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N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t – K i nd e rg a rt e n Sc ie nc e Natural Resources Unit 5 Clarifying Statements Rev. May 2007 Natural Resources This unit of study requires students to investigate important resources the Earth provides. Rocks, soil, and water are three things we get from the Earth and are important and necessary for most living things. Students should also distinguish between living and nonliving things. Students should have opportunities to observe and describe properties of rocks, soil, and water. As students become familiar with their immediate surroundings, they come to understand that chunks of rocks come in many sizes and shapes, from boulders to tiny grains of sand. A rock is a mixture of grains and each has its own set of properties. Scientists classify rocks based on their properties. At this level, Students should create their own sorting categories based on observable properties such as, shiny or dull, rough or smooth, and color. Formal classification of rocks is not introduced until middle school. Texture is a property that can be easily observed using the senses. Texture can be determined by using the senses of touch and sight. For example, rocks made of large grains or large crystals have coarse-grained textures and rocks made of small grains or small crystals have finegrained textures. Soil is made of tiny pieces of rock, minerals, and decayed plants and animal matter. Different places have different types of soil. Through observation, students should be able to identify the properties of soil such as, color and texture. Water can be a liquid or a solid and can go back and forth from one form to another. Through hands-on investigations, students can discover that the amount of water remains the same when it changes from a liquid to a solid and back (freezing and melting). Students may also observe that adding or taking away heat causes water to change form. Using the sense of touch, students can make qualitative statements about the temperature of water such as warm or cold. Rocks, soil, and water are very useful. Students should observe their environment to discover ways rocks, soil, and water are useful. For example, rocks are used for landscaping, soil is used for gardens, and water is used to water the grass. This helps students gain the understanding that the Earth provides Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials. This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. 1 N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t – K i nd e rg a rt e n Sc ie nc e Natural Resources Unit 5 Clarifying Statements Rev. May 2007 resources for life. A review of the basic needs of living organisms is appropriate at this time. Students should know the difference between living organisms and nonliving objects. It is not always easy to tell the difference between living and nonliving things. All organisms share the same basic characteristics as listed in the table below. Characteristics of Living Things Characteristic Has basic needs Getting and using energy Reproduction Growth and development Movement Sensing and responding to the environment Some Examples Food, water, shelter, air Plants use sunlight to get energy Some animals eat other animals for energy Oak trees produce acorns that can grow new oak trees Chickens hatch eggs that produce chicks Growing bigger: puppy to a dog Changing form: nymph to a lady bug Kangaroo hopping Bat flying Plants grow towards the sunlight Eagles use good eyesight to hunt for and find food To be considered alive, an organism must exhibit all of the characteristics of living things. Nonliving things do not have all of these characteristics. Sugar crystals growing on the bottom of a maple syrup bottle are a good example of a nonliving object that shows one criteria of living organisms. Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials. This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is prohibited without express written permission from NEISD. 2