Primary 4

Teacher Edition

Science Term 1
 Primary 4
Teacher Edition

Science Term 1
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Table of Contents

Foreword and Words from the Minister of Education & Technical Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

Welcome to Primary 4 Science Techbook

Primary 4 Science Techbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Structure, Approach, and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Interdisciplinary STEM Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xx
Literacy Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxii
Scope and Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxiv

Theme 1 | Systems

Unit 1: Living Systems

Unit Overview
Learning Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Unit Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Unit Storyline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Unit 1 Introduction: Get Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Unit Project Preview: Bat Chat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Concept 1.1 Adaptation and Survival

Concept Overview
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Recommended Pathway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Content Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Wonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Concept 1.2 Senses at Work

Concept Overview
Objectives and Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Recommended Pathway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Content Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Wonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

iv
Concept 1.3 Light and Sight
Concept Overview
Objectives and Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Recommended Pathway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Content Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Wonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Concept 1.4 Communication and Information Transfer

Concept Overview
Objectives and Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Recommended Pathway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Content Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Wonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Unit Wrap-Up
Unit Project: Bat Chat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Interdisciplinary Project
To Get to the Other Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Table of Contents v
Table of Contents

Theme 2 | Matter and Energy

Unit 2: Motion
Unit Overview
Learning Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Unit Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Unit Storyline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Unit 2 Introduction: Get Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Unit Project Preview: Vehicle Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Concept 2.1 Starting and Stopping

Concept Overview
Objectives and Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Recommended Pathway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Content Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Wonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Concept 2.2 Energy and Motion

Concept Overview
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Recommended Pathway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Content Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Wonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Concept 2.3 Speed

Concept Overview
Objectives and Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Recommended Pathway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Content Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Wonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

vi
Concept 2.4 Energy and Collisions
Concept Overview
Objectives and Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Recommended Pathway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Content Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Wonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Unit Wrap-Up
Unit Project: Vehicle Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Resources
Concept Assessments
Unit 1 Concept Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A1
Unit 2 Concept Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A11
Unit 1 Concept Assessments Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A23
Unit 2 Concept Assessments Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A26
Graphic Organizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1
Safety in the Science Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R1
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R3
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R12

Table of Contents vii

 FOREWORD
This is a pivotal time in the history of the Ministry of Education and Technical
Education (MOETE) in Egypt. We are embarking on the transformation of Egypt’s
K-12 education system. We started in September 2018 with the rollout of KG1, KG2
and Primary 1, followed by Primary 2 and 3. In 2021 we have rolled out Primary 4,
and we will continue with the rollout until 2030. We are transforming the way in
which students learn to prepare Egypt’s youth to succeed in a future world that we
cannot entirely imagine.

MOETE is very proud to present this new series of textbooks, with the accompanying
digital learning materials that captures its vision of the transformation journey. This
is the result of much consultation, much thought and a lot of work. We have drawn
on the best expertise and experience from national and international organizations
and education professionals to support us in translating our vision into an innovative
national curriculum framework and exciting and inspiring print and digital learning
materials.

The MOETE extends its deep appreciation to its own “Center for Curriculum and
Instructional Materials Development” (CCIMD) and specifically, the CCIMD Director
and her amazing team. MOETE is also very grateful to the minister’s senior advisors
and to our partners including “Discovery Education,” “National Geographic
Learning” “Nahdet Masr,” “Longman Egypt,” UNICEF, UNESCO, and WB, who,
collectively, supported the development of Egypt’s national curriculum framework.
I also thank the Egyptian Faculty of Education professors who participated in
reviewing the national curriculum framework. Finally, I thank each and every MOETE
administrator in all MOETE sectors as well as the MOETE subject counselors who
participated in the process.

This transformation of Egypt’s education system would not have been possible
without the significant support of Egypt’s current president, His Excellency President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Overhauling the education system is part of the president’s
vision of ‘rebuilding the Egyptian citizen’ and it is closely coordinated with the
ministries of Higher Education & Scientific Research, Culture, and Youth & Sports.
Education 2.0 is only a part in a bigger national effort to propel Egypt to the ranks of
developed countries and to ensure a great future to all of its citizens.

viii
 Words from the Minister of Education
& Technical Education
It is my great pleasure to celebrate this extraordinary moment in the history of Egypt
where we continue to launch a new education system designed to prepare a new
Egyptian citizen proud of his Egyptian, Arab and African roots — a new citizen who is
innovative, a critical thinker, able to understand and accept differences, competent in
knowledge and life skills, able to learn for life and able to compete globally.

Egypt chose to invest in its new generations through building a transformative and
modern education system consistent with international quality benchmarks. The new
education system is designed to help our children and grandchildren enjoy a better
future and to propel Egypt to the ranks of advanced countries in the near future.

The fulfillment of the Egyptian dream of transformation is indeed a joint

responsibility among all of us; governmental institutions, parents, civil society, private
sector and media. Here, I would like to acknowledge the critical role of our beloved
teachers who are the role models for our children and who are the cornerstone of the
intended transformation.

I ask everyone of us to join hands towards this noble goal of transforming Egypt
through education in order to restore Egyptian excellence, leadership and great
civilization.

My warmest regards to our children who will begin this journey and my deepest
respect and gratitude to our great teachers.

Dr. Tarek Galal Shawki

Minister of Education & Technical Education

Foreword and Words from the Minister of Education & Technical Education ix
Primary 4 Science Techbook

Welcome to Primary 4 Science Techbook!

Students all over the world are natural explorers, filled with curiosity and innovative
ideas. Science helps all of us understand and make sense of the world. Scientific
reasoning helps students search for solutions to real-world challenges and to ask new
questions as learners and thinkers. As you read the new Primary 4 student and teacher
instructional resources, keep a few things in mind:

• The Primary 1 through Primary 3 multidisciplinary curriculum, Discover,

implemented across Egypt starting from 2018 to 2020, helped lay a foundation
for young students to inquire, observe, and think like scientists.

• The Primary 4 science content is more challenging than ever before,

however students are aided by their experience in the new KG through
Primary 3 curriculum. To help all students reach the challenging expectations
in Preparatory and Secondary years, Primary 4 Science Techbook offers
more opportunities for deeper learning, more opportunities for hands-on
investigation, and more practice using the skills necessary to think, observe,
analyze, and evaluate like scientists.

• The Primary 4 science curriculum is called a Techbook™. The Techbook is more

than just print. It is a 21st-century instructional resource designed to inspire
and empower all students through digital and print learning. The program has
content in both print and digital locations so that students can learn whether
they have access to the print book or digital version.
Primary 4

Primary 4

Primary 4 Primary 4
Student Edition Student Edition

Science Term 1 Science Term 2

Science Term 2
Science Term 1

STB_Egypt_Print_SE_P4_T1_Cover.indd 3 6/29/21 3:20 PM STB_Egypt_Print_SE_P4_T2_Cover.indd 3 6/29/21 3:22 PM

x
Program Philosophy
The Primary 4 Science Techbook was designed and written to align to the Ministry of
Education Primary 4 science learning standards. These standards are internationally
benchmarked, providing students in Egypt with a rigorous framework of learning
targets.

The first step in building the Primary 4 framework was the adoption of new standards
and specific grade-level indicators for learning in physical science, life science, earth
and space science, environmental science, and engineering design and processes.
These standards are integrated across three dimensions:

• disciplinary core ideas (such as energy transformations or the structure of cells),

• science skills and processes (such as asking questions to plan investigations,

developing models, communicating scientific information), and

• connecting ideas that carry over across disciplines (such as cause and effect,
systems, patterns).

This approach to teaching science is referred to as three-dimensional learning.

Science is much more than an accumulation of facts; it is an intersection of three
dimensions: facts, skills and processes, and connecting ideas.

• Core ideas have broad importance,

Core Ideas/ are key organizing concepts, and
Facts provide tools for complex ideas .

• Skills and processes combine the

behaviors that scientists engage in
and the key engineering practices
Skills and
Connecting that they use .
Processess
•
Ideas
Connecting ideas link the different
domains of Science .

The intersection of these three dimensions provides the foundation for the scientific
content in Primary 4. The structure of Primary 4 Science Techbook also embodies the
Ministry’s shifts in the Framework for Education 2.0., specifically focusing on:

• student-centered learning;

• providing opportunities for authentic investigation by prioritizing

hands-on learning; and

• creating globally prepared students by integrating career, technology,

entrepreneurship, and life skills.

Primary 4 Science Techbook xi

Primary 4 Science Techbook

Student-Centered Learning:
Wonder • Learn • Share
Students are at the heart of Primary 4 science instruction.
Students act as scientists and engineers to investigate
problems and construct solutions. Students conduct
research and develop scientific explanations for phenomena.
Students build and test prototypes and determine the best
solutions based on the collection and analysis of data. By
exploring real-world situations and articulating original
questions with teacher support, students actively construct
scientific knowledge and identify ways to improve and
extend human capabilities.

To help drive a student-centered approach to learning, Primary 4 Science

Techbook is organized by the Wonder-Learn-Share sequence. This sequence may
be a change from how science has been taught previously, but having students
think about the natural phenomena they are investigating before they dig into the
learning helps them retain more knowledge and develop the skills and disposition
of a scientist and a learned citizen.

Photo Credit: ZouZou / Shutterstock.com

Wonder starts off every concept by igniting natural curiosity with relatable content
that inspires students to ask the questions they want to explore about the inner
workings of the world around us.

Learn helps students find answers to the questions posed in Wonder. Students
explore, observe, predict, and investigate the phenomena of science through rich
texts, Hands-On Investigations and experiments, and engaging interactive resources.

Share requires students to summarize their learning with their peers and teacher.
Students develop solutions to real-world challenges and write scientific explanations
that include their evidence-based reasoning.

Hands-On Learning:
All Students as Experimental Scientists
Hands-On Investigations (HOIs) are a foundational component of Primary 4 Science
Techbook. Hands-On Investigations require students to investigate scientific ideas,
build scientific understanding through observation, and practice the skills of doing
science that develop their knowledge and effective solutions.

A materials list for each HOI is included in multiple locations: at point-of-use in digital,
in the print Teacher Edition, and in the print Student Edition. Science materials were
chosen to be easily accessible and mostly familiar to both students and teachers.
Each materials list should be reviewed well in advance of the date of classroom use to
ensure all materials are available. To assist teachers in familiarizing themselves with the
HOIs, a series of teacher support instructional videos are included with this product.

xii
Globally Prepared Students:
Action-Packed, Real-World Challenges
To prepare students with the skills they need to succeed in an interconnected, global
society, Primary 4 Science Techbook integrates skills and concepts from career fields,
technology, entrepreneurship, and life skills.

• Careers: The study of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields
and pathways to STEM careers provides an ongoing emphasis on careers and
real-world applications for learning.

• Technology: Students examine the structure and function of individual

technologies as well as both the role of technology in society and the role of
society in the development and use of technology.

• Entrepreneurship: In the Share portion of each concept, students encounter

the skills of entrepreneurship, including discovering opportunities, generating
creative ideas, setting a vision for transforming ideas into valuable activities, and
using ethical and sustainable thinking.

• Life Skills: Building on introductions made through Primary 3, Primary 4 Science

Techbook highlights opportunities to apply and practice the life skills throughout
the instructional sequence.

Primary 4 Science Techbook xiii

Structure, Approach, and Features

Course Structure
The Primary 4 Science Techbook is a comprehensive teaching and learning package,
featuring an easy-to-use digital platform, an interactive print Student Edition, and a
print Teacher Edition. This print Teacher Edition provides guidance for teachers to
implement high-quality, three-dimensional learning through Hands-On Investigations,
lab investigations, and print and digital assets. This flexibility of resources supports
the many variations of classroom settings, so teachers can implement standards-
based lessons no matter their particular situation. The digital and print resources work
seamlessly together, allowing students to both express thinking on paper and explore
ideas and concepts digitally.

2.1 Wonder How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?

Activity 2
Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Truck versus Airplane Quick Code:
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Have you ever wondered how something that is moving very fast slows
down or stops? Use the video and text provided to investigate the forces
involved in starting and stopping. Then, write three questions you have.

Photo Credit: (a) inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com, (b) Nelson Hale / Shutterstock.com

Have you ever seen a jet flying overhead?
Video
What about a truck driving along a motorway?
Which do you think is moving faster?

The engines on a jet are much more powerful

than the engine in a truck. Normally, jets fly
much faster than a truck can drive. So what would happen if you put a jet
engine on a truck? The truck featured in this video, named the Shockwave,
has been fitted with three jet engines. It can reach speeds of over 500
kilometers an hour—about five times faster than the trucks you see driving
down the motorway.

The powerful engines help this truck start moving and reach record speeds,
but how does it stop? To solve this challenge, the truck’s engineers turned
to rocket designs. They installed three parachutes that deploy to help slow
down the truck quickly.

Life Skills I can ask questions to clarify.

140

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Themes
The Primary 4 Science Techbook is organized into four themes that form the
structure of science courses from Primary 4 through Primary 6. In each grade, the
theme is studied through an applied topic, represented by units within this curricular
resource. Each unit launches with an engaging, real-world anchor phenomenon to
captivate students. The anchor phenomena will inspire students to ask questions they
themselves want to investigate. At the end of the learning progression, students solve
problems related to the anchor phenomenon with the culminating unit project. The
themes and Primary 4 units are as follows:

Theme Primary 4 Unit

Systems Living Systems

Matter and Energy Motion

Protecting Our Planet Energy and Fuels

Change and Stability Shifting Surfaces

xiv
Concepts
Within each unit there are four concepts, which are the heart of the learning process.
The concept helps students understand the anchor phenomena with the development
of learning standards through the use of text, multimedia, Hands-On Investigations,
and STEM projects. Every concept:

• launches with an investigative phenomenon and a related Can You Explain?

question;

• provides multiple pathways for students to demonstrate their learning, including

the creation of scientific explanations in the claim, evidence, reasoning format;

• encourages STEM career exploration; and

• helps students summarize their understanding through a required unit project.

Activities
Each concept is comprised of a series of activities or learning experiences. The
Recommended Pathway clearly outlines the sequence and duration of each learning
activity. Activities vary in length and many daily lessons include several activities that
are woven together to create rigorous learning experiences for students.

Unit and Concept Overviews

Each unit in the Teacher Edition begins with a storyline. The storyline summarizes the
big picture of how the unit anchor phenomena, supporting concepts, and culminating
unit project interact with and build on each other. Each concept provides pacing
directions, differentiation, and STEM and entrepreneurship connections.
UNIT

1 Living Systems

Unit Outline

Anchor Phenomenon: Get Started

Studying Bats
Students will synthesize information about animal and plant adaptations—the use of senses to
gather and transmit information to aid in survival and communication. Students will specifically
focus on bats because of this species’ nocturnal behavior and interesting communication systems.

Unit Project Preview

Unit Storyline
Bat Chat
Students will research bats and learn how the species has adapted to use sound to navigate Students should be familiar with plant and animal adaptations from previous
and communicate. years of science study. While students may not be familiar with bats, they are
introduced as a unique example of a nocturnal animal with a complex and
interesting communication system.
Concepts In this unit, students will first learn about structural and behavioral adaptations
and how these changes over time help a species survive. Students will
Adaptation and Survival Senses at Work
1.1 1.2 consider how organisms receive and process different types of information
Students will learn about structural Students will learn about how through their senses. Students will focus their learning on one particular
and behavioral adaptations of living organisms use their senses to sense—vision—so that they can better understand how light plays an
organisms. live, grow, and respond to their important role in seeing and sight. Students will investigate the reflective
environment. qualities of light as it relates to animals that are nocturnal. Last, students
learn about how different organisms gather and transmit information to
communicate. Students will extend the transfer of information to sound
Light and Sight Communication and Information
1.3 1.4 by researching how bats use patterns of sound to transmit and receive
Students will focus on the sense of Transfer information.
sight and what role light plays in vision. Students will learn how organisms
Students will relate sight and light to communicate to transfer and share
nocturnal animals in order to better information.
understand the adaptations of bats.

Unit Project
Bat Chat
In this project, students will research bats to learn how their adaptations help them navigate and
communicate, enabling them to find prey and avoid obstacles.

4 Unit 1: Living Systems 5

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Structure, Approach, and Features xv

Structure, Approach, and Features

Approach Video

Using Phenomena to Spark Curiosity and Learning

Throughout this course, real-world and engaging Studying Bats

phenomena are used to pique students’ curiosity.

Unit Project

Solve Problems
Like a Scientist Bats also use echolocation to hunt. They make a noise, and the noise bounces

This phenomenon-based instructional approach shifts Unit Project: Bat Chat

In this project, you will research bats to learn how their adaptations help
Quick Code:
egs4080
off prey. Bats can find even tiny prey this way. For example, many bats eat
mosquitoes. Although mosquitoes are very small, bats can find them with
sound.

the focus from learning about a topic to uncovering

them to navigate and communicate.
Bats also communicate with each other using sound. Bats make different
Read the text about echolocation. Underline the ways bats use sound.
sounds that mean different things, just like people communicate with words.
Just as the sound “no” is different from “yes” for people, some sounds mean

Photo Credit: (a) Christian Musat / Shutterstock.com, (b) Discovery Communications, Inc.
why or how a scientific event happened. At the unit
different things than others for bats.

Bats talk a lot. Most of the sounds are too high for humans to hear.
Chattering Bats

Photo Credit: Christian Musat / Shutterstock.com

Researchers use recording devices that can measure the sound. They have

level, an anchor phenomenon sets a purpose for Many creatures use sound to communicate with each other. But sound can
be used for other purposes. For example, bats use sound to communicate
with each other. They also use sound to move around in the dark.
decoded many of the
sounds bats make
and have found that

learning across concepts. A unit project, highlighted at

most of the sounds are
Bats live in dark places, such as caves. There is not enough light for them arguments. Bats argue
to see. Bats also fly very fast. They need to be able to avoid flying into almost constantly. They
walls and other objects. To do this, they have a special adaptation. They argue about food. They

the beginning of each unit, expects students to return make a noise in their throats that is very high pitched. It is so high that
humans cannot hear it. The noise bounces off objects, a process called
echoing. Bats hear the echo with their ears. They use the echo to figure
argue about where they
get to sleep. They argue
about which bats they

to the anchor phenomenon at the end of the unit. The

out where objects are. This way, they can avoid flying into objects. This is get to have as mates.
called echolocation.

Bat Chat

unit project summarizes student learning across the

unit storyline and serves as a summative assessment of Life Skills I can work to meet expectations.

three-dimensional learning.
118 Unit 1: Living Systems 119

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Each concept also begins with a smaller, real-world investigative phenomenon to

inspire students to uncover the scientific principles behind the phenomenon. Students
dive into the remainder of the content using a variety of scientific practices, including
asking questions, observing, analyzing information, and designing solutions. Students
return to the investigative phenomenon at the end of each concept, using the
scientific skills and practices to provide evidence and reasoning for their claims.

Approach to Assessment
Assessments are an integral part of instruction that provide
evidence of proficiency and student success. By using a
variety of assessment formats and data sources, a
comprehensive program can serve three distinct functions:
Concept
• Monitor students’ progress and provide feedback Formative Assessments
to promote student learning

• Make instructional decisions to modify teaching to

facilitate student learning

• Evaluate students’ achievement to summarize and

report students’ demonstrated understanding at a
Performance
particular point in time

In the Primary 4 Science Techbook, assessments are Inter-

disciplinary
embedded throughout as formative, summative,
performance-based (project-based), and interdisciplinary
projects.

xvi
Science Techbook Features
Tools and Text Features
The tools within every concept in Primary 4 Science
Techbook support differentiation for the core
instructional activities and cater to the different
learning preferences of diverse learners. In the digital
core interactive text, students and teachers can have
text read aloud, highlight important information, or
annotate content with sticky notes. Select the text in
any concept, and a reader tool will appear.

Digital Teacher Materials

In digital Primary 4 Science Techbook, teachers can not only easily see the student
view of content, but they can also access additional support using the Teacher
Presentation Mode toggle. Teacher notes, featuring both the instructional focus and
recommended strategy, are included with each activity and are visible to teachers
only. In addition, teachers can view sample responses to student questions, and
Hands-On Investigations include a teacher’s guide with detailed procedural notes.

Flexible Learning Environment

With the evolution of technology, today’s students expect information to be available
differently than previous generations. Students are accessing information in shorter
segments, streaming digital shows, and reading posts through social media. The
Primary 4 Science Techbook taps into students’ preferences of consuming digital
content and provides highly engaging, standards-based content guaranteed to inspire
and encourage students to delve deeper into science.

Through every step of the learning cycle, the Primary 4 Science Techbook features
diverse and rich multimedia resources: video, images, audio, interactives, virtual
labs, online models, animations, rich informational text, and more. Engaging science
content blends entertainment with education to motivate students to investigate
real-world phenomena. Virtual labs and online models allow students to quickly
manipulate variables to test their ideas in an online environment.

Structure, Approach, and Features xvii

Structure, Approach, and Features

Concept Daily Instruction Features

Lessons
Instruction is presented in 45-minute
segments by lesson.

CONCEPT

1.2 Learn

PRINT
PRINT
Lesson 2 Page
Page 45
xx
xx

1.2 Learn How do animals sense and process information?

Activities Activity 5
Observe Like a Scientist 25 min
Activity 5
Observe Like a Scientist

Within each day, strategies for Super Senses

Super Senses
Have you ever struggled to see something but found that you could use
Quick Code:
egs4026

a variety of activity types guide

Photo Credit: (a) Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com, (b) Valt Ahyppo / Shutterstock.com, (c) Rudmer Zwerver / Shutterstock.com
another sense to help you find it? Read the text that follows and watch
the videos. Find evidence to explain how snakes, bats, and owls use their

Purpose
senses to find food, even when they cannot see it. Use what you learn to
answer the questions that follow.

teachers through possible means During the previous concept, students learned about
how specific adaptations help animals in extreme
of classroom implementation.
Have you ever been outside at night? It probably
Video
looked very different than it does during the
climates survive. Now, using their own senses as a day. Things that are normally familiar may have
basis for understanding, students take a closer look at looked like strange shapes at night. Now imagine
if you had to find something small that was
how specialized senses help animals find food and get moving through the darkness. Your ears would detect noises, but it would
around. be hard to see well enough to locate the object. If you were an animal, that
object might be your dinner. Luckily, most of the time that we spend outside
is in the daylight, and we do not have to find our dinner in the dark.

Instructional Focus Animals that are most active at night are called
Video
nocturnal. There are several reasons why some
In this activity, students read a text and watch videos animals are active at night. In extremely hot

Photo Credit: Valt Ahyppo / Shutterstock.com

to find evidence to explain how the unique sensory places, the best time to look for food is nighttime,
when it is cooler. Some animals hunt food that
abilities of some animals help them to hunt for food is only available at night. Other creatures rely on the cover of darkness to

when the animals cannot rely on the sense of sight surprise their prey.

alone.

Life Skills Critical Thinking Life Skills I can identify problems.

Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 45

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.
DIGITAL
DIGITAL
Use the texts and videos to engage students with the
super senses of various animals.

Ask students to describe how adaptations to super

senses help different animals survive in their habitats.

Prepare students for reading the passages and watching

the videos by asking them to describe briefly what they
already know about snakes, bats, and owls. Encourage Activity 5
them to look at the images and make predictions about Observe Like a Scientist
how these animals use their senses to help them survive. Super Senses

Quick
QuickCode:
Code:
egst4026
ca2509s
ca2509s

56

Quick Digital Access

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Throughout the print Student and Teacher Editions,

QR codes and short links indicate opportunities to
go digital to deepen learning through rich media or
assessment opportunities.

xviii
 PRINT
Page 46 Lesson 2, continued

1.2 Learn How do animals sense and process information?

Lead a discussion on the questions posed. Have students
share answers with the class before writing individual
How do these animals hunt without much available
Video answers. Encourage students to expand on their
light? Super sensory adaptations allow these animals
to navigate the darkness safely and find food thinking by asking questions such as, Can you say more
sources. Snakes have the ability to sense heat using a
about that? What do you mean by that? What specific
specialized body part in their face. This means snakes
can detect warm-blooded prey in complete darkness. Bats rely on echolocation. examples from the videos support what you are saying?
This ability to bounce sounds off objects helps bats find insects in the dark.

Differentiated Instruction
Using the “echo” that returns when the sounds they make bump into objects,
• Snakes use heat to hunt. Why would
Photo Credit: (a) Billion Photos / Shutterstock.com, (b) Anan Kaewkhammul / Shutterstock.com

bats can create a map in their mind that leads them right to the food. Owls ASK
have both extraordinary sight and hearing. Bowl-shaped faces and specialized this special sense be useful to snakes?
head feathers direct distant sounds directly into the owl’s ears. Sometimes
Snakes are unable to see at night, so
Primary 4 Science Techbook allows
animals making noises are hidden in the grass or beneath the snow. Large eyes
allow the owl to see tiny, far-away movements. The ability to turn their heads they use their sense of heat to find their
nearly all the way around lets owls search for prey in every direction.
prey.

Snakes use heat to hunt. Why would this special sense be useful to snakes? • How do bats catch gnats in the dark?
teachers to differentiate instruction,
Snakes are unable to see at night, so they use their
sense of heat to find their prey.
Bats are nocturnal and hunt for food
at night. They can’t see very well in
degrees of readiness, and interests.
How do bats catch gnats in the dark?
Bats are nocturnal and hunt for food at night. They
the dark, so they use echolocation, or
echoes, to help them hear where their
Techbook also offers resources to help
vary content, process, product, and
can’t see very well in the dark, so they use echolocation,
food is.
or echoes, to help them hear where their food is.

How does the shape of an owl’s head help it hear what it cannot see?
The owl’s bowl-shaped face picks up distant sounds
• How does the shape of an owl’s head
help it hear what it cannot see? learning environment through the core
and amplifies them.
The owl’s bowl-shaped face picks up
distant sounds and amplifies them.
instructional pathway. Point-of-use
46

Differentiation
teacher notes are integrated to support
ADVANCED LEARNERS approaching and advanced learners.
Challenge students to research why different animals
may have a better sense of touch, smell, sight, hearing,
or taste than humans. Built upon the principles of Universal
Design for Learning, Primary 4 Science
Teacher Reflection
• Did this activity engage the students?
Techbook features a variety of content
• Did this activity allow students to generate their types, including images, video, audio,
own questions?

• What would I organize differently next year?

text, interactives, and Hands-On
Investigations. These multimedia
resources, included in both digital and
print, provide multiple representations
of the content and the flexibility for
Concept 1.2: SensesConcept
at Work: 57 teachers to assign targeted content to
whole groups or individual students.

Teacher Reflection
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Throughout each concept, questions encourage

teachers to consider how activities are working
in their classrooms and how well students are
accessing the material.

Structure, Approach, and Features xix

Interdisciplinary STEM Focus

Globally Prepared Students: A Focus on STEM,

Career, Life Skills, and Entrepreneurship
Preparing students in Egypt to be globally competitive is a major focus of Education 2.0.
Solving many of the challenges facing our world today and tomorrow will require
integrating skills and knowledge from science, technology, engineering, and math,
as well as core life skills. The Primary 4 Science Techbook introduces age-appropriate
examples of these challenges that align to Egyptian Issues such as citizenship,
globalization, and the environment and development. STEM applications are
highlighted throughout this course in Share activities, STEM Project Starters, and
Interdisciplinary Projects.
PRINT
Page 36 Lesson 6, continued
Share Activities
At the end of each concept, students synthesize learning
Holding Soil in Place With your group, discuss what you have learned about the
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
in a series of Share activities. Students construct scientific reticulated glass frogs.
What might make the soil stay in place?
Entrepreneurs set goals by determining priorities
explanations related to the opening Can You Explain?
Do reticulated glass frogs have structural adaptations, behavioral
adaptations, or both? Explain your answers using evidence to
support your claim.
and action plans. As you read about field biologists,
question (or other Answers
student-generated
will vary. The frogs havequestions
both. from think of ways their work might require the setting
The ability to look like eggs is a structural of short, medium, and long term goals. How might
Wonder). Students consider real-world applications by
© Discovery Education | www.discoveryeducation.com

adaptation. Caring for the eggs until they hatch field biologists and researchers need to adapt to
exploring career and entrepreneurship
is a behavioral connections.
adaptation. Both help And
Here are some ideas other people have tried:
the frogs unexpected changes?
finally, students summarize learning by thinking about, writing
survive as a species.
•
•
planting crops with deep roots to hold the soil in place
mixing sand into the soil to make it heavier

about, and reviewing connections to the big ideas of the unit. •

•
watering the soil to make it wetter
planting crops that like rain
• building a fence to mark the edge of the field

Choose one of these solutions and explain why it would or would not work.

STEM Project Starters

Image: Ingo Arndt/Nature Picture Library / Getty Images

The Egypt Primary 4 Science curriculum builds on the

multidisciplinary Discover from Primary 1 through Primary 3,
© Discovery Education | www.discoveryeducation.com

using an integrated approach to life skills, career connections,

and entrepreneurship through a STEM focus. Extensions
found in the Share section of the digital Techbook, called
STEM Project Starters, highlight the connections between
students’ work and current and future STEM careers. The
focus on entrepreneurship,
36 career skills, and real-world
challenges allow students an opportunity to innovate and
develop life skills of creativity, problem-solving, and
self-expression.

The STEM Project Starters require students to connect math,

technology, and engineering to their understanding of science
concepts. STEM Project Starters focus on multiple aspects
of STEM and challenge students to apply in new ways the
content and learning from each concept.

xx
Interdisciplinary Projects:
Content and Real-World Connections
A unique addition to the Primary 4
Science Techbook is the Interdisciplinary
Projects, provided for students once per
term. These Interdisciplinary Projects
are based on real-world challenges
derived from the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals.
Countries across the globe adopted
these Sustainable Development Goals
in 2015 (with annual monitoring and
tracking) to “end poverty, protect the
planet and ensure that all people enjoy
peace and prosperity by 2030.1”

For students to authentically connect Interdisciplinary Project

academic content, practice life skills, To Get to the Other Side

and deeply understand the Egyptian M aher, Laila, and Gil are looking for the Sinai agama lizards
that they usually see on their walk home from school.

Issues, we must provide opportunities

“I can’t find any. Where’d they all go?” asks Laila.

“Professor Hassan said there were lots of them here,” says Maher.
He is using a stick to poke in the sand and gravel at the edge of the

for students to search for their own Interdisciplinary Project:

To Get to the Other Side
sidewalk.

solutions. The Interdisciplinary Projects In this interdisciplinary project, you will use your science and math skills
to find a solution to a real-world problem. First, you will read a story
about a fictional group of characters, called the STEM Solution Seekers.
Quick Code:
egs4430 Photo Credit: Piotr Velixar / Shutterstock.com

allow students to do just that. Students

Then, you will study some background information, and you will design,
test, and refine a solution to the overall challenge. You will go through
the steps of the Engineering Design Process, as shown below. You will

are presented with a challenge

also do some additional work in your math class related to this challenge.

and then given the opportunity to

generate ideas using knowledge and
skills from science, mathematics, and They keep searching but don’t find any lizards. As they grow tired
of looking, Laila says, “I wonder why we can’t find them. I think we need

other disciplines. Students work with The project “To Get to the Other Side” challenges you to think about
all of the members of a community and how we as humans affect other
living organisms. In the story, you will read about a population of desert
to ask Professor Hassan.” Maher and Gil smile as all three start to run
down the sidewalk to her house.

classmates to design a solution to build, lizards, called the blue Sinai agama, who have been impacted by a new
sidewalk. You will learn more about the habitat and needs of the agama,
and then you will design a solution to help them survive.

test, and refine using the Engineering

122 Unit 1: Living Systems 123
Design Process.
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The first Interdisciplinary Project, “To Get to the Other Side,” challenges students
to think about sustainability in a community that includes humans and other living
organisms. Students consider the needs of a reptile, the blue Sinai agama, and how
these lizards interact with a school community’s needs for a new sidewalk.

1
https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html

Structure,
Interdisciplinary
Approach, andSTEM
Features
Focus xxi
Literacy Support

The Writing Process and Science

Connection Activity 1
Can You Explain?
Writing is an important part of science because it is how real
scientists document and communicate their ideas, activities, and

Photo Credit: (a) inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com, (b) Gerhard Leopold / Shutterstock.com

findings to others. Primary 4 Science Techbook engages students
in many kinds of writing, especially argumentation. Argumentative When is the last time you rode in a car, bus, or train? How do you

writing in science calls for the use of evidence, often requiring think that vehicle started? What does it take to stop a vehicle? As
you begin this unit on motion, think about what you already know
about force and energy.

students to read across several texts, watch videos and other How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?

media, and integrate findings from Hands-On Investigations.

Informational texts throughout Techbook help students

strengthen their reading comprehension skills and develop both
academic and discipline-specific language, while multimedia
resources provide context and assist students in accessing the
Quick Code: Life Skills I can share ideas I am
egs4085 not yet sure about.

text. Primary 4 Science Techbook also authentically incorporates

CONCEPT Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 139
the writing process and expects students to use speaking and
1.1 Wonder
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During the Share portion of each concept, students are asked to

integrate their ideas in writing. Using the claim-evidence-reasoning PRINT
structure, students learn to use evidence as a natural part of writing Lesson 1, continued Page 9

like a scientist. The first unit builds student skill in connecting

claims and evidence. By the second unit, students expand on this
Teacher Reflection
Watch the vid

skill to include articulation of both the evidence and reasoning each organism
you observe

that back up a claim. Both the digital and the print resources will • Did this activity engage the students?

engage students in the practice of this type of writing. • Did this activity allow students to generate their
own questions? Fox: C
Teacher Reflection: How are you developing your students into

Image: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

• Would I organize this differently next year?
scientific readers?
Fox: F

© Discovery Education | www.discoveryeducation.com

Building Academic Language of All Students Shark
both
Reading and writing success in science depends on the ability of students to understand saltw

not only the definition of vocabulary words, but also how the academic language
connects ideas, adds details, or organizes the text. Academic language is supported and Shark
emphasized through strategies for learning vocabulary, frequent vocabulary use in various
texts, and formative assessment items.

xxii
Notes:

Structure, Approach,
Literacy
and Features
Support xxiii
Scope and Sequence

Primary 4 Science Scope and Sequence

Primary 4 • THEME 1 2 3 4

SCIENCE

A. Skills and Processes

1. Demonstrate thinking and acting inherent in the practice of science.

a. Identify scientific and non-scientific questions. • • • •

b. Plan and carry out simple investigations to collaboratively
produce data that answers a question. • • • •
c. Represent data in tables and graphs, compare the styles of
representation. • • • •

d. Construct an argument with evidence and data. • • • •

e. Develop and/or use models to explain natural phenomena. • • • •
f. Use multiple texts to answer questions or explain phenomena. • • • •
g. Use multiple texts to answer questions or explain phenomena. • • • •
B. Earth and Space Science

1. Use scientific skills and processes to explain the chemical and physical
interactions of the environment, Earth, and the universe that occur over time.

a. Describe the effects of some weathering factors (such as water

or wind erosion).
1) Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations to
support an explanation for changes in a landscape over
•
time (such as a river changing course over time or the
effect of a wind barrier being removed).

b. Identify connections between Earth’s geologic processes and

three main types of rocks:
1) Igneous (formed from volcanic activity) •
2) Sedimentary (formed via deposition)
3) Metamorphic (formed as the result of change)

xxiv
 1 2 3 4

C. Life Science
1. Use scientific skills to describe the essential needs of a living organism (plants
and animals, including humans).

a. Classify plants, animals, and other living organisms using

physical and other observable characteristics of the organisms.
1) Explain the objectives and purpose of classifications. •
2) Provide examples of living organisms with similar physical
characteristics.

b. Propose ways to maintain the health and safety of the

digestive system.
1) Relate the organs involved in digestion to their function in
the digestive system.
2) Explain how the organs in the digestive system work
•
together to break down and absorb food for energy.
3) Identify potential sources of damage related to the
digestive system.

c. Advocate for how to maintain the health and safety of the air
living organisms rely on for life (for example, design a public
message or advertising campaign).
1) Relate the organs involved in breathing to their function in
the respiratory system for multiple species (such as humans • •
and fish).
2) Identify threats to healthy respiration (such as smoking or
causes of air and water pollution).

d. Analyze examples of how animals receive different types of

information through their senses, process the information in
their brains, and respond to the information in different ways.
1) Explain how structural adaptation relating to senses helps
organisms survive in specific environments.
2) Use evidence to explain that multiple adaptations or
• •
organs work together in systems to help organisms gather
information needed to survive in specific habitats.
3) Develop a model that shows how organisms respond to
changes in their habitat over time.

