GRADE 1:
Animal Senses & My Senses *p. 13
Students explore how some animals use their senses, while learning about their own five senses.
Does it Matter? *p.14 Students learn the basics of states of matter—solids, liquids, and gases.
Stay Healthy! *p. 14, 15 Children learn and practice ways to stay healthy; they sing songs to help remember some practices.
Measure of a Mystery *p. 15 Student groups use measuring tools; all data is collected, shared, and used to solve the class mystery!
GRADE 2:
A Mystery that Makes “Sense” *p. 24 Children take the role of detective as they solve a mystery using their senses to make observations. Clues include some in Braille, sign language, and in touch bags.
Who’s Who? *p.25 Students compare and contrast characteristics of insects, fish, birds, and mammals, including circulation—heart anatomy, method of acquiring air, locomotion, appearance of young vs. adult (life cycle) and some classification.
What’s That Plant? *p. 24 Children “travel around the world” to different ecosystems to investigate types of plants. They are introduced to classification of plants, seeing their similarities and differences.
GRADE 3
Is That Me? *p.29 Students cut out paper major organs and place them on a model of the body in the appropriate location. Then, they well draw in some bones and muscles of the body, which will be followed up by a discussion of the levels of organization (cells – organism) and how some of the body parts and systems work together.
Now, That’s Classy! *p.30 Students discover some classes of organisms, including the classes of vertebrates, some invertebrate classes and plant classes, as well as some classes of fungi and bacteria.
What’s In Your Garden? *p.30 Students learn things about plants cells, vascular tissue, and how the structure of these things helps a plant be a plant. Plant parts will also be discussed, including leaves, stems, and roots.
Plant Reproduction—Flowers vs. Cones *p.30 In this class, students will learn the job of flowers and cones and become familiar with terms, pollination, fertilization, and germination. A comparison will be made between flowering plants (Angiosperms) and Non-flowering plants (Gymnosperms).
GRADE 4:
Basic Operating Systems—of the Body! *p.35 Students are introduced to six of the human body systems—circulatory, digestive, nervous, muscular, respiratory, and skeletal—as well as how they function together to make the body work effectively.
The Quest to Digest *p. 38 Are you hungry? Students take a trip from the mouth through the esophagus to the stomach and intestines. They learn what happens to food and to what is not digested, as well as what can happen when things go wrong in the digestive system with things like ulcers and colon cancer.
Going, Going, Gone . . .Green *p.38 Students learn about the classification of plants while getting an overview of the members of the Kingdom Plantae. Some of the stars of the show are ferns, moss, flowering plants, and evergreens.
Flower Power *p.38 In this program, students follow the journey of a flowering plant’s life cycle. Starting with a flower and its parts, students learn how pollination and fertilization occur, as well as seed development in a fruit and germination. Learning is reinforced by each student dissecting a flower and a seed.
WANTED: Animals! *p.38 Students study such animal characteristics as locomotion, having more than one cell with no cell wall, being a heterotroph, and having body symmetry. Animal classification is discussed as a means of noting some animal differences and similarities.
Pass the Energy, Please! *p.38 Why do living things need energy and how do they get it? Students learn about various ecosystems—with a description of the climate, organisms present—and how energy is transferred in the food webs.
Back Up: Vertebrate *p.38 Students learn what it takes to be a vertebrate animal. Anatomical comparisons are made of the classes of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
What’s in My Food? *p.38 Students get a first-hand—and sometimes startling look—at the content and nutritional value of some fast food restaurant and grocery stores items.
GRADE 5:
I Need a Tissue! *p.43 Students will discover the levels of organization in the human body—cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organism and study various types of body tissues forming organs.
It’s Great to Circulate! *p. 43 Students will compare circulation of blood in humans to transport of materials in vascular plants.
The Circulatory Story *p.43 Students will learn about the anatomy and physiology of the human heart, what keeps it healthy, and what choices we make can negatively affect the heart, such as smoking and a poor diet. In the hands-on activity, students will measure and chart their heart rate pre/post exercise.
The Bone Zone *p. 43 Students study the structure and function of the skeletal system, the number of bones in the human body, and how to keep your skeletal system healthy. Learning is reinforced by views of x-rays and dissection of an owl pellet, in which children find bones of small rodents.
...to which the standards shown correspond. With each program, teachers may ask for pre- and post-assessment materials, as well as a Webquest.
GRADE 1:
Got Air, Food, Water? (Standard1.2.1) Students compare form and function of insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals and their abilities to obtain air, food, and water.
