Science - 5th Grade

Content/Topics/Learning Goals

Subject to Pacing and Schedules

1st Quarter- First Quarter: Science Inquiry and Cycles within the Universe

Standards/Learning Goals:

Scientific and Engineering Practices:

Scientific Inquiry is taught and practiced at the beginning of the year and then applied throughout the year. This topic focuses on science inquiry skills. 

• Students are expected to apply the following:

  • Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)

  • Developing and using models

  • Planning and carrying out investigations

  • Analyzing and interpreting data

  • Using mathematics and computational thinking

  • Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)

  • Engaging in argument from evidence

  • Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Cycles Within the Universe:

This topic focuses on the characteristics, cycles, and patterns within the universe.

• Students will learn the sun is one of many stars that exist in the universe

  • The sun appears to be the largest star in the sky because it is the closest star to Earth. Some stars are larger than the sun and some stars are smaller than the sun

2nd Quarter- Cycles and Patterns in the Solar System and Ecosystems

Standards/Learning Goals:

Cycles and Patterns in the Solar System:

This topic focuses on the characteristics, cycles, and predictable patterns in the solar system and within the universe.

• Students will learn most of the cycles and patterns of motion between the Earth and the sun are predictable.

  • Earth’s revolution around the sun takes approximately 365 days. Earth completes one rotation on its axis in a 24-hour period, producing day and night. This rotation makes the sun, stars, and moon appear to change position in the sky.

• Students will learn the solar system includes the sun and all celestial bodies that orbit the sun.

  • Each planet in the solar system has unique characteristics. The distance from the sun, size, composition, and movement of each planet are unique. Planets revolve around the sun in elliptical orbits. Some of the planets have moons and/or debris that orbit them. Comets, asteroids, and meteoroids orbit the sun.

Interaction within the Ecosystems:

This topic focuses on the characteristics, cycles, and patterns in ecosystems.

• Students will learn organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem

  • Populations of organisms can be categorized by how they acquire energy

  • Food webs can be used to identify the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in an ecosystem

3rd Quarter- Ecosystems and Forces & Motion

Standards/Learning Goals:

Interaction within the Ecosystems (continued):

This topic focuses on the characteristics, cycles, and patterns in ecosystems.

• Students will learn all of the processes that take place within organisms require energy

  • For ecosystems, the major source of energy is sunlight. Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred and transformed by producers into energy that organisms use through the process of photosynthesis.

  • That energy is used or stored by the producer and can be passed from organism to organism as illustrated in food webs.

Forces and Motion:

• This topic focuses on the characteristics, cycles, and patterns in physical systems.

  • Students will learn the amount of change in movement of an object is based on the mass of the object and the amount of force exerted.

  • Movement can be measured by speed. The speed of an object is calculated by determining the distance (d) traveled in a period of time (t).

Any change in the speed or direction of an object requires a force and is affected by the mass of the object and the amount of force applied.

4th Quarter -  Light & Sound and Science Inquiry

Standards/Learning Goals:

Light and Sound:

This topic focuses on the observable behavior of light and sound. Light and sound are explored as forms of energy that move in predictable ways, depending on the matter through which they move.

• Students will learn light and sound are forms of energy that behave in predictable ways.

  • Light travels and maintains its direction until it interacts with an object or moves from one medium to another and then it can be reflected, refracted, or absorbed.

  • Sound is produced by vibrating objects and requires a medium through which to travel. The rate of vibration is related to the pitch of the sound.