Scope and Sequence xxv

Scope and Sequence

Primary 4 • THEME 1 2 3 4

D. Physical Science
1. Use scientific skills and process to explain the interactions of matter and energy
and the energy transformations that occur.

a. Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed

of an object to the energy of that object.
1) Explain the basic connection between energy and
• •
movement.

b. Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in

energy that occur when objects collide. • •
c. Summarize observations of how energy can be transferred
from place to place by sound, light, heat, and/or electric
currents.
1) Identify various forms of energy.
2) Describe everyday examples of energy changing from one • • •
form to another.
3) Explain how some everyday devices transform energy.
4) Identify the energy transformations that occur when energy
is used to run a device in the home or school.

d. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device

that converts energy from one form to another. [Examples of
devices could include electric circuits that convert electrical • •
energy into motion energy of a vehicle, light, or sound; and a
passive solar heater that converts light into heat.]

xxvi
 1 2 3 4

E. Environmental Science
1. Use scientific skills and process to explain the interactions of environmental
factors (living and nonliving and analyze their impact on a local and global scale.

a. Analyze how the use of fuels derived from natural resources

affect the environment. [Examples of environmental effects
could include loss of habitat due to dams, loss of habitat due
to surface mining, and air pollution from burning of fossil
fuels.]
1) Identify and compare various renewable and nonrenewable
sources of energy in the environment.
2) Diagram the role of fuel sources in producing electricity. •
3) Describe how the use of energy and fuels affects the
environment.
4) Propose local or national solutions for reducing the impact
of energy and fuel use (such as decreasing local energy
consumption or increasing nationwide use of alternative
energy sources).

F. Engineering Design and Process

a. With support, explain the characteristics and scope of

technology. •
b. With support, explain the role of society in the development
and use of technology. •
c. Define a simple design problem that can be solved through
the development of an object, tool, process, or system. • •
d. Apply the design process with support, using tools and
materials to plan and/or build a device that solves a specific • •
problem.

e. Analyze data from tests of an object or tool to determine

whether it works as intended. •

f. Assess the impact of products and systems with support. • •

Scope and Sequence xxvii

 Photo Credit: Christian Musat / Shutterstock.com
Living Systems
UNIT

1
 Theme 1 | Systems

Unit 1
Living Systems
Photo Credit: Christian Musat / Shutterstock.com

Unit 1: Living Systems 1

UNIT

1 Living Systems

Learning Indicators

Throughout this unit, students will work toward the following learning indicators:

Primary 4 • CONCEPT 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4

SCIENCE

A. Skills and Processes

1. Demonstrate thinking and acting inherent in the practice of science.

a. Identify scientific and non-scientific questions. • • • •

© Discovery Education | www.discoveryeducation.com

b. Plan and carry out simple investigations to collaboratively
produce data that answers a question. • • • •
c. Represent data in tables and graphs, compare the styles of
representation. • •

d. Construct an argument with evidence and data. • • • •

e. Develop and/or use models to explain natural phenomena. • • • •
f. Use multiple texts to answer questions or explain phenomena. • • • •
g. Communicate scientific information orally and in written formats. • • • •
C. Life Science

1. Use scientific skills to describe the essential needs of a living organism (plants
and animals, including humans).

a. Classify plants, animals, and other living organisms using

physical and other observable characteristics of the organisms.
1) Explain the objectives and purpose of classifications. •
2) Provide examples of living organisms with similar physical
characteristics.

b. Propose ways to maintain the health and safety of the digestive

system.
1) Relate the organs involved in digestion to their function in
the digestive system.
2) Explain how the organs in the digestive system work together
•
to break down and absorb food for energy.
3) Identify potential sources of damage related to the digestive
system.

2
 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4

c. Advocate for how to maintain the health and safety of the air
living organisms rely on for life (for example, design a public
message or advertising campaign).
1) Relate the organs involved in breathing to their function in
the respiratory system for multiple species (such as humans •
and fish).
2) Identify threats to healthy respiration (such as smoking or
causes of air and water pollution).

d. Analyze examples of how animals receive different types of

information through their senses, process the information in
their brains, and respond to the information in different ways.
1) Explain how structural adaptation relating to senses helps
organisms survive in specific environments.
2) Use evidence to explain that multiple adaptations or
• • • •
organs work together in systems to help organisms gather
© Discovery Education | www.discoveryeducation.com

information needed to survive in specific habitats.

3) Develop a model that shows how organisms respond to
changes in their habitat over time.

D. Physical Science

1. Use scientific skills and processes to explain the chemical and physical
interactions of the environment, Earth, and the universe that occur over time.

c. Summarize observations of how energy can be transferred from

place to place by sound, light, heat, and/or electric currents.
1) Identify various forms of energy. • •
2) Describe everyday examples of energy changing from one
form to another.

F. Engineering Design and Process

c. Define a simple design problem that can be solved through the

development of an object, tool, process, or system. • •

f. Assess the impact of products and systems with support. •

Unit 1: Living Systems 3

UNIT

1 Living Systems

Unit Outline

Anchor Phenomenon: Get Started

Studying Bats
Students will synthesize information about animal and plant adaptations—the use of senses to
gather and transmit information to aid in survival and communication. Students will specifically
focus on bats because of this species’ nocturnal behavior and interesting communication systems.

Unit Project Preview

Bat Chat
Students will research bats and learn how the species has adapted to use sound to navigate
and communicate.

Concepts
Adaptation and Survival Senses at Work
1.1 1.2
Students will learn about structural Students will learn about how
and behavioral adaptations of living organisms use their senses to
organisms. live, grow, and respond to their
environment.

Light and Sight Communication and Information

1.3 1.4
Students will focus on the sense of Transfer
sight and what role light plays in vision. Students will learn how organisms
Students will relate sight and light to communicate to transfer and share
nocturnal animals in order to better information.
understand the adaptations of bats.

Unit Project
Bat Chat
In this project, students will research bats to learn how their adaptations help them navigate and
communicate, enabling them to find prey and avoid obstacles.

4
Unit Storyline
Students should be familiar with plant and animal adaptations from previous
years of science study. While students may not be familiar with bats, they are
introduced as a unique example of a nocturnal animal with a complex and
interesting communication system.
In this unit, students will first learn about structural and behavioral adaptations
and how these changes over time help a species survive. Students will
consider how organisms receive and process different types of information
through their senses. Students will focus their learning on one particular
sense—vision—so that they can better understand how light plays an
important role in seeing and sight. Students will investigate the reflective
qualities of light as it relates to animals that are nocturnal. Last, students
learn about how different organisms gather and transmit information to
communicate. Students will extend the transfer of information to sound
by researching how bats use patterns of sound to transmit and receive
information.

Unit 1: Living Systems 5

UNIT

1 Living Systems

Unit 1 Introduction: Get Started

What I Already Know

The Primary 4 Science curriculum starts each unit with an activity designed to
activate students’ prior knowledge. Unit 1 is focused on living systems, specifically
on the ideas of adaptations, senses, and organism communication. Begin the
Quick Code:
unit by asking students to share what they have previously studied about animal egst4001
and plant adaptations. Students should
easily be able to discuss external features
of animals and plants, such as feathers, fur, Get Started
leaves/spines, and so on.
What I Already Know
Students are asked to examine images Hot and cold temperatures, too much or too little water, availability
of food or shelter—these issues can make survival difficult for living
of organisms that should be familiar from
Photo Credit: (a) Christian Musat / Shutterstock.com, (b) Ahmed El Hainouni / Shutterstock.com, (c) Discovery Education UK, (d) Roger de Montfort / Shutterstock.com,
organisms. Over time, animals and plants adapt or change so that they
Quick Code:
can live, eat, breathe, stay safe, and so on. Think about the familiar
previous study of science and write about animals and plants pictured here.
egs4001

adaptations they can observe. Encourage

students to think about and discuss why
different organisms adapt or change
over time. At this stage, fully formed or
(e) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

scientifically accurate answers are less

important than motivating student interest What are some ways these living organisms have adapted to environmental
conditions? Why did the animal or plant adapt or change?
and inquiry.

Anchor Phenomenon:
Studying Bats
Talk Together What about humans? Can you think of
ways that people change how they act or dress because
of their environments?

During this unit, you will learn a lot more about how living organisms adapt
While bats may be an unfamiliar organism and change. You will investigate how humans and animals use senses to
gather information and navigate or get around. You will study a specific
for students, they have been chosen adaptation that has to do with the senses of sight and sound—animals that
are nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night. Finally, you are going
deliberately for the unit focus as they are to connect all of your learning about adaptations to determine how animals
communicate and transfer information.
both nocturnal (which represents both
behavioral and structural adaptation) and
Unit 1: Living Systems 1
have a sophisticated communication system
that involves the senses of sight and sound.
The Primary 4 Science curriculum uses the
idea of an “anchor phenomenon” to connect all of the learning in a unit to a real-
world example that students should find interesting and engaging. Bats and how
they communicate and navigate at night are the anchor phenomenon for Unit 1.

6
 Shift the class discussion from the familiar animals and plants in the
What I Already Know activity to watch the video, study the image, Video
and read the provided text for Studying Bats. Video resources are
designed to help students meet instructional goals. If your students
cannot access the videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Discuss the guiding questions with students, making the connection

between the questions listed and the different concepts students will Studying Bats
encounter in the unit.

Guiding Questions
Photo Credit: (a) Pey Sun / Shutterstock.com, (b) Discovery Communications, Inc.

• How do physical and behavioral adaptations of animals help them survive?

• How do senses help animals survive, grow and communicate?

• What role does light play in how humans and animals see?

• How do humans and other living organisms communicate?

Unit Project Preview

Bat Chat
Introduce the idea of a unit project to
students. Students should be familiar with
project-based assessments from previous Quick Code:
study in lower grades. The unit project will egst4002
focus on how bats use specific adaptations
to both survive and communicate.
Encourage students to think of additional
questions they have about bats before
starting the first concept. You may wish to post these questions in the
classroom as an ongoing reminder throughout the unit.

Question
How does communication among bats help them survive?

Unit 1: Living Systems 7

 CONCEPT

1.1

Adaptation and
Survival

Photo Credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

Concept Objectives
By the end of this concept, students should be able to:

• Develop a model of the relationships among an organism’s survival, Quick Code:

habitat, adaptations, and body systems. egst4003

• Argue from evidence that plants and animals have internal and
external structures and behaviors that function to support survival,
growth, behavior, and communication.

• Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how structural

adaptations help organisms meet specific functions to meet the
conditions imposed by different environmental conditions.

• Argue from evidence that multiple adaptations or organs within

systems work together to ensure survival in specific habitats.

8
 Key Vocabulary
new: adaptation, Arctic, camouflage,
digestive system, ecosystem,
energy, extinct, ocean, organism,
pollute, predator, prey, reproduce, Quick Code:
respiratory system, survive egst4004

Key Vocabulary Strategy

Create a Book
• Have students create small booklets that contain the vocabulary words from the lesson.
Photo Credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

As you introduce each word, have students write the word in their books. Then, have
them draw a quick picture to illustrate the word and use the word in a sentence. For
example, for the word camouflage, students could draw a picture of an animal blending
in with its environment. The sentence should use the word camouflage to describe the
illustration.

• Have students compare the entries in their books throughout the lesson. Ask students
to think about how their drawings and sentences are similar to their partners’. How are
they different?

Academic Vocabulary Strategy

Identify Connections
• Introduce the word feature to students. As you introduce the other vocabulary words,
have students identify connections between feature and each term. For example, some
features of an animal are adaptations that help the animal survive.

• Have students write their connections in their notebooks. Then, give students the
opportunity to present their connections to the class. Encourage students to think
about and share other connections that they think about as they listen to their
peers’ ideas.

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 9
CONCEPT

1.1 Adaptation and Survival

Concept Pacing

Recommended Pathway
In order to meet the expectations of the standards, students must complete each
activity within the recommended pathway.

Location Days Model Lesson Time

Get Started Get Started 15 min

© Discovery Education | www.discoveryeducation.com

Activity 1 10 min
Lesson 1
Wonder Activity 2 10 min

Activity 3 10 min

Activity 4 30 min
Lesson 2
Activity 5 15 min

Activity 6 15 min

Lesson 3 Activity 7 15 min

Photo credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

Activity 8 15 min
Learn
Activity 9 15 min

Lesson 4 Activity 10 15 min

Activity 11 15 min

Activity 12 20 min

Lesson 5 Activity 13 10 min

Activity 14 15 min

Share Activity 15 25 min

Lesson 6
Activity 16 20 min

10
 Content Background

Adaptations and Survival

Through the process of adaptation, species develop traits that make them
better suited for survival in their environment. This process happens over many
generations. For example, present-day giraffes have long necks that allow them
to eat leaves from the tops of trees. Earlier giraffes did not have such long necks.
Over many generations, the giraffe population shifted in the direction of the
longer-necked trait because longer-necked individuals were more successful at
surviving and reproducing. This type of adaptation is a structural adaptation.

Types of Adaptations
Photo credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

Throughout this concept, students learn about animals and plants that have
adapted to living in extreme habitats. The organisms in polar and desert
environments face survival challenges due to temperature changes, as well as,
a lack of resources. Animals such as the Arctic fox and the penguins connect
students with distant places that may have been previously unfamiliar to them.

There are two types of adaptations that can occur in organisms. Structural
adaptations occur when the physical characteristics of an organism change for
the organism to better survive in its environment. The other type of adaptation
© Discovery Education | www.discoveryeducation.com

that can occur is a behavioral adaptation. Behavioral adaptations occur when

there are changes in behavior to better survive. Examples of this type of
adaptation include the seasonal migration of birds to warmer climates, as well
as the use of hibernation as a strategy for survival during months without access
to either food or water. Adaptation is important because it allows species to
survive environmental changes. For example, if a climate becomes colder, over
generations a species may develop traits such as thicker fur or a layer of fat. If a
species cannot adapt to an environmental change over time, it is forced to move
or else die out. For this reason, natural and human-made disasters that alter the
environment more quickly than populations can adapt put entire species at risk.

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 11
 CONCEPT

1.1 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 1 Page 5

Activity 1
Can You Explain? 10 min Activity 1
Can You Explain?
How do different types of animals
and plants adapt to survive extreme
climates?

Photo Credit: (a) Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com, (b) Martin Pelanek / Shutterstock.com

Purpose
Have you ever seen a desert lizard like this one? This starred agama
This activity draws on students’ prior knowledge of keeps cool by finding shade during a hot sunny day. Many animals
have special ways to keep cool in the hot desert. How do different
adaptations by asking them to explain how animals types of animals adapt to hot, dry climates?

adapt to extreme climates. How do different types of animals and plants adapt to survive
extreme climates?
Student answers may vary, but might
Instructional Focus include: dogs or other animals panting,
camels storing fat in their humps, rodents
In this activity, students use prior knowledge to
and reptiles burrowing in the sand or
construct an explanation of how animals and plants use

Photo Credit: Martin Pelanek / Shutterstock.com

underground, being more active at night,
adaptations to survive extreme climates. different color fur/skin, larger
ears, and so on.
Life Skills Endurance
Quick Code: Life Skills  I can share ideas I am
egs4005 not yet sure about.
Strategy
Ask students to describe the local environment during
Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 5
summer. Encourage them to discuss the temperature,
weather, and amount of sunlight. Then ask students to
describe what they know about other environments in
summer, such as the scene depicted in the image.
DIGITAL
Students may have some initial ideas about how to
answer the question. (See sample student response in
the student edition page.) By the end of the concept,
students should be able to construct a scientific
explanation, which includes evidence from the concept
activities.

Activity 1
Can You Explain?

Quick Code:
egst4005
ca2509s

12
 PRINT
Page 6 Lesson 1, continued
How do different types of animals and plants adapt to survive
1.1 Wonder  extreme climates?

Activity 2 Investigative Phenomenon

Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Penguin Feet Quick Code:
egs4006
Climate is one reason many organisms adapt over generations. An animal
you may not know a lot about is the penguin. Penguins in Antarctica live in
a polar climate that is one of the coldest places on Earth. Use the video and
text that follow to investigate how penguins have adapted to survive in a
Activity 2
cold environment. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Ask Questions Like a Scientist 10 min

Photo Credit: (a) Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com, (b) Kento35 / Shutterstock.com

Have you ever held ice in your hand? How long
do you think you could stand on a sheet of ice in
Video Penguin Feet
bare feet? You would lose feeling in your toes after
only a couple of minutes. Amazingly, a penguin
has no feathers on its feet, but it can stand around
Purpose
on ice all day. This is important because, unlike
most birds, penguins cannot fly. So why don’t a The Investigative Phenomenon presents an engaging
penguin’s feet freeze?
scenario—sometimes familiar and sometimes
In addition to other features, such as dense feathers and a thick layer of
fat, the way blood moves through a penguin’s feet keeps their entire body
unfamiliar—to spark student curiosity about the world
warm. Blood vessels bring cold blood up from the feet. Other blood vessels around them. This activity asks students to explore
bring warm blood down to the feet from the feather-coated body. These
vessels weave around each other. Where they touch, the warm blood
an adaptation to an extreme climate that might be
Photo Credit: Kento35 / Shutterstock.com

vessels can then heat up the cold blood vessels. This means the blood unfamiliar: the polar regions.
traveling up into the body is not cold, and blood flowing down to the toes is
warm enough to keep their toes from freezing.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students gather information about and
Life Skills  I can ask questions to clarify.
discuss how penguins’ feet help them survive in the
6 coldest places on Earth. Students develop questions
about adaptations for further investigation throughout
the concept.

Life Skills Negotiation

DIGITAL
Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

After considering the hot, dry climate of the desert

lizard, students now turn to explore the opposite
extreme: the icy cold polar regions. Ask students to
Activity 2
Ask Questions Like a Scientist share what they already know about polar climates.
Penguin Feet Since these regions are unfamiliar to most students
around the world, encourage them to imagine what
extreme cold might feel like and share any personal
Quick Code: experience with cold temperatures or objects.
egst4006

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 13
 CONCEPT

1.1 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 1, continued Page 7

Ask students if they have ever walked on a cold floor

Your Ideas
with their bare feet. Where did this happen? What was How do penguins’ feet help them survive in cold climates?
their response? Blood vessels carrying warm blood from the warm
parts of the penguin’s body weave around the
Use the text and video about how penguin feet are blood vessels carrying blood from the cold feet. This
uniquely suited for survival in a cold environment to warms the blood vessels that need it.
initiate student thinking about animal adaptations

Photo Credit: (a) Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
and traits.

ASK Why do penguins’ feet not freeze when they

live and walk in such cold climates?
Write a list of other questions you have about penguins or other animals that
live in different cold environments.
Have students come up with a list of questions they Student responses will vary.
have about penguins or other animals that live in cold
environments.

Talk Together The big ears on a fennec fox help it

stay cool. The path of blood vessels in a penguin help
its feet stay warm. How are these adaptations similar? How are
they different?

Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 7

14
 PRINT
Page 8 Lesson 1, continued

Activity 3 Activity 3
Observe Like a Scientist
Observe Like a Scientist 10 min
Adaptations for Survival Quick Code:
egs4007

Adaptations for Survival

Scientists ask a lot of questions. When scientists learn something new,
new questions come to mind. Read the text about another type of
adaptation that helps animals survive. Then, write three questions
you have.

Purpose
Adaptations for Survival In this activity, students are encouraged to ask
Adaptations are characteristics
that help living things survive and
questions like scientists. The text introduces contrasting

Photo Credit: Discovery Communications, Inc.

reproduce in the ecosystem adaptations in similar animals that live in different
in which they live. For example,
thick, white fur is an adaptation
environments to emphasize that adaptations occur in
in polar bears. It helps them stay response to the environment over many generations.
warm in their cold, Arctic home.
It also helps polar bears blend in
with the snow as they sneak up on
Instructional Focus
their prey.

In contrast, many bears that live in other habitats have darker fur. Brown
In this activity, students read an informational text and
bears and black bears live in forests. Their dark fur helps them stay hidden develop questions about the relationships between an
Photo Credit: Discovery Communications, Inc.

among the trees as they hunt. Sandy-colored fur helps desert animals,
such as caracals and fennec foxes, blend in with desert landscapes. Rocks
organism’s environment, adaptations, and survival.
in the desert can also be quite colorful. Many lizards have colorful scales

Strategy
that make them hard to see among the rocks. This type of adaptation that
hides animals from a predator or their prey is called camouflage.

Provide students with an example of a time when

learning something new prompted more questions.
For example, learning about how a penguin’s feet
8 stay warm might prompt the questions: How does a
penguin’s head stay warm without thick fur? Do other
animals have similarly wrapped blood vessels?

Instruct students to read the text about adaptations

DIGITAL either independently or in pairs for literacy support.
Review the familiar vocabulary words adaptation and
ecosystem with the whole class as needed.

Activity 3
Observe Like a Scientist
Adaptations for Survival

Quick Code:
egst4007

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 15
 CONCEPT

1.1 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 1, continued Page 9

As they read, encourage students to think of more

Can the fur on some animals change color with different seasons?
questions that they have related to the relationships What prey do polar bears need to sneak up on? Write three questions
you have.
between an animal’s environment, adaptations, and
survival. Direct students to record their questions in the I wonder . . .

chart provided. Return to these questions periodically Student answers will vary. What other animals
to record developing answers and more questions to can use camouflage to hide?
support students’ skill of asking questions.

I wonder . . .

Photo Credit: Discovery Communications, Inc.

Teacher Reflection
• Did this activity engage the students?

• Did this activity allow students to generate their

own questions? I wonder . . .

• Would I organize this differently next year?

Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 9

16
 CONCEPT

1.1 Learn

PRINT
Page 10 Lesson 2
How do different types of animals and plants adapt to survive
1.1 Learn  extreme climates?
Activity 4
Activity 4
Analyze Like a Scientist
Analyze Like a Scientist 30 min

Types of Adaptations
Types of Adaptations Quick Code:
egs4008
Animals can be found from the coldest polar regions to the hottest deserts
and the deepest oceans on our planet. An adaptation is a characteristic of
an animal that helps the animal survive. An adaptation can be structural, a
change to the animal’s body, or behavioral, a change to the way a group of
animals behaves or acts. Purpose

Photo Credit: (a) Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com, (b) JoannaPerchaluk / Shutterstock.com

As you read the text that follows and watch the videos, think about both the
structural and behavioral adaptations described. Circle behavioral adaptations This activity introduces students to two different types
and underline the structural adaptations you find in the passages.
of adaptations: structural and behavioral. Students
explore how adaptations in three animals help them live
Fennec foxes and Arctic foxes both live in extreme
climates. Fennec foxes have a tan-colored coat that
Video in extreme climates.
provides camouflage in a sandy, rocky environment

Instructional Focus
and protects them from the scorching hot sun.
Fennec foxes, like dogs, also cool themselves by
panting, taking up to 700 breaths per minute. Arctic foxes live in a different
type of desert, a tundra. With temperatures as cold as –50°C in the winter
In this activity, students record evidence of behavioral
months, a thick fur coat helps them hunt even in deep snow. This coat is white and structural adaptations in animals that live in extreme
during the winter but turns brown in summer when the snow melts, so they
environments.
Photo Credit: JoannaPerchaluk / Shutterstock.com

can sneak up on prey in any season. Extra-large ears allow heat to escape to
cool fennec foxes, while short ears and legs help the Arctic fox stay warm. Both

Strategy
types of foxes also live in burrows. A burrow is an excellent place for the Arctic
fox to stay warm at night and the fennec fox to stay cool during the day. Food
can be hard to find at times in both the hot, dry desert and the cold tundra.
Both foxes have learned to eat all kinds of things, including insects, fruit, plant
Video resources are designed to help students meet
roots, and even leftovers from another animal’s prey. instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

10 Before reading the text, ask students to recall of some

of the adaptations they have already learned about in
this concept.

ASK • How does having an adaptation help

DIGITAL animals to survive?
Student answers will vary. At this point in
the concept, students might only consider
physical features to be adaptations.

• Can an adaptation ever be something that

is not a body feature?
Yes, there are some behaviors that help an
Activity 4 animal to survive.
Analyze Like a Scientist
Types of Adaptations

Quick Code:
egst4008

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 17
 CONCEPT

1.1 Learn

PRINT
Lesson 2, continued Page 11

ASK • Some animals migrate (travel long

distances) at certain times of the year. Is Animals that are flexible about what they eat and
where they hunt are well-adapted for survival. Bull
Video

this a physical adaptation or would you call sharks are special because they can survive in both
salt water and fresh water, unlike other sharks. Since
this something different? there are no other sharks in fresh water, bull sharks

Guide students toward the understanding have less competition for finding food. They can also sneak up on prey using
a camouflage strategy called countershading. Bull sharks have a dark back
that migration is not a physical adaptation and white belly. An animal swimming above in the ocean may not see the
shark in the shadows. To an animal swimming underneath the shark and
but a behavior that can help animals

Photo Credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com, (b) FOODIES ACADEMY / Shutterstock.com

looking up, the bull shark may blend in with the bright light of the sun. These

survive. Some physical adaptations support sharks sometimes hunt in the day as well as the night, allowing them to
surprise their prey.
this activity, but the act of migrating is a
behavior.
You have learned about unique survival strategies in some amazing animals.
Scientists often classify information as they learn to understand similarities,
Assign students the text passage within Types of differences, and patterns. Use the table to classify the structural and
behavioral adaptations of these three animals.
Adaptations. As students read, they should identify
behavioral and structural adaptations in the three Animal Structural Adaptations Behavioral Adaptations

animals profiled. After gathering information, as Tan coloration Panting

Fennec Fox Big ears Living in a burrow
directed in the student instructions, students should Varied diet
complete the graphic organizer based on their findings. Camouflage by season
Living in a burrow
Arctic Fox Small ears and legs
Varied diet
Then, if possible, show students the videos as a class
or in small groups. Ask students to look for additional Can live in fresh water Varied diet
Bull Shark Countershading Hunt day and
physical structures and behaviors that help the animals Sharp teeth night
survive.

Use the text and videos to get students thinking about Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 11
the two different types of adaptations. If time allows,
form pairs or small groups. Encourage students to
discuss the concept of adaptations in the context of
their findings from the text and videos. As students
discuss, circulate among them, listening for questions
and disagreements to share with the class.

Give pairs/groups time to discuss the validity of their

ideas before sharing them with the class.

18
Lesson 2, continued

Pathways to Learning

Ask students to read the text passage within Types of Adaptations and
Print record their findings according to the student directions. After reading,
students should complete the graphic organizer.

Ask students to read the text passage within Types of Adaptations and
record their findings according to the student directions. After reading,
Blended
students should complete the graphic organizer. Show the students the
videos either as a class or in small groups.

Either as a class or in small groups, watch the videos. Ask students to

Digital
complete the graphic organizer online.

Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 19

 CONCEPT

1.1 Learn

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Lesson 2, continued Page 12

How do different types of animals and plants adapt to survive

1.1 Learn  extreme climates?

What Are Some Examples What Are Some Examples of Adaptations in Animals
and Plants?

of Adaptations in Animals
and Plants? Activity 5
Observe Like a Scientist
The Panther Chameleon Quick Code:

Photo Credit: (a) Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com, (b) Jan Bures / Shutterstock.com

egs4009
The starred agama lizard you met earlier has adapted to survive in the
very hot, dry desert. The panther chameleon is a lizard that lives in a very
different environment: a tropical rainforest. Both lizards are reptiles. This
means that their bodies are covered with scales. Reptiles are an ancient type
of animal found around the world. Lizards in different environments have
Activity 5 developed distinct adaptations.

Observe Like a Scientist 15 min

Read the text that follows and watch the video to learn more about the
special adaptations of the panther chameleon.

The Panther Chameleon The first thing you might notice about a panther
chameleon is its brightly colored scales. Unlike
Video

the brown and yellow colors of the desert, the

rainforest is filled with green leaves and colorful
Purpose

Photo Credit: Jan Bures / Shutterstock.com

flowers in bloom. Multiple bright colors provide
camouflage for the panther chameleon.
In this activity, students investigate a lizard with
All day long, the chameleon is on the hunt. It holds tightly to branches
adaptations suited for life in the rainforest. Learning and vines using V-shaped feet and a tail that can be used like a hand.

about the panther chameleon provides students with The chameleon’s eyes are especially helpful as it searches for insects. Can
you look two different directions at the same time? Unlike human eyes,
a contrasting example to the desert lizard introduced chameleon eyes
Life Skills  I canface opposite
respect directions
others’ ideas. and can move independently of

earlier in the concept, the starred agama. Students

use what they have learned about different types of 12

adaptations to look for examples of survival strategies

specific to this animal.

Instructional Focus DIGITAL

In this activity, students construct explanations about
how different types of adaptations help the panther
chameleon survive.

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning. Activity 5
Observe Like a Scientist
• Ask students to read The Panther Chameleon. The Panther Chameleon

• Then, if possible, show students the video as a

whole class or in small groups. Quick Code:
egst4009

20
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Page 13 Lesson 2, continued

• Next, direct students to complete the table,

each other. One eye can be searching for something to eat, while the other
is on the lookout for danger in a totally different direction. This adaptation
Evidence of Adaptations in Living Things.
allows the panther chameleon to both find a meal and avoid becoming one
at the same time. • Finally, place students in pairs or small groups.
If the chameleon does find itself in danger, however, it has one last trick. Prompt students to discuss the evidence from their
Since this lizard does not have teeth or claws for defense, it tries to make itself
look fierce. First, it puffs up its body with air. Then, it opens its mouth wide. data table, defending their reasoning about how
It can also change the colors of its scales. This display will probably scare the
attacker.
they classified different adaptations.

• As students discuss, encourage students to add

How is the panther chameleon well-adapted for survival in the rainforest?
to, or revise, their charts as they discuss with their
Photo Credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

In the chart, record the adaptations described in the passage. Then, classify
each as structural or behavioral. Describe how each adaptation helps the
chameleon survive. peers.
Data Table: Evidence of Adaptations in Living Things

Structural (S) or How does the adaptation

Adaptation
Behavioral (B) help the animal?

Camouflage to
Vivid colors S hunt and hide

V-shaped feet S Balance and move

Eyes that move in
different directions S Hunt
Puffing body up/
opening mouth B Scare attackers

Changing colors B Defend or survive

Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 13

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 21
 CONCEPT

1.1 Learn

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Lesson 3 Pages 14-15

Activity 6 Activity 6
Analyze Like a Scientist
Analyze Like a Scientist 15 min
Plant Adaptations Quick Code:
egs4010

Plant Adaptations
You can find plants growing in almost every place that sunlight shines.
Even the bottom of sea ice in polar regions has tiny plants growing on it.
Like animals, plants have structural adaptations that help them survive
and grow in different environments. Can plants also have behavioral
adaptations? Read the passage that follows to find out.

Purpose
This activity introduces students to trees that are Two Terrific Trees
well-adapted to surviving the challenges of two different

Photo Credit: LuminatePhotos by judith / Shutterstock.com

Surviving on the Southern African savannah can be tough for many plants.
habitats, both with extreme climates. Students are The temperature in this grassland habitat is mild, but the lack of water is
extreme. During the dry season, which lasts for half of the year, almost no
asked to consider whether plants can have behavioral rain falls. Due to these drought conditions, most large plants cannot grow

adaptations and then examine a text for evidence. here. If you stand on a hill and look over the savannah though, there is one
large tree that can be seen scattered throughout the landscape.

Instructional Focus
This is an acacia tree. The acacia is built to survive through many months
of drought. Tiny leaves growing on the top of this “umbrella” tree help hold

In this activity, students gather evidence and discuss in water while soaking up sunlight

Photo Credit: LuminatePhotos by judith / Shutterstock.com

needed to make food. One very long
adaptations of the acacia tree and the kapok tree. root, a taproot, grows downward.
This root searches for water as deep
as 35 meters below the surface. Like
Strategy a camel storing fat in its hump, the
acacia tree stores water in its trunk.
In this activity, students begin to consider whether Umbrella Acacia

plants can have behavioral and structural adaptations.

Prior to reading Two Terrific Trees, remind students

of the two lizards that they have learned about from
14
different ecosystems. Ask students to recall that these
two animals have different structural and behavioral
adaptations that allow them to survive in their own
environments.
DIGITAL
ASK • Can plants have behavior or develop
behavioral adaptations?
Student answers will vary. Some students
may have experience with plants that have
turned to grow toward a window or other
light source. Students may also have some
familiarity with plants such as the Venus
flytrap that have behavioral adaptations for Activity 6
catching prey. Analyze Like a Scientist
Plant Adaptations
Prompt students to read Two Terrific Trees with a partner.

After reading, provide time for students to discuss Quick Code:

the adaptations of both trees. Ask students to share egst4010
with the class whether their opinion about behavioral
adaptations in plants has changed, using evidence from
the text to support their stance.

22
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Page 16 Lesson 3, continued
How do different types of animals and plants adapt to survive
1.1 Learn  extreme climates?
Activity 7
Activity 7
Think Like a Scientist 15 min
Think Like a Scientist

Plant Scientist
Plant Scientist

Photo Credit: (a) Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com, (b) pixinoo / Shutterstock.com, (c) Mikadun / Shutterstock.com, (d-f) Paul Fuqua, (g) Discovery Communications, Inc.
Quick Code:
egs4011
In this investigation, you will carry out the work of plant scientists, called
botanists. You have just learned about how the roots, trunks, and leaves of
two trees have adapted to extremely different environments. Consider what
you know about how each part of a plant plays a role in getting the plant
what it needs to survive. Purpose
What Will You Do? In this activity, students apply what they know about
Examine the photos for clues that might tell a story about the conditions and
environment where these plants live. Which adaptations do you think are the parts of a plant and structural and behavioral
critical to their survival? Record your answers in the table.
adaptations to a close observation of images to look
for evidence for adaptations.

Instructional Focus
Palm Tree in a Pine Trees in the Mangrove Trees in In this activity, students collect data on plants in
Desert Snow Saltwater
specific environments and use that data as evidence
to argue that those plants may have adapted to their
Photo Credit: Vasilyev Alexandr / Shutterstock.com

environment over time.

Life Skills Decision-Making

Water Lilies in a Acacia Trees on the Barbary Fig in a
Wetland Savannah Desert

Life Skills  I can analyze a situation.

Activity Activator
In this investigation, students will collect data on the
16
environments and plants observed in each picture,
identify the characteristics of the plants that affect
how they survive, and analyze any special features
of each plant to explain how each plant has specific
DIGITAL characteristics that help it survive.

If possible, print out one or two full-page copies of each

image (accessible online) and facilitate this investigation
in stations as described below. If printing or stations are
not feasible, the images are provided in student books
and the investigation can be conducted in pairs or
small groups.

Activity 7
Think Like a Scientist
Plant Scientist

Quick Code:
egst4011

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 23
 CONCEPT

1.1 Learn

Lesson 3, continued

Materials List (per group)

Before class, set up a station for each plant picture in
different parts of the room. Label each plant using an • Pictures of plants in different environments
index card. To introduce the activity, ask students to • Index cards
describe each plant’s natural environment. Students • Markers
should know that cacti are found in deserts, which
are generally hot and dry. Students should also know
that lotuses (water lilies) are found in freshwater
environments, such as ponds or rivers. Record the
environments and their characteristics on the board
and display them throughout the activity. Then, instruct
students to observe each plant and identify traits that
they think help it survive in its particular environment.

