Section 02 Learning Cycles Spring 2015

* are Blue Ribbon Activities

Title

What Students Will be Doing

Topic

Grade
Level

Matter Matters (Travis)

Students will learn about the three states of

matter and their characteristics.

Physical
Science:
Matter

5th

Grasses, Rabbits, &

Wolves Oh My! (Ross)

Students will be creating food chains and food

webs in multiple situations and will learn about
the levels of the organisms in the food chain.
Students will apply this knowledge to create a
diet menu for an animal in one of the three
levels of the food chain.

Life Science:
Food Webs

5th

Light Up Your World

(Jenna)

Students will explore with certain materials and

manipulate them to make a light bulb work.
They will learn how a circuit works and what is
involved in electrical currents. Students will
create a representation of how circuits work.

Physical
Science:
Batteries &
Bulbs

5th

*What Exactly is the

Matter? (Rachel)

Students will be exploring different

characteristics of matter by viewing a video and
then experimenting with the substance,
Oobleck. Students will then further their
understanding by exploring the substance,
Slime and collaborate their ideas into a final
foldable project.

Physical
Science:
Matter

4th - 5th

Sink or Swim (Jamie)

Students will experiment with balloons and

water to explain terms related to forces and
motion (density, buoyancy, gravity, etc.). Then,
students will construct their own boats and
make them float and hold weight.

Physical
Science:
Properties

4th-5th

Nifty Nutrition (Allie)

Students will learn about nutrition by studying

flld label and making generalizations about
categories of foods.

Life Science:
Nutrition

4th - 5th

Super Speedy Olympics

(Heather)

Students will be discovering how friction plays a

role on speed and movement. They will try to
create the least amount of friction possible to
get a moving car to travel the fastest down a
ramp

Physical
Science:
Motion &
Forces

4th

* Pump It Up! (Hillary

H)

Students will be designing and carrying out

experiments to determine how exercise affects
heart rate and will reinforce ideas about a fair
test.

Life Science:
Human Body

4th

* Oh Mr. Moon
(Sarah)

Students will learn about the 8 different phases

of the moon.

earth &
Space
Science:
Moon Phases

4th

Breaking It Down The

Digestive System
(Hailey R)

Students will be learning about the digestive

system through visual/interactive digestion
demonstrations and hands on activities.

Life Science:
Digestive
System

4th

Earthquake Engineers
(Haylee)

Students will be studying the effects that

Earthquakes have on our lives and will study
how and why earthquakes occur, briefly learning
about plate tectonics and fault lines. Students
will also construct buildings that will be put
through an earthquake. Students will explore
what type of building would be the safest during
an earthquake.

Earth
Processes

3rd 5th

It Matters! (Sam)

Students will be exploring the different states of

matter.

Physical
Science:
States of
Matter

3rd - 5th

Storm Chasers (Kristin

E)

Students will be working to develop an

understanding of tornadoes through active
investigations and data collection. They will
demonstrate their findings by creating a
weather report video in small groups.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Weather

3rd - 5th

Twisters: AKA
Tornadoes (Emily)

Students will be discovering all about tornadoes.

By designing their own experiment in which
they create their own tornado, students will
learn what tornadoes are, how they form, where
and when they can occur, and why they happen
and in what ways tornadoes affect communities.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Earth
Processes

3rd 5th

All About Twisters

(Carly)

Students will be able to understand weather

patterns (specifically tornadoes) and how
temperature, wind direction, speed, and
precipitation are a factor in the creation of
tornadoes. They will also be able to work
collaboratively as well as independently to
enhance their knowledge of tornadoes through
the activities.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Weather

3rd - 4th

*Habitats &
Ecosystems (Jess)

Students will be exploring habitats and

ecosystems by completing a Sensory Discovery
Walk, creating Bottle Habitats, and watching an
Animal Atlas video. They will also create a
habitat diorama.

Life Science:
Habitats

3rd

*The Germinator
(Alivia)

Students will be using observation skills to

determine how the germination process works.
They will get hands on look of the stages of this
process. Student will conduct a simple
experiment and record the steps during a period
of multiple weeks. Students will use descriptive
writing to monitor growth.

