Objects have many observable properties such as size, mass, shape, color, temperature, magnetism, and the ability to react with other substances. Some properties can be measured using tools such as metric rulers, balances, and thermometers.

Construct at least three different classification systems (e.g., size, shape, color) for 20 or more building blocks.

Observe, chart, and explain measurable weather data (e.g., temperature, precipitation amounts) over several weeks.

Observe and communicate properties of objects or organisms using all five senses.

Classify and order objects by one or more observable properties.

Materials can exist in different states—solid, liquid, and gas. Some common materials, such as water, can be changed from one state to another by heating or cooling.

Observe and explain the changes in an ice cube over time.

Investigate the effects of placing ice cubes in different locations for melting (e.g., in a cup of water, in sunshine, on the table, in your hands.) Observe an ice cube keeper. Evaluate its effectiveness and communicate the results.

Describe the sequence of events in a change process.

Classify materials as solids, liquids, and gases.

The position of an object can be described by locating it relative to another object or the background. The position can be described using phrases such as "to the right," "to the left," "50 cm from the other object."

Describe the position of an object relative to another object or background.

Use compass directions (N, S, E, & W) to identify position and location.

Write a set of directions using reference objects to help a person find a designated location.

Use rectangular coordinates and/or polar coordinates to locate objects and places.

An object’s motion can be described by measuring its change in position over time such as rolling different objects (e.g. spheres, toy cars) down a ramp.

Describe and predict the path of moving objects and identify the variables that change the direction and rate of moving objects.

Design an experiment to determine if mass is related to the speed and motion of an object rolling down a ramp.

Predict and compare the direction and motion (speed) of two rolling spheres before and after they collide.

Pushing or pulling can change the position and motion of objects. The amount of the change in position and motion is related to the strength of the push or pull (force). The force with which a ball is hit illustrates this principle.

Use gears, pulleys and other simple machines to illustrate and predict how force and motion can be manipulated.

Design an experiment where the amount of force is the independent variable and rate is the dependent variable.

Use common sport activities (tennis, kickball, soccer, baseball) to demonstrate that the rate of motion is affected by the strength of the push or pull (force).

Vibration is a type of motion. Sound is produced by vibrating objects. The pitch of sound can be varied by changing the rate of vibration.

Create sounds using natural or man-made objects. Group the objects by similarity of sound and identify the common characteristics.

Vary the volume of water in a bottle to determine the effect on the pitch produced. Use findings to predict the pitch produced by an untested volume of water.

Compare the sound a tuba makes to the sound of a trumpet. Explain why the sounds are different.

Experiment with thicker and thinner or shorter and longer rubber bands to compare the variations of vibration.

Light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object. Light can be reflected by a shiny object (e.g., mirror, spoon), refracted by a lens (e.g., magnifying glass, eyeglasses), or absorbed by an object (e.g., dark surface).

Explore refraction and reflection of light through simple investigations

Use a light source to reflect light from one object’s surface to another. Vary the surface and color of the object. Predict and describe the difference.

Predict the color, (including black and white) which absorbs or reflects the most heat energy when a thermometer is positioned under several different colors of construction paper and placed in the sun for an hour or more.

Heat can be produced in many ways such as burning or rubbing. One way heat can move from one object to another is by conduction. Some materials absorb and conduct heat better than others. Good insulators can reduce heat loss.

Explain how heat and temperature differ and give examples.

Classify various materials by their ability to affect heat transfer.

Differentiate between the properties of materials that are heat conductors and insulators.

Graph the rate of melting ice. Identify ways to accelerate or slow down the rate.

Predict and observe the rate of heat transfer through different materials.

Electricity in circuits can produce light, heat, sound, and magnetic effects. Electrical circuits require a complete conducting path through which an electrical current can pass.

Complete an electrical circuit. Identify its components and describe evidence of their interactions.

Discuss how electricity produces light and heat.

Illustrate both closed and open circuits discovered from experimentation.

Magnets attract and repel each other, and magnets attract certain kinds of other materials (e.g. iron).

Use magnets to demonstrate how attracting and repelling can cause motion.

Construct a compass by suspending a magnet so that it is free to rotate.

Experiment with a compass and the reaction that occurs when a magnet is placed near it.

Earth materials include solid rocks and soils, water, and the gases of the atmosphere. Minerals that make up rocks have properties of color, texture, and hardness. Soils have properties of color, texture, the capacity to retain water, and the ability to support plant growth. Water on Earth and in the atmosphere can be a solid, liquid, or gas.

Collect and organize data about rocks and soil.

Compare soil samples taken from around the school grounds. Test the capacity to retain water by adding specified amounts until the soil is saturated.

Earth materials provide many of the resources humans use. The varied materials have different physical and chemical properties, which make them useful in different ways, for example, as building materials (e.g., stone, clay, marble) as sources of fuel (e.g., petroleum, natural gas), or growing the plants we use as food.

Research ways early Kentucky inhabitants used earth materials to fashion tools (e.g., mortars), create art (e.g., sculptures, paints), and clothing items (e.g., beads, pins).

