In this first unit, students learn to differentiate between the practices of a scientist and those of an engineer. Students ask questions, make observations, and collect data as they explore weather patterns on Earth and investigate how different Earth materials are heated by the sun. During this final lesson of the unit, students act as engineers by designing a prototype that can reduce the warming effects of the sun.
In the second unit of Kindergarten, students explore living things on Earth. They analyze the differences between living and nonliving things and then investigate what plants and animals need to live and grow. Following this, students explore human needs and activities and how those impact the planet.
In this unit, students discover that pushes and pulls are forces that change the motion of an object. They begin by exploring how objects move in different directions when they are pushed or pulled, and then investigate how changing the strength of a force changes the distance an object moves. They then use a model to see how friction affects the distance and speed with which an object moves over a surface.
Standards citation: NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.