Science and Social Studies

We are currently exploring a new curriculum series that will focus on the Washington State Grade Level Standards for Grade 1.  These are the current Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALR's):

 

EALR 1: Systems.  Big Idea: Systems (SYS).  Core Content:  Part-Whole Relationships
     In grades K-1, students gain fluency in using the concept of

     part-whole relationships. They agree on names for the parts

     that make up several types of whole objects, including plants

     and animals. They learn that objects can be easily taken apart

     and put back together again, while other objects cannot be

     taken apart and reassembled without damaging them.

     Removing one or more parts will usually change how the

     object functions. Fluency with the part-whole relationship is

     essential for all of the sciences and is an important building

     block for more sophisticated understanding of how systems

     operate in natural and designed environments.
 
EALR 2: Inquiry.  Big Idea: Inquiry (INQ).  Core Content:  Making Observations
     Students learn that scientific investigations involve trying to

     answer questions by making observations or trying things out,

     rather than just asking an adult. Children are naturally curious

     about nearly everything—butterflies and clouds, and why the

     Moon seems to follow them at night. The essence of this

     standard is to channel students' natural curiosity about the

     world, so that they become better questioners, observers, and

     thinkers, laying the groundwork for increasing understanding

     and abilities in science inquiry in the years to come.
  
EALR 3: Application.  Big Idea: Application (APP).  Core Content:  Tools and Materials       
     Students learn to use simple tools (e.g., pencils, scissors) and

     materials (e.g., paper, tape, glue, and cardboard) to solve

     problems in creative ways. Though students have a natural

     inclination to use tools and materials to make things, guidance

     is required to channel these interests into solving a practical

     problem. Although students are not expected to make a

     distinction between science and technology at this age, they

     can and should develop the idea that tools and materials can

     be used to solve problems, and that many problems can have

     more than one solution.
  
EALR 4 PS1: Physical Science.  Big Idea: Force and Motion (PS1).  Core Content:  Push-Pull and Position
     Students learn how to describe the position and motion of

     objects and the effects of forces on objects. Students start by

     describing the position of one object with respect to another

     object (e.g., in front, behind, above, and below) and then

     describe motion as a change in position. Forces are introduced

     as pushes and pulls that can change the motion of objects,

     and students learn through observation that various forces act

     through contact while others act from a distance (without

     touching the object). These basic concepts about forces and

     motion provide a foundation for learning to quantify motion in

     later years.
 
EALR 4 PS2: Physical Science.  Big Idea: Matter: Properties and Change (PS2).  Core Content:  Liquids and Solids       
     Students learn about the properties of liquids and solids. When

     a liquid is poured into a container, it takes the shape of the part

     of the container that it occupies. Cooling a liquid can turn the

     liquid into a solid (e.g., water to ice). When it becomes a solid

     it assumes the shape of the container and retains that shape,

     even when removed from the container. These observations

     about the properties of materials and how numerous materials

     can change from liquid to solid and back again begin to build

     an understanding of matter and its transformations that will be

     formalized as states of matter during the grade 2-3 band.

EALR 4 PS3: Physical Science.  Big Idea: Energy: Transfer; Transformation and Conservation (PS3).  Core Content:  None
     No standards for K-1 Energy: Transfer; Transformation and

     Conservation because the content is not developmentally

     appropriate for students in this grade band.
 
EALR 4 ES1: Earth and Space Science.  Big Idea: Earth in Space (ES1).  Core Content:  Observing the Sun and Moon      
     Students learn that objects they see in the sky, such as clouds

     and birds, change from minute to minute, while other things,

     such as apparent movement of the Sun and Moon, follow

     patterns if observed carefully over time. The Moon can

     sometimes be seen during the day and sometimes at night,

     and its shape appears to change gradually during the month.

     The study of the sky can help young children realize that they

     can find patterns in the world through their own observations.
 
EALR 4 ES2: Earth and Space Science.  Big Idea: Earth Systems Structures and Processes (ES2).  Core Content:  Properties and Change      
     Students learn about Earth materials through their own

     observations. They learn to distinguish between natural

     materials and those that have been changed by people. They

     study natural substances such as rocks and soil, and find that

     these Earth materials are made up of smaller parts and

     different components. They learn to use common terms, such

     as hard, soft, dry, wet, heavy, and light, to describe what they

     see. These observations help students become familiar with

     the materials in the world around them in terms of properties

     and to think about how people use natural materials in various

     ways.
 
EALR 4 ES3: Earth and Space Science.  Big Idea: Earth History (ES3).  Core Content:  None
     No standards for K-1 Earth History because the content is not

     developmentally appropriate for students in this grade band.
  
EALR 4 LS1: Life Science.  Big Idea: Structures and Functions of Living Organisms (LS1).  Core Content:  Plant and Animal Parts   
     Students learn that all living things have basic needs, and they

     meet those needs in various ways. Just as humans have

     external body parts that perform different functions to meet

     their needs, animals and plants also have body parts that

     perform different functions to meet their needs. A magnifier is

     a tool that reveals further details of plant and animal parts that

     are not easily seen with the unaided eye. Learning about the

     diverse needs of plants and animals and the various ways they

     meet their needs will help to prepare students to understand

     more detailed structures beginning at the 2-3 grade band.
  
EALR 4 LS2: Life Science.  Big Idea: Ecosystems (LS2).  Core Content:  Habitats      
     Students learn that all plants and animals live in and depend

     on habitats. Earth has many different habitats, and these

     different habitats support the life of many different plants and

     animals, including humans. People have the ability to make

     rapid changes in natural habitats and to keep a habitat healthy

     so that living conditions can be maintained.
 
EALR 4 LS3: Life Science.  Big Idea: Biological Evolution (LS3).  Core Content:  Classifying Plants and Animals       
     Students learn that some objects are alive and others are not,

     and that many living things are classified as either plants or

     animals based on observable features and behaviors. Plants

     and animals are further classified into smaller groups such as

     insects and trees. Even these groups can be further

     subdivided. Classification provides a way to organize and find

     patterns in the amazing diversity of plants, animals, and the

     nonliving environment.