Compare soil samples taken from around the school grounds. Test capacity to support plant growth by planting identical seeds in each soil sample and observing growth patterns.

Take an Earth Materials Walk in and around the state capital building in Frankfort, Kentucky. Make observations about the use of earth materials in the capital’s construction.

Fossils found in Earth materials provide evidence about organisms that lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that time.

Examine rock samples around the banks of the Kentucky River. Discuss evidence of fossils present in the rocks.

Discuss the river environment at the time the fossils were living.

Investigate variables that influence change over time.

The sun provides the light and heat necessary to maintain the temperature of Earth. The Sun’s light and heat are necessary to sustain life on Earth.

Graph the time of sunrise and sunset, (the number of daylight hours and minutes), over a period of weeks. Identify a pattern in the time change.

Design an experiment to find out how the Sun’s light affects plant growth. (Include such variables as angle, time, and exposure.)

Explain how organisms would not be able to survive without sunlight.

Objects in the sky (e.g. Sun, clouds, moon) have properties, locations, and real or apparent movements that can be observed and described.

Observe, describe, and record the apparent relative position and motion of the sun during the day.

Describe the relative positions of shadows at various times of the day.

Choreograph the movement and revolution of the earth to demonstrate the reasons why seasons change.

The surface of the Earth changes. Some changes are due to slow processes such as erosion or weathering. Some changes are due to rapid processes such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.

Construct a three-dimensional model of a landform. Predict how the topography might change over time.

Use a stream table to simulate different landforms and demonstrate erosion.

Go on an observation walk to locate the effects or "tracks" of natural processes such as erosion or weathering.

Weather can change from day to day and over the seasons. Weather can be described by observations and measurable quantities, such as temperature, wind direction and speed, and precipitation.

Construct weather-measuring devices to measure some aspect of local weather.

Chart national weather patterns on a map and explain how these relate to local conditions.

Identify patterns of change in local weather related to changes in such events as barometric pressure, temperature, clouds, wind, and precipitation. Use patterns to predict weather.

Changes in movement of objects in the sky have patterns that can be observed and described. The Sun appears to move across the sky in the same way every day, but the sun’s apparent path changes slowly over seasons. The moon moves across the sky on a daily basis much like the Sun. The observable shape of the moon changes from day to day in a cycle that lasts about a month.

Observe and compare shadows over time. Relate the position of the sun to the shadow that is cast.

Identify the relationship between the earth’s rotation and day and night.

Use models of the earth and sun to simulate the earth’s rotation around the sun.

Chart the pattern or shape of the moon as it changes over time.

Describe the possible shapes the moon can have.

Make drawings of the phases of the moon and describe the relative positions of earth, moon, and sun for each.

Using a model, identify how motion of the moon causes its phases.

Things in the environment are classified as living, nonliving, and once living. Living things differ from nonliving things. Organisms are classified into groups by using various characteristics (e.g. body coverings, body structures).

Use graphic organizers such as Venn diagrams, classification keys or tables to classify organisms based on observable characteristics or properties.

Develop/use a classification system to categorize organisms as living, nonliving; vertebrate, invertebrate; herbivore, omnivore, carnivore; fruits, vegetables; live bearers, egg bearers; water/air breathers, etc.

Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water, and food; plants need air, water, nutrients, and light. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can be met.

Observe grass grown in light and in darkness. Display results in a chart.

Measure, graph, and interpret data from the growth and development of a plant.

Trace the transfer of energy in food from plants to plant-eaters and animal-eaters.

List environmental factors that might influence the kind of organisms that live in the environment selected.

Identify a real world problem (e.g., effects of soil acidity on seed germination) and design and experiment to test a possible solution.

Each plant or animal has structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing, and talking.

Dissect and examine parts of a seed. Determine which parts grow.

Plant a bean seed to observe development through reproduction.

Discuss the functions of the body structures of a cricket.

Examine the teeth of a carnivore (meat-eater), herbivore (plant-eater), .or omnivore (both meat- and plant-eater)

Plants make their own food. All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that eat the plants.

Differentiate between the ways producers and consumers get or produce their own food.

Create a food chain that might be found in a fresh water, open field, and/or forest community.

Describe how plants and animals (including people) depend upon each other for life. Give a variety of examples.

The world has many different environments. Distinct environments support the life of different types of organisms. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations.

Investigate and make inferences of an organism’s optimum conditions and environmental preferences.

Design an experiment and graph the behavioral response of an organism to environmental factors e.g. water, light, temperature, or chemicals.

Identify adaptive structures that determine how an animal survives in its environment (e.g., mimicry, camouflage, body parts, etc.).

All organisms, including humans, cause changes in the environment where they live. Some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or to other organisms; other changes are beneficial (e.g. dams built by beavers benefit some aquatic organisms but are detrimental to others).

Set up a terrarium or aquarium and observe organisms over time. Identify any changes in the environment caused by the organisms.

Place a board on a grassy area. Observe and record changes in plants and animal populations under the board over several weeks.