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Unit I:
Sun, Earth, Moon and Solar System
TAKS Obj:
4
Overarching Idea(s)

The sun, moon, and Earth are part of the Solar
System in which each have different physical
characteristics and regular movements that
result in daily, monthly, and yearly patterns.

Earth is a part of the solar system planets
circling a star in one of the many galaxies if
stars in the universe.
Key Vocabulary
crater
planet
meteorite
atmosphere
astronomer
telescope
gravity
star
sun spot
prominence
axis
constellation
rotation
revolution
moon
solar eclipse
lunar eclipse
planet
refracting
reflecting
comet
meteor
orbit
solar system
phases
geo centric
helo centric
big bang theory
gas giants
terrestrial
seasons
cycle
solar energy
Suggested Time Frame:
24 days
TEKS 3.11(C);3.11(D) ;4.6(A);4.11(C); 5.5(A); 5.12 (C); 5.12(D)
Essential Questions Students Must Know

What are the characteristics of the sun?

Why do the positions of the constellations
appear to change over seasons?

How are the physical characteristics of the
Earth and moon different?

What are the main components of the solar
system?

What force holds the Solar System together?

What is the order of the planets from the sun?

What are some characteristics of the sun?

How is the sun a source of energy?

Can you identify processes, cycles, and
structures that occur in the Solar System?

What effect does the gravitational pull of the
moon have on the tides?

What cause the change in seasons?
Facts Students Must Know

Order of the planets from the Sun.

Sun is the mayor source of energy for the
Earth.

Phases of the moon.

Planets orbit the sun.

Gravidity is the force that keeps planets in
orbit around the sun, as well as, the moon
around the earth.

The moon is approximately ¼ the diameter of
the earth.

The moon takes approximately one month to
resolve around the sun.
Key Concepts

The sun and the moon can be described by
comparing their physical features, sizes,
and locations relative to the Earth.

Earth rotates on its axis once a day. The
moon revolves around the Earth about once
a month, and Earth revolves around the Sun
once a year.

Revolution and rotation within the Sun,
Earth, and Moon systems result in seasonal
changes.

Earth is part of the Solar System that
consists of one star, the Sun, and a variety
of planets and other objects that revolves
around the star.

Gravity affects direction planets travel.
Specific Skills or Processes Needed

Demonstrate safe practices

Collect information

Analyze and interpret for reasonable
explanations

Communicate valid conclusions

Construct graphs, tables, maps, charts

Analyze, review, critique scientific
explanations
Relationships and/or Connections that should emerge

Relative sizes and distances of the sun and the
planets

Seasons

Moon phases

Gravity

Planets orbit because of gravity

Distance from the sun determines the climate
of the planet
Products students will develop

Model of solar system (calculate size and
distance)

Phases of the moon (illustrate)

Journals

Lab reports

Data tables

Graphs
Activities and Experiments
3rd Grade Book
Units(s): B
Chapter(s): 1, 2
Big Earth, Small Moon
Making Moon Craters
Lunar Olympics
A Moon Outing
Bi Star, Small Earth
Making Sunspots
Moon Phases*
Lines of Sunlight
Earth Tilts
p. B6
p. B8
p. B18
p. B20
p. B24
p. B26
p. B50
p. B60
p. B62
FOSS Kits
Solar Energy
Measurement
AIMS
3.11(C)
Out of This World:
Can You Planet?
Size it Up-Solar
System
Models
Planetary Scavenger
Hunt
3.11(D)
Overhead and
Underfoot
Sunny-side Up
Pieces and Patterns
Me and My Shadow
Sun Watchers
4.6(A)
Cycles of Knowing and
Growing
Look at the Moon
Hardhatting in a GeoWorld
Journey to the
Unknown
5.12(C)
Primarily Earth
The Earth’s Features
GEMS Teacher Guides
Earth, Moon and Stars
Messages from Space
Moons of Jupiter
Unit II:
Earth, Land, Water, and Resources
TAKS Obj:
4
30 days
TEKS 3.6(B); 4.6(A); 3.11(A); 4.11(A),(B),(C); 5.6(A), (B);5.11(A),(B),(C); 5.12(A),(B)
Overarching Ideas

Earth’s physical features are shaped by forces and
are continually changing, through cycles and
systems which affects the availability of
resources

Earth is a sphere composed mainly of rock and
metal; although seemingly static, Earth is
constantly changing

