Elementary School Science

Children are naturally curious, always asking questions and trying to make sense of the world.  In our K-5 Science program we encourage students to ask questions!  Students plan and conduct investigations, gather evidence and analyze data in order to construct explanations about everyday phenomena. 

 

Our curriculum follows the Next Generation Science Standards.  In each grade, students explore life, physical and Earth & space science concepts.  Generally, students study Earth & space science in the fall, physical science in the winter, and life science in the spring.  Below is a summary and general timeline of the units in each grade.

 

Grade Level	Fall	Winter	Early Spring	Late Spring
K	Weather: Patterns in Local Weather, Severe Weather	Forces and Energy: Pushes and Pulls	Sunlight and Energy	Plant and Animal Needs
1st Grade	Space Systems: Patterns and Cycles	Waves: Lights and Sounds	Plant Structures and Survival	Animal Structures and Survival
2nd Grade	Animal Biodiversity	Erosion and Earth's Surface	Material Properties	Plant Adaptations
3rd Grade	Weather and Climate	Forces, Motion and Magnets	Fossils, Animal Survival, and Heredity	Plant Life Cycle and Heredity
4th Grade	Earth's Features and Processes	Structure, Function and Information Processing	Energy	Waves and Communication
5th Grade	Stars and the Solar System	Chemical Reactions and Properties of Matter	Water Cycle and Earth's Systems	Ecosystems and Food Webs