Buffalo Ridge Elementary

Life Science:  Characteristic Properties of Organisms and Objects (Patterns)

• Organisms can be described and sorted by their physical characteristics

• Objects can be sorted by physical properties, which can be observed and measured

Physical Science:  Motion (Change)

• Objects can move in a variety of ways that can be described by speed and direction

Earth Systems Science: The Sun and Earth (Interdependence)

• The sun provides heat and light to Earth

Physical Science:  States of Matter - Solids and Liquids (Patterns)

• Solids and liquids have unique properties that distinguish them

Life Science:  Offspring and Parents (Patterns)

• Offspring have characteristics that are similar to but not exactly like their parents’ characteristics.

Life Science:  Organism Classification (Structure and Function)

• An organism is a living thing that has physical characteristics to help it survive

Earth Systems Science:  Earth Materials (Compare and Contrast)

• Earth’s materials can be compared and classified based on their properties

Physical Science:  Forces and Motion (Relationship Change)

• Changes in speed or direction of motion are caused by forces such as pushes and pulls.

Life Science:  Plants/Animals and their habitats (Interactions or Interdependence)

• Organisms depend on their habitat’s nonliving parts to satisfy their needs

• Each plant or animal has different structures or behaviors that serve different functions

Earth Systems Science:  Weather and Seasons (Influence or Interactions)

• Weather and the changing seasons impact the environment and organisms such as humans, plants, and other animals

Life Science:  Growth and Developments: Life Cycles (Change/Transformation)

• The duration and timing of life cycle events such as reproduction and longevity vary across organisms and species

Physical Science:  Matter and State Change (Changes)

• Matter exists in different states such as solids, liquids, and gases and can change from one state to another by heating and cooling

Earth Systems Science:  Earth Materials: Rock Cycles (Change/ Cause & Effect)

• Earth’s materials can be broken down and/or combined into different materials such as rocks, minerals, rock cycle, formation of soil, and sand – some of which are usable resources for human activity

Life Science:  Evidence of Life (Compare/Contrast)

• All living things share similar characteristics, but they also have differences that can be described and classified

• Comparing fossils to each other or to living organisms reveals features of prehistoric environments and provides information about organisms today

Earth Systems Science:  Habitats & Ecosystems (Systems)

• There is interaction and interdependence between and among living and nonliving components of systems

Physical Science:  Forms of Energy (Systems/Transformation)

• Energy comes in many forms such as light, heat, sound, magnetic, chemical, and electrical

Earth Systems Science:  Solar System (Patterns/Relationships)

• Earth is part of the solar system, which includes the Sun, Moon, and other bodies that orbit the Sun in predictable patterns that lead to observable paths of objects in the sky as seen from Earth

Live Science:  Living Systems (Structure & Function)

• All organisms have structures and systems with separate functions

• Human body systems have basic structures, functions, and needs

Physical Science:  Mixtures (Interactions)

• Mixtures of matter can be separated regardless of how they were created; all weight and mass of the mixture are the same as the sum of weight and mass of its parts

Earth Systems Science:  Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources (Origins)

• Earth and sun provide a diversity of renewable and nonrenewable resources

Earth Systems Science:  Changes in the Earth’s Surface (Transformation)

• Earth’s surface changes constantly through a variety of processes and forces

Earth Systems Science:  Weather (Change/ Cause & Effect)

• Weather conditions change because of the uneven heating of Earth’s surface by the Sun’s energy.

• Weather changes are measured by differences in temperature, air pressure, wind and water in the atmosphere and type of precipitation