Earth’s crust, whose surface is shaped by
weathering and erosion, contains natural
resources that must be conserved.
Key Vocabulary
Systems
Cycles
Water cycle
Oxygen-carbon
cycle
Nitrogen cycle
Earth’s layers
Landform
Constructive
forces
Destructive
forces
Earthquakes
Glaciers
Volcanoes
Suggested Time Frame:
Plate tectonics
Sediment
Growth
Weathering
Erosion
Dissolving
Flow
Air
Atmosphere
Troposphere
Weather/Climate
Greenhouse effect
Weathering
Bay
Faults
Folds
Cape
Sand dunes
Mineral
Luster
Hardness
Streak
Cleavage
Concrete
Ores
Smelting
Natural
Resource
Nonrenewable
resource
Renewable
Resource
Essential Questions Students Must Know

How do water, wind, and ice change the earth’s
surface?

How can fossils help tell us how old a rock is?

How do rocks change over time?

How is the surface an important resource?

Why are rock and minerals important?

Can you identify minerals?

What are minerals used for?

How are rocks classified and what properties
make them useful?

Why are energy resources so important?

What do people throw away, where does it go,
and what effect does waste have on natural
resources?

How are different landforms created?

What effects does the sun have on Earth?

What are some examples of renewable,
nonrenewable and inexhaustible resources?

Describe the cycles including water, oxygen, and
nitrogen.

How can you help solve waste problems?

How can you determine wind velocity and
direction?

What can the clouds tell us about weather?

How can maps help predict weather?

Why do we have seasons?

What factors influence weather?
Specific Skills or Processes Needed
Analyze
Synthesize
Evaluate
Apply
Generate Ideas
Expressing Ideas
Use tools such as: barometer,
thermometer, wind veins
Safe Practices
Make Wise Choices
Data
Make Hypothesis
Identify & Control Variables
Collect
Communicate
Construct Graphs
Draw Inferences
Create Models
Demonstrate Reliability
Solve Problems
Facts Students Must Know

Classification of clouds, key to weather variations

Weather maps allow patterns to be seen

Dangerous storms require safety precautions

Earth’s axis tilt causes seasonal changes

Climate influenced by latitude and landforms

Rocks and minerals have distinct properties

Soil is essential for plant survival

Natural Resources

Energy/fossil fuels

Recycling conserves resources.

Moving tectonic plates are a cause of constructive
and destructive forces

Lunar cycles cause the high and low tides

The sun is the major source of energy which
effects plant growth?

Earthquakes and glaciers are forces that change
the surface of the Earth

Resources can be renewable, nonrenewable, and
inexhaustible

Air is mixture of gases, has mass, takes up space,
and is vital for life

Air pressure/push of air against its surroundings

Wind speed can be measured with an
anemometer

Water vapor effects humidity, clouds,
precipitation
Key Concepts

Weathering and erosion from moving
water and wind change ocean shorelines
and the shape of the land

Renewable resources can be replaced

Nonrenewable resources can’t be
replaced and should be preserved

Minerals are solid elements or
compounds from Earth’s crust

Rocks are made of one or more kinds of
minerals

Earth is a layered sphere of rock, metal,
and air

Properties of rocks and minerals make
them important for human use

Layers of the Earth are core, mantel and
crust

Reducing waste saves energy and
resources

Changes in weather are ultimately caused
by the sun and the tilt of the Earth’s axis

Local weather predictions and seasonal
Relationships and/or Connections that should Emerge

