Elementary Curriculum

Science - 1st Grade

District Course #112

Course Description

Science at the elementary level will explore concepts in three main areas: earth science, physical science, and life science. One of the best ways to explore these concepts is through the use of our Hands on Science Laboratory Kits. These kits are the foundation of our elementary program and should have first priority in the curriculum continuum. The scientific method and measurement concepts will be coordinated with laboratory activities. Unit Zero is not to be taught as a separate unit. Unit Zero has been added to the scope of the course in order to outline major concepts and skills that can be incorporated into units throughout the year. State standards are imbedded throughout the course and guide its instructional objectives. While each standard is expressed through specific instructional objectives, instructors should seek opportunities to apply standards throughout the course.

Adopted Materials

Title: Discover the Wonder
Publisher: Scott Forseman

Hands on Science Laboratory Kits

STC Organisms
FOSS Solids and Liquids
STC Weather

Integration Ideas

Copyright Resources

Appendix - Bibliography

Course Scope

Assessment Correlation acronyms key

• For specific Standard References please see: Idaho State Assessment Standards
• Download this curriculum and standards documentation as a "Printer Friendly" pdf file

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This Bibliography provides a sampling of books and other resources that complement the various science units. The selections were made from the resource portions of each kit as well as the National Science Teachers Association (http://www.nsta.org). Please visit these areas for more ideas.

Organisms
Observing

Bischhoff-Miersch, Andrea and Michael. Do You Know the Difference? North-South ISBN 1-55858-371-8
     The similarities of and the differences between a variety of common animals are presented through a clear text accompanied by lifelike illustrations. The book compares, for example, gray seals with sea lions.

Thornhill, Jan. Before and After: A Book Of Nature Timescapes. National Geographic. ISBN 0-7922-7093-2
     This beautifully illustrated book will capture young readers' interest with an engaging presentation of the changes that occur in a variety of natural settings. Readers observe the changes that occur over spans of time, ranging from a few seconds to a year.

Habitats

Cristini, Ermano, and Luigi Puricelli. In the Woods. Saxonville, MA: Picture Book Studio, 1983.
     Illustrates life in the woods and challenges children to identify a whole object by examining only a part.

Cristini, Ermano, and Luigi Puricelli. In the Pond. Saxonville, MA: Picture Book Studio, 1984.
     This wordless book illustrates the living things of marshy wetlands and what happens above, around, and beneath the water of a pond. Companion book to In the Woods.

Curran, Eileen. Life in the Forest. New York: Troll Associates, 1985.
     Asks children to look closely to see the organisms of the forest. For beginning readers to read independently. The companion book in this set is Life in the Pond, also by Eileen Curran.

Fife, Dale H. The Vacant Lot. San Francisco: Little Brown, 1991.
     Harry Hale has decided to sell his vacant lot. But when he decides to visit it, he discovers that it is far from empty.

Garland, Sherry. The Summer Sands. Gulliver. ISBN 0-15-282492-8
     A delightful story about conservation is told from the point of view of children observing the life forms on a fragile sand dune. After the dune is destroyed by a storm, recycled Christmas trees are used as a base to help rebuild it.

Kalman, Bobbie. Wonderful Water. The Primary Ecology Series. New York: Crabtree, 1992.
     Includes a study of pond habitats. The books in this series are filled with activities that help teach children how to use what they already know about the environment to actively participate in solving problems they see around them.

Oppenheim, Joanne. Have You Seen Trees? Scholastic Hardcover ISBN 0-490-46691-7
     Delightful poetry and watercolor illustrations encourage readers to use their senses while exploring trees, leaves, fruits, and seasons. Includes a tree identification key.

Romanova, Natalia. Once There Was a Tree. New York: Dial Books, 2985.
     A Russian tale of a tree split by lightning, leaving only a stump, and the life on and around the stump as seasons change.

Seeds and Plants

Gibbons, Gail. The Pumpkin Book. Holiday House. ISBN 0-8234-1465-5
     Young jack-o-lantern lovers will appreciate this account of the life cycle of the pumpkin. Brilliantly illustrated with diagrammed and labeled sections, the book also explains the role of the pumpkin in the traditional American fall holidays and ends with information for home and classroom projects.

Schories, Pat. Over Under in the Garden: An Alphabet Book. Farrar. 32pp. ISBN 0-374-35677-7. $16. (P)
     As they learn their ABCs, beginning readers also discover the beauty and wonder of life in the garden. Drawings in earth tones and muted pastels capture plants and animals from acorns and ants to zucchini and zebra butterflies.

Tresselt, Alvin. The Gift of the Tree. New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, 1992.
     Describes the role of an oak tree in the cycle of nature. Complemented by beautiful paintings.

Udry, Janice May. A Tree is Nice. New York: Harper Trophy, 1956.
     A Caldicott Medal book, this book is a wonderful discussion starter.

Wilkes, Angela. My First Garden Book. New York: Knopf, 1992.
     Features simple gardening projects, from collecting seeds to growing a miniature desert garden.

Animals

Bernhard, Emery. Ladybug. New York: Holiday House, 1992.
     The complete story of one of the most loved beetles. Voted best nonfiction book for younger youth by the Young Entomologist's Society.

Clements, Andrew. Big Al. New York: Yoshi, 1988.
     A good story to illustrate that what is ugly is not necessarily bad.

Himmelman, John. A Pill Bug's Life (Nature Upclose Series). Children's Press/Grolier. ISBN 0-516-21165-X or paperback ISBN 0-516-26798-1
     In this well illustrated book, follow the life of a common garden creature: the pill bug. The story begins with the birth of a pill bug and continues through the seasons for three years. This wonderful book will enrich student's studies of an easy-to-raise insect.

