Elementary Science Kindergarten Unit 1

---

---

 

In this unit, students engage in scientific inquiry.  They observe and describe the properties, similarities, differences, and seasonal changes of trees and leaves in the schoolyard.  They compare the shapes of leaves to geometric shapes and compare the size and edges of leaves, using a reference card.  Students acquire the vocabulary associated with the properties and structures of trees and leaves.  In addition they use drawings and oral language to describe observations.

 

 Kindergarten - Lesson Overviews - Trees

 

---

 

Unit Objectives:

The objectives in this unit are to apply the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Crosscutting concepts that bridge disciplinary boundaries, uniting core ideas throughout the fields of science and engineering.

 

---

 

 

S4.B.1.1.1: Identify life processes of living things (e.g., growth, digestion, respiration).

S4.B.1.1.3: Describe basic needs of plants and animals (e.g.,air, water, food).
S4.B.1.1.4:  Describe how different parts of a of a living thing work together to provide what the organism needs (e.g., parts of plants: roots, stems, leaves).
S4.B.1.1.5: Describe the life cycles of different organisms (e.g., moth, grasshopper, frog, seed producing plant).
S4.B3.1.2: Describe interactions between living and nonliving components (e.g., plants - water, soil, sunlight, carbon dioxide, temperature; animals - food, water, shelter, oxygen, temperature) of a local ecosystem.

---

NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas:  

 LS1.A: Structure and Function. All organisms have external parts.  Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air.  Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
 

• the four seasons.
• that organisms can be grouped based on their characteristics. 

• describe the four seasons. 
• describe seasonal change (e.g. by identifying seasonal pictures in sequence).
• group organisms by physical characteristics (i.e. color, shape, size, shape, and texture). 

---

 

 

Formative Assessments:

• Pre-assessment
• Science Notebooks
• Teacher observation
• Student drawings 

• Performance tasks
• Post-assessment
  

 

•    Use observations (firsthand or from media) to describe patterns in the natural world in order to answer scientific questions.

  

Interdisciplinary Connections:

Science Literacy Resource Kit

 

National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Trees

   By: Brian Cassie   Scholastic, New York   1999

 

Tree Homes

   Great explorations in Math and Science,  Lawrence Hall of Science ,  Berkeley, CA.  1993

 

Autumn Leaves

By: Ken Robbins   Scholastic Press, New York, 1998    

 

 

http://www.fossweb.com