Activity Procedure: What Will You Do?

Part 1: Set Up the Stations
Prepare pictures of 5–10 plants.

1. Print each picture on an individual piece of

cardstock. The pictures can be found in the online
Teacher Guide for this activity.

2. Prepare the index cards by writing the name of the

environment where each chosen plant lives.

3. Place each plant picture and the corresponding

environment index card at one of the stations
around the classroom.

24
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Page 17 Lesson 3, continued

Part 2: Introduce the Stations

Type of Structural adaptations I think this helps the plant to survive
Plant I notice are . . . because . . . 1. Show students where each station is located.
These two adaptations
Palm Tree
Thick trunk and narrow prevent the tree 2. You may want students to recall information
leaves
from damage in a about each environment. Have students describe
windstorm.
Snow slides easily off characteristics of each environment, such as the
Pine Tree
Triangle shape, needles the shape of this tree so weather, types of animals, and the type of soil found
instead of leaves branches do not break.
Needles prevent water loss. for each area.
Long roots help the 3. Summarize information on environments on the
Photo Credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

Mangrove Long, strong

plant to hold on in the
Tree roots board where students can refer to this information
waves.
throughout the investigation.
Water Lily
Wide, floating Wide leaves soak up
leaves lots of sunlight.

Branches Leaves on very top

Acacia
Tree bunched at the prevent animals from
top of the tree reaching them.

Sharp spines
Barbary Spines make it hard
and tough
Fig for animals to eat.
outer covering

Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 17

Quick Code:
ca2510s

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 25
 CONCEPT

1.1 Learn

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Lesson 3, continued Page 18
xx

How do different types of animals and plants adapt to survive

1.1 Learn  extreme climates?
Part 3: Student Investigation
Think About the Activity
Divide students into small groups. Have students What are some characteristics of plants that help them survive?

observe each picture to identify how the structures Answers will vary. Students should note that plants
may differ among plants based on their environment. have different shaped leaves and various root
systems to help them survive.
Students discuss how the structural adaptations they
observe help the plants survive.

Students should record their observations in the Compare and contrast adaptations of plants to their environments. How are
they the same? How are they different?
table. Students have been provided with examples Answers will vary. Students should note that the
of structural adaptations for the pine and palm trees.

Photo Credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

roots, leaves, and stems are common parts of a plant
Sample answers are only given to provide some that may be different based on adaptations to the
possible examples of student responses. All reasonable environment. Adaptation can affect the size, shape,
responses should be accepted. and design of these features.

Possible topics for groups to discuss: What would happen if a plant were placed in a different environment?
Answers will vary. Students should note that the
plant would struggle to meet its needs and may not
• How far the plants’ roots spread out
survive.
• How the plants’ leaves look

• How much sun the plant needs, or how it gets the

sunlight

• The shape of the plants’ leaves

18
• How the plant reproduces

• Types of defense mechanisms the plant has, such as

thorns
DIGITAL
• How the plant takes in nutrients

Teacher Reflection
• Can my students identify various structural
and behavioral adaptations?

• What data did my students struggle with

during the hands-on investigations and
observe activities?

• What other examples of structural and

behavioral adaptations could I include the
next time I teach this lesson?

26
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Page 19 Lesson 3, continued

Activity 8
Activity 8
Evaluate Like a Scientist 15 min
Evaluate Like a Scientist

Identifying Adaptations
Identifying Adaptations Quick Code:
egs4012
Check your understanding and practice communicating scientific
information in writing. Explain how adaptations help the plants in the
pictures survive in their environments.

Purpose
Photo Credit: (a) Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com, (b) Juli Scalzi / Shutterstock.com, (c) Paul Fuqua

In this activity, students reflect upon and share what

they have learned about how plants have adaptations
to survive in specific environments. Students apply their
understanding to hypothesize which adaptations might
be present in plants pictured in two different habitats.
Answers will vary. The plants on the left likely have
long roots for collecting water deep underground.
The plants do not grow very tall because there is Instructional Focus
not enough water to support tall plants. Many of the In this activity, students identify plant structures that
plants on the right grow tall to compete for sunlight. have functions that help the plant survive.
There is enough water to support tall plants and
large leaves. Life Skills Critical Thinking

Strategy
The item Identifying Adaptations provides a formative
Life Skills  I can identify problems.
assessment of students’ understanding of the nature of
Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 19 adaptation in terms of specific plant structures serving
specific functions to meet different environmental
conditions. Have student pairs brainstorm their
responses together prior to having students write
individual responses.
DIGITAL
Differentiation
ADVANCED LEARNERS
Challenge students to research an example of an animal
characteristic that is not helpful to its survival due
to climate change. What difficulties does the animal
face due to climate change? How might it adapt to its
changing surroundings?
Activity 8
Evaluate Like a Scientist
Identifying Adaptations

Quick Code:
egst4012

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 27
 CONCEPT

1.1 Learn

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Lesson 4 Pages 20–22

How do different types of animals and plants adapt to survive

1.1 Learn  extreme climates?

How Are Body Systems How Are Body Systems Adapted to Meet the Needs
of a Living Thing?

Adapted to Meet the

Needs of a Living Thing? Activity 9
Observe Like a Scientist
Digestive System Quick Code:
egs4013
All organisms show individual adaptations, but how do these adaptations
work together? Parts of an animal’s body that work together to perform a

Photo Credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

job are called systems. A system is made up of organs that work together to
keep an organism alive.

Activity 9 How are other body systems adapted to meet specific needs? Let’s
investigate two examples: the digestive system and the respiratory system.

Observe Like a Scientist 15 min

You might not always think about how you breathe or process food for
energy. You might think that all animals eat and breathe in the same way as
humans. It is important to understand the difference between body systems
in animals and humans.

Digestive System Read the text that follows and complete the interactive to learn about the
digestive system. Then, answer the questions.

Purpose Human Digestive System Interactive

The structural adaptations introduced so far have focused Have you ever wondered what your body does
with all the food you eat? Or why we need to eat
on individual features. This activity broadens student food at all?
understanding of structural adaptations to include body
systems of both animals and humans. Before considering
how some animal systems have adapted, this activity
begins with the familiar: the human digestive system. 20

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students explore how the digestive
system can be described in terms of its component DIGITAL
organs and learn that these digestive organs work
together as a system.

Strategy
Interactives offer a low-pressure, engaging environment
for students to explore and test ideas. If your students
cannot access the interactives, text has been provided
to support learning.
Activity 9

Before students engage in the interactive, read the Observe Like a Scientist
Digestive System
text together as a class. Pause periodically to check for
understanding and to allow students to ask questions.
Quick Code:
If students have digital access, allow students to egst4013
complete the interactive before answering the
questions. Otherwise, provide students time to
answer the questions.

28
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Page 23 Lesson 4, continued

Students work independently or with a partner on

Why is digestion important?\
Living things need energy to survive. The digestive an interactive, identifying the organs of the digestive
system breaks down the food so the body can use it system. If multiple devices are available, group students
for energy. to complete the interactive together. If multiple
devices are not available, call on a few students to use
Explain how the mouth helps digest food.
The mouth breaks up food mechanically by chewing. the interactive as a class demonstration (projected, if
The teeth and tongue also break down the food with possible) while others watch and take notes.
the help of saliva.
Students review the interactive to complete written
Compare and contrast the digestion that takes place in the stomach, small
intestine, and large intestine. responses. Encourage students to build upon their
Photo Credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

In the stomach, food is broken down into smaller written responses during class discussion.
pieces and juices are added to make liquid. Food is
also broken down in the small intestine. But unlike • How do the organs of the digestive system
ASK
the stomach, the small intestine absorbs the food fit and work together?
nutrients to move into the blood. What remains is
The digestive organs are connected and
moved to the large intestine. The large intestine
absorbs the water from the liquid. No digestion takes organized so that food follows a process
place in the large intestine. from the beginning of digestion in the
mouth to the elimination of waste.

After students have answered the questions, facilitate a

discussion on how to keep the digestive system in our
bodies healthy. Ask students to share what they already
know, such as the importance of drinking water, and
capture questions they still have about digestive system
Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 23
health. Encourage students to research their questions
independently and share what they learn with the class
in the concept review.

ASK • Why is digestion necessary?

Digestion breaks down food into chemicals
that the body can absorb and use for
energy and growth.

• What happens to food in the stomach

compared with what happens to it in the
small intestine?
In the stomach, acids break food down
into its component chemicals. In the small
intestine, cells lining the inside absorb the
chemicals.

• How does the mouth help digest food?

Digestion starts in the mouth, where food
is broken down by mechanical action of
chewing, and saliva starts to break the food
down chemically.

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 29
 CONCEPT

1.1 Learn

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Lesson 4, continued Page 24

Activity 10 Activity 10
Analyze Like a Scientist
Analyze Like a Scientist 15 min
Body Systems Quick Code:
egs4014

Body Systems
Like humans, animals need to get nutrients and energy from the food
they eat. Animal digestive systems are adapted to digest different types
of food. Did you know that a cow’s stomach has four compartments?

Read the text to learn more about these adaptations. Then, answer the
questions that follow.
Purpose
This activity introduces how multiple adaptations of
Body Systems
organs within systems work together to help animals
In some ways, the digestive systems of dogs and cows are alike and are similar

Photo Credit: smereka / Shutterstock.com

survive. to the human digestive system. Similar to humans, the digestive systems of
cows and dogs start at the mouth and end at the anus. In between, special

Instructional Focus
adaptations help each animal process the type of food it eats.

Dog and Cow Digestive Systems

In this activity, students communicate how internal
structures, such as the digestive system, help animals
survive.

Strategy
Prior to reading Body Systems, ask students to review
and share aloud the organs in the human digestive
system.

ASK • What is the overall function of the digestive

system? 24

To extract the nutrients our bodies need

from the food we eat.

• What would happen if any organ in the

DIGITAL
system were missing?
If one of the parts of the system was
missing, it would not function properly.

Refer students to the diagrams provided in the article.

After briefly reviewing the image, ask students to
predict the topic of the reading passage.

Activity 10
Analyze Like a Scientist
Body Systems

Quick Code:
egst4014

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Page 25 Lesson 4, continued

Direct students to read Body Systems with a partner and

Animal digestive systems are adapted to the types of food an animal take turns sharing interesting facts from the reading.
eats. For example, the digestive system of a cow is quite different from
the digestive system of a dog or a human. Cows have a digestive system
Partners can work together to respond to the questions
that is adapted to eat grass. Grass is very difficult to digest, so cows have at the end of the text, referring to the text for answers.
long digestive systems with several stomach-like compartments. Dogs, in
contrast, eat mainly meat. Meat is much easier to process, so dogs have
only one stomach and a much shorter digestive system.
Organize students in small groups to have a
All organs and systems of organisms, whether they are animals or plants,
collaborative discussion about structure and function
are adapted in ways that ensure survival. as it relates to body systems. Students should define
structures and functions and share what they know
about the structures and functions of the digestive
Photo Credit: smereka / Shutterstock.com

Why is a cow’s stomach different from a dog’s stomach?

systems.
Answers will vary. Cows have multiple stomach
compartments to digest grass. Dogs have one ASK • How are these systems similar and different
stomach to digest mostly meat. for each of these animals?
Both animals have stomachs, but the cow
The teeth of cows and dogs are very different. Can you suggest why?
has many stomach compartments. Dogs
Answers will vary. Cows have flat teeth for eating have only one. One is built to digest meat,
grass, and dogs have sharp teeth for eating meat. the other digests grass.

• What do you think would happen to cows

if their digestive systems were not adapted
to eating grass?
Cows would have to have to find
Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 25 something else to eat or they would not
survive.

• What questions do you have about body

systems and adaptation?
Answers will vary.

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 31
 CONCEPT

1.1 Learn

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Lesson 4, continued Pages 26–27

How do different types of animals and plants adapt to survive

1.1 Learn  extreme climates?
Activity 11
Observe Like a Scientist 15 min
Activity 11
Observe Like a Scientist

Respiratory System
Respiratory System Quick Code:
egs4015
Have you ever felt out of breath after running for a minute or two? Or
noticed that sometimes your breath quickens when you need more air? Like
getting nutrients from food, getting oxygen from the air is a complex process
that depends on many organs working together. The respiratory system is
Purpose tasked with bringing air into the body, taking out the parts we need, and
pushing out the waste products. This process of pulling air in and pushing it
In this activity, students are introduced to how the out of our bodies is called respiration or breathing.

Still not completely sure how respiration happens? Read the passage that
human respiratory system works to help keep people follows and complete the interactive to learn how this system works.

Photo Credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

active and alive. Understanding how the human body
works will support students as they go on to learn about
the unique respiratory adaptations of other organisms. How does the respiratory system work?
Our bodies need oxygen in order to function.

Instructional Focus We get oxygen from the air in our atmosphere.

While it might be invisible, it is around us all
Interactive

In this activity, students explore the parts and functions the time and very important to our bodies. We
cannot store extra oxygen in our body, so we
of the respiratory system and study how these parts must constantly take in new oxygen.

work together and adapt as a system. Take a deep breath. When you breathe in or inhale, air rushes in through
your nose and mouth and down your throat. From there, the air travels

Strategy
down your trachea into your lungs. Your lungs fill up like two balloons.
Now what?

Interactives offer a low-pressure and engaging

environment for students to explore and test ideas. If
your students cannot access the interactive, text has
been provided to support learning. 26

Before students engage in the interactive or read

the text, ask students to draw attention to their own
breathing. Encourage them to pay careful attention to
what happens as they inhale and exhale. Ask students
DIGITAL
to place one hand on their stomach and another on
their rib cage. Give students time to observe what
happens as they inhale and exhale. Invite students to
share their observations.

Next, read the text together as a class. Stop periodically

to check for understanding and to allow students to ask
questions.
Activity 11
If students have digital access, allow students to Observe Like a Scientist
Respiratory System
complete the interactive before answering the
questions. Otherwise, provide students time to answer
the questions. Quick Code:
egst4015

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Page 28 Lesson 4, continued
How do different types of animals and plants adapt to survive
1.1 Learn  extreme climates?
Students will use this interactive to identify the parts of
Explain how the diaphragm helps us breathe in and out.
When you breathe in, the diaphragm contracts. the respiratory system. They will observe the breathing
This expands the chest and makes more space for process and learn about the exchange of oxygen and
air to enter the lungs. When you breathe out, the carbon dioxide in the lungs. If multiple devices are
diaphragm relaxes. This decreases the space in the available, group students to complete the interactive
chest and the air is forced out. together. If multiple devices are not available, call
Compare the air you breathe in with the air you breathe out.
on a few students to use the interactive as a class
The air you breathe in is rich in oxygen. The lungs demonstration (projected, if possible) while others
absorb the oxygen from the inhaled air. Carbon watch and take notes.
dioxide is created as a waste product. So, the air you

Photo Credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

breathe out is rich in carbon dioxide. Encourage students to engage in scientific conversation
with peers to share their answers. Recommend that
How does the respiratory system get oxygen to the body cells?
Lungs absorb the oxygen from the air that we students actively listen to each other by rephrasing a
breathe in. After oxygen is absorbed by the lungs, partner’s ideas back to the partner. To expand their own
the bloodstream carries it to the body. thinking, students should ask each other questions such
as, Can you say more about that? What do you mean
Why can we not hold our breath for very long?
by that? What specific examples from the interactive
When we hold our breath, oxygen does not enter support what you are saying?
the body. Carbon dioxide is not removed from the
body. If this happens for too long, the body will fail to After students have answered the questions, facilitate
function properly. a discussion on how what behaviors increase and
decrease the health of the respiratory system in our
bodies. Ask students to share what they already know,
such as the importance of breathing clean air and not
28
smoking, and capture questions they still have about
respiratory system health. Students will learn more
about the health of the respiratory system in the
next unit.

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 33
 CONCEPT

1.1 Learn

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Lesson 5 Page 29

Activity 12
Observe Like a Scientist 20 min
Activity 12
Observe Like a Scientist

How Fish Breathe

How Fish Breathe Quick Code:
egs4016
Have you ever tried to hold your breath underwater? How long were you
able to stay under without coming up for air? Now imagine that you were
a fish and could breathe under the water but not on land. How would your
respiratory system need to be different?
Purpose Read the text that follows and watch the video to learn about how fish have

Photo Credit: (a) Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com, (b) Grigorev Mikhail / Shutterstock.com

adapted to life underwater.
In this activity, students build upon their understanding
of how the respiratory system in the human body Unlike humans, fish do not breathe using lungs.
functions. Using knowledge of their own body systems, Fish use gills to take oxygen out of the water
Video

students explore how the unique adaptation of gills and release carbon dioxide. Gills are found
on the sides of a fish’s head. Water enters the
in fish helps these animals to survive in an underwater mouth of the fish and passes across the gills. Just

habitat. like in our lungs, blood vessels then carry oxygen to the rest of the body.
Gills are unique structural adaptations that allow fish to live and breathe
underwater. How do you think water pollution impacts the fish that live

Instructional Focus
nearby? Just as we need to breathe clean air to stay healthy, fish need clean
water to survive.

In this activity, students compare the structures of

Photo Credit: Grigorev Mikhail / Shutterstock.com

respiratory systems of a fish to those of a human. What are the similarities between the human respiratory system and the fish
respiratory system? What are the differences?
Similarities: Both take in oxygen, release carbon
Life Skills Decision-Making dioxide, and send oxygen through blood and body.
Differences: Humans have lungs and take in oxygen
Strategy from air. Fish have gills and take in oxygen from water.
Life Skills  I can analyze a situation.
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 29
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Before watching the video, ask students to read the text

How Fish Breathe. If students have digital access, instruct
them to watch the video before completing the table. DIGITAL
This video shows how fish use their gills to breathe
underwater. Show the video to students from the
2:06 mark.

• Students should look for the structure that fish use to

breathe underwater.
• After viewing, have pairs or small groups of students
discuss the similarities of the human respiratory Activity 12
system and the fish respiratory system. Observe Like a Scientist
How Fish Breathe
• To assess student understanding of the concepts in
the video, ask them how they would describe what
they observed. Then, encourage them to share Quick Code:
any questions that came to mind as they observed egst4016
the video. Work with students to answer their own
questions.

34
 PRINT
Page 30 Lesson 5, continued

Activity 13 Activity 13
Analyze Like a Scientist
Analyze Like a Scientist 10 min
Humans Change the Environment Quick Code:
egs4018

Humans Change the Environment

You have studied multiple plant and animal adaptations to various
environments. What happens as these environments continue to
change? Human activity often rapidly changes ecosystems over days,
years, or decades. Organisms will have to adapt to these changes in
order to survive.

Read the text that follows and underline evidence that human activity Purpose
contributes to rapid changes in an ecosystem. Circle the impacts that
human activities have on plants and animals.
In this activity, students consider multiple factors that
cause the environmental changes that give rise to

Photo Credit: yelantsevv / Shutterstock.com

animal and plant adaptations over time. Considering
Humans Change the Environment
Organisms are adapted to the ecosystems in which they live; however, that
the human role in environmental changes reinforces
ecosystem may change. Some changes—such as temperature, the amount of for students the importance of taking care of the world
rainfall from seasons, or severe weather events—are just part of the natural
system. Wildfires and floods alter the plants available for food, causing
around them.
increases or decreases in predator and prey populations.

Other changes are caused by human activity. Humans change ecosystems Instructional Focus
when they farm, clear land, and build communities. People cut down forests
and plow grasslands. They introduce plants and animals that were never In this activity, students identify causal relationships
part of the ecosystem. These types of changes can cause the disappearance of
between humans and the environment and how living
Photo Credit: yelantsevv / Shutterstock.com

plants and animals that once lived in an environment.

things adapt to environmental changes.

Strategy
Students read the text section and watch the video
about how organisms respond to changes in the
30 ecosystem.

As a class, read the first paragraph of the text together.

Provide guidance and support as necessary. Students
underline any evidence in the text that humans have
DIGITAL changed the ecosystem. Students circle text that
describes the impact human activities have on plants
and animals.

Show students the video Sea Ice. Remind students of

the penguins in Activity 2.

Activity 13
Analyze Like a Scientist
Humans Change the Environment

Quick Code:
egst4018

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 35
 CONCEPT

1.1 Learn

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Lesson 5, continued Page 31
xx

ASK • What evidence do scientists have that the

Arctic climate is changing? Human activities can also pollute the air
Video
and water. The exhaust from too many cars
Satellite images show that the area covered or factories operating improperly can create

by old sea ice is diminishing over time. air pollution. Bad habits, such as littering
or dumping materials where they do not
Images observed over time show that much belong, can pollute soil and waterways. Plants and animals can be
affected by changes in an ecosystem caused by humans. When the air,
more of the ice is thinner and younger.

Photo Credit: (a) yelantsevv / Shutterstock.com, (b) NOAA, (c) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
water, or soil in an area are no longer safe, some animals can survive by
moving to another ecosystem to find what they need. Plants must rely on

• If the same climate changes that scientists their seeds landing in a better place for them to survive and grow.

have observed in the region surrounding Humans are also affected when crops cannot grow, clean drinking water
is hard to find, or smog makes it hard to breathe. People who live in cities
the North Pole were to happen in the where air pollution is a big problem are forced to change their lifestyle on

region surrounding the South Pole, how days when the pollution levels are dangerous. Exposure to high levels of
air pollution over a long period of time can damage the lungs and lead to
could this affect the penguins living there? conditions such as asthma and heart problems.

Answers will vary. Penguins would have Just as humans can cause harmful changes, they can also help restore
ecosystems. Cleared forests can be replanted, air and water pollutants
to adapt to the changes. They may have can be removed, and native plants or animals can be preserved. Which

larger gaps between icebergs in which to impact will you have?

swim. The areas where they take care of

their young might change. Predator or prey
Talk Together Think about how the human respiratory
populations might change. system works. What types of human activity can
positively or negatively impact respiratory health?

Allow students to continue reading the rest of the

text independently or with a partner. Students should
continue to mark up the text as previously directed.
Support students in summarizing their learning by Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 31
asking the following question:

ASK What are some cause-and-effect relationships

between human actions and ecosystems?
When human actions change an ecosystem, DIGITAL
plants and animals living in that ecosystem
may need to change their behavior to survive.
Plants and animals may develop structural
and behavioral adaptations in response to the
changes to the ecosystem.

Prompt students to discuss one negative change caused

by humans and one positive change caused by humans.

To culminate the activity, direct students to construct an

explanation about possible effects of human changes
to an environment. Encourage students to record any
questions they have at this time.
Quick Code:
ca2509s

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 CONCEPT

1.1 Share

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Page 32 Lesson 5, continued
How do different types of animals and plants adapt to survive
1.1 Share  extreme climates?

Activity 14 Scientific Explanation

Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Penguin Feet Quick Code:
egs4019
You have learned a lot about how
Video
different types of adaptations help plants
and animals survive. Now let’s return to
the examples of how a lizard stays cool Activity 14
and a penguin’s feet stay warm. Review
the video, text, and the early ideas you
recorded in Wonder. Then, answer the
Record Evidence Like a Scientist 15 min

Photo Credit: (a) Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com, (b) Kento35 / Shutterstock.com

questions that follow.

Penguin Feet
How can you describe penguin feet now?

Purpose
In this activity, students return to the questions posed
at the beginning of the concept and reconsider what
How is your explanation different from before?
they know now. The process of writing a scientific
explanation using evidence to support a claim is a key
step in students constructing scientific knowledge that
Photo Credit: Kento35 / Shutterstock.com

they can then use and apply.

Instructional Focus
Life Skills  I can apply an idea in a new way. In this activity, students construct explanations about
how living things use adaptations to survive in an
32
environment.

Life Skills Creativity

DIGITAL Strategy
Display the Can You Explain? question. Refer students
to questions they asked during the initial viewing of the
Penguin Feet video.

Replay the Penguin Feet video. Allow time for students

to discuss the Talk Together questions with a partner.

Begin a whole group discussion in which students share

their new understandings. The discussion should be
Activity 14
Record Evidence Like a Scientist broad, going beyond the Penguin Feet video to what
Penguin Feet they now understand about adaptation and survival.

Quick Code:
egst4019

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 37
 CONCEPT

1.1 Share

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Lesson 5, continued Page 33

ASK • What do you now know that can explain

Once scientists have asked questions and gathered information from
the phenomenon of Penguin Feet seen in multiple sources, they share what they have learned. Look at the Can You
Explain? question. You first read this at the beginning of Wonder. Think
the video? about how you would answer this question now. How is your answer
different from before? Record some notes about examples you can now
Student responses will vary. use to answer the question.

• How can this help us understand Can You Explain?

adaptation and survival in other organisms? How do different types of animals and plants adapt to survive in
extreme climates?

Student responses will vary.

Evidence
• What do you now know that helps you • Examples of structural adaptations:

Photo Credit: Miriam82 / Shutterstock.com

answer the Can You Explain? question or thick fur to stay warm, large ears to cool off
one of your own questions? • Examples of behavioral adaptations:
Student responses will vary. burrowing under snow to stay warm,
burrowing into sand or rocks to stay cool
Now, write your new answer in full sentences to share your scientific
explanation with others.

Can You Explain?

See sample student response in Teacher Materials.

How do different types of animals and

plants adapt to survive extreme climates?

Throughout the course, students will develop the skill

Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 33
of communicating scientific information in writing,
specifically by learning to write a scientific explanation.
Students begin building this skill by considering what
evidence they have gathered to answer the question
posed at the beginning of the concept. Instruct students
to review evidence gained from multiple activities with a
partner and record notes in the space provided.

Then, encourage students to write an answer to the Can

You Explain? question in full sentences, incorporating
at least two pieces of evidence in support of their
response.

38
Lesson 5, continued

Sample student response:

Animals and plants have adapted over time to survive in extreme climates by changing their
behavior and physical characteristics. An example of a physical characteristic that helps an
animal survive extreme cold would be a layer of fat or a thick fur coat. A behavioral change
might be foxes and other animals that burrow to keep warm in the cold or cool in extreme
heat. Some plants have adapted to cold, snowy environments by growing flexible branches
that bend instead of break under the weight of snow. All animals and plants must have
adaptations to survive the challenges of the environments where they live.

Differentiation
APPROACHING LEARNERS
Some of the vocabulary words, such as adapt and migration, may be confusing to students
because they have other meanings in different contexts. Have students make a list of any
words like this that they’ve heard elsewhere and make sure that their definitions are correct for
this context.

Teacher Reflection
How did I provide scaffolding for students to construct their scientific explanations?

Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 39

 CONCEPT

1.1 Share

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Lesson 6 Pages 34–35

in Action
in Action
Activity 15 Quick Code:
egs4020
Analyze Like a Scientist
Activity 15
Analyze Like a Scientist 25 min
Careers and Adaptation
There is a tremendous variety of organisms living on Earth. Studying
these organisms is fascinating and fun. Through research, scientists can

Careers and Adaptation

learn how organisms adapt to their environment. Scientists can use this
knowledge to help endangered species survive.

Read the text about the work of scientists at the Amphibian Rescue
and Conservation Project in Panama. Then, answer the questions.

Photo Credit: K Hanley CHDPhoto / Shutterstock.com

Purpose
This activity connects adaptations in organisms to the Careers and Adaptation
idea that human activity may pose threats to the natural Amphibians are small animals such as frogs, toads, and salamanders
that live in moist environments. Amphibians need water to survive in
world. Students gather information about the work a different way than humans do.
being done by conservation biologists to save frogs Take a deep breath in. You took
oxygen from the air using your nose
and then consider how students might also help with or mouth. Adult amphibians can

Photo Credit: K Hanley CHDPhoto / Shutterstock.com

conservation efforts. breathe using lungs, like humans
do, but they can also take in oxygen
from water.

Instructional Focus Panamanian Golden Frog

In this activity, students obtain information about

the work of conservation biologists and evaluate the Life Skills  I can choose the best solution to a problem.

information to communicate why researchers study

adaptations in endangered amphibians. Students then
34
design a public service message to advocate for clean
waterways.

Life Skills Problem-Solving

DIGITAL
Strategy
After reading the article, either in pairs or as a class,
prompt students to complete the assessment questions
below.

Once completed, invite students to share their answers

to the first question. Use their responses to generate
discussion about the work done by conservationists,
field biologists, and researchers. Discuss with students Activity 15
how researchers use their knowledge about specific Analyze Like a Scientist
adaptations to protect amphibians. Careers and Adaptation

Encourage students to share any experiences that they

may have had with or knowledge that they have of Quick Code:
egst4020
amphibians in their local environment. The Nile Delta
toad is an example of an amphibian found in Egypt that
students may be familiar with.

40
PRINT
Page 36 Lesson 6, continued

Next, ask students to share their advocacy ideas, either

Advocate for Amphibians
in small groups or as a whole class. Discuss personal
How does understanding the unique adaptations of amphibians help
biologists who are working to keep them from going extinct? actions that can be taken to aid conservation efforts,
Answers will vary but should indicate that
as well as how conservation organizations might work
understanding how amphibians breathe helps
scientists look for threats in both the air and
toward large-scale protection of endangered animals.
water.

How would you help? Compose a tweet or write a commercial slogan ENTREPRENEURSHIP
to convince people why clean air and water are important to frog (and
Entrepreneurs set goals by determining priorities

Photo Credit: K Hanley CHDPhoto / Shutterstock.com

human) survival. List at least two ways that people can advocate for
cleaner waterways. and action plans. As you read about field biologists,
Answers will vary but should include the
think of ways their work might require the setting
importance of clean air and water to frogs. Ideas
of short, medium, and long term goals. How might
may include personal actions that can be taken,
field biologists and researchers need to adapt to
such as not littering, disposing of chemicals
unexpected changes?
properly, and other ways to avoid polluting water.

36

Concept 1.1:
Concept
Adaptation
1: Living
and Systems
Survival 41
 CONCEPT

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Lesson 6, continued Page 37

Review and Assess Activity 16

Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Adaptation and Survival Quick Code:
egs4021

Photo Credit: (a) K Hanley CHDPhoto / Shutterstock.com, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com, (c) Rudmer Zwerver / Shutterstock.com
Think about what you have learned so far about adaptation. Living
organisms change or adapt over time to better survive their environments.
In the space provided, first explain the different types of adaptations you
Activity 16 studied. Then, explain how human activities impact the survival of other
organisms.
Evaluate Like a Scientist 20 min
Student answers will vary.

Review: Adaptation and Survival

Purpose
The final activity of the concept asks students to review
and explain the main ideas of adaptation and survival.
Talk Together Now you know more about how
adaptations help animals to survive. What additional

Instructional Focus questions do you have about bats now that you know more
about adaptations?

Students will summarize their learning about adaptations

via a written explanation and by completing a concept
summative assessment.

Life Skills Self-Management Life Skills  I can review my progress toward a goal.

Strategy Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 37

Students use notes to review what has been learned

about adaptations and survival. In the summative
concept assessment, students will explain core ideas
learned. Students explain that adaptations are traits DIGITAL
and characteristics that help living things survive
and reproduce. Students distinguish structural from
behavioral adaptations and outline how body systems
are adapted to meet the needs of an organism.
Students also explain how human activities impact the
survival of organisms.

Activity 16
Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Adaptation and Survival

Quick Code:
egst4021

42
Concept 1.1: Adaptation and Survival 43
 Photo Credit: Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com
at Work
Senses
CONCEPT

1.2

44
 Concept Objectives
By the end of this concept, students should be able to:

• Develop models that describe patterns in how animals receive different Quick Code:
types of information through their senses, process the information in egst4022
their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.

• Construct explanations based on evidence for how organs and systems

work together to process and respond to different sensory data.

• Plan and carry out investigations to produce data to serve as the basis
for evidence that vision, hearing, and touch play a role in reaction time.

Key Vocabulary
new: brain, information, nerve,
receptor, reflex, senses, sound
Photo Credit: Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com

Quick Code:
egst4023

Key Vocabulary Strategies

Semantic Map
• As you introduce each vocabulary word to students, have students think of other
words that are closely associated with that word. Have students make a list of these
words. For example, for the word senses, students might list the words hearing, sight,
taste, touch, smell, etc. Give students the opportunity to share some of their words
with the class.

• Categorize all the related words that students shared. Then, create a class map
showing the various categories. Create new categories and add new words as needed.

Venn Diagram
• After you have introduced all the vocabulary words, have students create a Venn
diagram to compare two terms that name parts of the body. For example, students
might label a Venn diagram with nerve and brain and list similarities and differences
between the two body parts.

• Divide students into pairs and have them share their Venn diagrams with each other.
Encourage students to revise their diagrams based on feedback from their partners.

Concept 1.2: SensesConcept

at Work: 45
CONCEPT

1.2 Senses at Work

Concept Pacing

Recommended Pathway
In order to meet the expectations of the standards, students must complete each
activity within the recommended pathway.

Location Days Model Lesson Time

Activity 1 10 min

Activity 2 15 min
Wonder Lesson 1
Activity 3 10 min

Activity 4 10 min

Activity 5 25 min
Lesson 2
Activity 6 20 min

Lesson 3 Activity 8 45 min

Learn
Lesson 4 Activity 10 45 min

Activity 11 25 min
Lesson 5
Activity 12 20 min

Activity 14 25 min
Share Lesson 6
Activity 16 20 min

46
Content Background

In Concept 1, students were introduced to organisms that survive in extreme

climates, thanks to unique sets of behavioral and structural adaptations. The
ability to thrive, grow, and live long enough to reproduce in extreme conditions
often requires that animals also have specialized senses tailored to the conditions
of their environment. However, no sensory system works in isolation. In order for
the information captured by the sensory organs to be useful, the processing of
these messages must also be efficient.

Sensory Organs and the Nervous System

Animals receive, transmit, and process sensory information through the nervous
system. The nervous system includes sensory organs that receive information,
nerves that transmit information, and the brain, which processes information. Each
animal has unique sensory organs. In humans, these organs are the eyes, ears,
nose, mouth, and skin. These organs receive environmental stimuli. The stimuli
are translated into electrical impulses, which are transmitted through nerves. The
nerves carry the information to the command center of the nervous system—the
brain—where it is processed. The brain then sends messages via the nerves to the
rest of the body explaining how to react to the stimuli.

Stimuli and the Senses

In Concept 2, the human body serves as a familiar entry point for students to
begin learning about this biological system of information transfer. Students first
reflect upon how human senses serve as a way to navigate danger, find and enjoy
food, and recognize friends and family. Students investigate their own response
to stimuli by comparing the speed of the nervous system to sight versus sound
triggers. Using this as a framework for understanding, students then explore how
rapid responses to stimuli are the key to survival in the animal kingdom.

As students move into the next concept, they will use the knowledge that they
have gained about senses to dive deeper into the role that light and sight play in
allowing animals to hunt and avoid predation while living a nocturnal existence.

Concept 1.2: SensesConcept

at Work: 47
CONCEPT

1.2 Senses at Work

Hands-On Investigations Preparation

Learn

Location Instructional Focus Materials to Prepare (per group)

Activity 10: In this activity, students carry out an • Meterstick

Reaction investigation about reaction time in
• Calculator
Time response to auditory versus visual stimuli.
• Chair

48
Concept 1.2: SensesConcept
at Work: 49
 CONCEPT

1.2 Wonder

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Lesson 1 Page 39

Activity 1
Can You Explain? 10 min Activity 1
Can You Explain?
How do animals sense and process
information?

Photo Credit: (a) Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com (b) fernando sanchez / Shutterstock.com
Purpose
This activity draws on students’ prior knowledge by In the first unit you learned about animal adaptations. You likely
know a lot about human senses from previous study. Now you will
asking them to explain how animals sense and process connect your learning about adaptations to how animals sense the
world around them.
information.
Think about the Egyptian mongoose. It communicates by combining
units of sound that seem to us to be like chatter. These sounds allow

Instructional Focus
the mongoose to communicate messages about movement and
foraging to other mongooses.

