Scope and Sequence of Elementary Science
Science 1
General Science
Science, scientists, the five senses, STEM: the engineering design process (ask, imagine, plan, make, make better, share), a scientist’s worldview, process skills (observe, classify, measure, infer, predict, communicate) science tools (hand lens, ruler, measuring cup/beaker, balance scale, thermometer), the scientific method (problem, hypothesis, materials, procedure, observations, conclusions)
Life Science
Plants
Living things, nonliving things, needs of plants (light, air, water, dirt, space), ways people use plants, result of sin, parts of plants (roots, stems, leaves, flowers), life cycle (seed, seedling, adult plant), parents and young
Animals
Environment, needs of animals (air, water, food, shelter, space), classifying animals (fish, birds, mammals), parts of animals, life cycle (robin), parents and their offspring, result of sin
Our Bodies
The Human Body
Animals and people (similarities and differences), parts outside (head, arms, legs), parts inside (bones, muscles, heart, lungs, brain, stomach)
Care for the Human Body
Be kind to others (in words and actions), healthy habits (for a strong body, to keep germs away, to keep germs away from others, for strong teeth), safe habits (at play, in the car, at home, in the community)
Earth-Space Science
The Earth and Its Lights
Beginnings, earth’s rotation, sun (characteristics, path), stars (characteristics, star pictures), moon (characteristics, path, phases)
Seasons
Earth’s revolution and tilt, cycle of seasons, characteristics of winter, spring, summer, fall
Weather
Temperature, wind, the water cycle (clouds, rain, sleet, hail, snow), what a meteorologist is and does
Physical Science
Light Energy
Beginnings of light, natural or manmade light, light and objects (transparent, translucent, opaque), shadows, characteristics (illuminates, how light travels)
Sound Energy
How sound is made, how sound moves, sound and matter, how sound is heard, how sound changes (volume, pitch)
Communicating with Light and Sound
Around home, around school, around the community; additional worldview learning
Science 2
General Science
What Science Is
Science, scientists, importance of science, a scientist’s worldview, science inquiry skills (observe, classify, measure, infer, predict, communicate), science tools (hand lens, ruler, beaker, thermometer, balance), scientific method (problem, hypothesis, materials, procedure, observations, conclusions), STEM: the engineering design process (ask, imagine, plan, make, test and make better, share)
Physical Science
What Matter Is
Origin of matter, describing matter, properties of matter (color, shape, size, temperature, hardness, texture, ability to sink or float), classifying by property, states of matter (solid, liquid, gas)
How Matter Changes
Temperature and matter, solids to liquids, liquids to gases, gases to liquids, liquids to solids, changing matter (reversible/irreversible, bend/break, mixture), combining matter
How Matter Moves
Force (push/pull, cause/effect), motion (direction, cause/effect), speed (cause/effect), origin of force, kinds of force (friction, gravity, magnetism)
Earth-Space Science
How the Earth Moves
Solar system (origin, planets), Earth (shape, globe as a model), rotation (axis, day/night, sunrise/sunset), revolution (orbit, seasons)
What Makes Up the Earth
Earth’s surface (water, land), inside the earth (studying the earth, geologist, layers of the earth), weathering (water, ice, wind, plants), erosion (wind, water, erosion control), the earth’s moving surface (volcanoes, earthquakes)
What Natural Resources Are
Natural resources (air, water, soil, plants, animals, fossil fuels), pollution, natural resource products (from water, soil, plants, animals, fossil fuels), The Three Rs (reuse, reduce, recycle)
Life Science
How Plants Grow and Change
Living things, nonliving things, plant needs (water, air, soil, light, space), the Fall and plants, parts of plants (roots, stems, leaves, flowers), life cycle (seed and its parts, seedling, adult plant), how seeds travel (air, water, animals)
How Animals Grow and Change
Needs of animals (air, water, food, space, shelter), changes animals make to where they live (by storing food, building shelters), classifying animals (with backbones: fish, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles; without backbones: insects, spiders), how animals grow and change, parents and their offspring, life cycle (butterfly, frog), food chain (predator and prey, results of sin)
Where Things Live
Populations, communities, water habitats (ocean, pond, wetland), land habitats (rainforest, woodland forest, desert, savanna, tundra), changing habitats (animals, plants, wildfires, people)
