Fifth Grade

how can we provide freshwater to those in need? (1st Edition)

15 lessons | 20 days of instruction

Students explore the topic of water scarcity and the various ways humans have attempted to get water to where it is needed. In the first focus question, students will collect evidence and experiences on their water footprints and on how little accessible freshwater actually exists. The culminating activity in the first focus question asks students to create a water scarcity-based public service announcement for a region in distress. The second focus question asks students to solve a water pumping challenge, develop models based on the interaction of Earth's four spheres, and then design a solution to a water pollution problem. In focus question three, students use a digital game and a newspaper activity to see how humans have tried to solve the global and regional problems of getting freshwater to where it's needed. The unintended consequences of our solutions are a point of emphasis in this focus question. In the final focus question, students engage in a two-part summative assessment. The written summative assessment complements the performance-based summative assessment, and both focus on how key stakeholder groups must work together to design solutions to the water access, treatment, and allocation issues facing individuals and communities around Earth.

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how can we use the sky to navigate? (2nd Edition)

15 lessons | 20 days of instruction

In 15 lessons over 20 class sessions, students identify, analyze, and communicate evidence that we live on a changing planet. In the first focus question, students analyze global maps to find patterns in the locations of Earth features and in the occurrence of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. They explain how these two processes cause specific hazards to humans and compare the structure of one of those hazards, tsunami waves, to wind-driven ocean waves. In the second focus question, students define problems associated with earthquake shaking. They read about engineering solutions to such problems and design and test models of earthquake-resistant buildings. In the third focus question, students investigate additional Earth processes that affect the landscape: weathering and erosion. They use models of mountains to test the effects of rainfall, vegetation, earthquakes, wind, and glaciers on landforms. In the fourth focus question, they consider what clues can be found in rock layers to serve as evidence of past landscapes. They use the stories of two locations to create a database of evidence-landscape connections. In the science challenge, students apply what they have learned to create a museum exhibit explaining that a variety of forms of evidence tells us that we live on a changing Earth.

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how can we predict change in ecosystems? (2nd Edition)

15 lessons | 19 days of instruction

In this module, students learn about the transfer of matter and energy within complex living systems. In Lessons 1 through 5, students explain the phenomenon of radish plants grown without soil. In Lessons 6 and 7, students explain the phenomenon of a giant panda cub that grows, moves, and stays warm. In Lessons 8 through 11, students explain what causes a fish kill in a pond. In Lessons 12 and 13, students explain what happened to salad greens that were placed in a worm compost bin. In the science challenge, Lessons 14 and 15, students develop and use models to predict which of two marine locations are most at risk of a sea squirt invasion and evaluate a proposed solution to the problem.

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how can we identify materials based on their properties? (2nd Edition)

15 lessons | 20 days of instruction

In 15 lessons spanning 20 class sessions, students learn how they can use the properties of materials to identify those materials. In the first focus question, they use their senses to compare properties of six solids, including sugar and cornstarch. They read about how sugar and cornstarch are made by plants and used as food by animals. In the second focus question, students learn that dissolving and evaporation can be explained by particles. They compare how six solids behave when mixed with water. In the third focus question, students learn that melting points can be used to identify solids. They look at the effect of heat on six solids. In the fourth focus question, students record what happens when six solids are mixed with either iodine or vinegar. They read about how carbon dioxide and water combine to produce sugar and oxygen in a plant. They weigh cornstarch and iodine before and after mixing and conclude that weight is conserved in any change. In the science challenge, students apply what they have learned about properties to identify four unknown solids.

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