Photo Credit: fernando sanchez / Shutterstock.com

How do animals sense and process information?
In this activity, students will use prior knowledge to Answers will vary. Many animals see using
begin their explanation of how animals use their senses their eyes, hear with ears, and so on just
to collect information and process the information to like humans. Some animals have better
help the animal survive. hearing, sight or other senses. Animals
communicate using sounds or
Life Skills Endurance movements.
Quick Code: Life Skills  I can share ideas I am

Strategy egs4024 not yet sure about.

Encourage students to explain what they already know

about how animals sense and process information. Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 39

Students may have some initial ideas about how to

answer the question (see sample student response in
the student edition page). By the end of the concept,
students should be able to construct a scientific DIGITAL
explanation that includes evidence from the concept
activities.

Activity 1
Can You Explain?

Quick Code:
egst4024

50
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Page 40 Lesson 1, continued

1.2 Wonder  How do animals sense and process information?

Activity 2 Investigative Phenomenon

Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Dolphin Super Senses Quick Code:
egs4025
As you begin to think about how senses are used, consider the dolphin.
Does the dolphin have a super sense? Think about the information
presented in the text and video, then record questions you may have.
Activity 2
Ask Questions Like a Scientist

Photo Credit: (a) Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com, (b) Andrea Izzotti / Shutterstock.com
15 min
The sense of hearing is important to all of us.
Video
We use our hearing to gather information
about what is happening around us. Do all
animals have the same sense of hearing? Is
Dolphin Super Senses
hearing the same in all animals?

Purpose
Some animals seem to have super senses that help them survive. The
dolphin is one of those animals. To survive, dolphins must be able to find
food and protect themselves in dark murky waters. Dolphins use the sense
The Investigative Phenomenon sparks curiosity in
Photo Credit: Andrea Izzotti / Shutterstock.com

of echolocation to find other life and objects in the water. The sound that
a dolphin makes is transmitted in waves called sound waves that move students as they begin to consider the role of animal
through the water. When the sound waves hit objects, the waves bounce
back to the dolphin in the form of an echo, which helps it locate prey. The
senses. This activity asks students to share questions
sound waves that are created return to them as echoes. These echoes help about unique super senses that some animals have
dolphins determine the location of prey and other objects. Look at the word
echolocation. What parts of the word help you remember how dolphins use
developed to survive.
their super sense to survive?

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students ask questions that can be
Life Skills  I can ask questions to clarify. investigated about sensory organs and the nervous
system.
40
Life Skills Negotiation

Strategy
DIGITAL Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
video, text has been provided to support learning.

Students have investigated some of the adaptations of

systems that enable animals and plants to survive. In
this concept, they focus on the role of sense organs and
the rest of the nervous system in ensuring the survival of
organisms.
Activity 2
Ask Questions Like a Scientist
To stimulate student thinking about senses, ask them to
Dolphin Super Senses
consider how fictional superhero super senses compare
to real and possible senses.

Quick Code: To help students to understand the concept of how

egst4025 sound vibrations travel through the air, if time permits,
consider conducting the following demonstration.
Gather two metal cans that have been opened and
emptied of the contents. Cover the open end of one

Concept 1.2: SensesConcept

at Work: 51
 CONCEPT

1.2 Wonder

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Lesson 1, continued Page 41

with plastic wrap. Secure the wrap, so that it is stretched

tightly across the opening, with a rubber band. Sprinkle
salt across the surface of the plastic. Hold the other I wonder . . .

can above the plastic wrap, open side down. Tap on Student answers will vary. Do dolphins also
the bottom of the can with a pencil. Students should have good eyesight?
see the salt “dance” on the plastic beneath. Use the
demonstration to facilitate a class discussion about
vibrations and how sound travels through the air in
invisible waves. I wonder . . .

Photo Credit: Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com

Use the resources in Wonder to connect the idea that
some organisms really have super senses (which can
be just as strange as fictional ones) that are essential
adaptations to their environment.

After reading the text and watching the video, I wonder . . .

encourage students to generate their own questions

about senses based on what they read and observe.
Questions should begin with words such as “What,”
“Why,” and “When.”

Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 41

52
 PRINT
Page 42 Lesson 1, continued

1.2 Wonder  How do animals sense and process information?

Activity 3
Activity 3
Observe Like a Scientist
Observe Like a Scientist 10 min

Using Our Five Senses

Using Our Five Senses Quick Code:
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Think about how our senses help us experience the world around us.

Photo Credit: (a) Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com, (b) Victority / Shutterstock.com, (c) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
Animals also use senses to experience the world around them. How
have you used your senses today? Talk with a neighbor about a special
experience you have had today and how your senses helped you.
Purpose
In this activity, students are encouraged to extend
thinking about senses to their own daily lives. Students
make observations about how they use their own senses
to understand the world around them.

Instructional Focus
Playing and Listening to Music

In this activity, students explore patterns in how the five

Talk Together How do you think animals use their
senses differently from you? senses are used to gather and process information in an
environment.
Photo Credit: Victority / Shutterstock.com

Strategy
Ask students to think about how they use their own
senses in their daily lives. Encourage students to think
about what they see, feel, hear, and so on. Invite a few
students to share how senses help them understand the
42 world around them.

ASK • How have your senses helped you at

school today?
DIGITAL Student answers will vary.

• Do you think some of your senses are more

effective than others? Why or why not?
Student answers will vary.

Activity 3
Observe Like a Scientist
Using Our Five Senses

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1.2 Wonder

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Lesson 1, continued Page 43

Activity 4
Evaluate Like a Scientist 10 min
Activity 4
Evaluate Like a Scientist

What Do You Already Know About

What Do You Already Know About Quick Code:
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Senses at Work?
Senses at Work? Animal Perceptions
Think about what you already know about how senses work. Read the list
of purposes in which senses are used. Then, list the sense used for each
purpose. If you think more than one sense may be used, write all senses you
Purpose think may fit the purpose. Write one example for each, naming the animal
and how the sense is used. For example, “My pet can recognize me by
scent.” It is okay if you do not know all of the answers yet.
This formative assessment will allow students to

Photo Credit: Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com

demonstrate existing knowledge about animal senses Senses:

and perception. At this point, fully formed scientific sight sound touch taste smell

answers are less important than students’ ability to

provide examples to support reasoning. Purpose Sense Examples

Avoid
Sight, sound, smell Answers will vary.
Instructional Focus
danger

In this activity, students use existing knowledge of Find food Smell, sight, touch Answers will vary.
animal senses and perception to demonstrate their
Recognize
understanding of how animals’ senses help them friends Sight, smell, sound Answers will vary.
survive. Then, they use existing knowledge of senses to
Identify Sight, smell, touch,
demonstrate their understanding of sensory response objects taste, sound
Answers will vary.
processing.

Animal Perceptions 43
Concept 1.2: Senses at Work

Strategy
The item Animal Perceptions provides a formative
assessment of students’ existing knowledge of the ways DIGITAL
in which animals perceive the world. Be sure to clear up
the common misconception that animals and humans
can perceive the same stimuli. A class discussion about
the results will enable you to get further pre-assessment
information.

Activity 4
Evaluate Like a Scientist
What Do You Already Know About
Senses at Work?

Quick Code:
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1.2 Wonder  How do animals sense and process information?

Sensory Response
Sensory Response
Imagine that you touch an ice cube with your index finger. Where is the
information processed to tell you that it is cold? Circle the correct answer.
Strategy
A. index finger
B. hand The item Sensory Response provides a formative
C. nerves assessment of students’ existing knowledge of sensory
D. spinal cord
E. brain
response processing. Prior to presenting students with

Photo Credit: (a) Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
the question, explain that though students have not yet
discussed how sensory information is processed, they
Talk Together Discuss one example you had that is
different than your neighbor’s. can use what they already know to predict an answer to
the question.

Teacher Reflection
• What content do my students already know?

• What misconceptions do my students have at

this point in the course?

• Are any of my students ready for extension at

this point in the lesson?

44

Concept 1.2: SensesConcept

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1.2 Learn

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1.2 Learn  How do animals sense and process information?

Activity 5
Observe Like a Scientist 25 min
Activity 5
Observe Like a Scientist

Super Senses
Super Senses Quick Code:
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Have you ever struggled to see something but found that you could use
another sense to help you find it? Read the text that follows and watch

Photo Credit: (a) Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com, (b) Valt Ahyppo / Shutterstock.com, (c) Rudmer Zwerver / Shutterstock.com
the videos. Find evidence to explain how snakes, bats, and owls use their
senses to find food, even when they cannot see it. Use what you learn to
Purpose answer the questions that follow.

During the previous concept, students learned about

how specific adaptations help animals in extreme Have you ever been outside at night? It probably
Video
looked very different than it does during the
climates survive. Now, using their own senses as a day. Things that are normally familiar may have
basis for understanding, students take a closer look at looked like strange shapes at night. Now imagine
if you had to find something small that was
how specialized senses help animals find food and get moving through the darkness. Your ears would
around. detect noises, but it would be hard to see well
enough to locate the object.

Instructional Focus
Animals that are most active at night are called
Video
nocturnal. There are several reasons why some
animals are active at night. In extremely hot
In this activity, students read a text and watch videos places, the best time to look for food is nighttime,

Photo Credit: Valt Ahyppo / Shutterstock.com

to find evidence to explain how the unique sensory when it is cooler. Some animals hunt food that is
only available at night. Other creatures rely on
abilities of some animals help them to hunt for food the cover of darkness to surprise their prey.

when the animals cannot rely on the sense of sight

alone.

Life Skills Critical Thinking Life Skills  I can identify problems.

Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 45

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.
DIGITAL
Use the texts and videos to engage students with the
super senses of various animals.

Ask students to describe how adaptations to super

senses help different animals survive in their habitats.

Prepare students for reading the passages and watching

the videos by asking them to describe briefly what they
already know about snakes, bats, and owls. Encourage Activity 5
them to look at the images and make predictions about Observe Like a Scientist
how these animals use their senses to help them survive. Super Senses

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1.2 Learn  How do animals sense and process information?

Lead a discussion on the questions posed. Have students
share answers with the class before writing individual
How do these animals hunt without much available
Video answers. Encourage students to expand on their
light? Super sensory adaptations allow these animals
to navigate the darkness safely and find food thinking by asking questions such as, Can you say more
sources. Snakes have the ability to sense heat using a
about that? What do you mean by that? What specific
specialized body part in their face. This means snakes
can detect warm-blooded prey in complete darkness. Bats rely on echolocation. examples from the videos support what you are saying?
Like dolphins, bats bounce sounds off objects to find food and get around.
Unlike dolphins, bats must hunt in the dark. Using the “echo” that returns,
• Snakes use heat to hunt. Why would

Photo Credit: (a) Billion Photos / Shutterstock.com, (b) Anan Kaewkhammul / Shutterstock.com
bats are able to find insects at night. Owls have both extraordinary sight and ASK
hearing. Bowl-shaped faces and specialized head feathers direct distant sounds this special sense be useful to snakes?
directly into the owl’s ears. Sometimes animals making noises are hidden in
the grass or beneath the snow. Large eyes allow the owl to see tiny, far-away
Snakes are unable to see at night, so
movements. The ability to turn their heads nearly all the way around lets owls they use their sense of heat to find their
search for prey in every direction.
prey.

Snakes use heat to hunt. Why would this special sense be useful to snakes? • How do bats catch gnats in the dark?
Snakes are unable to see at night, so they use their Bats are nocturnal and hunt for food
sense of heat to find their prey.
at night. They can’t see very well in
How do bats catch gnats in the dark? the dark, so they use echolocation, or
Bats are nocturnal and hunt for food at night. They echoes, to help them hear where their
can’t see very well in the dark, so they use echolocation,
food is.
or echoes, to help them hear where their food is.

How does the shape of an owl’s head help it hear what it cannot see? • How does the shape of an owl’s head
The owl’s bowl-shaped face picks up distant sounds help it hear what it cannot see?
and amplifies them.
The owl’s bowl-shaped face picks up
distant sounds and amplifies them.
46

Differentiation
ADVANCED LEARNERS
Challenge students to research why different animals
may have a better sense of touch, smell, sight, hearing,
or taste than humans.

Teacher Reflection
• Did this activity engage the students?

• Did this activity allow students to generate their

own questions?

• What would I organize differently next year?

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Lesson 2, continued Page 47

How Do Animals Sense Their Environment?

How Do Animals Sense

Their Environment? Activity 6
Analyze Like a Scientist
Pizza and the Nervous System Quick Code:

Photo Credit: (a) Billion Photos / Shutterstock.com, (b) White Space Illustrations / Shutterstock.com
egs4031
Imagine you are standing outside a kitchen or restaurant. If you cannot
see what is being cooked, how do you think your senses could help you
figure out what food is being prepared? Read the passage to find out.
Then, complete the activity that follows.

Activity 6
Analyze Like a Scientist 15 min
Pizza and the Nervous System
In mammals, such as elephants,
humans, and dogs, the nervous system

Pizza and the Nervous System

is made up of the brain, the nerves,
and the spinal cord. The brain is
connected to a big nerve that runs
through the backbone, called the spinal

Purpose

Photo Credit: White Space Illustrations / Shutterstock.com

cord. The spinal cord branches out into
smaller and smaller nerves that are

In this activity, students use the common experience distributed throughout the body. A few
nerves, such as those from the eyes and
of smelling pizza to explore how humans collect heart, connect directly to the brain. The Nervous System

information through the senses and how the parts of the

nervous system carry information to the brain.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students explore how the senses work Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 47

together with the nervous system to gather information

in an environment.

Strategy DIGITAL
Prior to reading Pizza and the Nervous System, guide
students to make a connection to the reading by asking
them to imagine they are standing outside a kitchen or
restaurant. If there were no signs telling them what was
being served for lunch,

ASK How could you sense what food is being

prepared?
Activity 6
You might be able to smell the food and
recognize the scent. Analyze Like a Scientist
Pizza and the Nervous System
Ask students to read the text on how the nose detects
the smell of pizza. For extra literacy support, divide
Quick Code:
students into pairs to read the passage together and egst4031
encourage them to identify words in the text that could
be replaced by other words with similar meanings.

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Page 48 Lesson 2, continued

Next, instruct students to make a list of the parts of the

Pizza and the Nervous System, continued nervous system.
The sense organs receive information from the environment. Nerves in the
body connect the sense organs to the brain. Nerves are constantly receiving
ASK • What does the brain do with the
information from the senses and sending the information to the brain. For
instance, if you smell a pizza, that information is detected by your nose. Then, information it receives from the nose?
nerves at the back of the nose send a specific signal to your brain. The signals The brain identifies the signals from the
travel as electrical impulses from the sense organ along the nerves to the
brain. Once the information about the smell reaches the brain, the brain can nose.
determine what to do with that information, including how to react.

• What role does memory play in responding

to the smell of the pizza?

Photo Credit: Billion Photos / Shutterstock.com

Identify and list the parts of the nervous system. Briefly describe the
The memory signals that the smell of pizza
function of each.
is associated with food.
Parts of the nervous system:
• Brain—the main control center in an animal body
• Spinal cord—helps carry messages to and from Differentiation
your body and brain APPROACHING LEARNERS
• Nerves—carry messages from the brain all Ask students to draw a model of the body, labeling
through the body
parts that are involved in the senses. Encourage
students to use vocabulary used in the lesson, such as
brain, ear, heart, nerve, and tongue.
Optional Digital Activity 7
Observe Like a Scientist
Processing Sensory Information Quick Code:
MISCONCEPTION
egs4032
Go online to complete this activity.
Some students may think that senses work on their
48 own, independent of other parts of the nervous
system. Indeed, the senses are part of the nervous
system, which in turn is integrated and works with
other systems of the body. For instance, when a
person smells food, the information from the odor is
sent to the brain, and then the brain determines how
to react to the smell.

Optional Digital Activity 7

Observe Like a Scientist 15 min

Processing Sensory
Information
This optional activity can be found
online. Optional digital activities
can be used to extend student Quick Code:
egst4032
exploration or to challenge
advanced students.

Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 59

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Lesson 3 Pages 49–50

How Can Different Parts of the Body Work

Together As a System?
How Can Different Parts of
the Body Work Together as Activity 8
Evaluate Like a Scientist
a System? Sensing the Environment Quick Code:
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Photo Credit: (a) Billion Photos / Shutterstock.com, (b) Michal Sloviak / Shutterstock.com
Read the following passage to learn more about an extra-small
animal with extra-large ears, the Egyptian jerboa. Consider the different
systems that work together to help this animal stay alive. Think about
what you know about the human nervous system’s role in responding
to danger and how this compares to the jerboa reaction. Record your
thoughts and findings.

Activity 8
Evaluate Like a Scientist 45 min
Jumping Jerboa
Evening in the desert means it is time

Sensing the Environment

for many animals to wake up and
hunt. Just like people use their senses
to find and enjoy food, so do animals.
For some creatures, searching for food

Photo Credit: Michal Sloviak / Shutterstock.com

Purpose
can also mean becoming someone’s
dinner. Luckily, keen senses and
well-adapted body parts work together
In this activity, students build upon what they have to help animals survive.
The Egyptian Jerboa

learned about how human body parts work in systems

to understand how adaptations and the nervous system
partner to help animals survive.
Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 49
Instructional Focus
In this activity, students look for evidence to explain
how physical adaptations, specialized sensory systems,
and the nervous system work together to help the
DIGITAL
jerboa survive.

Life Skills Critical Thinking

Strategy
Prior to reading Jumping Jerboa, ask students if they
are familiar with the jerboa or if they have ever seen one
in the desert. While looking at the photograph of the
jerboa, ask students to consider which physical traits Activity 8
might make the jerboa well-adapted to survival in the Evaluate Like a Scientist
extreme conditions of the desert. Sensing the Environment

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ASK • Which sense do you think the jerboa relies

How does the jerboa’s physical response to danger compare to that of a human?
Both humans and jerboas avoid danger by upon most to help it to sense danger?
relying on sensory receptors, nerves, and a brain Since the jerboa’s eyes are small and the
to sense and communicate messages. Humans ears are big, maybe the jerboa primarily
do not have to run from predators, but our body uses its sense of hearing.
reacts by also moving quickly away from threats
to our safety. • Knowing what you know about how the
Use the three boxes to sketch what happens in the jerboa’s body from the time human body works in systems to avoid
the jerboa hears a predator to when it escapes danger.
danger, what can you predict about how
Photo Credit: Michal Sloviak / Shutterstock.com

Student drawings will vary but should include the jerboa stays safe?
labeled sketches of the various stages in the We know that the brain sends messages to
jerboa’s reaction to danger as well as the different parts of the body so that we can
body parts involved.
react to danger quickly. Maybe the nervous
system of the jerboa works in the same way.

Pair students with a reading partner. Ask pairs to read

the passage together and then discuss the first student
response item.
Optional Digital Activity 9
Once students have had a chance to discuss with their
Observe Like a Scientist
partner, provide students with time to individually
Nerves Quick Code:
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Go online to complete this activity.

Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 51

If time allows, ask students to share their sketches with
the class.

Optional Digital Activity 9

Observe Like a Scientist 20 min

Nerves
This optional activity can be found
online. Optional digital activities
can be used to extend student
exploration or to challenge Quick Code:
advanced students. egst4034

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Lesson 4
Materials List (per group)
Activity 10
Investigate Like a Scientist 45 min
• Meterstick
• Calculator

Hands-On Investigation: • Chair

Reaction Time

Purpose
This activity will help students synthesize what they
have learned about the function of the nervous system

ON
in different animals and the role that senses play in

I
survival. Students investigate their own senses, which IN

AT
helps provide context for how other animals rely on VEST IG
sight, hearing, and quick reaction times in order to
stay alive.

Instructional Focus Safety

In this activity, students carry out an investigation about
• Follow all lab safety guidelines.
reaction time in response to auditory versus visual
stimuli. • Use caution when standing on a chair.
Life Skills Collaboration • Follow proper disposal and cleaning
procedures after the lab.

• Tie back long hair.

• Do not eat or drink anything in the lab.

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1.2 Learn  How do animals sense and process information?

Activity Activator: Make a Prediction
Activity 10
Investigate Like a Scientist Students will compare visual and auditory reaction times
Hands-On Investigation: Quick Code:
by measuring how quickly they catch a meterstick.
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Reaction Time
You read how reaction time is critical for animals like the jerboa. In this
Introduce students to the concept of reaction time.
investigation, you will examine reaction time for catching a meterstick that
is dropped. In the first part of the investigation, you will use the sense of
Have students turn to a partner and discuss the
sight to see when the meterstick is dropped. In the second part, you will following situation: In races such as swim meets, it
use the sense of sound, listening for a signal to know the meterstick was
dropped. A chart has been provided to help you calculate how quickly you is important for the people timing the event to have
reacted using distance on the meterstick. As you investigate, think of how
reaction time affects humans and animals differently. accurate times. There are two ways they tell the
Make a Prediction
swimmers to begin the race: a buzzer sounds and a
Which sense will have the faster reaction time, sight or sound? Explain light flashes. Timers are told to start their watches when
your prediction.
Answers may vary. Students should indicate which they see the light flash rather than when they hear the
sense organ they think will process information buzzer. Why do you think this is so? Explain that the
more quickly and give an example to support this reaction time is how fast it takes your body to receive
statement. the input from the environment and then process a
reaction. In this case, reaction time is how quickly it
takes for timers to see the light and start the stopwatch.
Today, students will conduct an investigation to see if
the reaction time is quicker for visual or for auditory
stimuli.

Life Skills  I can think about how my team works together. Have students predict which sense will have the faster
reaction time, sight or sound. Students should record
52 their predictions.

Teacher Preparation:
Gather materials in advance of students performing
DIGITAL the lab.

Before explaining the procedures to students, challenge

them to design a way to compare reaction time to
a visual stimulus with reaction time to an auditory
stimulus. Guide students with questions such as:

• How can we use this meterstick to measure

reaction time?
Activity 10 • What visual clues could we use?
Investigate Like a Scientist
• What auditory clues (sound) could we use?
Hands-On Investigation: Reaction
Time

Quick Code:
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Lesson 4, continued Page 53

Activity Procedure: What Will You Do?

What materials do you need? (per group)
1. Assign students to groups of 2 or 3. Distribute the • Meterstick
materials to each group. • Chair

• Calculator
2. Model for students how to measure the reaction
time. One student should stand carefully on a chair,

ON
holding the top of the meterstick between two

I
IN

AT
fingers. The meterstick should be oriented with VEST IG

the zero at the bottom. The second student should What Will You Do?
stand across from this student, holding his or her 1. Work with your partner to carry out the first three meterstick drops, using
only the sense of sight. One partner will drop the stick. The other partner
hand around the bottom of the meterstick, as close will catch it when they see the stick fall.

to the zero mark as possible but not touching it. At 2. Now repeat the experiment three more times with your partner. The
student who will catch the stick should close their eyes. The person
a random time, the person holding the meterstick dropping the stick will use a word signal when they let go, such as “now.”
3. Record your results in the Reaction Time Data Table.
releases it, and the other person tries to grasp the 4. Circle the median distance from your three trials. In order to do this, list
the three distances in order from least to greatest, and circle the distance
meterstick as quickly as possible. The students in the middle. Record this number in the Median Distance column.

should then record the number of centimeters that 5. Use the Meters/Second Conversion Chart to convert your median
distance to reaction time. Record the time in the final column of the
the meterstick fell before being caught. Reaction Time Data Table.

3. Have each student conduct the activity at least three

times and record the measurements in the Reaction
Time Data Table. Students should circle the median
distance, or the middle number when all three trial Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 53
distances are listed in ascending order.

4. Students may be unable to capture reaction

times precisely and accurately using standard
stopwatches. Therefore, to help students
approximate their reaction times, a table has been
provided for reference so that students can easily
convert the median distance that the ruler traveled
into their reaction time. (Note: These reaction times
are calculated based on the rate of gravitational
acceleration on Earth. All falling objects accelerate
toward the ground at a rate of about 9.8 meters
per second.) Students do not need to understand
gravity, the way the conversion chart was calculated,
or how to work with decimals in this activity.
Support students in finding the median number by
encouraging them to focus on and compare the
digits, not the decimal points.

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1.2 Learn  How do animals sense and process information?

Reaction Time Data Table Meters/Second Conversion Chart
Student Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
Median
Distance
Reaction
Time
Distance (cm) Time
5 .10 sec
Student data will vary.
10 .14 sec
15 .17 sec
20 .20 sec
25.5 .23 sec
Meters/Second Conversion Chart
28 .25 sec
Distance (cm) Time
43 .30 sec
5 .10 sec
10 .14 sec 61 .35 sec
15 .17 sec
20 .20 sec 79 .40 sec
25.5 .23 sec
28 .25 sec
99 .45 sec
43 .30 sec
122 .50 sec
61 .35 sec
79 .40 sec 176 .60 sec
99 .45 sec
122 .50 sec
176 .60 sec 5. Have the students repeat the investigation.
However, this time the student catching should
54 close his or her eyes. The person dropping the
meterstick should say a word, such as “drop”
or “now,” as a signal for the student to catch the
meterstick. Again, have the students record the
reaction time for three trials.

6. Allow groups to switch roles so that everyone has a

chance to test their reaction time.

7. Discuss the results with the students.

ASK Which resulted in the quicker reaction time:

auditory or visual signals? How was the
information received and processed in each of
these examples?
Student answers will vary according to their
results. Our eyes and ears received information,
nerves passed along the information to the
brain for processing, then the brain sent the
message to our hand to catch the stick.

8. Instruct students to complete the Think About the

Activity questions.

Concept 1.2: Senses

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Lesson 4, continued Page 55

Analysis and Conclusions: Think About the Activity

Think About the Activity How was the information processed in each part of the investigation?
In the first part, my eyes saw the meterstick drop
ASK • How was the information processed in and sent signals to my brain through nerves. The
each part of the investigation? brain processed the information and sent messages
In the first part, my eyes saw the meterstick to the muscles in my hand to grasp the stick. In the
second part, my ears received the signal and sent
drop and sent signals to my brain
the message to my brain to process the information
through nerves. The brain processed the and respond.
Was there a difference in reaction time between seeing the meterstick
information and sent messages to the drop and being told it was dropped? Use what you have learned to explain
your answer.
muscles in my hand to grasp the stick. Possible response: I was able to catch the meterstick
In the second part, my ears received the faster when I saw it drop. My brain was able to
signal and sent the message to my brain to process what my eyes saw faster than I was able to
process the information and respond. process what I heard.

Why was it important to do multiple trials for each person?

• Was there a difference in reaction time The person may have been distracted in one trial.
between seeing the meterstick drop and Multiple trials improve your accuracy.
being told it was dropped? Use what you
have learned to explain your results. What are two examples of when reaction time is important in the world
around us?
Possible response: I was able to catch the Possible responses: Seeing a red light and pressing
meterstick faster when I saw it drop. My the brakes on a car, hearing a fire alarm and lining
brain was able to process what my eyes up for a fire drill, feeling a hot object and dropping it.
saw faster than I was able to process what
I heard. Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 55

• Why was it important to do multiple trials

for each person?
The person may have been distracted in
one trial. Multiple trials improve accuracy.

• What are two examples of when reaction

time is important in the world around us?
Possible responses: Seeing a red light and
pressing the brakes on a car, hearing a fire
alarm and lining up for a fire drill, feeling a
hot object and dropping it.

Differentiation
ADVANCED LEARNERS
Challenge students to research different types of
reflexes. Why does a doctor test reflexes? What does it
tell the doctor?

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1.2 Learn  How do animals sense and process information?
Activity 11
Activity 11
Observe Like a Scientist
Observe Like a Scientist 25 min

How the Nervous System Works

How the Nervous System Works Quick Code:
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Photo Credit: (a) Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com, (b) Giovanni Cancemi / Shuttesrtock.com, (c) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
You have just completed an investigation into your own visual and auditory
senses. Now it is time to discover how our nervous system works. Read
the passage that follows and watch the video to learn how this system
works. Then, talk together about how the parts of the nervous system are
connected. Be ready to share your ideas. Purpose
In this activity, students combine what they know about
Your nervous system is very busy. It has three
Video sensory and motor input to describe how parts of the
jobs: gather information, make sense of it,
and tell the body what to do based on that nervous system work together.
information. The nervous system gathers
information about what is going on inside and
outside your body and sends this information to the brain. Instructional Focus
The process begins with your senses. Sensory organs, like your eyes, ears,
and even skin, gather information. For example, your ears may pick up
In this activity, students engage in argument from
sound waves coming from a chirping bird. The nerves in your ears send a evidence to describe how parts of the nervous system
message to the brain. You do not actually hear the chirps until your brain
makes sense of the sound waves. Next, the brain sends a message to the
are connected.
Photo Credit: Giovanni Cancemi / Shuttesrtock.com

body about what to do, such as turn to look for the bird in a tree.

When the brain receives a message, it then sends a message telling the Strategy
body how to react. Some messages, called reflexes, are so fast you are
barely aware of them. Other messages are relayed to and from the brain Video resources are designed to help students meet
automatically, like the signal to breathe.
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
video, text has been provided to support learning.
Talk Together What role do you think reflexes played Encourage students to think about what they learned in
in the investigation?
the previous Hands-On Investigation as they watch the
56 video How the Nervous System Works.

• First, write the terms sensory input and motor input

on the board. Tell students to look for the meaning
of this vocabulary in the video.
DIGITAL
• After reading the text and watching the video,
discuss what students have learned about how
senses and nerves work together to send messages
throughout the body.

ASK How are the components of the nervous

system connected?
The nervous system is connected by nerves
Activity 11 that transmit messages around the body.
Observe Like a Scientist
How the Nervous System Works
MISCONCEPTION
Quick Code: Some students may think that all actions are voluntary,
egst4036 or controlled by us. This is not the case. Some actions,
such as the beating of our hearts, happen without us
thinking about them. Reflexes are also involuntary.

Concept 1.2: Senses

Concept
at Work
1.2: 67
 CONCEPT

1.2 Learn

PRINT
Lesson 5, continued Page 57

Activity 12
Evaluate Like a Scientist 20 min
Activity 12
Evaluate Like a Scientist

Describing the Nervous System

Describing the Nervous System Quick Code:
egs4037

Photo Credit: (a) Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com, (b) Paul Fuqua, (c) Lightspring / Shutterstock.com, (d) petershreiber.media / Shutterstock.com,
The Nervous System
Look at the following images. Which of these are part of the nervous
system? Circle all that apply.
Purpose
Students previously discovered how the parts
of the nervous system are connected. In this
formative assessment, students explain their current

(e) Phonlamai Photo / Shutterstock.com

understandings of the role of the nervous system and its
component parts. Brain Spinal Cord

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students explain how components of the
nervous system work together to carry out functions
that the individual parts cannot.

Life Skills Problem Solving Nerves Blood

The Nervous System Life Skills  I can use information to solve a problem.

Strategy Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 57

Use the item The Nervous System to determine if
students know the parts of the nervous system.

DIGITAL

Activity 12
Evaluate Like a Scientist
Describing the Nervous System

Quick Code:
egst4037

68
PRINT
Page 58 Lesson 5, continued

1.2 Learn  How do animals sense and process information?

Job of the Nervous System

Job of the Nervous System
Think about what you have learned about the nervous system and explain
what the parts of the nervous system can do together that the individual
parts cannot do alone. Share your answer with a partner.
Strategy
Answers will vary. The parts of the nervous system The item Job of the Nervous System will allow you
work together to sense the environment, interpret to assess students’ ability to summarize the role the
the information to decide the best action, and then
nervous system plays. Students may complete this
send a signal to the body to react. Without all of the
individually or in pairs.
parts of the nervous system, the person might not
receive, send, or react to the information.

Photo Credit: Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com

58

Concept 1.2: Senses

Concept
at Work
1.2: 69
 CONCEPT

1.2 Learn

PRINT
Lesson 5, continued Page 59
xx

Describe the Nervous System Describe the Nervous System

Read the sentences that describe the nervous system. Write the correct
Strategy term from the word bank in each blank. You will not use all the terms.

In the item Describe the Nervous System, instruct heart brain nerves blood
students to select the correct terms in each sentence. nervous system reaction time reflexes

brain
Differentiation 1. The
center for your body.
is like the command

APPROACHING LEARNERS 2. Nerves send(s) messages to

the brain.

Photo Credit: Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com

Provide students with a diagram of the body with the
3. The brain is part of the nervous system  .
parts labeled. Have students match each of the five
4. Reflexes are messages sent by the
senses with the part of the body that is involved. nervous system that are often so fast you do not think about them.

Optional Digital Activity 13

Analyze Like a Scientist

Your Nervous System Quick Code:
egs4038
Go online to complete this activity.

Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 59

DIGITAL

Optional Digital Activity 13

Analyze Like a Scientist 20 min

Your Nervous System

This optional activity can be found
online. Optional digital activities Quick Code:
ca2509s
can be used to extend student
exploration or to challenge Quick Code:
advanced students. egst4038

70
 CONCEPT

1.2 Share

PRINT
Page 60 Lesson 6
1.2 Share  How do animals sense and process information?

Activity 14 Scientific Explanation

Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Dolphin Super Senses Quick Code:
egs4039
You have learned a lot about how
Video
the nervous system and senses work
together. Now think about the dolphin
and its super sense. Review the video, Activity 14
text, and the early ideas you recorded
Record Evidence Like a Scientist

Photo Credit: (a) Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com, (b) Andrea Izzotti / Shutterstock.com
in Wonder. Then, answer the question
that follows. 25 min
How can you describe dolphin super senses now?

Dolphin Super Senses

How is your explanation different from before?

Purpose
In this activity, students return to the questions posed
at the beginning of the concept and reconsider what
Photo Credit: Andrea Izzotti / Shutterstock.com

they know now. The process of writing a scientific

Look at the Can You Explain? question. You first read this question at the explanation using evidence to support a claim is a key
beginning of the lesson.
step in students constructing scientific knowledge that
Can You Explain? they can then use and apply.
How do animals sense and process information?

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students construct explanations to
communicate information about how animals use their
60
nervous systems to retrieve and respond to information
in the environment.

Strategy
DIGITAL Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, students can return to the text provided in
Wonder.

Guide students to review the text and video in the

Investigative Phenomenon of Dolphin Super Senses and
the Can You Explain? question. Ask students to use their
experiences in Learn to consider how to explain the
Activity 14
phenomenon. Once students have decided how best to
Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Dolphin Super Senses
describe the phenomenon, direct them to discuss their
ideas with the class or a partner.

Quick Code:
Once reasoning has been discussed, ask students to
egst4039 generate a scientific explanation to answer the Can
You Explain? question. Students should write in full
sentences, incorporating at least two pieces of evidence
in support of their response.

Concept
concept 1.2: Senses at Work 71
 CONCEPT

1.2 Share

PRINT
Lesson 6, continued Page 61

Now, you will use your new ideas about senses to answer a question.

Can You Explain? 1. Choose a question. You can use the Can You Explain? question or one
of your own. You can also use one of the questions that you wrote at the
beginning of the lesson.

How do animals sense and process My Question

information? Answers may vary.

Students have written a scientific explanation in the

Photo Credit: Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com

prior concept and should be familiar with the claim-and- 2. To plan your scientific explanation, first write your claim. Your claim is a
one-sentence answer to the question you investigated. It answers, What
evidence framework. In later units, students will expand can you conclude? It should not start with yes or no.

scientific explanations to include a claim, evidence, and My claim:

reasoning. In this activity, you may want to review the Answers will vary. Animals use their nervous
following: systems to sense and process information.
Record evidence to support your claim.
A claim is a one-sentence answer to the question you
Evidence
investigated. It answers, what can you conclude? It
should not start with yes or no. Answers will vary. Nerves need to send
information from our senses to the brain to
Evidence must be: process, and make sense of it. Our senses can’t
process information without the nervous system.
• Sufficient—Use enough evidence to support the claim.

