Science Scope and Sequence
Primary Pod
In all topics, the students practice the following skills: reading for information, identifying text
features in a document, acquiring new vocabulary, using investigative techniques, asking
questions, having discussions, exposure to scientific tools, applications to everyday life,
designing/drawing to explain an idea, comparing and contrasting. Each year, grades 1/2 and 2/3
learn the same content, but the skills and assignments sometimes vary based on grade and ability
levels.
Year One
Magnetism:
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What is a magnet?
Intro/ Review to Scientific
Method, Data Collection,
Analyzing and Comparing
results
Learning more about
magnetism through the
following small group
experiments:
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Identifying man-made objects
that are/are not magnetic
Magnetism strength from
varying heights and through
objects
Magnetism through water
Magnetism through sand
Identifying poles on magnets
Using a compass
Using an electromagnet
Project: Making a compass
Animal Life:
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Things needed to make
animal life occur
Classifying different orders
of animals
Review Scientific
Drawing/Labeling
Comparing and Contrasting
Animals
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Animal habitats
Review Microscope
Examining fur and tissue
under a microscope
Part animals play in food
chain
Project: making a 3-D Food Chain
Sound/Light
What is sound?
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Observation of sound made by vibration in different objects – instrumental and
otherwise
Identify sounds from familiar objects
 Create a diagram of a sound wave
What is light?
 Creating light from different sources
 Identifying different types of light waves
 Creating diagrams of light waves
Project: Create a musical instrument…Field Trip: Maryland Science Center- Light and Shadow
Year Two
Weather:
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Learning about long term observations
Clouds
Types of precipitation
Intro/Review Scientific Method, Data Collection, Analyzing and Comparing
results
Learning more about liquids and solids through the following small group
experiments/projects on the following:
 Temperature- making a thermometer, what makes it work?
 Air pressure, making a barometer
 Wind direction- making a weather vane
 Wind Speed- making an anemometer
 Rain accumulation- making a rain gauge
The Water Cycle
Creating a water cycle play
Project: Types of Extreme Weather- group book on lightening safety
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Astronomy:
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The Sun- making a sundial, observing shadows and placement, how sun affects
the seasons, flashlight demonstrations of each, layers of the sun, fast facts
The Moon- moon crater cocoa experiment, observing placement, waxing and
waning, gibbous and crescent, flashlight demonstrations, solar and lunar eclipse,
The Stars- identifying and creating accurate representations of constellations,
identifying “celebrity stars” and different types of stars
The Solar System- placement of sun, moon, and planets, galaxies, people
placement
The Planets- fact facts about each, creating a group book and reports
Project: small groups reporting, making a poster, and creating a 3D model of one planet
Field Trip: Planetarium
Geology:
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Layers of the Earth
Types of Rocks- small group
experiments, comparing and
contrasting, finding man
made
objects that have rocks as
ingredients, making artistic
samples of “rocks”
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Fossils-what are they really,
archeology technique
experiment
Volcanoes-parts of and types
Caves- parts of and types
Types of soil- small group
experiments using auger and
soil samples
Project: making a volcano, making a cave…….Field Trip: Crystal Grottoes cave
Year Three:
Liquids/Solids:
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What is matter?
What is a property of matter?
Physical changes in matter
The Scientific Method
Data Collection, Recording, Analyzing and comparing results
Intro/ Review Scientific Method, Data Collection, Analyzing and Comparing
results
Learning more about liquids and solids through the following small group
experiments:
 Liquid Properties such as opacity, density, miscibility, viscosity, etc.
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 Solid properties such as hardness, texture, flexibility, density, shape,
buoyancy, etc.
Simple Machines:
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What are simple Machines?
Push vs. pull
Momentum
Force
Small group experiments to test the same objects in different ways to see the
different ways they move and the effects of incline, force, weight, etc. have on the
movement
Building types of simple machines such as lever, pulley, incline plane, etc.
Project: create a working simple machine…Field Trip: Maryland Science Center
Plant life:
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Things needed to make plant
life occur
Whole group Experiments to
show necessity of each
Scientific drawing, labeling
Parts of trees, flowers, etc.
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Comparing plants
Parts of a microscope/Use
Examining under a
microscope
Intro. to Plant Cell
Mini-Units: In some years there is extra time at the end of the year or between major units for a
small high interest unit just for fun. They are not considered part of the core curriculum.
Health and the Human Body:
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What are the current best practices for nutrition?
How do I read food labels accurately?
The basic diagrams of the skeletal, digestive, muscular, and circulatory systems
by looking at websites, videos, and performing experiments to demonstrate how
these systems work
Project: Create a song that teaches someone about one of the body systems.
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Ocean Life:
 General information about sharks, whales, fish, and shells via books, internet, and
videos.
Project: Create whole group simple information books about these topics
Theme Related Unit (such as Inventions)
Intermediate Pod
(A two-year cycle)
Year 1
Introduction to Cells:
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Plant and Animal Cells:
Similarities and Differences
Major Parts of Cells and
Functions
Cell Division, osmosis,
food/waste exchange
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History of and Intro to
Microscopes
Building models of cells
Microscope lab
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Absorption rates
Underground streams
Impervious surfaces
Fresh/salt water
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Ecological Roles
Part in food web
Introduction to Ecology:
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Cell to ecosystem
Basic life needs of plants and animals
Interrelatedness/interdependence of life
Producers/consumers
Define food chain/food web
Water cycle:
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Transpiration
Evaporation
Expiration
Run off
From Ocean to Stream:
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Life in the Ocean
Phytoplankton
Photosynthesis
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Role in oxygen/carbon
dioxide cycle
Fresh water/salt water
plankton
Zooplankton
Single cell to multicell
Adaptations:
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Great Plankton Race
Building models of plankton
Surface/depth cycle
Movement through tides, winds, warmth from sun
Beaufort Scale for wind velocity
Other Wildlife in the Ocean: Crustaceans, Fish, Mammals, Jelly fish, Plants, etc.
