This bulletin board shows some of the things we did during this unit.  (Click the photo to enlarge).  Because it was my first experience with the new curriculum, I pretty much stuck to the teacher's guide, although by the second chapter I was ready to start pulling in my own resources.  The science curriculum we use at my school is called Snapshots on Science.  Students watch short 3-5 minute videos each day to introduce the topic, and then we discuss it and complete either a graphic organizer or other activity.  Students take a quiz weekly on each lesson.  The kids and I both like this format and find it high-interest and easy to follow. 

Chapter 2   Ecosystems                                                          September 10- September 28

            Lesson 1: Organisms Interact

A-     Ecosystems

B-     Communities

C-    Habitats

            Lesson 2: Energy in An Ecosystem

A-     Solar Energy

B-     Predator and Prey

C-    Food Chains

            Lesson 3: Organisms Compete

A-     Competition

B-     Plant Adaptations

C-    Animal Adaptations

This bulletin board shows a sample of the activities my students did during our ecosystems unit.  I used a permanent marker to write captions directly on the paper because I had planned to take it down after the unit, anyway.  The captions under the various student projects are there to remind the children about what they have studied throughout the unit and to explain to visitors what we learned.

After reading about the types of forest ecosystems, students folded their papers into 4 sections.  They labeled each section with a different type of forest, illustrated it, and wrote 2 facts.

When we studied deserts, the children completed a worksheet that required them to categorize information from nonfiction text.  Then they created a mini-desert book that included information about plant and animal adapatations. 

For water ecosystems, students folded a large blue piece of construction paper to create two flaps.  On the outside of the left flap, they wrote 'salt water ecosystmes; and wrote 3 facts about them, and on the outside of the right flap, they did the same for freshwater.  Inside, they illustrated each ecosystem, labeling the different depths of the water and including animals and plants that grow in each part.

After brainstorming the basic needs of animals, students folded a paper into four sections and showed how a chosen animal meets those needs within it's habitat.

We also studied food chains and food webs.  We did an activity in which we hunted for 'prey' outside (green, brown, and pink toothpicks in the grass).  The class had 30 seconds to collect as many of the 'prey' as they could, and then graphed the results by color.  We discussed and wrote about which colors were easiest to find and what the implications were for animal survival.  Later, we created food chains that started with a picture of the sun and linked down (i.e., corn, rat, owl).

At the end of the unit, students designed their own 'critter' using art materials.  They then wrote about their imaginary critter's (real) habitat and how the animal adapts to it's environment.  They also determined the critter's predators/prey.

Chapter 3   Humans                                                                       October 1- October 26

            Lesson 1: People Have Needs

A-    Human Needs

B-    Sleep and Exercise

C-    Nutrition

            Lesson 2: Microorganisms and People

A-    Magnification

B-    Helpful Microorganisms

C-    Harmful Microorganisms

            Lesson 3: People and the Ecosystem

A-    Pollution

B-    Changing Ecocsystems

C-    Conservation

I didn't expand much on the curriculum for the first two lessons.  Both "People Have Needs" and "Microorganisms  and People" are covered pretty thoroughly through our 150 minutes of health and wellness intruction each week. 

Earth Science

Chapter 4  Reshaping the Earth                                                 October 29- November 16

            Lesson 1: Forces Shape The Land

A-    Landforms

B-    Weathering and Erosion

C-    Volcanoes and Earthquakes

            Lesson 2: Materials on Earth

A-    Rocks and Minerals

B-    Fossils

C-    Soil

            Lesson 3: Earth’s Resources

A-    Natural resources

B-    Fossil Fuels

C-    Conservation

Chapter 5  Earth’s Weather                                                      November 19- December 21

Lesson 1: Air Around You

A-     Atmosphere

B-     Weather

C-    Air Masses

            Lesson 2: Water Cycle

A-    Sources of Water

B-    Water cycle

C-    Conserving Water

            Lesson 3: Predicting Weather

A-    Weather Instruments

B-    Severe Weather

C-    Staying Safe

Chapter 6  Space                                                                            January 7-  February 1

            Lesson 1: Earth, Sun, and Moon

A-     Day and Night

B-     Seasons

C-    Phases of the Moon

            Lesson 2: The Sun and Planets

A-    Solar System

B-    Inner Planets

C-    Outer Planets

            Lesson 3: Exploring Space

A-    Constellations

B-    Telescopes

C-    Rockets

Physical Science

Chapter 7   Force and Motion                                                     February 4-  March 29

            Lesson 1: Forces Make Things Move

A-    Force

B-    Friction

C-    Gravity

            Lesson 2: Magnetism

A-    Magnets

B-    Magnetic Poles

C-    Electromagnets

            Lesson 3: Simple Machines

A-    Simple Machines

B-    Levers and More

C-    Wedges and More

Chapter 8   Matter                                                                           March 31- May 2

            Lesson 1: Properties of Matter

A-    Matter

B-    Properties of Matter

C-    Mass and Volume

            Lesson 2: Solids, Liquids, and Gases

A-    States of Matter

B-    Physical Changes

C-    Chemical Changes

            Lesson 3: Heating and Cooling Matter

A-    Heat Energy

B-    Conductors

C-    Insulators

Chapter 9   Energy                                                                         May 5- June 5

            Lesson 1: Light and Sound

A-    Light Waves

B-    Color

C-    Sound Waves

            Lesson 2: Electrical Energy

A-    Electricity

B-    Circuits

C-    Electric Switches

            Lesson 3: Energy Sources

A-    Stored Energy

B-    Energy Changes Forms

C-    Renewable Energy

MORE SCIENCE RESOURCES

Mrs. Renz' inquiry science resources

Blanchard Elementary force and motion videos, lessons, activities, and printables

An incredible site that animates the phases of the moon!

Free Science Reader's Theater (yes, science!) from Adrian Bruce