• Appropriate—Use information from text, video, or

data that supports the claim. Leave out information Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 61
that doesn’t support the claim.

If needed, model writing a claims-and-evidence

framework using a student question.

Sample student response:

Animals receive, transmit, and process sensory
information through the nervous system. All animals
have sense organs. In humans, our sense organs
include the eyes, nose, ears, mouth and skin. When
animals receive information from the environment,
this information is transmitted to the brain through
electrical impulses. When my nose smells pizza, a
signal is sent to my brain, and then the brain sends
signals to the rest of the body telling it how to react.
The amount of time it takes to react can be different
based on the stimulus. I could catch a meterstick faster
using sight than with just hearing. Dolphins and bats
use sound echolocation to find food. The sense organs
allow animals to adapt and survive in their particular
environment. If they didn’t have these sense organs,
they would not survive.

72
PRINT
Page 62 Lesson 6, continued

1.2 Share  How do animals sense and process information?

Now, write your scientific explanation.
Differentiation
Answers will vary. Animals receive, transmit, and APPROACHING LEARNERS
process sensory information through the nervous Some of the vocabulary words, such as heart, nerve, and
system. All animals have sense organs. In humans,
sense, may be confusing to students because they are
our sense organs include the eyes, nose, ears,
used in other contexts. Have students make a list of any
mouth, and skin. When animals receive information
from the environment, this information is transmitted
words like this that they have heard elsewhere and make
to the brain through electrical impulses. When my sure that their definitions are correct for this context.
nose smells pizza, a signal is sent to my brain, and
Because of cultural, linguistic, and economic
then the brain sends signals to the rest of the body

Photo Credit: Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com

differences, not all students may be familiar with the
telling it how to react. The amount of time it takes
to react can be different based on the sense used.
domain-specific words commonly used in science.
I could catch a meterstick faster using sight than As a result, some students will encounter difficulty
with just hearing. Dolphins and bats use sound or show a lack of confidence when reporting on
echolocation to find food. The sense organs allow their scientific explanations or engaging in scientific
animals to adapt and survive in their particular argument. Classroom instruction should be adapted to
environment. If they didn’t have these sense organs, meet the needs of these students. Most importantly,
they would not survive. students should be provided with a supportive learning
environment that respects the discussion of their ideas.
Optional Digital Activity 15
Analyze Like a Scientist
Careers: Become a Neuroscientist Quick Code:

Teacher Reflection
egs4040
Go online to complete this activity.

• How did I provide scaffolding for students to

62
construct their scientific explanations?

• How do I know my students are ready to

apply the core content knowledge to another
context?

Optional Digital Activity 15

Analyze Like a Scientist 20 min

Careers: Become a
Neuroscientist
This optional activity can be found
online. Optional digital activities
can be used to extend student Quick Code:
egst4040
exploration or to challenge
advanced students.

Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 73

 CONCEPT

1.2 Share

PRINT
Lesson 6, continued Page 63

Review and Assess Activity 16

Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Senses at Work Quick Code:
egs4041
Think about what you have learned so far about senses and how organisms
process information. In the space provided, first discuss the senses and
how they help us understand the world around us. Then, explain the role the
Activity 16 nervous system has in processing information.

Photo Credit: (a) Arnold O. A. Pinto / Shutterstock.com, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
Student answers will vary.
Evaluate Like a Scientist 20 min

Review: Senses at Work

Purpose
The final activity of the concept asks students to review
and explain the main ideas of how organisms sense and Talk Together Think about what you saw in Get
process information. Started. Use your new ideas to discuss how we get
information from our senses and how organisms use their
senses to survive.

Instructional Focus
Students first discuss and then summarize their learning
in a written explanation about senses and processing
information.
Life Skills  I can work to meet expectations.
Life Skills Accountability
Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 63

Strategy
Now that students have achieved this concept’s
objectives, direct them to review the key ideas in their
notes. Allow time for students to work with a partner DIGITAL
or a small group as they discuss their learning and
any additional questions they have at this point. Once
discussion has ended, direct students to explain in
writing how organisms sense, transmit, and react to
information.

In the summative concept assessment, students will

explain how animals sense, transmit, and react to
information. Students will also outline the main organs Activity 16
of the central nervous system. Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Senses at Work

Quick Code:
egst4041

74
Concept 1.2: Senses at Work 75
 Photo Credit: Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com
Light and Sight
CONCEPT

1.3

76
 Concept Objectives
By the end of this concept, students should be able to:

• Argue from evidence that light transfers energy across distances. Quick Code:
egst4042
• Develop a model that describes how the behavior of light, as it reflects
from objects, allows the eye to see objects.

• Construct an explanation for how adaptations help some animals gather

information in the dark.

Key Vocabulary
new: feature, light, matter, opaque,
pupil, reflect, transparent
Photo Credit: Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com

review: energy Quick Code:

egst4043

Key Vocabulary Strategies

Think-Pair-Share
• Divide students into pairs. Provide a list of vocabulary words for each pair to review.
• Have students highlight words that they are familiar with. Have students discuss with
their partners what they already know about the words.
• Ask students to circle the words that they are not familiar with. At the end of the
lesson, have students discuss what they learned about the circled words with their
partner.

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 77

CONCEPT

1.3 Light and Sight

Concept Pacing

Recommended Pathway
In order to meet the expectations of the standards, students must complete each
activity within the recommended pathway.

Location Days Model Lesson Time

Activity 1 10 min

Wonder Lesson 1 Activity 2 20 min

Activity 3 15 min

Activity 4 15 min
Lesson 2
Activity 5 30 min

Activity 6 20 min
Lesson 3
Learn Activity 7 25 min

Activity 8 30 min
Lesson 4
Activity 9 15 min

Activity 10 20 min
Lesson 5
Activity 11 25 min
Lesson 4
Share Activity 12 20 min
Lesson 6
Activity 13 25 min

78
Content Background

What Is Light?
The term light can be used to refer to visible light—the colors that we can see—or
to the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Electromagnetic radiation carries energy
from place to place by way of electromagnetic waves, so light can be described as
a wave. Visible light (the colors red through violet) is roughly in the middle of this
spectrum. In this concept and at this age level, the term “light” refers to light we
can see—visible light. However, what is visible to the human eye can be different
from what other animals can see. How the eyes of various organisms process light
and the ideal conditions for using the sense of sight depend on how an organism
has physically adapted for survival in certain conditions.

How Have Animals Adapted to Low Light Conditions?

At this point in the unit, students have investigated the physical and behavioral
adaptations of organisms in extreme climates. In very hot environments, many
animals rely on a nocturnal lifestyle to survive. Feeding and hunting at night
allows these animals to sleep through the hottest parts of the day, often in dark
underground burrows. To support these behavioral adaptations, these animals
have developed a number of structural adaptations that allow them to function
in an environment that lacks an abundance of available light. Larger eyes with a
wider pupil allow for the capture of any available light. Different ratios of light and
color receptor cells within the eye prioritize the ability to capture light over the
luxury of identifying colors for nocturnal creatures. Finally, specialized reflective
structures on the back of the eyes of some nocturnal animals work like mirrors to
reflect and multiply even small amounts of light. This layer of cells beneath the
retina is called the tapetum lucidum (tapestry of light). In addition to providing
nocturnal animals with the glowing quality that can be seen when light reflects off
of their eyes, it allows for light to be reflected within the eye, thereby allowing
the photoreceptors within the eye of the animal a second chance at processing
the image.

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 79

CONCEPT

1.3 Light and Sight

Content Background, continued

How Light Travels

To understand how the eyes of nocturnal animals are adapted to process light
in a way that supports survival, students must understand the phenomenon of
reflection. To comprehend this process, students must understand both what light
is and how it travels.

Light moves through a vacuum in straight lines and at a constant speed. It moves
more slowly through matter. When light moves from one material to another, it
interacts with that material. Light waves may bounce off (reflect), change speed
and direction (refract), or be absorbed. When light waves hit a smooth surface,
they are reflected evenly from that surface and travel away from the surface at the
same angle that they hit the surface. When light waves hit a rough surface, the
light waves are scattered unevenly by the different facets of the surface and travel
in many directions at many angles away from the surface.

80
Hands-On Investigations Preparation

Learn

Location Instructional Focus Materials to Prepare (per group)

Activity 5: Light In this activity, students explore how • Flashlight

Observations light is related to sight.
• Small box (approximately the size of
a shoebox) with two holes about
5 cm apart at one end of the box
• Object that can fit inside the box

Activity 8: In this activity, students plan and carry • Flashlight

Reflection out an investigation about which types
• Various objects made of different
of objects best reflect light.
materials such as a plastic block,
wooden block, piece of cloth,
mirror, paper, piece of metal, and
so on

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 81

 CONCEPT

1.3 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 1 Page 65

Activity 1
Can You Explain? 10 min Activity 1
Can You Explain?
What needs to happen for humans
and other animals to see an object in
low-light areas?

Photo Credit: (a) Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com, (b) Dean Drobot / Shutterstock.com
Purpose In the last concept you learned about how animals sense and
process information. Now you will connect your learning about
This activity draws on students’ prior knowledge and senses to explore the relationship between light and vision.

Imagine the power goes out at night and you cannot turn on
personal experiences by asking them to consider what any lights. Which senses help you gather information about your

is needed to see objects in an area with low light. surroundings when you have little light? Do animals use the same
senses to get around in the dark? What needs to happen for
humans or other animals to see an object in low-light areas?
To see in an area with low light, humans
Instructional Focus

Photo Credit: Dean Drobot / Shutterstock.com

need to add light. Some animals can see
In this activity, students use prior knowledge to better than humans in the dark. We can
construct an explanation of why light is needed to see get light from sunlight, fires, electric lights,
in a low-light area. or even flashlights. The eye senses the
light and the brain tells you what
Life Skills Endurance you are seeing.
Quick Code: Life Skills  I can share ideas I am
egs4044 not yet sure about.
Strategy
Encourage students to explain what they already know
Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 65
about what needs to happen to see an object in dark
places. Challenge them to think about light energy and
how it strikes matter.

Students may have some initial ideas about how to DIGITAL

answer the question (see sample student response in
the Student Materials page). By the end of the concept,
students should be able to construct a scientific
explanation that includes evidence from the concept
activities.

Activity 15
Activity
WhatYou
Can Do Explain?
You Already Know About
Life Cycles?

Evaluate 20 min Quick Code:

Quick Code:
egst4044
ca3359s

82
 PRINT
Page 66 Lesson 1, continued
What needs to happen for humans or other animals to see an
1.3 Wonder  object in low-light areas?

Activity 2 Investigative Phenomenon

Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Hunting with Night Vision Quick Code:
egs4045
You thought about how difficult it is to see when there is not much light.
Consider other animals. Do you know of any animals that can see in the
dark? Read the text and watch the video about two animals that hunt using
Activity 2
night vision. Then, discuss what you notice about how your own vision
works at night. Ask Questions Like a Scientist 20 min

Photo Credit: (a) Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com, (b) PicksArt / Shutterstock.com

We use our sense of sight to gather information
Video
Hunting with Night Vision
about what is happening around us. To see

Purpose
well, our eyes require light. Without light,
we would need a set of night vision goggles to
see in the dark. This is not true for all animals
though. The fishing cat is a wild cat that hunts
The Investigative Phenomenon sparks curiosity in
for food at night. These animals are able to find their prey in the dark students as they begin to consider how the sense
because of the structure of their eyes.
of vision works. This activity asks students to share
The fishing cat’s eyes seem to glow in the dark. The reason they do this is
questions about the relationship between light and
Photo Credit: PicksArt / Shutterstock.com

because all cats have a mirror-like membrane on the back of their eyes. As
light enters, it bounces off this membrane, allowing the eye to collect more vision.
available light. This adaptation allows cats to have excellent night vision
that they use to hunt successfully in the dark.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students ask questions about the
relationship between light and vision and use these
questions as a basis for defining problems and possible
solutions.
66

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
DIGITAL videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Students have investigated some aspects of how

senses work. Use this activity to encourage students
to think in more detail about how the sense of vision
works. What questions do students have? Make a class
list of questions to revisit throughout the concept.
Invite students to continue adding to the questions
throughout the lessons and finding answers through
Activity
Activity 7
2 their work.
Stages of an Animal’s
Ask Questions Like aLife Cycle
Scientist
Hunting with Night Vision

Analyze 20 min Quick Code:

ca3361s
egst4045

Concept
Concept
1.3: Light
1.3:and
Wonder
Sight 83
 CONCEPT

1.3 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 1, continued Page 67

• Ask students if they know of any animals that can

Write three questions you have and then share them with a partner.
see in the dark. Then, show students the video Let’s
Investigate Hunting with Night Vision and ask them I wonder . . .

to read the companion text. After watching the Student questions will vary.
video and reading the text, students should discuss Do all cats, even lions and tigers, have this
membrane?
with a partner what they notice about how their
own vision works in the day versus at night. Call on
student volunteers to share something they use to
I wonder . . .
help them see at night.

Photo Credit: Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com

• Many students may have noticed that when they
turn out the lights at night, their eyes slowly adjust
to the lack of light. Encourage students to reflect on
why they cannot immediately see in the dark. How
I wonder . . .
does the variable of light affect sight? Can people
see if there is no light? Why do animals’ eyes seem
to get bigger in the dark?

• Gather students’ ideas and use these to help them

frame questions about light and vision. Encourage
students to think of questions that are testable. As
students reflect on their prior knowledge about
sight, encourage them to begin thinking about Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 67

possible tools, objects, or processes that might be

used to solve problems related to vision and frame
these as questions.

Activity 5
What Do You Already Know About
Life Cycles?

Evaluate 20 min Quick Code:

ca3359s

84
PRINT
Page 68 Lesson 1, continued
What needs to happen for humans or other animals to see an
1.3 Wonder  object in low-light areas?
Activity 3
Activity 3
Evaluate Like a Scientist 15 min
Evaluate Like a Scientist

What Do You Already Know About

What Do You Already Know About Quick Code:
egs4047
Light and Sight?

Photo Credit: (a) Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com, (b-c) Paul Fuqua, (d) HAKINMHAN / Shutterstock.com, (e) Dragance137 / Shutterstock.com,
Light and Sight?

(f) Sergey Tinyakov / Shutterstock.com, (g) Pedrosala / Shutterstock.com, (h) Anvar Ianbaev / Shutterstock.com, (i) Pixabay
Sources of Light
A source of light is something that gives off its own light. There are objects
that reflect light. These objects are not considered a source of light. Look at

Purpose
the pictures. Circle the pictures that show sources of light.

In this formative assessment, students share their

current understanding about sources of light. Students
make an inference about the relationship between a
source of light and how we can see an object that does
not produce its own light. This understanding sets the
stage for further learning about how vision works.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students communicate current
understandings of how light sources play a role in
vision.

Strategy
Students should complete the formative assessment
68
items to provide evidence of prior knowledge related to
light and sight.

The items Sources of Light and How We See provide a

DIGITAL formative assessment of students’ existing knowledge
of sources of light and the process of vision.

Be alert for misconceptions conflating sources of light

with the reflection of light. For now, help students
understand that a light source is an object that produces
its own light, such as the sun or a light bulb.

Activity 7
3
Sources of Light
Evaluate
Stages Like
of an a Scientist
Animal’s Life Cycle
Strategy
What Do You Already Know About
Light and Sight? The assessment item Sources of Light provides a
formative assessment of students’ existing knowledge
Analyze 20 min Quick Code: about sources of light.
egst4047
ca3361s

Concept
Concept
1.3: Light
1.3:and
Wonder
Sight 85
 CONCEPT

1.3 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 1, continued Page 69

After the assessment, ask students to identify all the

How We See
sources of light in the classroom. If all students do Diagrams can be used to help us understand how we see objects. Look at
not agree on specific sources, record these sources the images below. The yellow arrows represent the paths that light might
travel. Circle the image that best shows what happens when you see a

for discussion after students have completed further red ball.

activities.

How We See
Strategy

Photo Credit: Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com

The item How We See provides a formative assessment
of what students know about the causal relationships
involved in sight.

To extend this activity, provide students with an

opportunity to test these relationships directly. For
example, provide a red ball and turn off the lights.
Are students able to see the red ball? To illustrate for
students that our eyes do not produce the light that
enables us to see, you could either show the anatomy
of the eye or note that light has a definite speed and
discuss how that implies that it is light traveling and
not our “eye beams” traveling. Unfortunately, roughly
50 percent of adults believe in some version of “eye Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 69

beams,” and the evidence against it is not especially

simple.

Teacher Reflection
Based on my data:

• What content do my students already know?

• What misconceptions do my students have at
this point in the course?
• Are any of my students ready for extension at Activity 5
this point in the lesson? What Do You Already Know About
Life Cycles?

Evaluate 20 min Quick Code:

ca3359s

86
 CONCEPT

1.3 Learn

PRINT
Page 70 Lesson 2
What needs to happen for humans or other animals to see an object
1.3 Learn  in low-light areas?
Activity 4
Activity 4
Observe Like a Scientist 15 min
Observe Like a Scientist

Hunting in the Dark

Hunting in the Dark Quick Code:
egs4046
As you begin to think about the sense of sight, consider the effects of light
on our vision. Are you able to see easily in the dark? How does human sight
compare to that of the nocturnal animals seen in the video and the images?

Photo Credit: (a) Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com, (b) Ondrej Prosicky / Shutterstock.com, (c) Karkhut / Shutterstock.com
After watching the video and studying the images, complete the chart to
compare and explain the abilities of humans, cats, and tarsiers to see in Purpose
dark places.
Students begin their investigation into sight by
Humans have difficulty seeing in the dark, but Video
considering the differences between the eyes of animals
nocturnal animals are better able to see. Why and humans. This activity sets the stage for future
is this so?
investigations into the importance of light for sight and
Many nocturnal animals have spectacular night
vision. As you read in the Investigative Phenomenon, some animals have
the structure of the eye that enables us to see.
eyes that are different than ours. There are many differences between the

Instructional Focus
eyes of a human and a nocturnal animal. To start, nocturnal animals have
Photo Credit: Ondrej Prosicky / Shutterstock.com

bigger eyes than humans. The pupils of their eyes usually open wider than
ours, letting in more light. Many nocturnal animals also have other senses
that are heightened, such as hearing and smell, that help them hunt and
In this activity, students watch a video to observe the
move about in the dark. abilities of tarsiers to see at night. Students also read a
text and view images to begin to explain the abilities of
humans, cats, and tarsiers to see in dark places.

Strategy
Cat Eyes in the Dark
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
70 videos, text has been provided to support learning.
Direct students to watch the video Tarsiers Hunt at
Night and read the companion text. After reading the
text and watching the video, encourage students to
DIGITAL discuss what surprised them and what new information
was learned.

Next, ask students to view the images Cavers and Cat

Eyes in the Dark. Guide discussion using the following
questions:

ASK • After learning about the tarsier, what do

you notice about the images?
Activity 4 Possible answers may include: The cat’s
Observe Like a Scientist eyes are big. They can see in the dark
Hunting in the Dark better than us. The cavers need light to be
able to see in the dark.
Quick Code:
ca3361s
egst4046

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 87

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Lesson 2, continued Page 71

ASK • Why are some animals adapted to see at

night? Let’s look at the tarsier as an example. It is a tiny primate from Southeast
Asia, about 10 centimeters long, not including its tail. These tiny mammals
They may hunt for prey at night, or they must search for insects, small lizards, or birds to eat, even though there is
little light available. Like owls, tarsiers’ huge eyes gather and reflect any
may need to avoid predators. light available to give them a picture of their surroundings. Also like owls,
tarsiers’ eyes are so big that they cannot move in their sockets. Instead the

• How are their eyes different from and tarsier can turn its head 180 degrees.

similar to ours?
Their eyes are larger to gather more light, After reading and observing, complete the chart to explain the abilities of
humans, cats, and tarsiers to see in dark places.
and their eyes are more sensitive to light.
Adapting to the Dark

Photo Credit: Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com

• Can any of them see in complete darkness? Humans Cats Tarsiers

Animals can detect very faint light levels, Humans need Cat eyes are Tarsiers have
but in complete darkness, they rely on other outside light much more huge eyes that
sources to sensitive and can see almost
senses, such as hearing, smell, and touch.
help us see in let in more everything in
the dark. Our light than the dark. They
eyes do not humans. This can turn their
Teacher Reflection let in as much lets them have head like an owl
light as cats or good night to help them
• Did this activity engage the students? tarsiers. vision. focus in the
dark on objects
• Did this activity allow students to generate their near or far away.
own questions?

• How will I organize this differently next year? Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 71

• Were students able to think about how we see

in low light levels?

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What needs to happen for humans or other animals to see an object
1.3 Learn  in low-light areas?
Activity 5
Activity 5
Investigate Like a Scientist
Investigate Like a Scientist 30 min

Hands-On Investigation:
Hands-On Investigation: Quick Code:
egs4050
Light Observations
Think about what you learned in the last activity about nocturnal animals.
Why are these animals able to see in the dark? Now, think about humans’ Light Observations
sight. How good are you at seeing without light?

In this activity, you will explore how light is related to sight. First, read the
What Will You Do? section. Then, record your predictions. Next, follow the
procedure to carry out an investigation. Then, compare your prediction to
Purpose
your observations and reflect on what you learned.
In this activity, students investigate how light is related
Make a Prediction to sight. After having read about and observed the
In this investigation, you will place an object into a box and then look into
the hole without any light entering the box.
tarsier, students will first make a prediction about
Check the box next to the sentence that best explains what you think what humans need for sight. This leads to a hands-on
will happen:
observation in which students collect evidence and test
 A. You will not see the object, no matter how long you look.
their ideas.
 B. You will see the object, but you will not see the color.

 C. You will see the object after a few moments once your eyes have
adjusted to the darkness.
Instructional Focus
 D. You will see the shadow of the object after your eyes have had time
to adjust to the darkness. In this activity, students explore how light is related
Describe your thinking. to sight.
Answers will vary. Sample response: When I look in
the box with the hole covered, I will not be able to Life Skills Collaboration
see the object. The object does not make its own
light and cannot reflect light in the dark box.
Activity Activator: Make a Prediction
72
Students consider whether they can see an object in
total darkness and explain their thinking in writing. To
help students make a prediction, ask: Have you ever
walked into a closet and shut the door? What can
DIGITAL you see?

Tell students that they will complete a simple

observation to collect evidence and test and clarify their
previous thinking. Once the investigation is complete,
students discuss the results and reflect on what they
learned. It is expected that students will be able to
explain that light is needed for an eye to see an object.

Activity 5
Investigate Like a Scientist Activity Procedure: What Will You Do?
Hands-On Investigation: Light 1. Begin with a review of what students already know
Observations
about light. Concepts may include what light is,
Quick Code: characteristics of light, and how light behaves.
egst4050
2. Divide students into groups and provide them
with the materials necessary to complete the
investigation.

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 89

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1.3 Learn

Lesson 2, continued

Materials List (per group)

3. Instruct students to read the What Will You Do?
section, and then ask students to record predictions. • Flashlight
Encourage students to share their predictions within • Small box (approximately the size of a
the group. shoebox) with lid and two small holes about
5 cm apart at one end of the box
4. To complete the investigation, students place
• Object that can fit in the box
an object inside the box and close the lid. One
student then covers one of the holes with their
hand and looks through the other hole. Next, the
student removes their hand and replaces it with the
flashlight, turned on. The same student looks again.

ON
All students should have a turn with the materials.
Once students have completed the investigation,

I
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they record observations. VEST IG
5. Discuss the results of the investigations with the class.

6. Finally, students compare their predictions to their

observations and answer the question under Think
About the Activity.

Analysis and Conclusions:

Think About the Activity
In order to facilitate class discussion on the Think About
the Activity section, break up the prompt into the
following two questions:

ASK • How do the results of your observation

compare to your prediction?
Answers will vary. Sample response: I
predicted that I would be able to see
the object once my eyes adjusted to the
darkness. When it was completely dark, I
could not see the object at all. Some light
helped me to see the object.

• Why does light permit you to see the

object in the box? Encourage students to
review the diagrams in Wonder to support
their answers. What happened with the
light that permitted you to see the object
in the box?
Answers will vary. Sample response: The
light bounced off the object into my eyes,
so I could see it.

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What needs to happen for humans or other animals to see an object

1.3 Learn  in low-light areas?

Observations
What materials do you need? (per group) Record what you saw in the box.
• Flashlight When I looked through the hole without any light,
• Small box (approximately the Answers will vary. Sample response: I was not able
size of a shoebox) with lid and
two small holes about 5 cm to see the object.
apart at one end of the box

• Object that can fit in the box When I looked through the hole with the flashlight shining,
Answers will vary. Sample response: I could see the

ON
object clearly when the light from the flashlight was

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AT
VEST IG shining into the box.
What Will You Do?
How could you improve this investigation to better understand how light is
1. Place the object inside the box.
needed for sight?
2. Close the lid.
Answers will vary. Sample response: I would allow
3. Cover one of the holes with your hand and look through the
other hole. different amounts of light to enter the box to see
4. Then, take away your hand and replace it with the flashlight, how much light is needed for sight.
turned on.
5. Look again. What happens?
Think About the Activity
6. Using what you already know, explain your observations.
Reread your prediction. Think about your investigation and your class
discussion. What do you know now? Think about what you learned and
write about any experiences that changed your thinking.
Answers will vary. Sample response: I predicted
that I would be able to see the object once my eyes
adjusted to the darkness. When it was completely
dark, I couldn’t see the object at all. Some light
is necessary to see the object because the light
Life Skills  I can think about how my team works together.
reflects off the object into my eye.

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 73 74

CONCEPT
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and Learn
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What Is Light?

What Is Light?
Activity 6
Analyze Like a Scientist
Light Is Energy Quick Code:
egs4048
In the last activity, you tested your own vision with and without light.
Now let’s learn how light helps us see. As you read the passage,
remember what you learned about how the nervous system works.
Activity 6
Analyze Like a Scientist
Read the text. Think about the main idea of each paragraph. Then,
with a partner, discuss how you can illustrate the information in each

Photo Credit: Africa Studio / Shutterstock.com

20 min paragraph. Once you agree, sketch the illustration you chose for
each paragraph.

Light Is Energy
Light Is Energy

Purpose
Seeing with our eyes is one way to collect information about the world
around us. Have you ever considered how you are able to see the objects

Photo Credit: Africa Studio / Shutterstock.com

around you? The answer is light. Light is a visible form of energy that
In this activity, students begin to build evidence travels in the form of a wave. In order for us to see, light must bounce off

to support their findings in the previous hands-on an object into our eyes. Our eyes then send messages to the brain, where
the information is processed.
investigation. By reading the text Light Is Energy,
students discover how light transfers energy from one
place to another.
Life Skills  I can apply an idea in a new way.
Instructional Focus
In this activity, students gather evidence for how vision
Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 75
works in low light and how light transfers energy from
one place to another.

Life Skills Creativity

DIGITAL
Strategy
Students will begin building evidence for how we see in
the dark by reading the text Light Is Energy.

• Ask students to read the text straight through one

time.

• Then, have students identify the main ideas of

the text. Ask how they can illustrate these ideas. Activity 6
5

Have them discuss what they would choose as an Analyze

What Do Like a Scientist
You Already Know About
Light Is Energy
Life Cycles?
illustration for each paragraph. Students should then
share their thoughts with a partner. Do they agree?
Can they come to consensus? Evaluate 20 min Quick Code:
egst4048
ca3359s
• Finally, have students complete a sketch of the
illustrations they choose for each paragraph.

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After they complete their sketches, have students

Light Is Energy, continued
review the models with a partner, discussing the
You may have noticed that it is much easier to see objects in bright light following guiding questions:
compared to objects in dim light. Imagine being in a completely dark room
with no light entering. Even though you know the objects are there and your
eyes and brain are there, you will not be able to see anything. What is missing? • What is the purpose of this model?
Without light bouncing off the objects into your eyes, everything will look black.

• How do the sketches show the flow of energy?

• Do the sketches show any cause-and-effect

Paragraph 1
relationships?

Photo Credit:Todorean-Gabriel / Shutterstock.com

Student sketches will vary.

Paragraph 2

76

DIGITAL

Activity 7
Stages of an Animal’s Life Cycle

Analyze 20 min Quick Code:

ca3361s

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 93

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Activity 7 Activity 7
Analyze Like a Scientist
Analyze Like a Scientist 25 min
Special Eye Structures Quick Code:
egs4052

Special Eye Structures

You may not know a lot about the structure of animal and human eyes,
but some animals have a special structure that helps them to see a lot
using only a little bit of light. Read the text that follows to learn more
about how something called the tapetum lucidum helps some animals
have exceptional night vision. Circle any words or phrases that you

Purpose
have questions about. Write your questions on the lines provided.
Then, discuss the Talk Together question with a partner. After you have
discussed, share your questions with the class.
In their explorations of light, students have tested
the limitations of their own sense of sight in low light

Photo Credit:Todorean-Gabriel / Shutterstock.com

conditions. Students have begun to think about how Special Eye Structures
light moves in a straight line. In this activity, students What do deer, horses, cats, and dogs all have that humans do not? You might
come up with a lot of different answers. One feature that relates to the sense
will learn about a structural feature in the eye of some of sight is something called the tapetum lucidum. This is a complex term for

animals that allows them use very small amounts of light an adaptation of the eye that some animals see better at night. If you translate
the term from Latin it means “tapestry of light”.
in a highly effective way. Becoming familiar with this

Photo Credit: Todorean-Gabriel / Shutterstock.com

You have read about and investigated how
phenomenon will allow students to have a real-world light impacts humans’ ability to see. In

example to draw upon as they investigate reflection in order for humans to see an object, light
must fall on the object and be reflected
the next activity. into to our eyes. Structures in human eyes
transmit messages to the brain to tell us
what we are seeing.
Instructional Focus Tapetum Lucidum

In this activity, students will look for evidence to explain

Circled words and phrases will vary.
how some animals’ eyes are structured to use light
reflection in order to function exceptionally well in low
light conditions. Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 77

Strategy
Prior to reading the text, ask students if they have ever
seen a cat outside at night, especially near a road. Ask DIGITAL
them to consider if they noticed anything remarkable
about the way the cat’s eyes appeared in the darkness.

Activity 7
Analyze Like a Scientist
Special Eye Structures

Quick Code:
egst4052

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ASK • What did you notice about the eyes of the

Special Eye Structures, continued cat, especially if headlights of a car were
In some animals, especially those who either hunt at night or need to avoid shining on the animal?
being hunted, the tapetum lucidum is a life-saving adaptation. The tapetum
lucidum is a thin layer, at the back of the eye, that reflects light. This means Student answers will vary but they may
that light bounces off it like a mirror. Light that is not detected at first passes
recall a time that they have seen an animal
through to the tapetum lucidum. Here it gets bounced back for second time.
The reflection is the glow that you see when light shines on a cat’s eyes in the in the dark with eyes that appeared to
dark. The tapetum lucidum gives animals with this adaptation access to twice
the amount of information about the nighttime world around them.
glow.

Circled words and phrases will vary. • Why do you think the eyes of a cat appear

Photo Credit:Todorean-Gabriel / Shutterstock.com

to glow?
Talk Together Why do you think humans do not have Student answers will vary but students
a tapetum lucidum? Would having this type of vision be
harmful or helpful for humans? Why or why not? may understand that this glow is part of an
adaptation that helps nocturnal animals to
see well at night.
What questions do you have about the passage?
Student answers will vary but may include: What
• Why would a cat’s eyes need any type of
is the tapetum lucidum? How do humans see?
Why is light important to vision? adaptation to see well at night?
Cats are nocturnal animals. Wild cats hunt
for prey at night.

Next, pair students with a partner and ask them to read

the text Special Eye Structures, circling any words or
phrases they have questions about. Once they have
78
finished reading, allow time for students to first discuss
their questions with a partner (or small group), and
then encourage a class discussion to elicit all student
questions. It is not important for all of the questions to
be answered at this time, but it is important for students
to engage with the text and think about how structural
adaptations (such as the special eye structure) can help
animals survive.

CONCEPT
ConceptCONCEPT
1.3: Light 1.3:
and Learn
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Lesson 4
Materials List (per group)
• Flashlight
What Happens When Light • Various objects made of different materials

Strikes Matter? (such as a plastic block, wooden block,

piece of cloth, mirror, paper, piece of metal,
window, and so on)

Activity 8

ON
Investigate Like a Scientist 30 min

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Hands-On Investigation: Reflection VEST IG

Purpose
To fully understand how sight adaptations support the
survival of animals in low light conditions, students must Safety
have a basic understanding of how light behaves. In the • Follow all lab safety guidelines.
last activity, students learned about a reflective layer of
cells within some animals’ eyes, the tapetum lucidum. • Use the flashlight only as needed for your
To further explore how light is processed within the eye, investigation. Do not shine the flashlight at
this activity invites students to explore the phenomenon other students.
of reflection using a variety of materials.
• Do not eat or drink anything in the lab.
Instructional Focus
In this activity, students plan and carry out an
investigation about which types of objects best
reflect light.

Life Skills Decision-Making

Activity 5
What Do You Already Know About
Life Cycles?

Evaluate 20 min Quick Code:

ca3359s

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Activity Activator: Make a Prediction

What Happens When Light Strikes Matter?
In this activity, students will demonstrate that light can
be reflected, and they will compare how well different
Activity 8
materials reflect light. Display the various objects
Investigate Like a Scientist available for students to test. Ask students to select
three objects and predict which of the objects will
Hands-On Investigation: Reflection Quick Code:

During the last activity, you learned about a special feature in some animals’
egs4053 reflect light best.
eyes that reflects light and improves night vision. In this activity, you will
investigate how light interacts with different types of materials. Use your
flashlight to investigate which objects are reflective and which are not.
Identify qualities that are common in the reflective materials. Activity Procedure: What Will You Do?
Make a Prediction To introduce the activity, review qualitative observation
Which objects do you think will reflect light best? Write and explain your
prediction.
techniques. Students will not be able to take
Predictions will vary. Students should provide a quantitative measurements in this case, so they will have
prediction based on the objects provided and give a to describe their experimental results fully.
valid explanation to support their prediction.
1. Divide the class into groups of three to five
What Will You Do?
1. Choose four objects of different materials to investigate.
students.
2. Shine your flashlight on each object.
3. Observe how the light interacts with the material. 2. Allow each group to select four of the objects that
4. Record how well the material reflects the light.
5. Fill in the chart with your results.
you had previously prepared.

Life Skills  I can analyze a situation.

3. Instruct each group to make a prediction about
which of the objects will reflect light best.
Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 79
4. Students shine the flashlight on each object and
thoroughly describe their results.

DIGITAL

Activity 8
Investigate Like a Scientist
Hands-On Investigation: Reflection

Quick Code:
egst4053

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 97

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What needs to happen for humans or other animals to see an object

1.3 Learn  in low-light areas?
Analysis and Conclusions:
Think About the Activity What materials do you need? (per group)
• Flashlight

ASK • Review your prediction. Did the results • Various objects made of different materials
(such as a plastic block, wooden block,
of the investigation provide evidence that piece of cloth, mirror, paper, piece of metal,
window, and so on)
supported your prediction? Or did they
provide evidence against your prediction?

ON
Describe how you know.

I
IN

AT
VEST IG
Student answers will vary but should note
whether the evidence supported their Is this what you expected
Material Observations
prediction and why. For example: Our to happen?

prediction that the small mirror would

reflect the most light was supported by our
investigation because we saw a larger glare
(or reflection) on the mirror than on the
cloth.

• Based on your results, which types of

materials reflect light the best? Which
reflect light poorly? Explain your answer.
Student answers will vary. For example, the
shiny objects tended to reflect light the
best, whereas the rougher objects tended 80

to reflect light the worst.