What Fossils Show Us
Creation or evolution, fossils, kinds of fossils (petrified, mold, cast, amber, trace, frozen), plant fossils, insect fossils, dinosaur fossils, dinosaurs (Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex), end of dinosaurs
How the Human Body Works
Body systems (skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, nervous, digestive), food, exercise
Science 3
Earth-Space Science
Process skills, science tools, scientific method
The Solar System
Solar system (origin, worldviews, gravity, patterns, the sun and other stars, observing stars and planets), inner planets and moons (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Moon, Mars), outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune), asteroids, dwarf planets
Weather and Climate
Weather: studying weather, weather tools (rain gauge, thermometer, weather vane, anemometer), clouds (stratus, fog, cumulus, cirrus), precipitation (water, cycle, rain, sleet, snow, hail), wind, severe weather (drought, flood, thunderstorm, tornado, hurricane, blizzard), weather warnings; Climate: climate zones (polar, temperate, tropical), climate change (biblical view, different view, possible causes, God’s promise)
Soil, Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils
Soil: parts of soil, layers of soil (topsoil, subsoil, bedrock), weathering, erosion, conservation; Rocks: sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic; Minerals: properties (hardness, crystal shape, color), uses of minerals; Fossils: biblical view (how and when fossils formed, extinction, adaptation), evolutionary view (how and when fossils formed, extinction, adaptation), Is evolution true?
Life Science
Cells, Tissues, Organs, and Systems
Cells: definition, observing, kinds, parts of plant and animal cells (nucleus, cytoplasm, membrane, wall); Tissues: definition, examples (muscle, nerve); Organs: definition, upper body organs; Systems: definition, skin (largest organ of human body), epidermis (fingerprints), dermis (blood vessels, sweat glands, oil glands)
Plants
Plant life cycle (germination, growth, reproduction, death), photosynthesis (what a plant needs, what a plant produces), uses of plants, plant traits, adaptation (biblical view, evolutionary view)
Cold-Blooded Animals
Classifying animals (vertebrate, temperature), cold-blooded animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, spiders), characteristics, features to survive and grow, ways to reproduce, life cycles of cold-blooded animals
Warm-Blooded Animals
Warm-blooded animals (birds, mammals), characteristics, features to survive and grow, ways to reproduce, are humans mammals?, taking care of animals, life cycles of animals (birth, growth, reproduction, death), animals and their offspring (same kind, inherited traits, instincts, learned behavior, inherited traits and behavior), studying animals
Ecosystems
Living together (population, community, habitat, ecosystem), resources, eating for energy (producer, consumer, decomposer), types of consumers (herbivore, carnivore, omnivore), living together in groups, food chains, food webs, changes in an ecosystem (balance)
Physical Science
Matter and Sound
Physical properties (mass, volume, matter), states of matter (solid, liquid, gas), changes in states (solids and liquids, liquids and gases), states of water, physical and chemical changes, serving with matter, sound (vibrations, sound waves, characteristics of sound [pitch, volume, uses])
Forces and Motion
Force: fast, slow, direction, kinds (contact/noncontact forces); Motion: directions, distance, speed, how force affects motion, patterns of motion (observations, predictions, unseen patterns, created patterns), work
Electricity and Magnetism
Electricity: electric charges (positive, negative, neutral), static electricity, current electricity; Magnetism: magnets (magnetism, magnetic field, poles), uses of magnets, electromagnets (discovering electromagnets, uses of electromagnets)
Science 4
General Science
Science Inquiry Skills; Science safety tips; Science tools; Scientific investigation; Scientific variables; Modeling in Science; STEM: The Engineering Design Process
Life Science
Living Things
Plant Structures and Functions: internal and external structures, photosynthesis, adaptations, origin of thorns, uses of plants, response to stimuli; Plant Reproduction: flowering plants, parts of a flower, pollination, seed structure, seed dispersal, plant life cycle, other methods of plant reproduction; Invertebrates: arthropods, insects, internal and external structures, protection, defenses, ways of eating, life cycles, metamorphosis, social insects; Vertebrates: internal and external structures, defenses, body systems, adaptations, response to stimuli