Life Science:
Plant Growth

2nd - 3rd

Do You Smell What I

Smell? (Melissa)

Students will be exploring the sense of smell,

one of the five senses, by being actively
engaged in sense station activity. The students
will be able to explain why the sense of smell is
so important and will also learn some new
vocabulary words that have to do with sense of

Life Science:
senses
(smell)

2nd

smell.
Opposites Attract
(Mason)

Students will be exploring magnets.

Physical
Science:
Magnets

1st - 2nd

Bodies all over the

World (Earth) (Jennifer)

Students will be identifying the different bodies

of water located on Earth and completing hands
on tasks and researching as well as identifying
concepts for bodies of water

Earth &
Space
Science:
Water

1st

Dead or Alive (Kelsey

Ch)

Students will learn about living and nonliving

things through outdoor exploration.

Life Science:
Living &
Non-living

1st

Wonderful World of
Weather (Kelsey Ca)

Students will be learning about the weather and

seasons. They will explore daily and seasonal
weather changes by creating and reading
thermometers and discussion proper clothing for
each season and will learn new weather
vocabulary.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Weather

K-2

Popsicle Soup (Emma)

Students will be having first hand experiences

with the stages of matter; solids, liquids, and
gases, while refreshing up on independent
variables, dependent variables, constants, and
fair tests. They will be making popsicles melt,
turning them into popsicle soup while observing
how the popsicle goes from a solid to a liquid.

Physical
Science:
States of
Matter

2nd

*Our Amazing
Senses (Andrea)

Students will be learning about their five sense

by exploring objects in the classroom. Students
will also relate their five senses to an apple and
then find their own objects around the class on
their own.

Life Science:
Human Body

Sink or Float
(Mercedes)

Students will be discovering by experimenting

with objects to find if they sink or float.
Students will be able to recognize properties
objects have that may cause them to sink.

Physical
Science:
Properties

Section 04 Learning Cycles Spring 2015

* are Blue Ribbon Activities
Title
*Heredity Hysteria
(Kim)

What Students Will be Doing

Students will learn about Heredity through a 5E
learning cycle that involves hands on learning
with probability. They will learn about dominant
and recessive genes, inherited traits,
heterozygous and homozygous, and Punnett
Squares.

Topic
Life Science:
Heredity

Grade
Level
7th

Whats Up?
Atmosphere (Jake)

Students will be working with the composition of

the Earths Atmosphere. They will be doing
station experiments to see what is in the
atmosphere and predicting what the
atmosphere will be like in the future.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Atmosphere

6th - 8th

*The Never-Ending
Cycle of Food
(Kristen O)

Students will be learning about food chains and

food webs through various activities.

Life Science:
Food

6th

Whats Friction?
(Brittney)

Students will be learning about what forces act

upon a moving object, like friction, pushes and
pulls. Students will be working with carts and
tracks and different materials to figure out what
materials have the most amount of friction and
what materials may help make friction seem
non-existent.

Physical
Science:
Friction

5th

Sifting through the Soil

(Danielle B)

Children will explore the properties of soil and

variables that impact soil using their own
sample data and collaborative investigations. As
they learn about soil's color, texture, ability to
retain water and ability to support plant growth
they will gain an understanding of the value of
quality soil in planting, landscaping,
construction and many more real world
situations.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Earth
Materials

4th 5th

Exploring Adaptations
(Shawna)

Students will be learning about how adaptations

help organisms survive in their environments
through the 5E science learning cycle.

Life Science:
Adaptations

4th

Come Rain or Shine

(Maegan L)

Students will be collecting daily data over

weather patterns and clouds and will be
presenting their findings at the end of the unit.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Weather

4th

The Breakdown (Levi)

Students will be learning the ideas of erosion

through a small intro activity involving
limestone and vinegar and larger activity
involving a stream table. Students can see that
erosion can be slowed and predicted by adding
variables as well as identifying higher risk signs
of erosion.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Erosion

4th

*Sailing Rocks
(Jordy)

In this learning cycle, students are going to be

exploring the phenomena known as sailing
rocks. They are going to figure out what
variables and factors affect the movements of
these rocks. They are going to approach this
topic using the learning cycle, which allows
them to explore many of the ideas behind the
rocks.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Rocks

3rd - 5th

To The Moon!
(Mackenzie)

Students will be exploring the lunar cycle to see

its patterns and to understand how the lunar
cycle works. Through exploration with a ball,
lamp, and themselves, a simulation, and
creating a book students will demonstrate their
understanding of the lunar cycle and its

Earth &
Space
Science:
Lunar Cycle

3rd - 5th

reasoning.
Life Cycle of a Plant
(Allison)

Students will be studying the germination

process through hands on exposure to plants at
different stages of its life cycle. Through
conducting different experiments, students will
be able to determine the amount of sunlight
exposure and water a plant needs to grow the
best.