Do that Locomotion! (Standard1.2.3) Children compare means of animal movement—insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals, including humans. Students learn how bones and muscles assist in human movement;
x-rays of several animals help to reveal how a skeleton functions.
GRADE 2
What’s That Plant? (Standard 2.2.1) Children “travel” to different ecosystems—woodland, prairie, desert, marsh—to investigate types of plants and their journey from seed to seed-producer.
Does it Matter? (Standard 2.1.1) Students learn the basics of states of matter—solids, liquids, and gases.
GRADE 3
Living on Land (Standard 3.2.1) Students are introduced to select plant and animal species living in different land environments— forest, tundra, desert—are able to obtain air, water, food, and maintain protection.
Living in Water (Standard 3.2.2)
Students are introduced to select plant and animal species living in different aquatic environments—salt marsh, fresh water marsh, bog, marine—are able to obtain air, water, food, and maintain protection.
GRADE 4
Home Sweet Habitat (Standard 4.2.1) What makes a habitat a home? Students explore parts of select habitats (biotic and abiotic) of organisms in ecosystems including the grassland, desert, intertidal zone, and forest. It is made clear how plants provide food (energy) for all consumers.
Pass the Energy, Please! (Standard 4.2.1) Why do living things need energy and how do they get it? Students learn about various ecosystems—with a description of the climate, organisms present—and how energy is transferred in the food webs.
Not Just-in Beaver World! (Standard 4.2.2) Explore the world of the beaver, as they and other organisms cause change in their environments/habitat and to other populations.
The World-Wide Ecosystems Web (Standard 4.2.1) Roles of different organisms in various ecosystems are explored, such as oak trees and grasses as producers, the turkey vulture and fungi as decomposers, prairie dogs and pronghorn antelope as primary consumers, and rattlesnakes and hawks as secondary consumers. See how they all work together to make it work. We’ll address some fun “oddballs” such as the carnivorous plants.
GRADE 5
What’s the Sense in That? The Eye (Standard 5.2.a.3; 5.2.a.5) This program starts with an overview of the structure and function of the eye. Students will discover the amount of light required to be able to perceive color, as well as varying amounts of light reflecting change is pupil size.
*Required: use of a room capable of darkening (blinds)
What’s the Sense in That? The Ear & Nose (Standard 5.2.a.3; 5.2.a.5 ) This program starts with an overview of the structure and function of the ear and nose. Using rulers and stopwatches, students will discover the time it takes to recognize certain scents. Students will also observe how sound travels, using tuning forks and water.
That’s Using Your Head! (Standard 5.2.a.4) Students learn about parts of the human brain in relation to responding to information that is sensed from the environment.
I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Standard 5.2.a.4) This program includes the sense of touch, the layers of skin, pimples, and goose bumps. Students explore different textures of the fingertips, back of the hand, and back of the neck.
GRADE 6
Classified Information! (Unit 3-Ecosystems) Students are introduced to some of the major differences in the Six Kingdoms of living things—Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protista, Archaebacteria, and Eubacteria.
GRADE 7
The Quest to Digest (Standard 7.2.2) Are you hungry? Students take a trip from the mouth through the esophagus to the stomach and intestines. They learn what happens to food and to what is not digested, as well as what can happen when things go wrong in the digestive system with things like ulcers and colon cancer.
*Teacher receives a copy of The Quest to Digest, signed by the author.
The Circulatory Story (Standard 7.2.2) Students will learn about the anatomy and physiology of the human heart, what keeps it healthy, and what choices we make can negatively affect the heart, such as smoking and a poor diet. In the hands-on activity, students will measure and chart their heart rate pre/post exercise.
*Teacher received a copy of The Circulatory Story, signed by the author.
The Bone Zone (Standard 7.2.3) Students study the structure and function of the skeletal system, the number of bones in the human body, and how to keep your skeletal system healthy. Learning is reinforced by views of x-rays and dissection of an owl pellet, in which children find bones of small rodents.
Basic Operating Systems—of the Body! (Standard 7.2.2) Students are introduced to six of the human body systems—circulatory, digestive, nervous, muscular, respiratory, and skeletal—as well as how they function together to make the body work effectively, including the transport of oxygen, food, and other nutrients to meet the body’s needs (energy through cellular respiration).
Back Up: Vertebrates (Standard 7.2.3) Students learn what it takes to be a vertebrate animal. Students do activities and see x-rays to make anatomical comparisons fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals (including humans).
I Need a Tissue! (Unit 2 Life Science) Students will discover the levels of organization in the human body—cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organism and study various types of body tissues forming organs.