Human Body
Digestive system: digestive tract and digestive process; Nutrition: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, healthy diet planning; Skeletal and muscular systems: skeleton, parts of bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, muscles, injuries; Eyes: parts of the eye, path of light through the eye, vision correction; Ears: parts of the ear, path of sound through the ear, hearing correction
Physical Science
Energy and Waves
Energy and motion: potential and kinetic energy, energy transfer, collisions, force, weight, speed, motion; Energy and work: energy, forces, friction, gravity, work, simple machines (lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane); Waves: wave energy, characteristics of waves, wave patterns (circular, transverse, and longitudinal), measuring wavelengths; Light: origin of light, properties of light, light and matter (luminous, nonluminous, transparent, translucent, opaque), light waves, visible spectrum, reflection, refraction, lens; Sound: sound waves, vibrations, amplitude, wavelength, characteristics of sound (pitch, volume, timbre), sound and matter (speed, temperature, absorption, reflection), history of information transfer, digital communication
Earth Science
Earth’s Waters
Water and oceans: water cycle, surface waves, energy transfer, deep ocean currents, surface currents, conservation of water, ocean floor, ocean zones, ocean creatures, bioluminescence, ecosystems in the ocean
Earth’s Surface
Landforms and Changes: rocks and minerals, physical and chemical weathering, soil, erosion and deposition, past and present changes to the earth’s surface, landforms, maps; Natural Hazards: plates, plate boundaries, faults, causes of earthquakes, reducing impact of earthquakes, tsunamis, floods (local, regional, worldwide), volcanoes, dangers of volcanoes, maps; Natural Resources: renewable resources (soil, water, trees, animals), renewable energy resources (hydroelectric, wind, solar), nonrenewable resources (minerals and fossil fuels), choosing energy resources, conservation (reduce, reuse, recycle)
Science 5
General Science
Process skills, science tools, scientific method
Earth Science
Earth
Layers of the earth: characteristics of the core, mantle, and crust; Soil: weathering, erosion, how soil is formed; Minerals: characteristics of minerals; uses of gems, metals, and other minerals; mining; Rocks: formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks; Fossils: contrasting creation and evolution; Genesis Flood; fossil formation; excavating and restoring fossils; dating and interpreting fossils; Layers of the atmosphere: characteristics of the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere, and ozone layer; Weather: air; air pressure; temperature; air masses and fronts; winds; precipitation; clouds; storms; tornadoes; hurricanes; weather instruments; reading weather maps
Space
Space technology: regulating heat in spacecraft
Life Science
Living Things
Dinosaurs: fossil evidence; extinction; Biomes: characteristics; plant and animal life in the tundra, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, grasslands, desert, tropical rainforest, mountains, marine and freshwater biomes, wetlands; Ecosystems: environment; population; habitat; food chain; food web; predator and prey; energy pyramid; competition; adaptation; migration; hibernation; symbiosis; instincts; learned behaviors; cycles (seasons, carbon, nitrogen, water); stresses (fires, floods, droughts, man-made); succession ; native and invasive species; extinction; endangered species
Human Body
Respiratory system: nose; pharynx; larynx; vocal cords; trachea; bronchi; lungs; inhaling; exhaling; breathing muscles; asthma and other breathing difficulties; dangers of smoking; Circulatory system: heart; arteries; veins; capillaries; blood cells; blood types; donating blood; excretory system
Physical Science
Energy
Heat: potential and kinetic energy; thermal energy; temperature; changing states of matter; thermal expansion; conduction; convection; radiation; fuel; unwanted heat; applications to space technology; Sound: sound waves; frequency; speed; pitch; volume; timbre; echoes; ultrasound; music; acoustics; Light: electromagnetic waves; properties of waves; visible spectrum; refraction; reflection; colors; mirrors; lasers; electromagnetic spectrum
Matter
Measuring matter: volume; mass; weight; density; States of matter: solids, liquids, and gases; Physical changes: melting, freezing, vaporization, boiling, evaporation, condensation; Atoms and molecules: identifying atoms, molecules, elements, and compounds; Mixtures: evenly and unevenly mixed mixtures; characteristics of solutions