Life Science:
Plant Life
Cycle

3rd - 5th

*Pitch Perfect
(Shannon)

Students will be introduced to the concept of

how sound is made and how sound travels.
Students will then explore this concept by
conducting a variety of tests that will deepen
their understanding and help them explain how
sound is made and how it travels from place to
place.

Physical
Science:
Sound

3rd - 4th

*Ecstatic about
Static (Alyssa)

Students will be experimenting with static

electricity

Physical
Science:
Static
Electricity

3rd-4th

*Rock On! (Kenna)

Students will be exploring rocks! Throughout the

activity students will use the 5 Es to further
understand rocks. They will experiment with
different types of rocks, and they will be
categorizing the rocks into groups and learning
what makes the rocks different.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Rocks

3rd

Gooey or Rocky
(Jordan)

Using properties of liquids and solids to classify

objects in groups. Each group will use skills of
sorting, discussing, and investigating to place
the object in the right category of a solid or
liquid. They will write their answers on two
worksheets to back their data and findings.

Physical
Science:
Classification
of Liquids &
Solids

3rd

Phases of the Moon

(Lauren)

Students will be exploring and investigating the

phases of the moon. The will be involved in
identify the phases of the moon and observing
the moon on a daily basis for an extended
period of time.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Moon

3rd

*Static Fanatic!
(Dylan)

In this learning cycle activity, students will be

experimenting with static electricity. This
concept should be something that they are all
familiar with, as static electricity can be
experienced in many ways. Students will
discover concepts involved with static electricity
is by experimenting with various materials.
Their goal is to find out what materials will
conduct static electricity and what will not.

Physical
Science:
Static
Electricity

3rd

* Its ALIVE! (Morgan

C)

Students will group and compare living

organisms and nonliving objects. Then students
will design a fair test to find out whether an
object is living or nonliving and present their
claims.

Life Science:
Living &
Nonliving

2nd

Seeds Grow Tall?

(Kristine)

Students will be demonstrating their

understanding of the life cycle of a seed.
Students will have the opportunity to plant a
corn kernel and record their observations in
their science journal.

Life Science:
Plants

2nd

*The Animal Survival

Guide! (Lenora)

Students will be discovering the different

characteristics animals use/need in order to
survive and how they adapt. They will look at
what animals need in order to survive. Then,
they will discover how animals obtain what they
need to survive. They will show what they know
by surviving from a predator and lastly creating
their very own habitat.

Life Science:
Survival/Basi
c Needs

1st

* Pushing the
Concept of Force
(Britney)

Students will be challenged to explore the forces

that move an object, namely pushing or pulling.

Physical
Science:
Force &
Motion

Section 06 Learning Cycles Spring 2015

* are Blue Ribbon Activities
Title

What Students Will be Doing

Topic

Grade
Level

*Lets Rock! (Megan)

Students will be learning about and working

hands on with the rock cycle. Students will have
the opportunity to work with various types of
rocks and with their own simulation of the rock
cycle.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Rocks

6th

They ROCK our World

(Angela)

Students will be working with different materials

to sort different types of rocks and learn how
rocks are formed and related. They will learn
how rocks are made and take a journey through
the rock cycle.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Rocks

5th

Rocks Rock! (Ashley)

Students will be studying rocks.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Rocks

5th

*Our Water Footprint

(Marissa)

Students will learn about water footprints and

how important water is in an average persons
daily lifestyle. Students will determine their daily
water use and develop a plan for themselves
and others to follow to conserve water usage.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Water
Footprint

5th

Getting the Dirt on Soil

(Rachel)

Students will observe properties of soil and will

work with different types of soil, producing a
chart of properties of the different types of soil.
Students will individually identify two types of
soil using the properties chart.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Earth
Materials

4th

Using the Learning

Cycle to Teach Phases
of Water (Michelle)

The students will be learning about the phases

of water through various means of exploration.
They will be figuring out the properties of water
through melting and freezing. They will see the
process of creating steam.