DIGITAL

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ASK • Draw a picture of your results showing the

Think About the Activity
Review your prediction. Did the results of the investigation provide evidence
paths of the reflecting light rays.
that supported your prediction? Or did they provide evidence against your
prediction? Describe how you know.
Student drawings will vary, but they should
Student answers will vary but should note whether include rays emanating from a light source
the evidence supported their prediction and why. and reflecting at the same angle at which
For example: Our prediction that the small mirror
they struck the object originally.
would reflect the most light was supported by our
investigation because we saw a larger glare (or • If you were going to build a model to
reflection) on the mirror than on the cloth.
Based on your results, which types of materials reflect light the best? Which represent the tapetum lucidum, what
reflect light poorly? Explain your answer.
Student answers will vary. For example: shiny objects would you use? Which qualities would
tended to reflect light better than rough objects. make this a good choice?
Student answers will vary but students
should suggest materials that possess
Draw a picture of your results showing the paths of the reflecting light rays. qualities that are reflective, with qualities
such as smooth and shiny.
Student drawings will vary but should include rays
emanating from a light source and reflecting at
the same angle at which they struck the object
originally.

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 81

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xx

Activity 9 Activity 9
Analyze Like a Scientist
Analyze Like a Scientist 15 min
Light Strikes Matter Quick Code:
egs4054

Light Strikes Matter

Think about what you have learned about how different materials
reflect light. There are many ways that light interacts with matter. Read
the text that follows. Consider how the way in which light interacts with
objects affects your ability to make observations of the world around
you. Then, answer the question that follows.

Purpose
Many sensory adaptations in animals are designed to Light Strikes Matter
help them survive in situations where they have limited Light is a form of energy that travels in waves. When traveling light hits an

Photo Credit: Dynamicfoto / Shutterstock.com

access to light. To further understand the structure of object, some of its energy is absorbed. Some of the energy may go through the
object. Some of the energy bounces, or reflects, off the object’s surface. You can
some animals’ eyes, students investigated how light examine these behaviors of light by observing different objects. Some objects,

reflects off of various materials. In this activity, students including your body, make shadows. This happens because light that hits your
body either bounces off or is absorbed. None of the light passes through you.
build upon this understanding as they further explore Objects that light cannot pass through are called opaque. Transparent

the nature of light as it relates to sight. objects or substances, such as air, water, windows, and lenses, allow light to
pass through, which is why you can see through them.

Photo Credit: Dynamicfoto / Shutterstock.com

Instructional Focus
When light hits an opaque object, some of it is absorbed. The rest of the
energy bounces, or reflects, off. How the light is reflected depends upon the
smoothness of the surface. If the surface
In this activity, students look for evidence to explain is a polished mirror, the rays reflect off

how light behaves when it interacts with different types differently than from a painted surface,
which is slightly rough. When light hits an
of matter. opaque object, some of it is absorbed. The
rest of the energy bounces, or reflects, off.

Strategy Reflecting Light

Some knowledge of how light interacts with matter

is needed for students to understand how animals, 82

including humans, can observe objects. Have students

imagine they are standing outside on a sunny day.

• Why do you see your shadow?

ASK DIGITAL
Shadows happen because all the light
that hits your body either bounces off
or is absorbed. None of the light passes
through you.

• What is happening to the light when a

shadow is made?
Some of the light is absorbed, and the rest
of the light is reflected. Activity 9
5
Analyze
What Do Like a Scientist
You Already Know About
• Can you think of any situations where Light Strikes Matter
Life Cycles?
knowing how light interacts with different
materials could be useful? Evaluate 20 min Quick Code:
Student answers will vary. Students may egst4054
ca3359s
consider examples such as building houses
or designing coverings for windows.

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Pair students with a partner to read the text Light Strikes

How the light is reflected depends upon the smoothness of the surface.
Matter.
If the surface is a polished mirror, the rays reflect off differently than
from a painted surface, which is slightly rougher. Rough surfaces scatter
or diffuse light.
ASK Your older sister dropped her cell phone, and
How does light striking matter
Reflection
now the screen has a few cracks. How do you
make it possible for animals,
including humans, to see?
Reflected Light Incoming Light predict that light would reflect off the screen
Light waves bounce off objects compared to before it was broken?
around us. The reflected light
then travels in a straight line
Ask students to share any prior experience that they
into our eyes. In the eyes,
special nerves send messages may have with cracked screens on their devices.
Photo Credit: Dynamicfoto / Shutterstock.com

to the brain.
Smooth Surface
Students may have personally experienced a cracked
cell phone screen or cracked tablet screen. What did
they observe? Encourage them to share a detailed
Your older sister dropped her cell phone, and now the screen has a
few cracks. How do you predict that light will reflect off the screen
account with the class. Ask them to share any scientific
compared to before it was broken?
principles that this phenomenon makes them wonder
Responses will vary. Sample response: Light will
about.
not reflect the same off the broken screen. Light
rays will reflect in slightly different directions from
each cracked part. The light will be diffused.

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 83

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What needs to happen for humans or other animals to see an object

1.3 Learn  in low-light areas?

How Do We See Objects?

How Do We See Objects?
Activity 10
Evaluate Like a Scientist
Sight Model Quick Code:
egs4057
Imagine using a bouncing ball to model how we see reflected light. Choose
Activity 10 a common object to represent eyes in the model. Explain how you could

Evaluate Like a Scientist

use the model to demonstrate how we see reflected light from objects.
Include all of the following in your response:

Photo Credit: Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com

20 min
• Summarize which parts of your model represent how we see light
reflected from objects.

Sight Model •
•
Relate your model to the way in which we see light reflected off objects.
Explain what you learned about reflection and sight from your model.
Answers will vary. In our model, we used a bouncing
ball to represent light rays, a bench to represent
Purpose
an object, and a bucket to represent the eye. We
In this formative assessment, students are asked to bounced the ball off the bench and into the bucket
model how the reflection of light affects the sense of to show how light reflects off an object and into the
sight. While students may not have a complete scientific eye when we see the object.
explanation of the physics behind light, they should be
able to describe the path and motion of light based on
the activities completed so far.
Life Skills  I can apply an idea in a new way.

Instructional Focus
84
In this activity, students use the model of a bouncing
ball to study the behavior of light.

Life Skills Creativity

DIGITAL
Strategy
Explain that light waves behave much like a ball when
they hit a surface, so the bouncing ball is a useful model
of reflection. Then, ask students how the ball model
could be extended to show how we see the reflected
light. Remind students what we see when reflected light
enters our eyes.

If extra time is available, encourage students to attempt Activity 10

to build the model they describe in writing. See the Evaluate Like a Scientist
Sight Model
Pathways to Learning table for suggestions on how to
extend this activity with physical or digital models.
Quick Code:
egst4057

102
Lesson 5, continued

Pathways to Learning

Discuss with the class how to create a physical model that shows how we see reflected light. As a class,
brainstorm a plan for a model and develop a materials list. (You may suggest objects such as shoeboxes or
Print baskets to represent the eye if students have suggested more expensive or unusual objects.)

Next, have them explain how the model demonstrates how we see objects when light reflects from them.
Have the class build one model and record their results by making a video recording.

In groups, have students complete the item Sight Model. Next, have the groups brainstorm a plan for their
own model to demonstrate how we see reflected light and develop a materials list. These models can be
physical or digital, using graphics to represent the planned materials.
Blended
Next, have them explain how the model demonstrates how we see objects. When you are satisfied with
their plans, have students collect the materials they need and demonstrate their models to the class. Have
them explain how the model demonstrates how we see objects when light reflects from them.

After completing the assessment, have the class brainstorm a plan for their own digital model to
demonstrate how we see reflected light and develop a materials list. Next, have students draft a digital
Digital
model, using graphics to represent the planned materials. Have students explain how the model
demonstrates how we see objects when light reflects from them.

MISCONCEPTION
Students often think that light travels from their eyes and illuminates an object, enabling
them to see. You only see an object when light is either emitted or reflected from it. Consider
having students draw a diagram to explain how they think they can see an object on your
desk. Have them share their drawing and critique one another’s ideas about how they see
objects.

Differentiation
APPROACHING LEARNERS
Challenge students to research lighting design and think about how the eye processes
different colors of light. How do theaters and museums use this type of lighting to highlight
objects?

ADVANCING LEARNERS
Encourage students to complete the online STEM Project Starter Eyesight Adaptation, and
then prompt them to think about how animal eyesight differs from humans’. Which adaptation
would be useful for humans? Why? What could humans do with this sight adaptation?

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 103

 CONCEPT

1.3 Share

PRINT
Lesson 5, continued Page 85
xx

What needs to happen for humans or other animals to see an object

1.3 Share  in low-light areas?

Scientific Explanation Activity 11

Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Hunting with Night Vision Quick Code:
egs4058
Now that you have learned about how
Video
vision works, watch the video Let’s
Investigate Hunting with Night Vision
Activity 11 again. You first saw this in Wonder.

Record Evidence Like a Scientist 25 min

How can you describe hunting with
night vision now?

Photo Credit: (a) Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com, (b) PicksArt / Shutterstock.com

Hunting with Night Vision
How is your explanation different from before?
Purpose
In this activity, students return to the questions posed
at the beginning of the concept and reconsider what

Photo Credit: PicksArt / Shutterstock.com

they know now. The process of writing a scientific Look at the Can You Explain? question. You first read this question at the
beginning of the lesson.
explanation using evidence to support a claim is a key
step in students constructing scientific knowledge that Can You Explain?
they can then use and apply. What needs to happen for humans or other animals to see
an object in low-light areas?

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students explore the relationship Life Skills  I can review my progress toward a goal.

between light and vision to construct explanations

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 85
about how we see in the dark.

Life Skills Self-Management

Strategy DIGITAL
Guide students to review the text in the Investigative
Phenomenon of Hunting with Night Vision and the
Can You Explain? question. Ask students to use their
experiences in Learn to consider how to explain the
phenomenon. Once students have decided how best to
describe the phenomenon, direct them to discuss their
ideas with the class or a partner.

Once reasoning has been discussed, ask students to Activity 11

generate a scientific explanation to answer the Can Record Evidence Like a Scientist
You Explain? question. Students should write in full Hunting with Night Vision
sentences, incorporating at least two pieces of evidence
in support of their response. Quick Code:
egst4058

104
PRINT
Page 86 Lesson 5, continued
What needs to happen for humans or other animals to see an object
1.3 Share  in low-light areas?
ASK How can this explanation help you answer the
Now, use your new ideas about how light and vision work to write a scientific
explanation to answer this question. First, write your claim. Can You Explain? question?
My claim:
Light needs to hit an object for me to see it in a
low-light area.

Can You Explain?

Record evidence to support your claim.

Evidence
What needs to happen for humans and
other animals to see an object in low-light
We wouldn’t be able to see if there was no light areas?

Photo Credit: Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com

source. There is light even in dimly lit places.

Reflection of light from objects is what lets the

brain process what our eyes see. Students have written a scientific explanation in the
prior concept and should be familiar with the claim and
evidence framework. In later units, students will expand
scientific explanations to include a claim, evidence,
and reasoning. In this activity, you may want to review
the following:

A claim is a one-sentence answer to the question you

investigated. It answers, what can you conclude? It
should not start with yes or no.

86 Evidence must be:

• Sufficient—Use enough evidence to support the

claim.

• Appropriate—Use information from text, video, or

data that supports the claim. Leave out information
that doesn’t support the claim.

If needed, model writing a claim and evidence

framework using a student question.

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 105

 CONCEPT

1.3 Share

PRINT
Lesson 5, continued Page 87

Sample student response:

Now, write your scientific explanation.
Animals and humans that use sight need light. When Animals and humans that use sight need light. When
I put objects in a dark shoebox, I found that I could I put objects in a dark shoebox, I found that I could
see the objects when there was light but could not see see the objects when there was light but could not
the objects when there was no light. We see an object see the objects when there was no light. We see an
when it gives off light or when light reflects off it and object when it gives off light or when light reflects
travels to our eyes. Some animals have an eye structure off it and travels to our eyes. Some animals have an
that allows them to process a lot of light. This helps eye structure that allows them to process a lot of
them see objects others cannot in low-light areas. This light. This helps them see objects others cannot in
low-light areas. This adaptation gives animals who
adaptation gives animals who hunt or could be hunted

Photo Credit: Ann in the uk / Shutterstock.com

hunt or could be hunted at night an advantage in the
at night an advantage in the darkness. Without a light
darkness. Without a light source, humans and many
source, humans and many animals are unable to see animals are unable to see objects in the dark.
objects in the dark.

Differentiation
Because of cultural, linguistic, and economic
differences, not all students may be familiar with the
domain-specific words commonly used in science.
As a result, some students will encounter difficulty
or show lack of confidence when reporting on their
scientific explanations or engaging in scientific
argument. Classroom instruction should be adapted to
meet the needs of these students. Most importantly, Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 87
students should be provided with a supportive learning
environment that respects the discussion of their ideas.

106
 PRINT
Pages 88–89 Lesson 6

in Action
in Action
Activity 12 Quick Code:
egs4059
Analyze Like a Scientist
Activity 12
How Do Optometrists Help Us See? Analyze Like a Scientist 20 min
Do you know anyone who wears glasses or contact lenses? Have you
ever wondered how the lenses work to help humans see better? An

How Do Optometrists Help Us See?

optometrist is a health care professional who specializes in vision
and eyesight.

Read the text. Then, complete the Eye Imperfections activity. After the
activity, discuss your answer with your partner.

Photo Credit: muhammadtoqeer / Shutterstock.com

Purpose
How Do Optometrists Help Us See? After students have learned about the relationship
When you see, what path does the light take to get to your eye? What between sight and light, this activity allows them to
happens when the light reaches your eye? Did you know that there is a consider how optometrists can help humans see better.
lens just inside your eye that focuses the light onto the back of your eye?
The passage provides background on how lenses work
Photo Credit: muhammadtoqeer / Shutterstock.com

When the lens focuses light, it redirects the light so that it all goes to
a point. Think about a magnifying glass. It can take the sun’s rays
in the context of an important career.
and concentrate them on a single point. Or it can take the light that is

Instructional Focus
bouncing off something small, like an insect, and focus it on your eye.

In this activity, students evaluate a text to communicate

information about how optometrists help people see
more clearly.

Strategy
88
Prior to reading the text about optometrists, do a quick
survey of students who wear glasses. See if any student
can explain how glasses work.

DIGITAL
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneurs often need to learn through
experiences in addition to formal education.
Optometrists use this skill when trying to apply
what they learned in school to new challenges
and diagnoses they encounter in real patients.
Entrepreneurs look for ways to apply what they have
learned from research, personal experience, and
Activity 12
others’ experiences. As students read the passage,
Analyze Like a Scientist
How Do Optometrists Help Us See? encourage them to think of ways that an optometrist
can use the entrepreneurial skill of practical
application.
Quick Code:
egst4059

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 107

 CONCEPT

1.3 Share

PRINT
Lesson 6, continued Page 90

Eye Imperfections Eye Imperfections

Strategy Some people have difficulty seeing objects near them, while other people have
difficulty seeing objects far from them. Some have difficulties distinguishing
between colors.
After reading the text, students should attempt the Given what you know about sight and light, create a test to look for one of these
summative assessment item Eye Imperfections, in which difficulties.
Answers will vary. I would create a test that places
students think like an optometrist. Students should first
objects at different distances from the viewer. I
complete the activity individually; they may then discuss
would ask questions about each of the objects,
their answers in small groups or as a class. If desired, such as colors, shapes and details. I would pay
students could conduct their tests in small groups. attention to how clearly each viewer is able to see

Photo Credit: muhammadtoqeer / Shutterstock.com

Ideally, each group would have a student who devised a the objects at different distances.
test for a different difficulty, but this is not necessary.

• As students create their eye test, remind them to

think about the question they are trying to answer
and the problem they are trying to solve.

• To promote student discourse, have students

critique their tests by discussing the following
questions: How will the investigation you are
planning answer your question about the
phenomenon? What data will you be collecting?
How will you collect it?

90

108
PRINT
Page 91 Lesson 6, continued

Activity 13 Review and Assess

Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Light and Sight Quick Code:
egs4060
Think about what you have learned about light and sight. Animals and
humans that use sight need light to see. In the space provided, first
explain how light travels and how it behaves when it interacts with matter.
Activity 13
Photo Credit: (a) Image: muhammadtoqeer / Shutterstock.com, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

Then, explain some of the differences between how humans and some
animals see.
Student responses will vary. Evaluate Like a Scientist 25 min

Review: Light and Sight

Purpose
The final activity of the concept asks students to review
and explain the main ideas of light and sight.
Talk Together Think about what you now know about
light and sight. How do you think bats or other nocturnal
creatures use other senses to help get around in the dark?
Instructional Focus
Students summarize their learning about light and sight
with a written explanation and by completing a concept
summative assessment.

Strategy
Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 91
Now that students have achieved this concept’s
objectives, direct them to review the key ideas. You may
also assign students the summative assessment for this
concept.

DIGITAL

Activity 13
Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Light and Sight

Quick Code:
egst4060

Concept 1.3: Light and Sight 109

 CONCEPT

1.4

Communication
and Information
Transfer

Photo Credit: Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com

110
 Concept Objectives
By the end of this concept, students should be able to:

• Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer Quick Code:
information. egst4061

• Develop a model of a communication system that consists of many parts

that work together to transfer information from one place to another.

• Argue from evidence that patterns of light and sound allow for the
transfer of information through systems of communication.

• Compare systems of communication in the natural world to

innovative designs and devices used in modern human societies.

• Design, test, and evaluate models of information-transfer systems

that can encode, transmit, and receive information.
Photo Credit: Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com

Key Vocabulary
new: code, echolocation, pitch satellite,
system

review: adaptation
Quick Code:
egst4062

Key Vocabulary Strategies

KWL Chart
• Have students create a KWL chart, which is a three-column chart with the following
heads: What I Know, What I Would Like to Know, and What I Learned.

• Have students complete the What I Know and What I Would Like to Know columns
for each vocabulary word before the lesson begins. Then, have them complete the
What I Learned column at the end of the lesson. Allow students to share their charts
with the class.

Word Wizard
• Divide students into three groups. Assign a vocabulary word to each group. When a
group’s vocabulary word is encountered in the lesson, have them illustrate the word
and write the definition. Then, have the group choose one “Word Wizard” from the
group to share their definition and illustration with the class.

Concept 1.4: Communication and InformationConcept

Transfer: 111
CONCEPT

1.4 Communication and Information Transfer

Concept Pacing

Recommended Pathway
In order to meet the expectations of the standards, students must complete each
activity within the recommended pathway.

Location Days Model Lesson Time

Activity 1 10 min

Activity 2 15 min
Wonder Lesson 1
Activity 3 15 min

Activity 4 5 min

Activity 5 25 min
Lesson 2
Activity 6 20 min

Lesson 3 Activity 7 45 min

Learn
Activity 8 20 min

Lesson 4 Activity 9 10 min

Activity 10 15 min

Activity 11 25 min
Lesson 5
Share Activity 12 20 min

Activity 13 25 min
Lesson 6
Begin Unit Project 20 min
Unit Project
Lesson 7 Complete Unit Project 45 min

112
Content Background

Communication in Nature
Adaptations in the natural world are designed to help living things thrive.
Throughout the first three concepts of Unit 1, students learned how behavioral
and structural adaptations help animals use their senses to gather information and
survive in their environments. Big ears, night vision, furry paws—all adaptations
are matched with a specific survival need in a group of individual organisms.
Since organisms do not live in isolation, it is also important to understand how
organisms interact with each other and the natural world.

For many organisms, survival depends on effective communication during

interactions with other creatures. From passing along messages regarding the
availability of a food source to posturing in order to defend territory, animals rely
on many systems of communication to navigate the world and convey messages
to others. Various forms of communication can be employed to attract mates,
show affection, defend territory, or engage in cooperative societal behavior.
Signals can be auditory, visual, chemical, physical, or even electrical. At the heart
of all communication in the animal kingdom is the need to send and receive
messages in order to survive.

Human beings must also communicate to stay alive. Therefore, people rely on
a variety of communication systems, both in the natural world and in modern
society. For thousands of years, people have been improving the systems of
communication utilized by other species. In the ancient world, communication was
often cumbersome and difficult. Today, our world has become significantly more
connected because of our increasing ability to communicate over long distances.
Digital technology allows us to use complex networks to send more information
over greater distances at ever-increasing speed. However complex modern
systems become, the basic natural phenomena of light and sound are at the heart
of how all animals, including humans, communicate.

From whale songs to the honeybee waggle dance, animals use diverse
adaptations to communicate their needs. In turn, engineers have built upon
nature’s basic auditory and visual cues of light and sound communication to
innovate modern methods of staying connected to the world around us. During
this final concept, students will learn about a variety of ways that animals
communicate with one another. By also gaining a basic understanding of human
systems, students can appreciate the complexity of communication that exists in
the natural world.

Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 113

CONCEPT

1.4 Communication and Information Transfer

Hands-On Investigations Preparation

Learn

Location Instructional Focus Materials to Prepare (per group)

Activity 7: In this activity, students use patterns in • Flashlight

Inventing a light or sound to invent a unique code
• Batteries
Code that they use to transfer information.
Then, students identify how their code • Notebook paper
could be improved. • Pencils

114
Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 115
 CONCEPT

1.4 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 1 Page 93

Activity 1
Can You Explain? 10 min Activity 1
Can You Explain?
How do animals, including humans,
use light, sound, and other methods to
send and receive information?

Photo Credit: (a) Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com, (b) Simol1407 / Shutterstock.com

Purpose You learned how animals have adapted to use their senses, such as
hearing and sight, to gather information from the world around them.
In this concept, students build upon past lessons in Now, you will learn how humans and other animals use sound and
light to communicate and share information.
Senses at Work to learn about communication and Let’s begin by thinking about what you already know. How do
how information is transferred using light and sound. animals, including humans, use light, sound, and other methods to
send and receive information?
While learning about how technology aids in human Animals, including humans, send and
communication, students will consider how our complex receive information with different
communication system has been inspired by nature. communication systems. Light helps

Photo Credit: Simol1407 / Shutterstock.com

animals see. Animals use their senses to
help them communicate.
Instructional Focus
In this activity, students think about and record what
they already know about how animals, including
Quick Code: Life Skills  I can share ideas I am
humans, use light, sound, and other methods to egs4063 not yet sure about.

communicate.

Life Skills Endurance Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 93

Strategy
Encourage students to explain what they already know
about how animals, including humans, communicate. DIGITAL
Students may have some initial ideas about how to
answer the question. (See sample student response in
the Student Materials page.) By the end of the concept,
students should be able to construct a scientific
explanation that includes evidence from the concept
activities.

Activity 15
Activity
WhatYou
Can Do Explain?
You Already Know About
Life Cycles?

Evaluate 20 min Quick Code:

Quick Code:
egst4063
ca3359s

116
 PRINT
Page 94 Lesson 1, continued
How do animals, including humans, use light, sound, and other
1.4 Wonder  methods to send and receive information?

Activity 2 Investigative Phenomenon

Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Firefly Light Show Quick Code:
egs4064
Have you ever seen a firefly? Why do you think they light up? Watch the
video and read the text to learn about firefly behavior and an interesting
art show. Consider what you have already learned about adaptations and
senses. How does this scenario add to what you know? When you finish, Activity 2
respond to the questions in writing.
Ask Questions Like a Scientist

Photo Credit: (a) Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com, (b) natchaporing / Shutterstock.com

15 min

Firefly Light Show

Do you see the light show in the photo? It
Video
is set in the mangroves of Thailand, but the
lights are not produced by humans. They are
produced by thousands of fireflies. Fireflies

Purpose
produce a chemical reaction inside their bodies
that allows them to light up.

Fireflies are not flies at all. They are actually winged beetles that flash to In this Investigative Phenomenon activity, students
warn off predators or to attract a mate. Fireflies naturally flash at regular
intervals, but if there is another firefly flashing nearby, they will interrupt consider the behavior of fireflies and how they use light.
their own pattern and start over again to match the other firefly. Students consider the role adaptation and senses play in a
Photo Credit: natchaporing / Shutterstock.com

Do you think humans could influence their flashing patterns? A group new scenario.
of artists wanted to find out. In this light show, artists imitated nature by
flashing LED lights to the fireflies. The artists set up lights in the forest to go
on and off at regular intervals, or in a pattern. The fireflies responded by
flashing back at the same time in large groups.
Instructional Focus
This is humans interacting with nature in a way not normally seen. It
In this activity, students observe firefly behavior to analyze
seems nature turned around and imitated the technology right back. communication patterns. Then, students ask related
questions to be investigated throughout the concept.

94 Life Skills Negotiation

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
DIGITAL instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Students have investigated how organisms adapted to

their environment and the importance of sense organs
in ensuring survival. They have looked in more detail
at how one sense organ, the eye, is adapted to receive
and, with the help of the brain, interpret information
provided by light energy. In this concept, they look at
Activity
Activity 7
2 the different ways that animals—including humans—use
Stages of an Animal’s
Ask Questions Like aLife Cycle
Scientist their senses to create communication systems that help
Firefly Light Show them survive.

Direct students to watch the video Firefly Light Show

Analyze 20 min Quick Code: and read the text to learn how fireflies communicate
ca3361s
egst4064
using light energy.

Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 117

 CONCEPT

1.4 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 1, continued Page 95

Next, create a class chart of student-generated

Senses and Light
questions related to communication and the video. How are senses used by the firefly?
Students may write their questions on sticky notes and Fireflies use flashing light to warn predators or
post them, or the teacher can write the questions on attract a mate. They watch other fireflies and match
chart paper during class discussion. the flashing light patterns.
Sample questions might include: Is light the only
way in which fireflies communicate? How do fireflies How have humans used light to communicate?

produce the light they use to communicate? Why is Answers will vary.
this communication so important to their survival? How

Photo Credit: Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com

is this similar to communication in other animals? Do
humans also communicate using light? If so, how?
Which methods could be used to test how other Write a question you would like to learn more about, related to
communication among organisms:
animals, such as cats and dogs, communicate? Answers will vary.

Life Skills  I can ask questions to clarify.

Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 95

Activity 5
What Do You Already Know About
Life Cycles?

Evaluate 20 min Quick Code:

ca3359s

118
 PRINT
Page 96 Lesson 1, continued
How do animals, including humans, use light, sound, and other
1.4 Wonder  methods to send and receive information?

Activity 3 Activate Prior Knowledge

Observe Like a Scientist
Alphabet and Written Language Quick Code:
egs4065
While fireflies communicate using light, people use language to
communicate by reading, writing, and speaking. Can you remember when
you did not know how to read or write? Why was it important for you to
learn these skills? Imagine a time when written language had not yet Activity 3
been developed. How would humans communicate their ideas to future
Observe Like a Scientist

Photo Credit: (a) Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com, (b) Fedor Selivanov / Shutterstock.com
generations or across the country? Watch the video and read the text. Look
for examples of how communication has changed from simple to more 15 min
complex.

Alphabet and Written Language

There are many ways to communicate and
Video
send messages. No matter how a message
is sent, it must be in a language understood
by the sender and the receiver. The ability to
Purpose
communicate through language and speech
separates humans from animals.
In this activity, students read about humans’ early
forms of written communication. As they read
Some of the oldest writing appeared in Egypt around 3000 BCE. Ancient
Photo Credit: Fedor Selivanov / Shutterstock.com

Egyptians created hieroglyphics, a writing system made up of about 700 about communication in different civilizations over
symbols. The Babylonians in Mesopotamia (also around 3000 BCE) created
time, students recognize the complexity of human
a writing system called cuneiform drawings. In Central America, the
Ancient Mayans created hieroglyphs that included almost 800 different communication and the needs it meets.
signs.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students obtain and evaluate information
Life Skills  I can respect others’ ideas. and identify patterns in early forms of communication.

96 Life Skills Respect for Diversity

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
DIGITAL instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Students watch the video and read the text Alphabet

and Written Language to discover more about early
forms of communication and how these forms are
applicable today. Encourage students to think about
how communication has evolved from speech and
gestures into complex systems that require many steps
Activity 3 and components.
Observe Like a Scientist
Alphabet and Written Language

Quick Code:
ca3361s
egst4065

Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 119

 CONCEPT

1.4 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 1, continued Page 97

ASK What are some similarities and differences

between ancient writing systems and today’s
alphabet?
Answers may vary, but students may suggest Letters, like those in an alphabet, were developed later. Beginning in the 15th
century BCE, various cultures refined and developed a system for writing
that both systems are used to record and words using combinations of letters.

transfer information across distance and time. The Egyptians created papyrus—a kind of paper made from a reed that grows

Students may point out that the systems in the marshes near the Nile River. In 105 CE, the Chinese also created a form

Photo Credit: (a) Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
of paper using the inner bark of mulberry and bamboo fibers pounded into a
are different because we write in rows and pulp.

hieroglyphics are sometimes written in columns. Written language allows humans to communicate with people in our present
time, understand the past, and share ideas with future civilizations.

Encourage student discourse by having partners share

the similarities and differences they identified. Consider
making a class list to compare ancient writing systems Talk Together Now, talk together about the different
types of communication you saw in the video and read
with today’s alphabet. about in the text. What are some similarities and differences
between ancient writing systems and today’s alphabet?

Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 97

120
PRINT
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How do animals, including humans, use light, sound, and other
1.4 Wonder  methods to send and receive information?
Activity 4
Activity 4
Evaluate Like a Scientist 5 min
Evaluate Like a Scientist

What Do You Already Know About

What Do You Already Know About Quick Code:
egs4067
Communication and Information Transfer?
Animals and Humans Communication and Information
Think about what you already know about how humans and other animals
communicate. As you prepare to further investigate communication and
transfer of information, think about how communication is similar and
Transfer?
different in animals and humans.

Read the list of ways people and animals communicate. Classify each type
Purpose

Photo Credit: Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com

of communication in the table as animal (A), human (H), or both (B). Think of
two more examples to complete the table.
This formative assessment captures students’
Type of Communication Animal (A) or Human (H) or Both (B)
existing knowledge about how animals and humans
Displaying light B communicate. Students prepare for in-depth
Writing H investigations into human and animal communication
and how information is transferred.
Echolocation A
B
Instructional Focus
High-pitched sound

A cell phone H
In this activity, students reflect on what they
An e-reader H already know about how humans and other animals
communicate.

Strategy
98 The item Animals and Humans provides a formative
assessment of students’ existing knowledge of ways
people communicate.

Students should complete the assessment individually.

DIGITAL To prepare students for this assessment, consider
using the SOS Stem Completion strategy by displaying
images of an animal communicating, such as a tiger
roaring, or a human using some sort of technology. Use
examples not previously presented in the unit and have
students complete sentences about them.

Activity 4 Stem Completion

Evaluate Like a Scientist
To support students in making predictions
What Do You Already Know About
Communication and Information and personal connections to the concept,
Transfer? use the Stem Completion strategy.
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Lesson 2 Page 99

How do animals, including humans, use light, sound, and other

1.4 Learn  methods to send and receive information?
Activity 5
Observe Like a Scientist 25 min
Activity 5
Observe Like a Scientist

Song of Whales
Song of Whales Quick Code:
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Even though animals do not talk like humans, they still communicate with
each other using special systems of communication. Animals can use
different senses to send and receive information. What sense do you think
whales use to communicate? Watch the video about whales, and then
Purpose read the information that follows. Highlight the facts that help you better
understand how whales communicate.

Photo Credit: (a) Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com, (b) Canberk.csr / Shutterstock.com

Throughout the first three concepts, students learned
about how the senses can be used to receive information
about the world. In this activity, students expand on this Did you know that humpback whales sing
underwater to communicate with each other?
Video

understanding by exploring how senses can also be used These whales sing a wide range of notes and

to transfer information, or communicate. also a series of phrases in a pattern. In other

words, humpback whales do not just make
sounds, they make music.

Instructional Focus Humpback whales sing during the winter months when it is mating season.

Photo Credit: Canberk.csr / Shutterstock.com

They also sing during the summer months, or feeding season. However,
In this activity, students explore patterns in their songs have a different sound depending on the season.  

communication by observing and reading about how

whales communicate.

Strategy
Direct students to watch the video Song of
Whales. Once finished, allow time for students to share
information that surprised them in pairs, and then
call on a few students to share with the class. Next, Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 99

ask students what questions they still have about

whale communication. Record students’ questions
on the board or chart paper. These will be used for
reflection after reading the text. DIGITAL
Encourage students to read the passage with a
partner, alternating readers each paragraph. After each
paragraph is read, the student who is listening tells
the main idea of the paragraph. Students highlight the
facts that help them better understand how whales
communicate.

Activity 5
Observe Like a Scientist
Song of Whales

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xx Lesson 2, continued
How do animals, including humans, use light, sound, and other
1.4 Learn  methods to send and receive information?
Lead a group discussion about how the text helped
students better understand the video. To close the
activity, refer students back to the list of questions
created after watching the video. Ask if any questions
Have you ever heard people singing in a group? Some voices have a high
pitch, or sound, while other people’s voices are lower.
were answered in the text. Add any new questions
The songs of humpback whales have a higher pitch in the winter.
that students now wonder. Encourage students to
High-pitched sounds travel better through cold water. The songs have investigate the answers to these questions on their own.
a lower pitch in summer, when the water is warm. Humpback whales
certainly know when to change their tune. 

Photo Credit: nurdem atay / Shutterstock.com

100

DIGITAL

Activity 7
Stages of an Animal’s Life Cycle

Analyze 20 min Quick Code:

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Lesson 2, continued Pages 101–102

How Do We Transfer Information?

How Do We Transfer
Information? Activity 6
Analyze Like a Scientist
Transferring Information Quick Code:
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We use our senses of sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell to collect
information about the world around us. The senses can also be used to
communicate, or share information, with others. Imagine your friend is
smiling at you. Which sense do you use to understand they are happy?
Read the text. As you read, highlight anything you do not understand
Activity 6

Photo Credit: nurdem atay / Shutterstock.com

with a blue highlighter and anything you find interesting with a
yellow highlighter.

Analyze Like a Scientist 20 min

Transferring Information
Transferring Information Your sense organs collect information about your environment and send it
to your brain. Examples include your ears detecting sound energy and your
eyes using light energy to gather information. For a moment, think about all

Purpose
the different kinds of information that you receive through your eyes. Your

Photo Credit: Mongolka / Shutterstock.com

eyes detect light. This means they can detect signals that travel very fast over
different distances, such as your friend waving from across a room, a traffic
In this activity, students connect how human senses signal, or a rescue flare. In the past, people used signal fires to communicate
collect and process information to ways that humans also over distances of many kilometers. Many backcountry hikers carry mirrors
that they can flash to attract the attention of rescue helicopters.
use senses to transmit information.

Instructional Focus Life Skills  I can identify problems.

In this activity, students analyze text to identify ways that

information is transferred using patterns. Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 101

Life Skills Critical Thinking

Strategy
DIGITAL
Flash the lights off and on to get students’ attention.
Then, hold up a copy of the student book and gesture
to indicate that they should turn to the correct page. Do
all of this without giving any verbal instructions.

ASK How did I communicate and what senses did

you use to understand me?
Visually; we use sight.

Direct students to read the text and mark it as follows: Activity 6

Analyze Like a Scientist
• blue highlighting = I do not understand. Transferring Information
• yellow highlighting = That is interesting.

Ask students to think about a code they have Quick Code:

experienced. Encourage students to reflect on their egst4068
experience with codes by asking probing questions,
such as: How well do you think that code worked? What
senses were necessary to understand that code?

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Activity 7
Activity 7
Think Like a Scientist 45 min
Think Like a Scientist

Inventing a Code
Inventing a Code Quick Code:
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Just as fireflies use flashing light patterns to send messages, humans have
designed similar code systems using light or sound. One such system is called
Morse code. In this investigation, you will invent a code that is similar to Morse
code. Watch the Morse Code video and think about how you can make your
own code. Then, read the directions and complete the activity that follows. Purpose
In this activity, students investigate an example of how
Photo Credit: (a) nurdem atay / Shutterstock.com, (b) vizlux / Shutterstock.com

Morse code is a communication system developed

by Samuel Morse in the 19th century. The code
Video humans use signals to send and receive information.
is simple. It consists only of long and short Then, students experience signals first-hand using light
beeps, also known as a dash and a dot. Different
combinations of dashes and dots represent
and sound to communicate.
different letters of the alphabet. This code allows people to spell words using

Instructional Focus
patterns of light (long and short flashes) or sound (long and short beeps).

