NorthEast Washington ESD 101

Matter & Energy in Ecosystems (L)

Curricula: Carolina Building Blocks of Science (BBS) 

Students begin by focusing on the interdependence of living and nonliving things in an ecosystem. Students plan an investigation using radish seeds to determine what resources plants require to grow. Then students dissect an owl pellet to develop food chains and food pyramids. They will also construct an ecocolumn that uses radish seeds and redworms to examine the importance of decomposers in an ecosystem. By the end of the unit, students analyze the cause and effects of agriculture, fossil fuels, technology, and factories on ecosystems and design a solution to reduce human impact.

Teacher Prep Videos

• Lesson 1
• Lesson 2
• Lesson 3
• Lesson 4
• Lesson 5
• Lesson 6

Vocabulary Resources

• Kahoot
• Quizlet

Exploring How Environments Affect Life (L)

Curricula: Extension Mini-Kit 

Students watch and see how baby brine shrimp hatch in different salty water to understand how where they live affects them.Students watch different plants in different places and see how they are different or the same.

Earth and Space Systems (E)

Curricula: Carolina Building Blocks of Science (BBS) 

This study of the universe and sun-earth-moon systems naturally integrates math and literacy into hands-on science lessons. Students design scale models, then gather data and express it in bar graphs and circle graphs. As they study water, they calculate the ratio of salt to fresh water on earth. Literacy comes in as students research and report on how systems on earth interact with systems in space.

Teacher Prep Videos

• Lesson 1
• Lesson 2
• Lesson 3
• Lesson 4
• Lesson 5

Vocabulary Resources

• Kahoot
• Quizlet

Exploring Light, Evaporation, and Natural Phenomena (E)

Curricula: Extension Mini-Kit 

Students begin by making comparisons between different light sources and gaining an understanding of spectrums, particularly focusing on visible light. They then delve into an investigation regarding how surface area and air temperature influence the process of evaporation. Students explore the origins of natural phenomena such as clouds, fog, dew, and frost.

Structures and Properties of Matter (P)

Curricula: Carolina Building Blocks of Science (BBS) 

Start laying the groundwork for middle school chemistry with this unit that builds on student understanding of the properties of matter, changes of state, physical and chemical changes, and conservation of matter. By the end of the unit, students apply what they’ve learned to a real world engineering project. They devise a water purification system — a great application of chemistry to a timely problem!

Teacher Prep Videos

• Lesson 1
• Lesson 2
• Lesson 3
• Lesson 4
• Lesson 5
• Lesson 6

Vocabulary Resources

• Kahoot
• Quizlet

Exploring Electricity: Building and Understanding Basic Circuits (P)

Curricula: Extension Mini-Kit 

Students watch how water behaves with various materials and study its surface tension. They also explore how water moves on an included surface. Additionally, they use a thermometer to see that water expands when it gets warmer and contracts when it cools. Students compare the characteristics of water in its solid (ice) and liquid states and observe and describe how two masses of water at different temperatures interact with each other.

Designing Water Filters (Eng)

Curricula: Engineering is Elementary 

In Water, Water Everywhere: Designing Water Filters, students explore and discuss the connections between water and the water cycle and the role of engineers in providing and maintaining clean and safe drinking water. The unit begins with the storybook Saving Salila’s Turtle, in which a girl named Salila living in India explores ideas from the field of Environmental Engineering in order to save a turtle from its polluted environment. Like Salila, students then follow the steps of the Engineering Design Process to imagine, plan, create, and improve their own water filters.

Supplied Literature