In this unit, students are introduced to the scientific process as they analyze matter in the universe and Earth’s place in the solar system. For the first lesson in this unit, they conduct an experiment to compare the masses of two different substances, analyzing how matter is never created or destroyed. Students also discuss how all matter in the universe is made up of different combinations of atoms formed from chemical reactions. This page highlights key parts of this lesson.
In this unit, students explore how living things depend on their environment and one another for survival. In this lesson, students discover phenomena surrounding how frogs have different internal and external structures throughout their life cycle that enable them to survive in their environments. This page highlights components of this lesson.
In this unit, students continue to explore science phenomena related to energy, focusing on how energy is transferred in circuits and can do work, such as spinning a motor. Students begin with this lesson on exploring the basic phenomena of direct current energy flowing through parts of a simple and series circuit.
In this unit, students explore the science phenomena of how energy is transferred in a circuit to do work. In this lesson, students figure out the phenomena affecting the left and right movement of an electric car. This page is a high-level extract of this lesson.
In this unit, students are introduced to science and engineering by exploring several phenomena that relate to cooking. Students begin with an investigation into the structure of matter and how energy determines state of matter. This page is a high level look at key components of this lesson.
In this unit, students focus on interactions between matter and energy. In this lesson, students figure out the endothermic and exothermic phenomenon of chemical hot and cold packs to analyze matter and energy in different kinds of chemical reactions. This page is a high-level extract of this lesson.
In this unit, students explore several phenomena that relate to cooking. In this lesson, students evaluate chemical reactions, and use that knowledge to engineer a prototype that transfers energy by chemical processes. This page showcases key components of this lesson.
In this unit, students focus on the science phenomena of the relationship between gravity and motion, tracing how gravitational potential energy transforms to kinetic energy in different energy systems. In this lesson, they investigate the relationship between the drop height of a bouncy ball and its rebound height. This page is a high-level extract of this lesson.
In this unit, students use what they know about the relationship between energy and matter to investigate phenomena of how energy powers the cycling of Earth materials. They begin with this lesson on modeling the Earth processes that form different kinds of rock. This page provides an overview of this lesson.
In this unit, students explore phenomena of natural processes that cause Earth’s surface to change over time, analyzing how energy causes Earth’s matter to transform and cycle from one form to another. In this lesson, students investigate how Earth materials are continually being reshaped and reformed by multiple processes that are powered by energy from Earth’s hot interior and the sun. This page is a high-level extract of this lesson.
In the last unit, students explore how objects can be seen when they are illuminated by a source of light and how light passes through opaque, transparent, and translucent materials differently. In this unit, students apply what they have learned about light and sound to design a solution that can be used to communicate over a distance.
Standards citation: NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.