In this unit, students are introduced to scientific exploration as they observe and test the properties of different kinds of matter. For this lesson, students continue their exploration of properties of matter by classifying different kinds of objects according to observable properties.
In Kindergarten, students begin to develop practices that scientists and engineers use to gather data, make and test hypotheses, and design prototypes based on evidence to solve problems. During this lesson students will ask questions, engage in Socratic dialogue, gather evidence through experimentation, and solve problems as they explore how the sun heats different Earth materials. This page is a high-level extract from lesson 10 where students build on their understanding of the sun’s energy to heat objects by conducting an experiment to investigate how color affects heat absorption.
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 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.