Math- conversions, measurement, depth, volume

Social Studies- rivers, lakes and gardens of Texas

Social Studies- geography, latitude, and longitude

Social Studies-timelines

Technology

Location of Fossil Fuels
Products Students Will Develop

Models

Experiments

Journals

Data tables, charts and graphs

Grow crystals

Sort rocks

Classify minerals

Build model of a rock

Compare properties of a rock

Create edible model of Earth’s layers

Create diagram of the different cycles
Observe
Record & Interpret
Plan
Implement
Predict
Activities and Experiments
3rd Grade Book
1. Hill and Valleys pg. A6-A7
2. Blowing in the Wind
pg. A16-A17
Ch. 2
1. Pg. A28 Little Ones from
Big
2. Pg. A29 Saving Soil
3. Pg. A34 Exploring
Minerals
4. Pg. A44 Sun- Toasted
Marshmallows
4th Grade Book-Unit E
Ch. 1
1. Pg. E6
An Empty Cup
Ch. 2
1. Pg. E28 It’s a Pressing
Problem
2. Pg. E28
Measuring Air
Pressure
3. Pg. E36
How fast the Wind
3. Pg. E36
Blows?
Ch. 4
1. Pg. E76
How fast the Wind
Foss Kits:
Sunshine Hours
5th Grade Book-Unit E
Ch. 1
1. Pg. E56
Round and Round
She Goes
Ch. 3
1. Pg. E66
A Model Earth
(can use M&M’s)
2. Pg. E72
Layering Fossils 1.
Pg. E66
A Model Earth(can
use M&M’s)
2. Pg. E72
Layering Fossils
Landforms
Earth Materials
Measurement
AIMS
3.6b
Primarily Earth
Quaking Earth
Agent Erosion
Volcanoes
Overhead and Underfoot
Peanut Butter and Jelly Geology
4.6a
Electrical Connections
Nature’s Light and Sound Show
GEMS Teacher Guides
On Sandy Shores
Terrarium Habitats
Investigating Artifacts
Ocean Currents
Schoolyard Ecology
Stories in Stone
Only one Ocean
Environmental Detectives
Unit III Matter, Energy, Force, Motion, and Machines
TAKS Obj:
3
Overarching Ideas

Matter and energy exist in may different forms
and can change in many ways.

Matter has physical properties.
Key Vocabulary
matter
force
sound
solution
kinetic energy
molecules
chemical energy
solar energy lever
compound machine
energy
gas
magnetism
electricity
volume
mass
gravity
pulley
atom
solid
light
wheel and axle
incline plane
chemical/physical properties
Suggested Time Frame:
17 days
TEKS: 3.6 A/4.6A/5.5 A, B/5.7 A, B, C, D/5.8 A, B, C, D
Essential Questions Students Must Know

What is energy?

What are the differences in light, heat, electrical,
and solar energy?

How is light reflected/refracted?

How can electricity produce heat, light, sound
and magnetic effects?

How is matter classified based on physical
properties?

What are some mixtures that maintain the
physical properties of their ingredients>?

What changes can occur in the physical
properties of the ingredients of solutions?

What are some properties of substances that
remain constant? (Examples: melting point and
boiling point)

What are some cycles, structures and processes
that are found in simple systems?

What are some interactions that occur in a simple
system?
Specific Skills or Processes Needed

Measure

Infer

Observe

Collect

Record

Interpret data

Predict

Make a hypothesis

Problem solving

Critical thinking

Demonstrate safe practices
Facts Students Must Know

Change is part of a cycle and is constant.

A student is required to apply the experiments
with simple circuits.

Identify the states of matter and what are the
molecules doing in each of their states.

How to change from one from of energy to
another.

Machines

Gravity
Key Concepts

Force moves objects and does work;
simple machines can make work easier.

Mater can be described by its physical
properties, many of which can be
measured

Energy occurs in many forms and causes
change
Relationships and/or Connections that should Emerge

Students should have a basic understanding of
how motion, matter, force, and energy exist and
the impact these elements have in our
environment.