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Ecological niche
Interactions
Oceanic food web
Life in the Chesapeake Bay:
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Formation: from river to bay
Water quality: salinity, temperatures, clarity, acidity
Pollutant sources
Wildlife in Bay: Crustaceans, Fish, Mammals, Jelly fish, Shell fish, Plants, etc.
Life in Fresh Water: Rivers and Streams:
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Water properties/qualities
Similarities/differences with bay water
Wildlife in fresh water: Crustaceans, Fish, Mammals, Jelly fish, Shell fish and
plants, etc.
Humans in the mix:
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Producer or consumer
Where in Food chain/web
Agriculture/development
effect on wildlife
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Forms of energy
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Energy:
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Exploitation of
oceans/bay/rivers/streams
Responsibilities
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Generating of electrical
energy
Fossil fuels, solar, wind,
passive solar, hydro, nuclear
Building a magnetic
generator
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Reasonable consumption:
Relative to different countries
and cultures
Energy audit of school
Saving energy at school and
at home
Safety/cost/sustainability of
different energy sources
Biosphere III Project:
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History of Biosphere II Project
Define wants and needs for sustainable life
Design/build biosphere to support human life
Year 2
Underwater Explorations:
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Why Explore: TED Talks
with Dr. Robert Ballard
History of Ocean Exploration
Mapping the Ocean Floor
How much of the ocean floor
has been mapped?
Physical features: ocean, sea,
bay, river, island, peninsula,
channel, trench, volcano, heat
vents, mountains, etc.
Famous Explorers and their
machines
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Technology over time
Diving bells to ROV
Designing mechanical
retrieving system
Contemporary Explorers
Dr. Robert Ballard, Dr.
Sylvia Earle, Jacques
Cousteau and more
New discoveries every day:
sea life to sunken treasures
Amazon Rainforest:
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Defining a rainforest
Physical properties
Temperate or tropical
Locate Amazon Rainforest
Ecology
Resources
Peoples and Cultures
Plants
Animals
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Medicinal Plants
Shrinking Rainforest – why?
Why protect the rainforest?
Research plant or animal
Create model
Create a Rain Forest: What
are the elements
Present chosen plant or
animal to class/school/parents
Air and Space Explorations: From Icarus to Mars:
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Why Fly?
How do things fly: Thrust,
gravity, lift
Early Flight
Gliders
Flying Machines
Balloons
Aircraft in Warfare
Early planes
Aircraft advances in WWI
Aircraft advances in WWII
Beginning of commercial
flight: passenger and cargo
Modern Rocketry
Build and Fly 3 Types of
Rocket: Air/Water/Explosive
Unmanned Space Flight
Manned Space Flight
Space Race
To the Moon
Mars and Beyond
Famous
Flyers/Designers/Astronauts
Astral Bodies: stars, planets,
dwarfs, nebula, asteroids, etc.
Constellations and legends
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This curriculum is in order with the Voluntary State Curriculum in Science for grades 4 and 5. It
is not, however, limited by these guidelines. We use extensive online resources, as well as
books, films, hands-on lab classes, projects and field trips.
Middle School Pod
Summary- Over the course of a 3-year cycle students will study the following core curriculum:
1. Earth/Space - Students use the skills and processes of science to develop a sense of the
context of place, time and physical interactions in which their lives occur. Middle school
students pay increasing attention to matters of scale and backup their understanding of
the universe with activities using a variety of astronomical tools, generating accurate
scale models, and describing the motion of celestial objects.
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Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the chemical and
physical interactions (i.e., natural forces and cycles, transfer of energy) of
the environment, Earth, and the universe that occur over time.
2. Life - Students use the skills and processes of science to investigate the numbers and
diversity of living things that now occupy or once occupied the Earth's surface, the
interdependence among living things and the interactions of living things with their
environment. (cell biology, genetics, organism classification, human body systems)
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The students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the dynamic
nature of living things, their interactions, and the results from the
interactions that occur over time.
3. Chemistry- A study of chemistry gives students opportunities to develop and /or verify
ideas about the structure of matter, states of matter, interaction of matter, and
conservation of matter.
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Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the composition,
structure, and interactions of matter in order to support the predictability of
structure and energy transformations.
4. Physics –the study of physics enables students to investigate and predict the outcome of
certain interactions that occur between matter and energy. Core concepts include motion,
energy, force, and the relationships among them.
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Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the interactions of
matter and energy and the energy transformations that occur.
5. Environmental (explorations) –Students will achieve environmental literacy and to
develop an appreciation for the range of issues and diverse positions about the
environment that face the human population and need to be addressed.
Skills
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Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the interactions of
environmental factors (living and non-living) and analyze their impact from a
local to a global perspective.
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Construct knowledge
Apply evidence and reasoning
Communicate scientific information
Appropriately use technology
Processes:
1. Design, analyze, or carry out simple investigations and experiments and formulate
appropriate analysis and conclusions based on data obtained or provided.
2. Review data from an experiment, summarize the data and construct a logical argument
about the cause-and-effect relationships in the experiment.
3. Use mathematics to interpret and communicate data.
4. Use research to construct knowledge, verify information, compare evidence, and provide
clarification before, during, and after investigations/experiments.
5. Develop explanations that explicitly link data from investigations/experiments conducted,
selected readings and, when appropriate, contributions from historical discoveries.
6. Use technology to aid in design, assembly, analysis, and evaluation of
investigations/experiments.
7. Analyze the value and the limitations of different types of models and experiments in
explaining real things and processes.
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