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toc =First Grade Course Description= The students will become scientists and engage in scientific inquiry, hands-on-activities, learning by using multi-sensory methods, student-to-student interactions, discourse, reflective thinking and reading and research. Students will develop the skills of observation, comparison, and communication. We will be studying units from life science, physical science and earth science.

=Vocabulary=

= Concept Maps =

=Topic List=

New Plants
(10 weeks)
 * Plant life cycle
 * Grow brassica seeds
 * Observe development
 * Label structures
 * Record growth
 * Observe and compare propagation occurring in many ways-seeds-bulbs-roots-cuttings
 * Recording observations and data

Balance and Motion
(8 weeks)
 * Explore/discover ways to balance objects on a point
 * Explore/discover ways to use objects to create stability using counterweights, shapes, and sizes
 * Explore/ spinning and rolling as rotational motion
 * Observe and compare balanced objects
 * Record findings using scientific vocabulary
 * Identify different types of motion
 * Construct a mobile that demonstrates balance

** Pebbles, Sand, and Silt **
(8 weeks)
 * Discover properties of rocks
 * Categorize by size
 * Identify as clay, silt, sand, gravel, and pebbles
 * Compare/contrast earth materials
 * Properties of earth materials are used for specific purposes
 * Observe and recognize properties of soil
 * Understand earth materials vary from place to place