Mathematical relationships conversions
Products Students will Develop

Graphs

Models

Illustrations

Science Discovery Journal

Application to other cycles.
Activities and Experiments
3rd Grade Book-Unit C
Ch. 1
1. Pg. C6 Grouping
Things
2. Pg. C8 Measuring
Things
3. Pg. C16 States of Mater
4. Pg. C18 Change W/out
Change
Ch. 2
1. Pg. C43 Heat Takes a
Trip
Ch. 3
1. Pg. C60 Roll On
2. Pg. C62 Gravity Roll
3. Pg. C68 The Ups and
Downs of a Seesaw
4th Grade book-Unit B
Ch. 1
Pg. B6 Describing Things
Pg. B8 Similar But Different
Pg. B17 How Much?
Ch. 2
Pg. B26 States of Matter
Pg. B36 From State to State
Pg. B37 Liquid From Thin
Air
Pg. B47 All Mixed Up
Pg. B54 Different Stuff
4th Grade Book-Unit D
Ch.1
Pg. D6 Make A Magnet
Ch. 2
Pg. D28 Charge
Pg. D36 On or Off?
Pg. D38 Stop or Go?
Pg. D44 One Type of Circuit
Ch. 3
Pg. D66 Make It Move
5th Grade Book-Unit C
Ch. 1
Pg. C8 Heat Conductors
Pg. C9 Electrical Conductors
Pg. C16 All Mixed Up
Ch. 2
Pg. C36 Electricity to Go
Pg. C42 To Bounce or Not to
Bounce
Pg. C52 Change This
Foss Kits:
Water
Levers & Pulleys
Mixtures & Solutions
Magnetism & Electricity
Models & Designs
Ideas & Inventions
Measurement
AIMS
3.6a
“Metal Detectors”, Popping with Power
“Magnetic Tug of War”, Mostly Magnets
“From the Ground Up”, Popping with Power
“On the Rebound”, Popping with Power
“Have a Ball”, Popping with Power
4.6a
“Nature’s Light & Sound Show”, Electrical Connections
5.5b
“M.V.B.-Most Valuable Place”, Brick Layers
5.7a
“Will Magnets Attract?” Electrical Connections
“Hot & Cold”, Math + Science: A Solution
5.7c
“By Golly, By Gum”, Jawbreakers & Heart Thumpers
5.7d
“Salty Changes”, Down to Earth
5.8a
“A Nutty Experience”, Pieces & Patterns
5.8c
“Electric Circuits”, Electrical Connections
“Electromagnets”, Electrical Connections
5.8d
“Musical Bottles”, Primarily Physics
“Musical Instruments”, Primarily Physics
Teacher Notes
Unit IV
Light and Sound
TAKS Obj.
3
Suggested Time Frame:
TEKS 5.8(A),(B),(C),(D)
Overarching Ideas.
Science Concepts:
The student knows that energy occurs in many forms.



Light, a form of electromagnetic radiation, travels
in waves and can be reflected or refracted
Sound, a form of energy, travels in waves
Other forms of energy include electrical, heat,
solar, and chemical
Key Vocabulary
amplitude
circuit
convex mirror/lens
electromagnetic radiation
energy
eyeglasses
frequency
hertz
magnetic effects
reflection
refraction
telescopes
vacuum
vibrating
visible light
wave
wavelength
10 days
Essential Questions Students Must Know

What are the different types of energy?
-Differentiate between them.

How is light reflected/refracted?

What are the two types of lenses that refract
light?

What is light?

Where does light come from?

What produces sound?

What types of objects can reflect/refract light?

How can electricity, flowing through a circuit,
produce light and sound?
Facts Students Must Know

Light is a form of energy known as
electromagnetic radiation which also includes
ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, x-rays,
microwaves, and radio waves

Light reflects off various kinds of mirrors in
predictable ways

Light changes direction as it passes from one
medium to another in the process called
refraction.

Two ways light is produced is naturally (sun)
and artificially (light bulb).

Light travels in waves

Vibrating matter produces sound

Light and sound waves can be compared by
measuring their wavelengths and frequencies

Lenses are used to change the direction light

Lenses and sometimes mirrors enlarge objects

The speed of light is 186,200 miles per second
Key Concepts

Light, electromagnetic radiation, travels
in straight paths as waves until it strikes
an object causing it to reflect, refract, or
be absorbed.

White light (sunlight) is composed of
many colors

Lenses, which change the direction of
light, have many uses

The color of objects depends on how they
absorb and reflect light

Sound, a form of energy that travels in
longitudinal waves, can be described by
its wavelength, frequency, amplitude,
speed, and pitch

Sound travels faster through solids than
through liquids or air

Sound travels faster through matter as the
temperature of the matter increases

Pitch, the highness and lowness of sound,
depends on the frequency of the sound
waves
Specific Skills or Processes Needed

Observe, collect

Record, interpret data

Classify

Infer

Define operationally

Make and use models

Differentiate among forms of energy

Identify and demonstrate how light is reflected

Verify vibrations make sounds
Relationships and /or Connections that should Emerge

Anatomy of the ear

Light and sound are forms of energy that travel
on waves and can be described by their speed,
wavelength, frequency, and amplitude

Social Studies-inventors of telephone, camera,
etc.
Products Students Will Develop.

