Category Archives: Science

Habitats (and the Magic Carpet)

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Senond Grade Habit Science LessonHey Kat and Squirrel Fans! We’ve created, for your teaching pleasure, another super fun science unit. This one is about diversity in the Earth’s habitats.

First you and your class will build your background knowledge and gain a common understanding of habitat vocabulary and the diversity of life within habitats. Then you’ll go on a magic carpet ride with Kat and Squirrel to visit some of these habitats and ‘show what you know’ through dramatization. The lessons wrap up with a fun “baseball card” like design activity using common house plants as the focus of each card.

This product includes:

collaborative lesson ideas
science vocabulary work
comparing and contrasting
reciprocal teaching
a fun new interactive Kat and Squirrel story
art/design components
dramatization
rubrics for observational assessment throughout the unit with a final grading sheet

Goals of the lesson

2-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity Students who demonstrate understanding can: 2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific animal and plant names in specific habitats.]

This unit includes lessons ideas and materials to teach the following Next Generation Science Standard for 2nd Grade:

2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. The following standards are not included in this unit:

2-LS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.

2-LS2-2. Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.

Kat and Squirrel - Get the Lesson!

Camping Science – Sound and Light Unit for First Grade – ADD ON

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Light and Sound - Camping Unit - ADD ON - Kat and SquirrelHappy back-to-school time!  I am so grateful to my squirrely sister for creating these gorgeous (OK, cute) “I Can” statement cards (see link) for my NGSS physical science unit.  I really think my first graders are going to love them and I hope yours do too.  

Since my sis was doing such a great job with the “I Can” cards, I thought I’d throw a little more at her.  (What are sisters for anyway. :)) Sooooooo, I whipped up (yeah, right) some rubrics to go with each of the Kat and Squirrel Go Camping chapters and asked her to include the rubrics with the “I Can” cards.

Bonus!  I have been keeping my teacher materials for this unit in a binder.  I use the front page as a cover. But….. the edge looked a little drab.  Designer sister to the rescue! Now we can all have awesome binder edges to go with the super-cool cover.  (Sorry I’m that kind of nerd that way.)

I hope you love these additions to the Kat and Squirrel Go Camping unit as much as I do!

Kat (and Squirrel)

 

This product is made to be used with the super fun Kat and Squirrel Go Camping – Sound and Light Unit for First Grade NGSS unit.

NGSS “I Can” Cards – This product includes “I Can” statement cards for all 4 of the Next Generation Science Standards first grade Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer and one card for the k-2 Engineering Design standard.

AND

Rubrics to assess each student on their understanding of each chapter.

Kat and Squirrel - Get the Lesson!

Kat and Squirrel on the Farm

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Life Science and Engineering Design Unit for First Grade NGSS

Kat and Squirrel on the Farm - Life Science UnitThis is an interactive story with pauses after each ‘chapter’ to allow students and teachers time to research topics (video link included!), record observations (guided viewing sheet included!), discuss thoughts supported by evidence (animal parent and offspring cards included!), and design a solution to a problem (animal adaptation cards and engineering design form included!).

All lessons are introduced by a continuing story about Kat and Squirrel’s goofy adventures while on a farm. The lessons are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards for first grade. And the lessons have been created by an experienced first-grade teacher.

The timing will depend upon how long and how often you have science class, but would most likely take 2-3 weeks. This could also be integrated into the reading/language arts curriculum very easily with a few creative teacher additions.

Goals of the Lesson

1-LS1-1. Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.

1-LS1-2. Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.

1-LS3-1. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.

K-2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.

K-2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem. Optional: If you have your students build their “solutions,” it would be a great time to complete this standard:

K-2-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.

Optional: If you have your students build their “solutions,” it would be a great time to complete this standard: K-2-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.

 

Kat and Squirrel - Get the Lesson!

The Dugout Dilemma – Physical Science Unit for Second Grade

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Dugout Dilemma - Physical Science Unit for Second GradeThis is an interactive story with pauses after each ‘chapter’ to allow students and teachers time to plan, investigate, research, test materials, record observations, and make conclusions.

All lessons are introduced by a continuing story about Kat and Squirrel’s goofy adventures while at baseball practice. The lessons are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards for second grade (see next page). And the lessons have been created by an experienced elementary teacher.

The timing will depend upon how long and how often you have science class, but would most likely take 2-3 weeks. This could also be integrated into the reading/language arts curriculum very easily with a few creative teacher additions.

Goals of the lesson

NGSS Aligned

2-PS1 Matter and Its Interactions

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
[Clarification Statement: Observations could include color, texture, hardness, and flexibility. Patterns could include the similar properties that different materials share.]

2-PS1-2. Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.*
[Clarification Statement: Examples of properties could include, strength, flexibility, hardness, texture, and absorbency.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of quantitative measurements is limited to length.]

2-PS1-3. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object. [Clarification Statement: Examples of pieces could include blocks, building bricks, or other assorted small objects.]

Kat and Squirrel - Get the Lesson!

Camping Science – Sound and Light Unit for First Grade

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Camping_ScienceKat and Squirrel Go Camping This is an interactive story with pauses after each ‘chapter’ to allow students and teachers time to research topics (nonfiction paired articles are included!), conduct experiments (teacher and student directions included!), do demonstrations (detailed instructions included!), discuss vocabulary (vocab. cards are included!), record observations and conclusions (recording sheets included!), and even play a fun game (rules and graphics included!). All lessons are introduced by a continuing story about Kat and Squirrel’s goofy adventures while on a camping trip. The lessons are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards for first grade. And the lessons have been created by an experienced first-grade teacher. The timing will depend upon how long and how often you have science class, but would most likely take 2-3 weeks. This could also be integrated into the reading/language arts curriculum very easily with a few creative teacher additions.
Kat and Squirrel - Get the Lesson!

Goals of the lesson

NGSS Aligned 1-PS4 Waves and their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer Students who demonstrate understanding can:

1-PS4-1. Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate. Clarification Statement: Examples of vibrating materials that make sound could include tuning forks and plucking a stretched string. Examples of how sound can make matter vibrate could include holding a piece of paper near a speaker making sound and holding an object near a vibrating tuning fork.

1-PS4-2. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects can be seen only when illuminated. Clarification Statement: Examples of observations could include those made in a completely dark room, a pinhole box, and a video of a cave explorer with a flashlight. Illumination could be from an external light source or by an object giving off its own light.

1-PS4-3. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light. Clarification Statement: Examples of materials could include those that are transparent (such as clear plastic), translucent (such as wax paper), opaque (such as cardboard), and reflective (such as a mirror).

*Not included in this unit: (But wouldn’t this be a great time to do it?) You could have your students write another chapter to the story where Kat and Squirrel get separated and need to devise a way to find each other. Oooooh, the possibilities….

1-PS4-4. Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance. Clarification Statement: Examples of devices could include a light source to send signals, paper cup and string “telephones,” and a pattern of drum beats.

Lesson – Animal Needs

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Animal Needs Lesson from Kat and SquirrelConcepts to Be Covered
Animals have needs: food, water, shelter, oxygen.

Goals for the Lesson
Students will discover that all animals have basic needs such as water, food, oxygen, and shelter.

Students will determine that animal needs are met within the context of their environment.

Kat and Squirrel Story for the Lesson
Kat and Squirrel are volunteering at a zoo. It is their responsibility to make sure all of the animals in their care have their needs met. Help Kat and Squirrel makes sure all of the animals are properly cared for.

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