Mitchell, Joni. Both Sides Now. New York: Scholastic, 1992.
     Features two caterpillars who demonstrate how both clouds and life appear differently when viewed from different perspectives. The message is that change is an important part of life.

McKissack, Patricia C. A Million Fish . . . More or Less. New York: Knopf, 1992.
     A boy gets a chance to tell his own version of a bayou tale when he goes fishing.

National Geographic Society Staff, ed. Books for Young Explorers Series. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society, 1991.
     Beautiful books about nature for beginning readers. Titles include Dinnertime for Animals and Animal Clowns.

Rockwell, Anne. The Story Snail. New York: Macmillan, 1987.
     A ready-to-read book about a snail who gives a boy 100 stories to tell.

Savage, Stephen. Butterfly. Thompson ISBN 1-56847-325-7
     Colorful, careful drawings of the butterfly's life cycle feature hibernation, mating, eggs, and chrysalis. The drawings culminate a succinct summary of metamorphosis. A brief comparison of butterflies and moths is included.

Still, John. Amazing Beetles. Eyewitness Juniors Series. New York: Knopf, 1991.
     Filled with information about amazing beetles and photographs of them. The series also includes Amazing Fish, by Mary Ling.

Death

Manson, Christopher. The Tree in the Wood. New York: North-South Books, 1994.
     This adaptation of a classic circular rhyme encompasses an entire circle of change and rebirth.

Mellonie, Bryan, and Robert Ingpen. Lifetimes: The Beautiful Way to Explain Death to Children. New York: Bantam, 1983.
     Deals with the sensitive topic of death by explaining about beginnings and endings.

Weather
Clouds

DePaola, Tomie. The Cloud Book. New York: Holiday House, 1975.
     This humorous approach to learning about different types of clouds contains inviting pictures and amusing comments that make it appealing to young children.

Shaw, Charles. It Looked Like Spilt Milk. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books, 1947.
     Each page in this book shows a cloud that resembles a different object. Students might benefit from looking at the book after they have observed clouds for themselves.

Rain

Aardema, Verna. Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain. New York: Dial Books, 1981.
     Rhythmic writing makes this story good for reading aloud. The book gives children an idea of life on an arid plain in Africa.

Nakabayashi, Ei. The Rainy Day Puddle. New York: Random House, 1989.
     In this simple introduction to the concept of evaporation, a frog enjoys his puddle as it gets larger in the rain and then watches as it gets smaller after the rain stops.

Spier, Peter. Rain. New York: Delacorte Press, 1982.
     This picture book without words illustrates the activities of two children on a rainy and very stormy day. It provides an excellent opportunity for having young children use descriptive language to tell the story shown in the illustrations.

Seasons

Dupasquier, Phillippe. Our House on the Hill. New York: Viking Press, 1988.
     This picture book illustrates the same outdoor scene each month throughout the year. Students can observe and discuss the changes that they see taking place in the landscape, people, and animals as the seasons change.

Locker, Thomas and Candace Christiansen. Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through Art. HarperCollins ISBN 0-06-024884-X
     This treasure combines the seasonal changes of a tree perched atop a hill near a riverbank with lyrical text and delicately muted color drawings. A must volume for integrating science and the arts.

Selsam, Millicent. Where Do They Go? Insects in Winter. New York: Scholastic, 1981.
     Informative drawings and text answer the question of where insects go in winter.

Snow

Mayer, Mercer, and Gina Mayer. Just a Thunderstorm. Racine, WI: Western Publishing, 1993.
     This little book illustrates the fear children often feel in a thunderstorm. As the character discovers, however, thunderstorms do create great mud puddles.

Zolotow, Charlotte. The Storm Book. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books, 1952.
     This Caldecott Medal winner, to be read to young children, helps them imagine a summer storm as it affects the country, the city, and the beach. The author's beautiful prose can introduce students to the power of imagery in writing.

Wind

Hutchins, Pat. The Wind Blew. New York: Penquin, 1986.
     The book tells the tale of a wind that temporarily carries off hats, umbrellas, scarves, and anything else in its path.

Comparing and Measuring

Most, Bernard. How Big Were the Dinosaurs? San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace, 1994.
     Gives children a relative idea of the size of different kinds of dinosaurs by comparing them with objects in the modern world.

Myller, Rolf. How Big Is a Foot? New York: Dell, 1990.
     A simple, amusing story illustrating the importance of using standard units of measure.

Liquids and Solids

Hoban, Tana. Is It Rough? Is It Smooth? Is It Shiny? New York: Morrow/Greenwillow Books, 1984.
     Color photographs without text introduce objects of many different textures, such as pretzels, foil, hay, mud, a kitten, and bubbles.

Edited by Klutz Press. Kid's Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual. Palo Alto: Klutz Press, 1987.
     A cookbook that includes 45 kid-tested recipes for easy-to-make kitchen crafts and cuisine, such as giant soap bubbles, play dough, finger paint, and "not so sloppy joes."

Robinson, Fay. Solid, Liquid, or Gas? Chicago: Children's Press, 1996.
     This photo essay defines matter - solids, liquids, and gasses - and gives several examples of each.

Seuss, Dr. Bartholomew and the Oobleck. New York: Random House, 1970.
     A king orders his royal magicians to cause something new to rain from the sky. So oobleck begins to fall in a downpour. Its strange properties cause quite a mess, and the king learns a lesson in humility.

Williams, Karen. Galimoto. New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, 1990.
     Walking through his village, a young African boy finds the materials to make a special toy. Galimot means care in Chicewa, the national language of Malawi, Africa. It is also the name of a push toy made by children.

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