In this activity, students use patterns in light or sound

What Will You Do?
to invent a unique code that they use to transfer
Photo Credit: vizlux / Shutterstock.com

1. With your partner, decide whether you will use a flashlight or a drum
pattern on a table to communicate.
information. Then, students identify how their code
2. Then, work with your partner to create a unique signal for every letter of
the alphabet. could be improved.
3. Each partner should write down the code in the space provided.

Answers will vary.

Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 103

DIGITAL

Activity 7
Think Like a Scientist
Inventing a Code

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Lesson 3, continued

Materials List (per group)

Activity Activator
• Flashlight
In this activity, students will invent a code similar to
• Batteries, for flashlight
Morse code. Students will use a flashlight or drum
a pattern on a table to send and receive messages • Notebook paper
from across the room. This activity will help them gain • Pencils
an understanding of communication systems across
distance.

Explain that Morse code is a communication system

developed by Samuel Morse in the 19th century. It is
used to communicate across distances along wires,
using a code made of pulses of electric current that the
receiver turns into clicks or beeps. The code uses only
long and short beeps (dashes and dots), with different Safety
combinations of beeps standing for the different letters
• Follow all lab safety guidelines.
of the alphabet. Explain that students will invent their
own codes similar to Morse code for communicating • Do not eat or drink anything in the lab.
across the room without speaking.

To further engage students, watch the Morse Code

video and follow up with questions and discussion by
students.

Activity Procedure: What Will You Do?

Part 1: Develop the Code Procedure
Divide students into pairs. Have each pair decide
whether they will use a flashlight or a drum pattern on
a table to communicate. Provide each pair with their
chosen item.

Students should create their code together. Remind

students that they must have a unique signal for every
letter of the alphabet. Both students in each pair should
write down the code on a sheet of notebook paper: one
for the sender to use, and one for the receiver to use.
Activity 5
What Do You Already Know About
Life Cycles?

Evaluate 20 min Quick Code:

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How do animals, including humans, use light, sound, and other
1.4 Learn  methods to send and receive information?
Part 2: Send Signals
4. Now, work with your partner to design a procedure for sending and
receiving signals. Be sure to ask your teacher to check the procedures
before you move on.
Ask advanced students to design a procedure for
5. Talk with your partner to decide who will act as the person sending the sending and receiving signals. Check procedures before
message and who will act as the person receiving the message. Then,
follow the directions below for the role that you chose. students begin.
If you are sending the message:

A. On a separate sheet of paper, write a unique message that is no more than

For on-level and approaching-level students, have them
five words. Then, use your code from step #3 to encode your message.
choose one student to be the sender and the other to
B. When your teacher instructs you to do so, stand across the room from your
partner and use either the flashlight or the drum to send your encoded be the receiver. Position the sender on one side of the
message to the receiver.
room and the receiver on the other. Be sure they can
If you are receiving the message:
clearly see each other. If the room is very bright, you

Photo Credit: Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com

A. When your teacher instructs you to do so, stand across the room from
your partner and wait to receive the message. may need to dim the lights for pairs using the flashlight.
B. Then, use the space provided to write down the coded message from
the sender.
Tell the sender to write a message on a sheet of paper.
Answers will vary. The message should be unique (i.e., do not create a
single message every pair will use) and brief (no more
than five words). Then, the sender should encode the
message using the code the pair devised. The sender
should then use the flashlight or drum to send the
C. Now, use the code from step #3 to decode the message that you received.
message to the receiver. The receiver should write
Once the receiver has decoded the message, the receiver should talk with
the sender to compare the message that was sent to the message that down the code he or she receives, and then decode it
was received.
according to the sheet.

NOTE: If the pair is using a drum, ensure they are the

only ones sending and receiving a message at the time.
104
If multiple pairs use drums at the same time, it will be
difficult for them to determine which sounds are theirs
and which are from other pairs.

Once the receiver has decoded the message, bring the

two students back together. Have the receiver check his
or her message against the one the sender wrote down.

Repeat this procedure for the other pairs. Note that

several pairs using flashlights can transmit their codes
simultaneously, but only one pair of students using the
drum may transmit at a time.

Activity 7
Stages of an Animal’s Life Cycle

Analyze 20 min Quick Code:

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Lesson 3, continued Page 105

Analysis and Conclusions: Think About the Activity

Think About the Activity Did your message make it from your sender to your receiver correctly?
If not, what went wrong?
Answers will vary. Students may have incorrectly
ASK • Did your message make it from your
sent signals or incorrectly interpreted them. Their
sender to your receiver correctly? If not, code may have included the same encoding for
what went wrong? more than one letter. They may have made other
Students may have incorrectly sent signals mistakes. Some students may have been able to
or incorrectly interpreted them. Their code interpret the message despite mistakes such as
may have included the same encoding for these.

Photo Credit: Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com

more than one letter. They may have made What sense did you use to receive your code?
Answers will vary. Students who used the flashlight
other mistakes. Some students may have
should indicate that they used sight. Students who
been able to interpret the message despite
used the drum should indicate they used hearing.
mistakes such as these.

• What sense did you use to receive your What would you do to improve your code for future use?
Answers will vary. They may say they would
code?
simplify their code, or they may say they would
Students who used the flashlight should make the letters more distinct. Some students may
indicate that they used sight. Students who wish they had used the opposite device (students
used the drum should indicate they used who used a drum may wish to use a flashlight, and
hearing. vice versa).

• What would you do to improve your code

for future use? Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 105
Student answers will vary. They may say
they would simplify their code, or they
may say they would make the letters more
distinct. Some students may wish they had
used the opposite device (students who
used a drum may wish to use a flashlight,
and vice versa).

Differentiation
APPROACHING LEARNERS
Ask students to think of situations in which Morse code
would be necessary to communicate. What are the
benefits to using a code? When would a new code
need to be used?

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Activity 8 Activity 8
Analyze Like a Scientist
Analyze Like a Scientist 20 min
Animals Communicate with Movement Quick Code:
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Animals Communicate with

You read about whales who use sound to communicate with each
other. You also created a code to communicate using light or sound.
What other methods can humans and animals use to share information?
Read the text and highlight what information bees communicate
through patterns of movement. Then, complete the activity. Can you Movement
communicate like bees?

Purpose

Photo Credit: Jeff Foott / Discovery Communications inc.

Animals Communicate with Movement 
Humans use light and sound to communicate in variety of ways. Have you
This activity returns to communication in the animal
ever considered how we use movement to communicate? You might wave your world and introduces a new method of transferring
hand to say “hello,” or shake your head to say “no.” Some people with special
needs use sign language to communicate.  
information beyond using light and sound patterns:
Animals, such as the honeybee, also use movement to communicate with
movement. Students begin to compare animal and
human communication systems.
Photo Credit: Jeff Foott / Discovery Communications inc.

others. In the hive, a bee can communicate where to find resources, such
as food and water, by doing a special
dance. The dancing bee moves in a
figure-eight pattern while vibrating her Instructional Focus
wings. The movements of the dance tell
other bees the direction and distance In this activity, students analyze text to identify ways that
to the resources. The bees in the hive
“read” the code of the dancer and then
information is transferred using patterns. Then, students
fly off to the specific location.
Bees on a Honeycomb use patterns in movement to analyze a code in order to
transfer information.
Life Skills  I can apply an idea in a new way.
Life Skills Creativity

106 Strategy 
Ask students to read the passage Animals Communicate
with Movement.

ASK How does the way honeybees communicate

DIGITAL compare to the way humans communicate?
Honeybees and humans use movement to
communicate. Honeybees use movement to
communicate directions to resources. Humans
use movements to communicate, including
sign language or simple gestures.

Activity 8
Analyze Like a Scientist
Animals Communicate with
Movement

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Concept 1.4:
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Lesson 4, continued Page 107

Activity Activator  How does the way honeybees communicate compare to the way
humans communicate?
In this activity, students will analyze a code similar Honeybees and humans use movement to
to the waggle dance honeybees use to communicate. communicate. Honeybees use movements to
Students watch a student volunteer do a dance that communicate directions to resources. Humans
communicates where in the room they should go to find use movements to communicate, including sign
a hidden flower. This activity will help students gain an language or simple gestures. 
understanding of how movement can be used to code
and transfer information to others.

Photo Credit: Jeff Foott / Discovery Communications inc.

Coding with Honeybees
Work with your classmates to act out honeybee movements. Watch the scout do
Prior to reading the text Animals Communicate with a honeybee dance. Use the key to figure out where the flower is hidden.

Movement, ask students to think about ways they can • The bee faces the direction of the
flower.
communicate with each other without using light or • The bee does one round dance if the
sound. flower is very close by.
• The bee does a waggle dance if the
flower is far away. The bee waggles to

Activity Procedure: What Will You Do? 

the right and then to the left. This is one
dance.
• One dance = the flower is a little
farther away.
Prior to the lesson, draw a picture of a flower on a small
• Three or more dances = the
piece of paper. Ask for a student volunteer to come up flower is far away.

to the front of the class. This student will be the bee Honeybee Dance Key

scout. While the rest of the students close their eyes,

ask the volunteer scout to hide the flower somewhere in
the classroom. Once the volunteer scout is back at the
front of the classroom, students open their eyes. Instruct
Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 107
the volunteer scout to perform a waggle dance to tell
the other students where the flower is hidden. The
volunteer should use the Honeybee Dance Key for the
movements.

The other students in class use the key to interpret what

the movements show. When the volunteer is finished,
ask a student in the class to follow the directions given
by the volunteer scout and go to that spot in the
classroom to find the hidden flower.

Activity 5
What Do You Already Know About
Life Cycles?

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Think About the Activity 

Analysis and Conclusions:
Did the honeybee’s message make it from the scout to the other bees
correctly? If not, what went wrong? 
Think About the Activity 
Answers will vary. The volunteer scout may
ASK • Did the honeybee’s message make it from
have incorrectly used the dance movements,
or other students in class may have incorrectly the scout to the other bees correctly? If
interpreted them. Students may have found it not, what went wrong?
difficult to determine the correct distance of Answers will vary. The volunteer scout
the flower using the dance movements. Some may have incorrectly used the dance
students may have been able to interpret the movements, or other students in class may

Photo Credit: Alberto Masnovo / Shutterstock.com

message despite mistakes such as these. 
have incorrectly interpreted them. Students
What sense did you use to receive the code from the scout honeybee? 
may have found it difficult to determine
Students should indicate that they used sight.
the correct distance of the flower using the
dance movements. Some students may
How are codes useful for honeybees who need to communicate to
other bees in the hive?  have been able to interpret the message
Answers will vary. Students should indicate that despite mistakes such as these.
because honeybees cannot talk, they can use
codes with movements to communicate to other • What sense did you use to receive the
bees. code from the scout honeybee?
Students should indicate that they used
 
sight.

• How are codes useful for honeybees who

108 need to communicate to other bees in the
hive?
Answers will vary. Students should indicate
that because honeybees cannot talk,
they can use codes with movements to
communicate to other bees.

Activity 7
Stages of an Animal’s Life Cycle

Analyze 20 min Quick Code:

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Concept 1.4:
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Lesson 4, continued Page 109

What Are Communication Systems, and How Do

We Use Them?
What Are Communication
Systems, and How Do We Activity 9
Analyze Like a Scientist
Use Them? Communication Systems Quick Code:
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You have learned about several different ways animals and humans
communicate specific messages to each other. How do individual
messages rely on much larger communication systems? As you read
the text, underline the parts of a communication system.

Photo Credit: Alberto Masnovo / Shutterstock.com

Communication Systems
Activity 9
Analyze Like a Scientist
When we use a cell phone, a computer connected to the Internet, or cable TV,

10 min we are using communication systems. These phone systems, Internet systems,
and cable TV systems are all systems that communicate using signals. Each

Photo Credit: Alberto Masnovo / Shutterstock.com

system consists of many parts that work together to transfer information

Communication Systems from one place to another. A cell phone by itself cannot help you talk to your
friends. It needs to be part of a system with other parts such as satellites,
communication towers, and software. When these elements come together
and do their parts correctly, the system can perform in a way that individual

Purpose parts cannot.

During the last several activities, students have focused

on the ways animals and humans use their senses to
communicate specific messages with each other. In this
activity, students consider the complex communication
systems humans have designed. Students draw on their Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 109
understanding of how the components of the nervous
system work together to receive and process information.

Instructional Focus
DIGITAL
In this activity, students explore individual components
of systems that humans use to facilitate communication.

Strategy
After reading the text, have students share their own
definition of a system. Then, have students tell a partner
what they already know about communication systems.
Students may be familiar with satellite dishes or
9
Activity 5
communication towers as they relate to mobile phone
Analyze
What Do Like a Scientist
You Already Know About
coverage. Facilitate a class discussion in which students Communication Systems
Life Cycles?
share their ideas and make a list of questions they have
about components of communication systems.
Evaluate 20 min Quick Code:
Explain that in the following activities, students will be egst4072
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exploring in more detail similarities and differences
between how animals and humans use communication
systems.

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How do animals, including humans, use light, sound, and other
1.4 Learn  methods to send and receive information?
Activity 10
Activity 10
Observe Like a Scientist 15 min
Observe Like a Scientist

How Animals Use Communication

How Animals Use Quick Code:
egs4073
Communication Systems

Photo Credit: (a) Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com, (b) Pavel Krasensky / Shutterstock.com, (c) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
Human communication systems are made of several parts that work
together to send and receive information. Animals also use communication Systems
systems. Watch the video and read the text.

Purpose
Human communication has changed a lot since
people first started sharing information using
Video
In this activity, students compare a communication
written symbols. Technology systems allow us
to call, text, and email messages over great
system used by animals to communication systems
distances. Animals do not use technology systems designed by humans.
as we do, but they can still use other systems to communicate.

Consider the tiny ant. Some ants live in colonies of thousands. Ants have
developed systems that help them divide their work. Groups of ants within a
Instructional Focus
Photo Credit: Pavel Krasensky / Shutterstock.com

colony have different roles. How do you think they communicate with each
other? Would you believe they use their sense of smell? Nurse ants send
In this activity, students obtain, evaluate, and
smelly messages to scout ants if the food is low. The scout ants respond by communicate information about how animals use
sending a smelly message to alert the scavenger ants where to find the food.
The soldier ants also use smells to communicate if there is danger nearby.
communication systems.

Life Skills Sharing

Talk Together How are human and ant communication
systems similar? How are they different?
Strategy
Life Skills  I can respect others. Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
110 videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Before watching the video, ask students to list examples

of what they already know about how various animals
communicate. Students may list examples previously
DIGITAL introduced in the concept or unit or examples from
personal experience or prior knowledge.

Show students the video Ant Communication and

instruct them to read the text.

In small groups, challenge students to construct an

explanation about how animal communication systems
are similar to the communication systems humans use.
Activity 10 Encourage groups to share their explanations with the
Observe Like a Scientist whole class to build a class explanation.
How Animals Use Communication
Systems

Quick Code:
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Concept 1.4: Communication and Information

Concept 1.4:
Transfer
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1.4 Share

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Lesson 5 Page 111

How do animals, including humans, use light, sound, and other

1.4 Share  methods to send and receive information?

Scientific Explanation Activity 11

Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Firefly Light Show Quick Code:
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Now that you have learned more about
Video
communication and information transfer,
let’s return to the example of the fireflies.
Activity 11 You first saw this in Wonder. Talk to a
partner about the video and/or text.
Record Evidence Like a Scientist When you finish, look back at the Can

Photo Credit: (a) Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com, (b) natchaporing / Shutterstock.com

25 min You Explain? question or one of your own questions. Use what you have
learned to write a scientific explanation to share.

Firefly Light Show

How can you describe a firefly light show now?

Purpose
How is your explanation different from before?
In this activity, students return to the questions posed
at the beginning of the concept and reconsider what

Photo Credit: natchaporing / Shutterstock.com

they know now. The process of writing a scientific
explanation using evidence to support a claim is a key
Look at the Can You Explain? question. You first read this at the beginning of
step in students constructing scientific knowledge that the lesson.

they can then use and apply.

Can You Explain?

Instructional Focus
How do animals, including humans, use light, sound, and
other methods to send and receive information?

In this activity, students construct an explanation about

how communication systems are used to transfer
Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 111
information.

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the DIGITAL
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Display the investigative phenomenon of the Firefly

Light Show video and the Can You Explain? question.
Students may also wish to to review the text Firefly
Light Show. Ask students to use their experiences in
Learn to consider how to explain the phenomenon.
Once students have decided how best to describe the
Activity 11
phenomenon, direct them to discuss their ideas with the
Record Evidence Like a Scientist
class or a partner.
Firefly Light Show

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How do animals, including humans, use light, sound, and other
1.4 Share  methods to send and receive information?
ASK How can this explanation help you answer the
Use your new ideas about the firefly light show to answer the Can You
Explain? question. To plan your scientific explanation, first write your claim. Can You Explain? question?
Your claim is a one-sentence answer to the question you investigated. It
answers, What can you conclude? It should not start with yes or no.

My claim:
Have students generate a scientific explanation to
answer the Can You Explain? question.

Then, record your evidence. Next, consider and explain how your evidence
supports your claim.

Evidence How It Supports Claim Can You Explain?

Photo Credit: Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com

Fireflies use patterns Humans and animals
How do animals, including humans, use
of flashing light, whales can send information
light, sound, and other methods to send
use song tones, and using a code of flashing
bees use movement to light or patterns of
and receive information?
send messages. sound. The receiver
must know the code
Humans can use to understand the As students would have already reviewed sample
patterns of light information.
scientific explanations in earlier concepts, they should
and sound to send
be familiar with the claim-and-evidence framework. You
messages, such as by
may want to review the following:
Morse code.
A claim is a one-sentence answer to the question you
investigated. It answers, what can you conclude? It
should not start with yes or no.
112
Evidence must be:

• Sufficient—Use enough evidence to support the

claim.

• Appropriate—Use information from text, video, or

data that supports the claim. Leave out information
that doesn’t support the claim.

After providing scaffolding to the students, for those

students able to do so, allow them to construct a full
scientific explanation. Students can write, draw, or orally
describe their claim and evidence.

Concept 1.4: Communication and Information

Concept 1.4:
Transfer
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Lesson 5, continued Page 113

Differentiation
Now, write your scientific explanation.
Because of cultural, linguistic, and economic Humans use light and sound to send and receive
differences, not all students may be familiar with the information using different communication
domain-specific words commonly used in science. systems. Patterns of light or sound are used
As a result, some students will encounter difficulty to send messages. We created our own code
using a flashlight to send a message across a
or show a lack of confidence when reporting on
room. Others used sound patterns to send a
their scientific explanations or engaging in scientific
message. Animals also use light and sound as
argument. Classroom instruction should be adapted to
well as movement and smell to send and receive
meet the needs of these students. Most importantly, information. For example, fireflies flash lights to

Photo Credit: Joe McDonald / Shutterstock.com

students should be provided with a supportive learning warn others of predators. Bees use a waggle
environment that respects the discussion of their ideas. dance to tell others where to find food. Ants
release scents to guide other ants to find food and
Sample student response: warn of enemies. Whether humans or animals, the
Humans use light and sound to send and receive receiver of the message must know the pattern or
information using different communication systems. code to understand the information being sent.
Patterns of light or sound are used to send messages.
We created our own code using a flashlight to send a
message across a room. Others used sound patterns
to send a message. Animals also use light and sound
as well as movement and smell to send and receive
information. For example, fireflies flash lights to warn
others of predators. Bees use a waggle dance to tell
others where to find food. Ants release scents to guide
other ants to find food and warn of enemies. Whether Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 113

humans or animals, the receiver of the message

must know the pattern or code to understand the
information being sent.

Teacher Reflection
• How has my students’ construction of scientific
explanations improved from earlier in the
course?

• How did I provide scaffolding for students to

construct their scientific explanations?

• How do I know my students are ready to

apply the core content knowledge to another
context?

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in Action
in Action
Activity 12 Quick Code:
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Analyze Like a Scientist
Activity 12
Technology Inspired by Nature Analyze Like a Scientist 20 min
Have you ever known someone who could not see because they
were blind? As you read about how scientists were inspired by bat

Technology Inspired by Nature

echolocation, think of other animal communication techniques that
might help people in your community.

Photo Credit: Ken Griffiths / Shutterstock.com

Bat-Inspired Technology
Purpose
Many animals, such as bats, use sound to communicate with each This activity connects the scientific ideas of animals
other. But sound can be used for other purposes. Bats also use sound to communicating using senses to real-world applications.
get information about their surroundings. Bats use their ears to “see”
Students will make connections between bat
Photo Credit: Anastasia Shukevych / Discovery Education

in the dark. How do they do this? They use their ears for something
called echolocation. Notice the two smaller words that make up
echolocation and assistive devices for blind humans.
this bigger word—echo and location. Bats make a high-pitched sound
and then listen for an echo, or reflected sound. When the bat hears
the reflected sound, it knows that there is something nearby. Bats use
echoes to tell where and how far away objects are.  
Instructional Focus
In this activity, students obtain and evaluate information
about how animal communication has inspired new
technology.

Strategy
Instruct students to read the passage Bat-Inspired
114
Technology. Allow students to read alone or in pairs
depending on need for literacy support.

DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneurs explore the world and identify
problems that need to be solved through their
own experiences and by learning from others’
experiences. As students read about this technology
inspired by nature, ask them to identify other
communication challenges they and others around
them have experienced. Could any of the animal
communication systems highlighted in this concept
Activity 12
help solve a new challenge?
Analyze Like a Scientist
Technology Inspired by Nature

Quick Code:
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Concept 1.4: Communication and Information

Concept 1.4:
Transfer
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CONCEPT

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Lesson 5, continued Page 116

ASK • How did scientists use an animal

How did scientists use an animal adaptation to design a new invention?
adaptation to design a new invention? Scientists were inspired by bat echolocation to
Scientists were inspired by bat make a cane for people who cannot see.
echolocation to make a cane for people How are the cane and bat echolocation similar?

who cannot see. The cane and bats emit a high-pitched sound
that bounces off objects with an echo. The
• How are the cane and bat echolocation cane and bats then “hear” the echo and can
similar? tell how far away objects are.
The cane and bats emit a high-pitched What is one main difference between the cane and bat echolocation?
The cane picks up an echo from the sound it

Photo Credit: Ken Griffiths / Shutterstock.com

sound that bounces off objects with an
emits and changes it into a vibration. The person
echo. The cane and bats then “hear” the
using the cane feels the vibration and can tell
echo and can tell how far away objects are. where objects are around them. Bats do not
change the echo into vibrations.
• What is one main difference between the
cane and bat echolocation? Think back to how honeybees communicate with each other. How are the cane
and the honeybee dance similar? 
The cane picks up an echo from the sound Honeybees make a series of movements and
it emits and changes it into a vibration. The vibrations with their wings to communicate flower
location to other bees. The cane makes a series
person using the cane feels the vibration
of vibrations to communicate to the person using
and can tell where objects are around
it where objects around them are located. 
them. Bats do not change the echo into
vibrations.

• Think back to how honeybees

116
communicate with each other. How are the
cane and the honeybee dance similar?
Honeybees make a series of movements
and vibrations with their wings to
communicate flower location to other
bees. The cane makes a series of vibrations
to communicate to the person using it
where objects around them are located.

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Activity 13 Review and Assess

Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Quick Code:
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Communication and Information Transfer
Photo Credit: (a) Ken Griffiths / Shutterstock.com, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com, (c) Rudmer Zwerver / Shutterstock.com

Think about what you have learned so far in this concept about how
humans and other animals communicate. Animals use a variety of ways
to communicate, and humans have a much more complex system of Activity 13
communication. As you review this concept, use the space provided to
summarize your learning. Explain the similarities and differences between Evaluate Like a Scientist 25 min
how humans and animals communicate. If you have additional questions
about communication systems, write them here and share these with your

Review: Communication and

teacher and classmates.
Student responses will vary.

Information Transfer

Purpose
The final activity of the concept asks students to review
the ideas presented about how humans and other
Talk Together How does your new understanding of animals communicate, especially using light and sound.
communication systems help you better understand
bats? Talk to your partner about how you can use your
knowledge of adaptations, senses, and communication to get
ready for the Unit Project. Instructional Focus
In this activity, students summarize their learning and
apply it to the big ideas of the unit.

Concept 1.4: Communication and Information Transfer 117

Strategy
Now that students have achieved this concept’s
objectives, direct them to review the key ideas. Focus
student review on the similarities and differences
between how humans and animals communicate, both
DIGITAL
specific messages and using complex systems.

After reviewing key ideas, encourage students to

discuss how they can use this new knowledge to
research bats for the Unit Project.

Activity 13
Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Communication and
Information Transfer

Quick Code:
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Concept 1.4: Communication and Information

Concept 1.4:
Transfer
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 UNIT

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Unit Project Page 118

Unit Project
Solve Problems Like a Scientist Solve Problems
65 min
Like a Scientist
Quick Code:

Unit Project: Bat Chat Unit Project: Bat Chat

In this project, you will research bats to learn how their adaptations help
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them to navigate and communicate.

Read the text about echolocation. Underline the ways bats use sound.
Instructional Focus
The Unit Project allows students to return to the Anchor
Phenomenon for the unit and apply the learning Chattering Bats

Photo Credit: Christian Musat / Shutterstock.com

standards for the unit to bat communication. Many creatures use sound to communicate with each other. But sound can
be used for other purposes. For example, bats use sound to communicate

Life Skills Accountability with each other. They also use sound to move around in the dark.

Bats live in dark places, such as caves. There is not enough light for them
to see. Bats also fly very fast. They need to be able to avoid flying into
walls and other objects. To do this, they have a special adaptation. They
make a noise in their throats that is very high pitched. It is so high that
humans cannot hear it. The noise bounces off objects, a process called
echoing. Bats hear the echo with their ears. They use the echo to figure
out where objects are. This way, they can avoid flying into objects. This is
called echolocation.

Life Skills  I can work to meet expectations.

118

DIGITAL

Quick Code:
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Strategy
Students will research bats and make a model that
Bats also use echolocation to hunt. They make a noise, and the noise bounces shows how bats use echolocation. Then, they will use
off prey. Bats can find even tiny prey this way. For example, many bats eat
mosquitoes. Although mosquitoes are very small, bats can find them with evidence to make a claim as to why it is helpful for bats
sound.
to have different sounds that mean different things.
Bats also communicate with each other using sound. Bats make different
sounds that mean different things, just like people communicate with words. Students may complete the project individually or in
Photo Credit: (a) Christian Musat / Shutterstock.com, (b) Discovery Communications, Inc.

Most of the sounds are too high for humans to hear. Researchers use recording pairs. You may wish to consider displaying student
devices that can measure the sound. They have decoded many of the sounds
bats make and have found that most of the sounds are arguments. Bats argue
diagrams around the classroom. Have students compare
almost constantly. They argue about food. They argue about where they get to their own diagrams to those of their classmates.
sleep. They argue about which bats they get to have as mates.

Bat Chat

Unit 1: Living Systems 119

Activity 7
Stages of an Animal’s Life Cycle

Analyze 20 min Quick Code:

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Unit 1.4: Communication and

Unit
Information
1: Living Systems
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Page 120 Page 121

Unit Project

Echolocation Bat Chat

Research bats further by using print or online sources. Learn about the Bats communicate by using different sounds to mean different things, like
ways bats have adapted to use sound to navigate, hunt, and communicate. humans use language. Bats also hunt and fly in the caves where they live,
Then, draw a diagram of a bat using sound to avoid obstacles and find prey. and they do so using echolocation.
Label all relevant parts of the diagram. Be sure to include the way the sound
interacts with the bat, the obstacles, and the prey. Explain why it is helpful for bats to have different sounds that mean different
things, given these facts. Use a Claim-Evidence chart to organize your
thoughts.

Student diagrams will vary, but they should

Claim
show sound waves first moving from the bat,
then hitting and bouncing off an object, and Answers may vary. Bats use different sounds to
then returning to the bat. communicate different messages.

Photo Credit: Christian Musat / Shutterstock.com

Photo Credit: Christian Musat / Shutterstock.com

Evidence

Answers will vary.

120 Unit 1: Living Systems 121

142
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Interdisciplinary Project Page 122

Interdisciplinary Project
Solve Problems Like a Scientist
135 min

Interdisciplinary Project:
To Get to the Other Side
Interdisciplinary Project:
Instructional Focus
To Get to the Other Side
In this interdisciplinary project, you will use your science and math skills

The Interdisciplinary Project challenges students to to find a solution to a real-world problem. First, you will read a story Quick Code:
about a fictional group of characters, called the STEM Solution Seekers. egs4430

Photo Credit: Piotr Velixar / Shutterstock.com

use science, literacy, math, and design skills to find a Then, you will study some background information, and you will design,
test, and refine a solution to the overall challenge. You will go through
solution to a real-world problem. This project explores the steps of the Engineering Design Process, as shown below. You will
also do some additional work in your math class related to this challenge.
how humans can impact the ecosystems of other
living organisms, sometimes prompting behavioral or
structural adaptations. The Project is best implemented
over at least three lessons, and could be extended to
more depending on time available and student interest.

Life Skills Accountability

Life Skills Problem-Solving The project “To Get to the Other Side” challenges you to think about
all of the members of a community and how we as humans affect other
living organisms. In the story, you will read about a population of desert

Life Skills Decision Making lizards, called the blue Sinai agama, who have been impacted by a new
sidewalk. You will learn more about the habitat and needs of the agama,
and then you will design a solution to help them survive.

Project Overview
122
Each Interdisciplinary Project presents an opportunity
for students to use the Engineering Design Process to
design an original solution to the problem presented.
A fictional story and a non-fiction article set up a
DIGITAL
challenge and provide students with necessary
background information. A multi-step hands-on
investigation then leads students through the tasks of
brainstorming and sketching designs, deciding on and
planning a solution, then building a prototype.

The project To Get to the Other Side presents a Quick Code:

challenge that is related to the United Nations egs4430
Sustainable Development Goal 11: Make cities and
human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and
sustainable.

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In this project, students consider the needs that people,

To Get to the Other Side animals, and plants have within a community. Students
analyze their own role in ensuring their community is
M aher, Laila, and Gil are looking for the Sinai agama lizards
that they usually see on their walk home from school.
“I can’t find any. Where’d they all go?” asks Laila.
functional and provides a sustainable environment for
all living organisms. In the design challenge, students
“Professor Hassan said there were lots of them here,” says Maher.
He is using a stick to poke in the sand and gravel at the edge of the explore how communities can design alternative
sidewalk.
walking paths that promote healthy living without
negatively impacting the habitats of other living
creatures.

Strategy
As a class, read the STEM Solutions Seekers story. Pause
after the first paragraph and ask students to brainstorm
possible reasons why Maher, Gil, and Laila cannot find
the agamas.

Use the story to help students zero in on the impact

They keep searching but don’t find any lizards. As they grow tired
of looking, Laila says, “I wonder why we can’t find them. I think we need
human actions have on the environment, specifically
to ask Professor Hassan.” Maher and Gil smile as all three start to run actions that result from communities growing and
down the sidewalk to her house.
changing. The story gives students a context for
exploring infrastructure (building) designs that are
sustainable for the surrounding ecosystems in addition
to the human community.
Unit 1: Living Systems 123
Encourage students to talk about and relate to the
characters and situation in the story.

ASK • What was the challenge?

• What are the benefits of the new sidewalk?

• What do Maher, Gil, and Laila want to do

to help the agamas?

• Have you ever noticed a change in the

types or number of animals you see in a
specific place? What do you think caused
the change?

Tell students that in this project they will be helping

the STEM Solutions Seekers by designing a sidewalk
that meets the needs of both humans and Sinai agama
lizards.

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Interdisciplinary Project
In order to get started, divide students into groups
of 4. Groups will begin by reading the article on the Hands-On Investigation
Sinai agama to gather more information. As they read, Engineering Your Solution
instruct students to highlight important information
Challenge
about agama habitats. You have been asked to create a solution for a sidewalk design that
meets the needs of both humans and Sinai agama lizards. This activity
will guide your team through the Engineering Design Process.

Project Procedure Objectives

1. Review the Challenge Students read the Challenge In this activity, you will . . .

• Review the challenge requirements and assign roles to each

description, review the objectives and study the

Photo Credit: Laura Dinraths / Shutterstock.com

member of your team

requirements from the school and the needs of the • Create three or four sketches to brainstorm solutions
• Agree upon one final blueprint for your prototype
Sinai agama. • Create a prototype of your solution that helps the Sinai agama return
to their habitat

A Desert Agama Habitat

128

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Page 129

Materials List (per group)

• Building materials, such as craft sticks or What materials do you need? (per group)
small pieces of wood • Building materials, such as craft sticks or small pieces of wood

•
• Construction paper or cardboard Construction paper or cardboard

• Pebbles, small rocks, and/or clay

• Pebbles, small rocks, and/or clay • Sand, small sticks, leaves, dirt

•
• Sand, small sticks, leaves, dirt Toy animals or figures to represent living
organisms in the habitat (optional)

• Toy animals or figures to represent living • Blank paper or poster board

ON
organisms in the habitat (optional)

I
IN

AT
• Blank paper or poster board VEST IG
Procedure
Follow these steps with your teammates:

1. Review the Challenge Study the requirements from the school and
the needs of the Sinai agama.
2. Assign Group Roles Decide the roles for the members of your
group and record the names next to each role.
ON

3. Sketch Ideas After brainstorming, as a team, select three or four

ideas to plan out in the Sketching Our Design boxes. Review your
sketches and decide on one design to fully develop. Add more
I

details to make it your blueprint that you will use to help you create
IN
AT

your solution.

VEST IG 4. Plan and Build Gather materials and begin building your prototype.
Make sure to keep track of your steps and process.
5. Reflect and Present When finished, review your product and your
process. Identify ways you could improve. Prepare to share with
your class.

Life Skills I can review expectations.

Unit 1: Living Systems 129

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Interdisciplinary Project
2. Assign Group Roles Go over each group role as
a class. Then support groups as needed to discuss Group Roles

and choose roles for each member of the group. Student name
Roles
Have every student in a group record names in the
Team Captain
Group Roles table so that groups can review the list Provide encouragement and support;
help other team members with their
at the beginning of each lesson. Remind students roles if needed; keep track of timeline

that every role is essential to the group’s success. Materials Manager

Gather and organize materials; request
additional materials if needed

Chief Engineer
Coordinate building the model;
suggest when a test may be needed;
make sure the team is building safely

Team Reporter
Record all steps of the process; share
the process the team went through to
complete the challenge

Design Requirements
Your solution must include a diagram and small prototype of your
sidewalk design, as well as a presentation sharing both your prototype
(product) and how you worked together as a team (process).

Your solution can only use materials the school has available: planks of
wood, concrete, gravel, and natural materials found near the path, such
as different size rocks, sand, dirt, sticks, and fallen leaves.

130

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3. Sketch Ideas Students first brainstorm ideas for

Sketching Our Design solutions in their groups. After some brainstorming,
groups each select four ideas to plan out in the
Sketching Our Design boxes. Each group member
sketches at least one idea. Remind students that
design sketches should include labels or notes and
do not need to be artistic. Groups then review each
member’s sketches and decide on one design to
fully develop. The questions provided beneath the
sketching area support this discussion. To further
support student groups in choosing a final design,

ASK • Does the design meet the requirements?