Physical
Science:
Water

3rd - 4th

The Windy Experiment

(Marlee)

Students will learning, observing, and recording

about the different patterns of weather. In this
lesson, they will first be learning about the
weather specifically through wind. They will
review what they already know about wind and
then construct their own wind vane. Once they
have created a wind vane that accurately works,
they will then be able to do an experiment to
determine if the weather conditions affect which
way the wind comes from.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Weather

3rd

*Living or Nonliving,
oh my! (Sarah)

Students will be learning about the difference

between living and nonliving things. The
students will take that information and be able
to place different things in its proper category of
living or nonliving.

Life Science:
Living &
Nonliving

2nd

Is It Alive? (Morgan B)

Students will be exploring and investigating the

difference between living and nonliving things
all around them using the Six Characteristics of
Life handout as a reference.

Life Science:
Characteristi
cs of Life

2nd

Dont Push Me Away,

Pull Me in Close
(Summer)

Students will experience motion and forces in

the context of toy cars and Nerf balls. This
experience will allow them to deepen their
understanding of the concept of an objects
position or movement and how it can be
changed by a push or a pull.

Physical
Science:
Force &
Motion

2nd

*Alive or Not?
(Annie)

Students will explore what things are living and

nonliving learning about the characteristics of
both.

Life Science:
Living/Nonliv
ing

2nd

Plant Life Cycle (Cierra)

Students will be learning about the life cycle of

plants by interacting with plants and creating
their own model of the life cycle.

Life Science:
Plants

2nd

What Do We Need?
(Karissa)

Students will be learning about the basic needs

of humans, animals, and plants. They will also
learn about the difference between a want and a
need. Students will share their learning by
acting out a skit about what living things needs
to survive.

Life Science:
Basic Needs

1st - 2nd

Is It Alive? (Lauren)

Students will be studying living and nonliving

things.

Life Science:
Living/Nonliv
ing

1st

Using the Learning

Cycle to Teach Weather
(Amanda)

Students will be creating a windsock and they

will be making observations about the effects
that the weather has on the windsock. Students
will also be using paint swatches and comparing
it with the clouds, and then applying what they
learned by creating a weather forecast.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Weather

1st

Ooey, Gooey, who has

Cooties? (Anna)

During this learning cycle students will be

learning all about germs and how they affect us.
They will also be learning about how quickly
germs can spread. They will participate in a few
fun and educational activities to help them learn
all about these two concepts.

Life Science:
Germs

1st

Goo Roo (Dalton)

Students will be investigating properties of

solids and liquids.

Physical
Science:
Solids &
Liquids

K - 2nd

*Lets Get Dirty!

(Kali)

Students will be exploring the different

properties of soil, dirt, and mud. They will be
able to come up with examples of how they are
useful.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Properties of
Earth
Materials

K - 2nd

*Lets Bounce!
(Valerie)

Students will be exploring the properties and

motion of different balls. They will test different
balls in order to explore how they bounce and
roll. Students will also have the opportunity to
create their own balls out a variety of materials
using the ideas they discovered when exploring
the different balls.

Physical
Science:
Motion

K - 2nd

*Explore it Like Its

Hot (Or Gusty)
(Danielle)

Students will construct homemade

thermometers and wind vanes to measure the
temperature and wind direction on their
playground. Afterward, students will write about
the locations on their playground that were
hotter, colder, or provided a good indication of
wind direction.

Earth &
Space
Science:
Temperature
& Wind
Direction

K - 2nd

Exploring Colors
(Kristin)

In this lesson students will be exploring colors.

This lesson allows the students to explore colors
in an engaging and hands on way.

Physical
Science:
Colors

Discovering the
Seasons and
Temperature (Taylor)

Students will be exploring what weather

specifically the four seasons and temperature
during those seasons. Throughout a variety of
activities the students are able to track the
temperatures, learn about seasons, and then
share their knowledge about the seasons and
temperature.

Earth
Science:
Seasons &
Temperature