Musical instrument

Telescope

Models

Create an instrument and compose a
rhythm which must be presented
Activities and Experiments
5th Grade Book-Unit F (Light)
Ch.1
Pg. F7 All Aglow
Pg. F14 Light Waves
Pg. F20 How Mirrors Affect Light
Pg. F21 The Bending Pencil
Ch. 2
Pg. F30 Becoming Focused
Pg. F36 Telescopic View
5th Grade Book-Unit F (Sound)
Ch.1
Pg. F52 Rubber-Band Banjo
Pg. F53 Waves & Sound
Pg. F58 Ear to the Wall
Pg. F62 Highs & Lows
Foss Kits:
Physics of Sound
Measurement
AIMS
5.8d
“Musical Bottles”, Primarily Physics
“Musical Instruments”, Primarily Physics
Teacher Notes
Unit V
Living Things-Relationships, Adaptations, and Environments
TAKS Obj:
2
Overarching – Ideas




Living Things require an environment that meets
their needs; living things in an environment are
interdependent.
Living things have structural and behavioral
adaptations that allow them to survive in their
environments.
Living things change their environments and
respond to changes in their environment.
Organisms live in a specific ecosystem that is
made of cycles, structures and process that
interact and change over time.
Key Vocabulary
Carnivore
Herbivore
Omnivore
Ecosystems
Adaptations
Food chain
Parasites
Learned Behavior
Decomposers
Prey
Producers
Habitat
Hibernation
Extinction
Community
Niche
Environment
Interaction
Behavior
Flow of Energy
Scavengers
Instinctive Behavior
Carbon dioxide Cycle
Oxygen Cycle
Migrations
Predator
Nutrients
Consumers
Dormancy
Inherited
Food web
Traits
Suggested Time Frame
30 days
TEKS: 2.9(A),(B); 3.8(A),(B),(C); 5.9(A),(B),(C); 5.10(A),(B)
Essential Questions Students Must Know

What are the needs of living things and how are
they alike and different?

How can you classify things by what they eat?

What changes in the environment led to
extinction of certain organisms?

What is the difference between a food web and a
food chain? What do the arrows indicate?

How do adaptations help plants and animals
protect themselves?

What are some examples of adaptations plants
and animals have to survive?

How and why do animals change their
environment and how do they affect other living
things?

How do living things modify their environment to
meet their needs?
Facts Students Must Know

Living things need other living things and certain
nonliving things to survive.

Living things can adapt by using structures or
functions that allows them to reproduce and survive.

Living things get their energy in various ways.

Living things are part of food chains, which are part
of food webs.

All living things have different needs and wants.

Living things make adaptations in their environment
in order to find food.

Living things make adaptations to protect
themselves.

Changes in environment affect other living things.

Plants and animals adapt to seasonal conditions and
changes?

Organisms compete with each other for resources.
Key Concepts
Living things:

have different needs and wants.

can be classified in different ways.

are part of food chains and webs.

can alter their environment and the changes
can affect other living things.

have adaptations that enable them to cope
with changes in their environments, such as
temperature fluctuations and seasonal
changes.

vary in their adaptations for getting food

vary in their environment for protection
including repellent body parts or chemicals,
defensive behaviors and camouflage.

Adaptations increase the survival of
members of a species.

Animals need food, water, light, air, a way
to dispose of waste, and an environment in
which to live.
Specific Skills or Processes Needed

Draw Conclusions

Make Inferences

Describe

Compare and Contrast

Main Idea

Model

Interpret

Collect information by Observing

Construct Graphs & Tables

Making positive environmental choices
Relationships and/or Connections that should Emerge
Social Studies – 1. environments affect other living things in
the environment. Observe changing neighborhood. 2.
Communities of animals living in a particular ecosystem.
Identify geographical areas on map.
Math – 1. Problem solving living things adapt in the
environment to solve life problems and situations. 2. Create
tables & charts to compare.
Reading –Sequence of living organisms that consume each
other in the food chain.
Products Students Will Develop

