DIVERSITY AND ADAPTATIONS
The Hook: Students read a “Call for Proposal from the Jurassic Company” and brainstorm what they need to learn to design and build an exhibit. Their desire to create a great design will stimulate discussions about the diversity of life, how different life forms have adapted to their environment, and about evidence of fossils and fossil life.
Diversity and Adaptations guides students through nine hands-on inquiries organized in four clusters:
- Classification Systems
- Similarities and Differences
- Common Ancestry
- Biological Adaptation
The Performance Assessment: Students design a museum exhibit or activity for a Prehistoric Animal Museum for Children. The classroom becomes the museum and students display or present to their peers.
POPULATIONS AND ECOSYSTEMS
The Hook: Students brainstorm what they know about endangered species. They watch a video and discuss what they learned about those species.
Populations and Ecosystems guides students through nine hands-on inquiries organized in three clusters:
- Systems
- Energy Transfer
- Limiting Factors
The Performance Assessment: Students choose an aquatic (marine or freshwater) ecosystem. They identify organisms that are endangered or threatened and suggest possible ways that individuals could aid these species in their struggle for survival.
EARTH—THE WATER PLANET
The Hook: Students brainstorm what they know about El Nino. They listen for references to weather phenomena as they view the video Chasing El Nino. This introduces the unit, which explores how the Earth’s water and atmosphere interact to produce weather.
Earth—The Water Planet guides students through 10 hands-on inquiries organized in three clusters:
- Water, Water Everywhere
- The Earth’s Atmosphere
- Weather and Climate
The Performance Assessment: Students gather information from a variety of resources about weather phenomena. They create a display for their research to educate other students about the weather phenomenon of their choice.
PROPERTIES OF MATTER
The Hook: Students brainstorm why water is important and watch a video that discusses the topic of fresh water. They then take a “prior knowledge survey” to determine their misconceptions about, and their knowledge of, the concepts covered in this unit.
Properties of Matter guides students through 10 hands-on inquiries organized in three clusters:
- Density
- States of Matter
- Mixtures and Solutions
The Performance Assessment: Students read about a pharmaceutical company that has built its factory at the mouth of a river. They learn the company must build its own water treatment plant to ensure the water used to produce its products is pure. Given samples of water that have been taken from different stages during the water purification process, students determine the properties of each sample and design a process that will further purify each sample. Finally, they create a model of the water treatment plant that explains the purification process from start to finish.