processes on humans. In order to describe patterns of Earth’s features, students analyze and interpret data from maps. Fourth graders are expected to develop an understanding that plants and animals have internal and external structure that function to supports revival, growth, behavior and reproduction. By developing a model, they describe that an object can be seen when light reflected from its surface enters the eye. Students are able to use evidence to construct an explanation of the relationship between the speed of an object and the energy of that object. Students are expected to develop an understanding that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents or from object to object through collisions. They apply their understanding of energy to design, test and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another. Grade 5 Students in Grade 5 are continuing to develop an understanding of the four disciplinary core ideas: physical sciences; life sciences; earth and space sciences; and engineering, technology, and applications of science. Students begin by recognizing patterns and formulating answers to questions about the world around them. By the end of fifth grade, students are able to demonstrate grade-appropriate proficiency in gathering describing and using information about the natural and designed worlds. In Grade 5, students formulate answers to questions such as: ”When matter changes, does its weight change; How much water can be found in different places on Earth; Can new substances be created by combining other substances; How does matter cycle through ecosystems; Where does the energy in food come from and what is it used for; How do lengths and directions of shadows or relative lengths of day and night change from day to day, and How does the appearance of some stars change in different seasons?” Students are able to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen through the development of a model. Students develop an understanding of the idea that regardless of the type of change that matter undergoes, the total weight of matter is conserved. Students determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances. Through the development of a model using an example, students are able to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere interact. Students develop an understanding of the idea that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water. Using models, students can describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers and the environment and that energy in animals’ food was once energy from the sun. Through squid dissections, students develop an understanding of how an animal obtains energy and interacts with its environment. Students are expected to develop an understanding of patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.