Graphic Sources

Venn Diagram

T-Charts

Drawings

Murals

Models

Tables

Graphs

Charts
Activities and Experiments
3rd Grade Book-Unit E
Ch.1
Pg. E6 Needs of Plants
Pg. E14 Meat & Potatoes
Pg. E22 Making a Food-Chain Mobile
Pg. E24 More Links in the Food Chain
Ch. 2
Pg. E38 The Right Beak for the Job
Pg. E46 Blending In
Ch. 3
Pg. E68 Keeping Heat In
4th Grade Book-Unit C
Ch.1
Pg. C6 Animals Are Different
Pg. C24 Worming Their Way Home
Pg. C32 Looking At Leaves
Ch.2
Pg. C42 Needs in Common
Pg. C50 Feather Feats
Pg. C52 Tap, Tap, Tap
Foss Kits
Environments
Measurement
Teacher’s Notes
Unit VI:
TAKS Obj:
Life Cycles in Plants and Animals
2
Suggested TimeFrame:
24 days
TEKS: 5.5(A),(B); 5.6 (C),(D); 5.9(A),(B),(C)
Overarching Idea

Animal and plant species has a predictable life cycle
in which offspring are produced that will develop
into adults similar to the parents.

The structures within living things are organized into
ecosystems.

The seed of a flowering plant is formed in the
flower, which has three main parts. Pollination must
take place to produce a seed.

During their growth and development into mature
plants, seed plants undergo predictable changes and
respond to changes in their environments.
Essential Questions Students Must Know

What is a life cycle?

What are life processes?

What are structures in the body? What are their
functions?

How are the life cycles of animals and plants alike?

What are the differences between complete and
incomplete metamorphosis?

What are the stages in animal’s life cycle?

What are the stages in a plant’s life cycle?

How do parts of an egg help an embryo to grow?

What do adult animals care for their young?

What is the life cycle of a flowering plant?

What is the life cycle of a conifer?

What is the difference between a learned
characteristic and inherited trait?
Facts Students Must Know

All living things go through a life cycle.

Similarities and differences in plants and animals.

Adaptations of animals.

Living things go through predictable life cycles that
include growth, development, reproduction, and
death.

Seeds are scattered by wind and water.

Seeds need warmth, air, and moisture to germinate.

A flower produces a seed through pollination.

Conifers reproduce by producing pollen and seed
cones.

Plants adapt to different conditions by responding to
light, water, gravity and other living things.
Key Concepts

All living things go through life cycles.

Offspring receive or inherit traits from their
parents.

Most animals hatch from eggs but some
animals develop from fertilized eggs inside
the female’s body and are born alive.

Animal species have different adaptations
that help them care for their young.

Seed plants undergo predictable changes and
respond to changes in environment.

Traits are inherited from parents to offspring
in plants and animals

Learned characteristics result from
influences of the environment.
Key Vocabulary
adaptation/adaptive
pollination
adult
species
amphibian
angiosperms
bird
chlorophyll
camouflage
carnivore
plant parts
cold-blooded
seed coat
germination
instinctive behavior
monocot
learned behavior
inherited traits
life cycle
nonvascular plant
metamorphosis
body systems
endangered species
transportation
photosynthesis
transpiration
living/nonliving
interdepence
endangered
photosynthesis
extinct/extinction
learned behavior
threatened species
consumer/primary & secondary
Specific Skills or Processes Needed

Collect information

Observe cells

Communicate conclusions

Analyze data

Describe cycles

Draw conclusions

Make inferences

Construct graphs & tables

Model

Interpret

Describe
Relationships and/or Connections that should Emerge

Give example of systems that exist in our everyday
life.

How do the body systems relate to outside world?

What happens when you remove one system?
Technology
Internet field trip: www.eduplace.com –
Incomplete metamorphisis is most like the way
people grow because the body form does not
completely change as the organism grows.
Products Students Will Develop

Draw & label life cycles in order

Venn Diagrams

Models
pupa
dicot
flowers
fruit
niche
larva
nutrient
population
nucleus
reproduce
organism
Activities and Experiments
3rd Grade Book-Unit A
Ch.1
Pg. A12 Be “Eggs-Act”!
Pg. A20 Look at What You’ve Become
Pg. A26 The Animal-Sitter’s Guide
Ch. 2
Pg. A36 The Inside Story
Pg. A42 It’s a Flower! It’s a Factory!
Pg. A48 Cone Sweet Home
Pg. A54 Sizing Up Tree Growth
Pg. A56 A Change of Plants
5th Grade Book-Unit A
Ch. 4
Pg. A70 Life Cycles of a Brine Shrimp
Pg. A80 The Secret of a Seed
Pg. A82 It’s Just a Stage
Foss Kits:
Human Body
Structures of Life
Measurement
AIMS
5.6c
Budding Botanist
“Comparing Germination”
“A Twig’s Story”
Critters
“My Mealworm”
5.9a
Critters
“Warming Up to Worms”
5.9c
Critters
“Missing Moths”
“Gone Fishing”
GEMS Teacher Guides
Aquatic Habitats
Schoolyard Ecology
Terrarium Habitats
Only One Ocean
Mapping Animal Movements
Unit VII
Populations and Ecosystems
TAKS Obj:
Suggested Time Frame:
2
15 days
TEKS: 2.9 b; 3.8 a, b, c, d; 5.5 a, b; 5.9 a, b, c
Overarching Ideas.

Organisms live in specific ecosystems that are made
up of cycles, structures, and processes that interact
and change over time.
Essential Questions Students Must Know

Given a specific ecosystem, can you predict what
adaptive characteristics would be required for
survival?

What are the adaptive characteristics that give an
organism a unique niche in an ecosystem?

How do adaptive characteristics of different
organisms compare?

Can you identify changes in and ecosystem that
happens over time?

Can you describe past ecosystems that created
resources in use today?

What is a(n) habitat/ecosystem? Give examples.

How does energy flow in an ecosystem?

How is matter cycled in an ecosystem?

How do earth’s major ecosystems differ?

What is biodiversity and how is it changing?

Hypothesize the effect drought has on local
habitats.

Describe the effects of environmental change due
to urbanization (locally-draining wetlands).

Analyze the effect of foreign plants and animals
on the local environment (water plants in rivers).
Facts Students Must Know

Ecosystems are ever-changing

It is important observe and describe habitats

Environmental change (changes in an
ecosystem)may hurt or help a species depending
upon the species’ adaptability

Give examples of dependency with organisms
and their environment

Energy and matter flow throughout an ecosystem

Adaptations affect the survival of a species

There are six basic ecosystems

Populations of organisms can be categorized by
the functions they serve in an ecosystem

Some source of energy is needed for all
organisms to stay alive and grow
Key Concepts

Interactions among living things with
their non-living environments create an
ever-changing ecosystem

Energy and matter flow through an
ecosystem

Earth’s diversity of living things is
decreased when species become extinct

Water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen
are vital components of the Earth for
living organisms

Energy from the sun flows through an
ecosystem to producers first, then to
consumers, and finally to decomposers

Energy has many forms including light,
heat, and solar energy

Adaptations increase survival of a species

Have life cycles of plants and animals

Organisms in an ecosystem are related by
their method of obtaining energy
Key Vocabulary
adaptation
carnivores
commensalisms
condensation
decomposers
evaporation
herbivores
niche
omnivores
parasitism
precipitation
proteins
transpiration
Specific Skills or Processes Needed

Demonstrate safety practices

Collect information

Analyze/interpret reasonable explanations

Communicate valid conclusions
-graphs
-charts
-tables
-graphics

Analyze, review, critique scientific explanations

Describe some cycles

Describe interactions

Compare adaptive characteristics

Analyze and describe

Prediction

Compare and give examples of interdependence

Observe and describe habitats, organisms,
environmental changes, modifications

Research organisms

Collect information

Analyze reviews, critiques, explanations

Use science-related tools
Relationships and /or Connections that should Emerge

Almost all kinds of animals’ food can be traced
back to plants

Conservation of ecosystem will provide a wellfunctioning environment for future generations

All organisms must be able to obtain and use
resources, grow reproduce, and maintain stable
internal conditions while living in a constantly
changing external environment
Products Students Will Develop

Develop a Power Point presentation on
Biomes

Construct a diorama representing
ecosystems in Texas and examples of its
inhabitants

Graphs

Research

Models

Diagrams

Illustrations

Food web

Flow chart
carbon dioxide
cell respiration
community
consumers
ecosystem
food chain
mutualism
nitrogen cycle
oxygen
population
producers
recycling
water cycle
Activities and Experiments
3rd Grade Book
Unit(s): B
Chapter(s): 1, 2
Big Earth, Small Moon
Making Moon Craters
Lunar Olympics
A Moon Outing
Big Star, Small Earth
Making Sunspots
Moon Phases
Lines of Sunlight
Earth Tilts
pg. B6
pg. B8
pg. B18
pg. B20
pg. B24
pg. B26
pg. B50
pg. B60
pg. B62
Foss Kits:
Solar Energy
Measurement
Teacher Notes