• Can students build a prototype of the

design?
Within your team, discuss these two questions for your ideas:
What do you like about these ideas? Where can you make
improvements to the designs? Circle your final design to create. Consider the following discussion protocol for classes
that are new to this type of collaboration:

• Two students in the group have a discussion about

Life Skills I can use information to solve a problem. which design they would select based on the
Unit 1: Living Systems
requirements and questions above.
131

• While the pair is discussing, the other two members

of the group are actively listening.

• The listening pair can also jot down any ideas that
they want to remember. After several minutes, have
the two pairs switch roles.

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Interdisciplinary Project
4. Plan and Build The Plan and Build section of this
project includes multiple steps. Plan and Build
STEP 1 Now that you have selected one design idea, create a
separate diagram with additional details that you will share during your
• Provide groups with a separate piece of paper or presentation. This detailed diagram is the blueprint for your prototype.
Identify any materials you will use on the detailed diagram.
small poster board. Students begin by drawing
STEP 2 Gather the materials you identified in your blueprint. You may
a full diagram of the chosen solution with more need to make adjustments to these materials as you are building. Keep
track of what you actually use.
details than the previous sketches. This diagram STEP 3 Begin building your prototype. As you build, you may run into
will be used as a blueprint, so remind students problems or challenges. Focus on one problem at a time and use your
group’s creativity and collaboration skills to find solutions. Engineers

to label parts and materials to be used on the use notebooks and documentation to troubleshoot when things go
wrong so that they can look for places to make improvements.

diagram. STEP 4 Once your prototype is complete, work with your team to
create a presentation to share both your product and your process.
Be sure to explain the parts of your prototype that help all of the living
• Review and display the materials that are organisms in the habitat. Also make sure to prepare to share how your
team worked together, if you encountered any problems, and how you
available to construct prototypes. Adjust the worked to make improvements.

items listed as needed based on the materials Presentation Notes

available. Make sure that materials available

represent those that would be used if the
designs were built to scale. After reviewing and
discussing materials in groups, the Materials
Manager gathers materials and groups begin
building a prototype. Remind students to keep
track of the steps taken and building process.
Life Skills I can decide on a solution to use.

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5. Reflect and Present When finished building,

Analysis and Conclusions instruct groups to review the prototype and group
Reflect on the following questions:

1. How does your solution meet the needs of people and Sinai agama?
process.

ASK • How could you improve your design?

• How could your group improve how you

2. How do you know your design is successful? What could you do to
test your design?
worked together?

After a brief initial reflection, groups discuss the Analysis

and Conclusions questions. Each group member
records answers in their own words.
3. What improvements would you make to the design process or to
your final prototype? As time allows, have groups present their prototypes
and reflections with the whole class or with one other
group.

4. What was your role on the team? What did you do well?
What improvements could you make?

Unit 1: Living Systems 133

Unit 1: Living Systems 151

 Photo Credit: Volodymyr Baleha / Shutterstock.com
Motion
UNIT

2
 Theme 2 | Matter and Energy

Unit 2 Motion
Photo Credit: Volodymyr Baleha / Shutterstock.com

Unit 2: Motion 153

UNIT

2 Motion

Learning Indicators

Throughout this unit, students will work toward the following learning indicators:

Primary 4 • CONCEPT 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4

SCIENCE

A. Skills and Processes

1. Demonstrate thinking and acting inherent in the practice of science.

a. Identify scientific and non-scientific questions. • • • •

b. Plan and carry out simple investigations to collaboratively
produce data that answers a question. • • • •
c. Represent data in tables and graphs, compare the styles of
representation. • • • •

d. Construct an argument with evidence and data. • • • •

e. Develop and/or use models to explain natural phenomena. • • • •
f. Use multiple texts to answer questions or explain phenomena. • • • •
g. Communicate scientific information orally and in written formats. • • • •

154
 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4

D. Physical Science
1. Use scientific skills and processes to explain the chemical and physical
interactions of the environment, Earth, and the universe that occur over time.

a. Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of

an object to the energy of that object.
1) Explain the basic connection between energy and
• • • •
movement.

b. Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in

energy that occur when objects collide. • •
c. Summarize observations of how energy can be transferred from
place to place by sound, light, heat, and/or electric currents.
1) Identify various forms of energy.
2) Describe everyday examples of energy changing from one
form to another. • • •
3) Explain how some everyday devices transform energy.
4) Identify the energy transformations that occur when energy is
used to run a device in the home or school.

d. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that

converts energy from one form to another. [Examples of devices
could include electric circuits that convert electrical energy into • •
motion energy of a vehicle, light, or sound; and a passive solar
heater that converts light into heat.]

F. Engineering Design and Process

a. With support, explain the characteristics and scope of

technology. • •
b. With support, explain the role of society in the development
and use of technology. •
c. Define a simple design problem that can be solved through the
development of an object, tool, process, or system. • •
d. Apply the design process with support, using tools and materials
to plan and/or build a device that solves a specific problem. • • •
e. Analyze data from tests of an object or tool to determine
whether it works as intended. • •

Unit 2: Motion 155

UNIT

2 Motion

Unit Outline

Anchor Phenomenon: Get Started

The Science of Car Crashes
Students will learn about what happens in a crash. They will explore what happens to energy
when objects collide and why car crashes cause so much damage.

Unit Project Preview

Vehicle Safety
Students will consider how safety features work to protect passengers in a vehicle.

Concepts
Starting and Stopping Energy and Motion
2.1 2.2
Students will learn that objects move Students will learn that work occurs
when an unbalanced force is applied when a force moves an object and that
and that energy changes take place energy, which is needed to work, comes
when a force is applied to an object. in different forms that can be used, via
energy changes, to move objects.

Speed Energy and Collisions

2.3 2.4
Students will learn that speed is the Students will learn that energy changes
distance moved by an object over a occur when objects collide, the amount
specified period of time and understand of energy that colliding objects have
the relationship between the speed of depends on their masses and speeds,
an object and its kinetic energy. and the collision energy is conserved.

Unit Project
Vehicle Safety
In this project, students research and redesign a safety feature of a passenger vehicle.

156
Unit Storyline
Even the youngest learners are fascinated by force and motion, primarily
because it is so easy to observe. Children naturally experiment with pushing
and pulling objects by rolling balls down ramps and watching as objects
collide or stop moving. In this unit, the unfortunately all-too-common
experience of a car crash is used to illustrate the science behind motion,
force, energy, and collisions. By focusing on vehicular safety in the unit
project, students will hopefully begin to connect the ideas of force and
motion with the passenger experience while riding in a car or other moving
vehicle.

The first concept focuses on starting and stopping motion. Students

investigate using simple, household objects to learn more about how
balanced and unbalanced forces cause starting or stopping. Next, students
learn about the relationship between energy, work, and force, and look more
deeply at different types of energy and energy changes. The relationship
between speed and motion is the focus of the third concept, where students
are first introduced to the idea of distance over time. Finally, students
examine what happens when two objects moving with a lot of speed, such
as a bat and a ball, or two cars, collide with each other. Students make
predictions about the energy transformations that occur during a collision and
connect energy transformations to the forces that are exerted on the colliding
objects.

While the physics behind vehicular safety features involves concepts that
students will not learn until much later in science, students will synthesize their
foundational ideas about force, energy transformation, speed, and collisions
to think critically about how to make improvements.

Unit 2: Motion 157

UNIT

2 Motion

Unit 2 Introduction: Get Started

What I Already Know

The second unit in Primary 4 Science is focused on energy and motion. Begin the
unit by asking students to share what they have previously studied about forces,
motion, and energy. Students might recall the differences between push/pull
Quick Code:
forces, experimenting with objects sliding or rolling down ramps, and simple ideas egst4081
about energy in the form of light or heat.

Students are asked to examine an image Get Started

of a man in a wheelchair. Before students
What I Already Know
consider the questions that accompany This unit is all about energy
the image, ask them to share what they and motion. Think about
objects that move. Do they
Quick Code:
know about wheelchairs and wheelchair move in a specific way?
Look at the image of the
egs4081

ramps. If students do not offer ideas about man in the wheelchair on the
ramp. How do you think the
wheelchairs, provide additional examples man and his wheelchair will
move? Will he need additional
Wheelchair at the Top of
such as a baby carriage or a wagon. force to move? Will the ramp
Photo Credit: (a) Volodymyr Baleha / Shutterstock.com, (b) UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock.com

a Ramp
help his movement?
Encourage students to think about and Answers will vary. The wheels on the chair will help
discuss any initial ideas about what kinds the man move down the ramp because they will roll
downhill. If the ramp is not steep enough, he might
of forces might be needed to move the
need a push to get started. If he was trying to go up
wheelchair, carriage, or wagon. At this
the ramp, he would have to use more force.
stage, fully formed or scientifically accurate
answers are less important than motivating Talk Together Think about the energy required to
move objects like a car or a train. Share your ideas about
student interest and inquiry. where the energy for motion of vehicles comes from.

During this unit, you will learn a lot more about how energy and motion are

Shift the class discussion from the familiar related. You will explore starting and stopping and how energy changes
when forces are applied to objects. You will learn the relationship between

ideas of force and motion in the What I energy and work, which happens when forces move objects. You will
investigate speed by looking closely at the distance objects travel when

Already Know activity to watch the video, moving and how long they travel. Finally, you will investigate what happens
when objects collide, or crash together.

study the image, and read the provided

text for The Science of Car Crashes. Video
resources are designed to help students
meet instructional goals. If your students Unit 2: Motion 135

cannot access the videos, text has been

provided to support learning.

Anchor Phenomenon: The Science of Car Crashes

The focus of this unit, energy and motion, is put into context with the idea of a
car crash. While no one wants to be in a car accident, students likely have seen
a collision involving moving vehicles. Encourage students to share experiences,
including how cars or other passenger vehicles might be damaged in a crash and

158
 how the design of cars actually helps to protect the riders or the
items inside. Most passenger vehicles, including automobiles, buses, Video
and trains, are equipped with specific safety features to protect both
the structure of the vehicle itself and the passengers and contents.
Remind students that safety is one of the most important features
that influence the design of vehicles, and that manufacturers are
constantly working toward improvement. The Science of Car
Crashes
As students develop an understanding of the connections between
motion, energy, work, and speed, return to the experience students
have with collisions and safety.
Photo Credit: (a) Kwangmoozaa / Shutterstock.com, (b) Tharin Sinlapachai / Shutterstock.com

Guiding Questions
• What happens to energy when objects collide?

• Why do car crashes cause so much damage?

Unit Project Preview

Vehicle Safety
Introduce the idea of a unit project to
students. Students should be familiar with
project-based assessments from previous Quick Code:
study in lower grades. The unit project asks egst4082
students to combine their learning about
energy, motion, and collision to research
and redesign a safety feature of a passenger
vehicle. Encourage students to think of
additional questions they have about vehicle safety before starting the
first concept. You may wish to post these questions in the classroom as an
ongoing reminder throughout the unit.

Question
How can you improve a device to keep passengers safe in a car crash?

Unit 2: Motion 159

 Photo Credit: inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com
Starting and
Stopping
CONCEPT

2.1

160
 Concept Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• Construct explanations of how the forces acting on objects cause them Quick Code:
to change their motion. egst4083

• Analyze and interpret data to describe how different amounts of force

cause an object to move different distances.

• Construct explanations based on evidence and logical reasoning that

the speed of an object is related to the work done on that object and
the energy of the object.

• Develop a model of the cause and effect relationship between force

applied to an object and the motion of an object.

Key Vocabulary
new: energy, force, friction,
Photo Credit: inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com

gravity, motion, work

Quick Code:
egst4084

Key Vocabulary Strategies

Teach the Word
• Group students. Assign each group member a word. That student is in charge of
learning the word and teaching it to the rest of the students in the group, who should
take notes. Provide students with some basic reference materials (such as videos or text
definitions) to help them prepare their explanation.

• Call on individual students to share their group member’s explanation and whether they
think they understood the word’s meaning.

Guess the Word

• Select the vocabulary words to introduce, divide the class into small teams, and assign
a word to each team without revealing it to the rest of the class. Also provide the
teams with a list of interview questions about their word and have them prepare the
answers. Then, be the interviewer and ask the questions to the corresponding team. For
example, you could ask the group assigned the word gravity questions such as: Is it a
noun, adjective, or verb? Does it refer to matter, energy, or some phenomenon? Where
could we find it? How can you observe it? and so on.

• After a team has answered all the questions, have the rest of the class guess the
assigned word.

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 161
CONCEPT

2.1 Starting and Stopping

Concept Pacing

Recommended Pathway
In order to meet the expectations of the standards, students must complete each
activity within the recommended pathway.

Location Days Model Lesson Time

Get Started Get Started 15 min

Lesson 1 Activity 1 10 min

Activity 2 20 min
Wonder
Activity 3 15 min

Lesson 2 Activity 4 10 min

Activity 5 20 min

Activity 6 15 min

Lesson 3 Activity 8 20 min

Learn
Activity 9 10 min

Lesson 4 Activity 10 45 min

Activity 11 10 min

Lesson 5 Activity 12 20 min

Share
Activity 13 15 min

162
Content Background

When children play, they are usually unaware that they are participating in an
exploration of many basic principles of physics, such as using the forces of push
and pull. However, children understand more than they can explain in scientific
terms because of the innate tendency that children have to experiment. The core
tenants of physical science are simple ideas. Students can draw on their concrete
experiences as context for understanding the more abstract scientific applications
of concepts such as force, work, and energy. Helping students bridge the gap
between understanding daily experiences and expressing these phenomena using
academic language is an important starting foundation for the study of motion.

Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

A force is a push or pull. When a force is applied to an object, several things may
happen. If the new force is opposed by an equivalent force acting in the opposite
direction, the two forces are considered balanced, and the object will not move.
For example, if a person pushes a piece of furniture against a wall. The force of
the wall pushing back on the object balances the force that the person exerts on
the furniture, and the furniture does not move. Likewise, when a book rests on a
desk, the downward force of gravity is balanced by an equal, but opposite, force
of the desk pushing up against the book.

In some situations, though, one force is greater than the other. When a person
pushes open a door, the force applied to the door is greater than the force of the
weight of the door pushing back. In cases such as this, the forces are considered
unbalanced, and the object will move. This resulting change in position over a
period of time is motion. When this happens, work is done on the object. For
scientists, work is done when a force moves an object over a distance. When
an object is set in motion, stored energy, also known as potential energy, is
transformed into the energy of motion, kinetic energy, and work is done.

Natural Forces
In addition to forces applied by humans or other living things, there are several
important natural forces that students will be asked to consider in this first
concept. These include gravity, which is the attractive force between two massive
bodies, and friction, which is a force that opposes the motion of an object across
a surface or through a medium.

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 163
CONCEPT

2.1 Starting and Stopping

Content Background, continued

Frictional Forces
Frictional forces exert a force in the direction opposite of an object’s motion,
causing the object to slow or come to a stop. However, frictional forces also help
put objects in motion. When a person walks, his or her foot pushes back against
the ground, and the frictional force between the ground and foot allows the
force of the leg to push the person forward. (Note that when there is not enough
friction between the foot and the ground, such as when the ground is icy or wet, a
person will slip.)

164
Hands-On Investigations Preparation

Learn

Location Instructional Focus Materials to Prepare (per group)

Activity 10: In this activity, students collect and • Toy trucks, cars
Rolling Cars analyze data about model cars’ speeds
• Measuring tape
to construct an explanation about the
relationship between speed and energy in
different scenarios.

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 165
 CONCEPT

2.1 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 1 Page 139

Activity 1
Can You Explain? 10 min Activity 1
Can You Explain?
How do forces act on a starting and
stopping object?

Photo Credit: (a) inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com, (b) Gerhard Leopold / Shutterstock.com

Purpose
This activity draws on students’ prior knowledge and
When is the last time you rode in a car, bus, or train? How do you
personal experiences by asking them to consider how think that vehicle started? What does it take to stop a vehicle? As
you begin this unit on motion, think about what you already know
forces act on a starting and stopping object. about force and energy.

How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?

Answers will vary. Objects require a force
Instructional Focus
to move them. Force can be push or pull.

Photo Credit: Gerhard Leopold / Shutterstock.com

In this activity, students use prior experience to For an object to move, the forces acting
construct an explanation of what forces are necessary to on it need to change.
start a car moving.

Life Skills Endurance

Strategy Quick Code: Life Skills  I can share ideas I am

egs4085 not yet sure about.
Students may have some initial ideas about how to
answer the question using personal experiences and
what they already know. (See sample student response Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 139

in the student edition.)

For students struggling to answer, prompt their thinking

with the following questions:
DIGITAL
• How many of you rode in a car or bus sometime
this week?
• What forces were necessary to get the car or bus in
motion?

By the end of the concept, students should be able

to construct a scientific explanation, which includes
evidence from the concept activities.
Activity 1
Can You Explain?

Quick Code:
egst4085

166
 PRINT
Page 140 Lesson 1, continued

2.1 Wonder  How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?

Activity 2 Investigative Phenomenon

Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Truck versus Airplane Quick Code:
egs4086
Have you ever wondered how something that is moving very fast slows
down or stops? Use the video and text provided to investigate the forces
involved in starting and stopping. Then, write three questions you have.
Activity 2
Ask Questions Like a Scientist

Photo Credit: (a) inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com, (b) Nelson Hale / Shutterstock.com

Have you ever seen a jet flying overhead? 20 min
Video
What about a truck driving along a motorway?

Truck versus Airplane

Which do you think is moving faster?

The engines on a jet are much more powerful

than the engine in a truck. Normally, jets fly

Purpose
much faster than a truck can drive. So what would happen if you put a jet
engine on a truck? The truck featured in this video, named the Shockwave,
has been fitted with three jet engines. It can reach speeds of over 500
kilometers an hour—about five times faster than the trucks you see driving The Investigative Phenomenon presents an engaging
down the motorway.
scenario—sometimes familiar and sometimes
Photo Credit: Nelson Hale / Shutterstock.com

The powerful engines help this truck start moving and reach record speeds, unfamiliar—to spark student curiosity about the world
but how does it stop? To solve this challenge, the truck’s engineers turned
to rocket designs. They installed three parachutes that deploy to help slow around them. This activity asks students to consider the
down the truck quickly. role of force in stopping a fast-moving vehicle.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students will watch a video and read
Life Skills  I can ask questions to clarify. a text about a truck racing an airplane and develop
questions about the relationship between force and
140
movement or speed.

Life Skills Negotiation

DIGITAL Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

After considering the familiar examples of trains, buses,

and cars, students are now introduced to an extreme
example of movement: a truck with jet engines. Ask
students to share what they already know about the
Activity 2 differences between jets and trucks so that they can
Ask Questions Like a Scientist consider this unique combination. Instruct students to
Truck versus Airplane read the text independently or in pairs, and then watch
the video.
Quick Code:
egst4086

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 167
 CONCEPT

2.1 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 1, continued Page 141

• Lead a class discussion and ask students to verbally

What makes the truck move? How does the truck start and stop?
define and agree upon the meaning of words such Write three questions you have, and share them with the class.

as energy, force, movement, and others they may

I wonder . . .
use. Record agreed upon definitions in a place where
students can read and reference the terms. Student questions will vary. How fast does a jet
plane need to go to lift off?
• Then, have students generate their own questions
from the video or text related to forces and motion.
Encourage students to focus their questions around:
What makes the truck and airplane move? How do

Photo Credit: inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com

I wonder . . .
they start? How do they stop?
How does a jet plane stop?

Teacher Reflection
• Did this activity engage the students?
I wonder . . .

• Did this activity allow students to generate How does the truck start moving?
their own questions?

• Would you organize this differently next

year? If so, what would you change?

• Were students able to recall key information

on force, friction, gravity, speed, and Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 141
motion?

168
 PRINT
Page 142 Lesson 2
2.1 Wonder  How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?
Activity 3
Activity 3
Observe Like a Scientist 15 min
Observe Like a Scientist

Making Things Move

Making Things Move Quick Code:
egs4087
Imagine a ball lying on the ground, a closed door, and a bicycle leaning

Photo Credit: (a) inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com, (b) pzAxe / Shutterstock.com, (c) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
against a wall. All of these objects can move. What do you think causes
an object to move? Use the video and text that follow to investigate motion.
Share your ideas with your class.
Purpose
A ball lying on the ground untouched does not This activity allows students to discuss the questions
Video
move. When you kick it, your foot pushes the generated in the previous activity and further consider
ball to make it roll. A closed door untouched
also does not move. When you grab the handle what causes motion.
and pull, the door swings open. Push and pull
forces can sometimes be easy to observe.

What about air? Can air provide enough force to move an object?
Instructional Focus
Consider wind blowing through the leaves on a tree. Now picture a cart
In this activity, students explore the cause-and-effect
on the road. Could air, or wind, move a cart? The investigative engineers
featured in this video tested this question. Instead of waiting for the wind relationship between energy and motion and construct
to blow, they strapped fire extinguishers onto a cart. As they release air
an explanation about how energy can be transferred
Photo Credit: pzAxe / Shutterstock.com

from the extinguishers, the cart begins to roll. How fast and how far do you
think the cart could move? between objects.

Life Skills Negotiation

Talk Together Now, talk together about how the
objects in the video and text move. How did forces
cause the objects to move? Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
Life Skills  I can ask questions to clarify.
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
142 video, text has been provided to support learning.

Encourage students to consider what they already know

about motion and its causes as they watch the video
and read the companion text. Ask students to jot down
DIGITAL questions to share in a whole-class discussion as they
watch and read.

Facilitate a discussion where students use evidence

from the video and text to explain how force causes
motion. Start the discussion by asking the class to
explain why changing the number of fire extinguishers
changes the speed of the cart. During the discussion,
encourage students to ask each other questions
Activity 3 such as: How do you know? Do you have additional
Observe Like a Scientist
evidence?
Making Things Move

Quick Code:
egst4087

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 169
 CONCEPT

2.1 Wonder

PRINT
Lesson 2, continued Page 143
xx

Activate Prior Knowledge Activity 4

Observe Like a Scientist
What Do You Already Know About Quick Code:
egs4088
Starting and Stopping?
Share what you already know about starting and stopping by completing

Activity 4 the following activities. After you have learned more, you can return to these
activities to add to or change your responses.

Observe Like a Scientist

Photo Credit: (a) inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com, (b) LightField Studios / Shutterstock.com

10 min How Do Objects Move?
Pushes and pulls move objects. Write one sentence that describes pushing

What Do You Already Know About

something. Write a second sentence that describes pulling something.
Student answers will vary. An example of pushing an

Starting and Stopping? object may be a baker pushing a bread cart down
the street. An example of a pull may be a girl pulling
a wagon across a courtyard.
Purpose
Balanced and Unbalanced

Photo Credit: LightField Studios / Shutterstock.com

This activity is a formative assessment to find out what Observe the image, which
shows a rope being pulled
students already know about the role of force in making in two directions. The rope
is not moving in the image,
objects move. but which way do you think
it moved just after the image
was taken? Record your

Instructional Focus
prediction by drawing an
arrow beneath the image.
Then, turn to a partner and
In this activity, students consider the various factors that discuss your answers.
Children Playing Tug-of-War

characterize an object’s motion based on what they

already know about motion and change.
Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 143
How Do Objects Move?
Strategy
This item provides a formative assessment of students’ DIGITAL
ability to distinguish the two ways forces are applied to
objects.

Balanced and Unbalanced

Strategy
The item assesses students’ existing knowledge of
balanced and unbalanced forces. Students analyze Activity
Activity 4
1
visual data to evaluate two opposite energies applied to Observe Like a Scientist
Can You Explain?
a rope and predict the direction it will move. What Do You Already Know About
Starting and Stopping?
Students may believe that an object always moves in
the direction of a force applied to the object. In fact, Quick Code:
there are often several forces acting on an object egst4088
ca2510s
when it is moving (gravity, friction, air resistance). The
direction of motion is determined by the sum of all the
forces, or the net force, acting on the object.

170
 CONCEPT

2.1 Learn

PRINT
Page 144 Lesson 2, continued

How Do We Know an Object Is Moving?

How Do We Know an
Activity 5
Analyze Like a Scientist
Object Is Moving?
Objects in Motion Quick Code:
egs4089
What is motion? What causes objects to start and stop moving?
Look for answers to these questions as you read the text about
objects in motion. Then, answer the questions that follow.

Activity 5

Photo Credit: Indra Disteina / Shutterstock.com

Objects in Motion
Think of a time when you played catch with a friend. The ball left your
Analyze Like a Scientist 20 min
hands, travelled through the air, and then was caught by your friend. The

Objects in Motion
ball landed in a different place from where it started, because it moved.

An object is in motion if it is moving from one place to another. When you

look at an object, you can describe its position compared to other things
Photo Credit: Indra Disteina / Shutterstock.com

around it. Imagine that you are standing next to a tree when you are
playing catch. The starting position of the ball is close to the tree. When
Purpose
the ball travels through the air, it is in motion. It stops moving when your
friend catches it. The ball’s position changes, relative to the tree. Motion is This reading passage serves as an introduction to some
any change in position relative to a fixed starting point.
of the key ideas that students will explore throughout
the concept. In order to understand motion, students
must be familiar with the factors that describe, define,
Life Skills  I can analyze a situation. and affect motion.

Instructional Focus
144
In this activity, students focus on the indicators that
define an object’s motion and the types of force that
cause motion.

DIGITAL Life Skills Decision-Making

Activity 5
Analyze Like a Scientist
Objects in Motion

Quick Code:
egst4089

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 171
 CONCEPT

2.1 Learn

PRINT
Lesson 2, continued Page 145

Strategy
What causes motion to start? For motion to start or stop, there must be a force,

Ask students to read the text to find evidence to explain a push or a pull. When you threw the ball, you put it into motion using a push.
Gravity, the force that pulls objects downward, caused the ball to drop into
what defines and causes motion. your friend’s hand. The pushing force of your friend’s hand against the ball
stopped the ball’s motion.

• Before reading the text, toss a ball around the Some motion is easy to see, and some is not. It is easy to see a person walk

classroom. Lead a class discussion on how they down the street, a leaf blowing in the wind, or a ball traveling through the air
after it is thrown. You know an object is in motion if you can measure changes
know the object is in motion. in its position, even if you cannot see those changes. An object’s change in
position is compared to something else, usually something that is not moving.

• Then, ask students to read the text. After the

Photo Credit: Indra Disteina / Shutterstock.com

students have finished reading, revisit the
discussion. Help students to use the correct Think about what you just learned about motion, using the example of
tossing a ball. Write answers to the following questions.
vocabulary from the reading to explain their What two things must occur for a ball to be in motion?
thinking. A force must act upon the ball to start motion and
the position of the ball must change.

ASK • What two things must occur for a ball to be What are the two types of forces that can be used to put a ball into motion?
The two types of forces that can put a ball into
in motion?
motion are a push or a pull.
Sample Answer: A force must act on the
ball to start motion and the position of the
ball must change.

• What are the two types of forces that can

be used to put a ball into motion?
Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 145
Sample Answer: The two types of forces
that can put a ball into motion are a push
or a pull.

172
 PRINT
Page 146 Lesson 3
2.1 Learn  How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?

What Makes Objects Move?

What Makes Objects Move?
Activity 6
Observe Like a Scientist
Force Quick Code:

Photo Credit: (a) inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com, (b) Ihor Berkyta / Shutterstock.com

egs4090
Two types of force put objects in motion: push and pull. Examples of
these forces are around you everywhere you go. Read the text and watch
Activity 6
the video, if possible. Look for examples of pushes and pulls. Then, answer
the questions that follow.
Observe Like a Scientist 15 min

Every day, the world around us is in constant

motion. Vendors push carts through busy
Video Force
markets, kids play football games, you travel
to school and return home again. Some things
move quickly, while others move slowly. All Purpose
motion, fast or slow, is caused by force. Force is a push or pull on an object
Photo Credit: Ihor Berkyta / Shutterstock.com

that causes it to change position. Students were introduced to the forces that start and
Does force affect us when it feels like we are not in motion? If you are stop motion in the text Objects in Motion. This activity
reading this, you are probably sitting in a chair. It may not feel like there is
any force acting on your body. In fact, gravity is pulling you downward and
establishes a real-world context for the somewhat abstract
holding you in the chair. concept of force, so that students have a solid basis for
When you finish your work, you might push the chair away from your understanding these ideas as lessons move into more
desk and pull your bag up from the floor. Did you know that in these
complex topics, such as energy, speed, and collisions.

Instructional Focus
Life Skills  I can identify problems.

146 In this activity, students engage in a discussion about

the cause-and-effect relationship between push and pull
forces and motion in their daily lives.

Life Skills Critical Thinking

DIGITAL
Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Before reading the text, ask students to think about

what they have already learned about forces that start
Activity 6 and stop motion.
Observe Like a Scientist
Force ASK • What types of force can start or stop
motion?
A push or a pull can start or stop motion.
Quick Code:
egst4090

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 173
 CONCEPT

2.1 Learn

PRINT
Lesson 3, continued Page 147

ASK • What are some examples of starting or

movements, multiple forces are acting from different directions? Gravity
stopping motion with a push? pulls your bag down while your arm lifts it up. A key part of understanding

Student answers may include examples motion is to recognize balanced and unbalanced forces.

such as playing with toy cars, pushing a Have you ever played tug-of-war? Two teams hold opposite ends of a rope.
The players pull the rope toward them. If each team is pulling the rope with
friend on a swing, or throwing a ball. equal force, the forces are balanced. Neither team moves forward. If one team
pulls with greater force, then the forces are unbalanced and the rope moves.

• What are some examples of starting or

stopping motion with a pull? What are some examples of starting or stopping motion with a push?
Student answers will vary but may include any daily
Student answers may include examples
activities that involve a pushing motion.

Photo Credit: inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com

such as a toddler playing with a pull toy,
What are some examples of starting or stopping motion with a pull?
pulling a door open, or pulling on a rope in Student answers will vary but may include any daily
tug-of-war. activities that involve a pulling motion.

Pair students with a partner to read the text. After Think about a time that you used force. What would that activity be like if
there was no push or pull involved?
students finish reading, show students the video. Ask Student answers will vary but may include
students to consider whether life would be possible if understanding that activities such as football or
the forces of push or pull did not exist. other sports would no longer be possible without the
ability to push and pull.
ASK How would your lives change or become more
Optional Digital Activity 7
difficult? Would life even be possible?
Observe Like a Scientist
Student answers will vary. Most students
Tug-of-War Quick Code:
will understand that we would be unable to Go online to complete this activity.
egs4429

move objects without these forces. However,

Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 147
students may not automatically consider
that activities such as walking are a result of
pushing and pulling.

Encourage students to deepen their reasoning by

asking questions such as, What would happen if we
could push things in one direction only? What happens
if we push an object with twice the force that we pull it?

Optional Digital Activity 7

Observe Like a Scientist 10 min

Tug-of-War
This optional activity can be found
online. Optional digital activities
can be used to extend student
exploration or to challenge Quick Code:
advanced students. egst4429

174
 PRINT
Page 148 Lesson 3, continued

What Makes Moving Objects Stop?

What Makes Moving

Activity 8
Analyze Like a Scientist
Objects Stop?
Stopping Motion Quick Code:
egs4091
Before you read the text, look at these words and phrases. Think
about what the text will be about based on this list. Then, answer the
question that follows.

• slow down • stop

• force • friction Activity 8

Photo Credit: conrado / Shutterstock.com

• moving objects
Analyze Like a Scientist 20 min

Stopping Motion Stopping Motion

Let’s consider the effect of balanced and unbalanced forces in more detail. A
book lying on a table is being pulled down by gravity and pushed up by the

Purpose
Photo Credit: conrado / Shutterstock.com

force the table exerts. When the forces on an object are balanced, the object
does not move.

When the forces on an object are unbalanced, the object could start moving,
Students consider what they know about force causing
move faster or slower, or change direction. If force causes motion, how does an motion to construct an explanation for the opposite
object in motion STOP?
effect: What causes an object to stop moving?

Life Skills  I can use information to solve a problem.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students analyze a text about stopping
motion to predict the effect of energy changes caused
148
by collisions.

Life Skills Problem-Solving

DIGITAL Strategy
Before students read the text, give them the following
words and have them identify those words in the text.
Call on several students to share their predictions with
the class.

• Slow down

• Force
Activity 8
Analyze Like a Scientist • Moving objects
Stopping Motion
• Stop

Quick Code: • Friction

egst4091

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 175
 CONCEPT

2.1 Learn

PRINT
Lesson 3, continued Page 149

Have students highlight the following sentence from the

text: Moving objects only stop when a force of the same Moving objects only stop when a force of

size is applied to them in the opposite direction from the same size is applied to them in the
opposite direction from which they are
which they are moving. moving. Sometimes it is easy to observe
where the force that stops an object comes

After students have completed the reading, ask them from. If a car crashes into a wall, it may
stop. The wall applied a force to the car.
to construct an explanation for how an object stops But why does that same car roll slowly to a
Car Crash

moving using four or more of the words in the list at the stop if it runs out of gas on a level road? In

beginning of the activity. this case, the car is being slowed down by a force called friction. You have
probably heard of friction. Friction is a force that is exerted when objects
rub against each other. Friction is a force that opposes motion. In the case

Photo Credit: conrado / Shutterstock.com

ASK When a car runs into a wall, what can you of the car, this includes when its tires rub on the road and when air flows
over the car and rubs against its surface.
assume about the size of the force of the car
compared to the size of the force of the wall?
Because the car stops moving, you can assume
that the force exerted by the wall is the same When a car runs into a wall, make a claim about the size of the force of
the car compared to the size of the force of the wall.
Lesson 3, c
size as the force of the moving car. Students’ answers should indicate that they can
assume the forces are equal in magnitude.
Differentiation
ADVANCED LEARNERS
Provide students with toy cars. In groups, challenge
students to see whose car can roll the farthest. Give
each group the same car, but challenge students to
create their own “track” with the least friction.
Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 149
APPROACHING LEARNERS
For students who need more practice understanding
the concept of friction, have them experiment rolling
a ball on different surfaces. Have them use a smooth
surface, a bumpy surface, and a rough surface. Have
them observe what happens to the ball on the different
surfaces.

176
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2.1 Learn  How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?

Activity 9
Activity 9
Evaluate Like a Scientist
Evaluate Like a Scientist 10 min

Launching a Satellite
Launching a Satellite
Quick Code:
egs4092
Let’s apply what we have learned about force and motion to launching
satellites into space. How do forces relate to the challenge of launching a
satellite into orbit in space? Read the text. Circle the correct word or phrase
from the bold options provided to complete each sentence.
Purpose
This formative assessment provides an opportunity to
check for student understanding of how balanced and

Photo Credit: inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com

Every new satellite is carried into space by a rocket. Before launch, the
rocket stands motionless on its launch pad. It stays still because forces unbalanced forces affect motion.
acting upon it are balanced. / pushing it down. / unbalanced.

Instructional Focus
During launch, the rocket applies
balanced forces / unbalanced forces / the force of gravity
so that it can move away from Earth.
In this activity, students apply their understanding
continued Once the rocket is in space, it can release the satellite into orbit. The
satellite can keep travelling at the same speed for hundreds of years. of balanced and unbalanced forces to construct an
Unlike on Earth, in space there is no air. Because there is no air, there explanation about how forces acting on a space probe
is no force of gravity / force of friction / force of motion to slow
down the satellite. can be used to predict how its energy changes with
changes to its motion.

Life Skills Self-Management

Strategy
Life Skills  I can review my progress toward a goal.
Encourage students to review the previous reading
150 passages before articulating their own understanding in
this formative assessment. Students select the correct
word or phrase from the list of options provided to
complete each sentence.
DIGITAL After they have individually recorded answers, allow
students to compare and discuss answers with a partner.
Encourage students to review prior reading passages to
clarify or correct their understanding as needed.

Teacher Reflection
Activity 9
• What content did my students struggle with
Evaluate Like a Scientist during the Evaluate activity?
Launching a Satellite
• What other activities demonstrating
relationship between force and stopping
Quick Code: motion could I include the next time I teach
egst4092 this lesson?

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 177
 CONCEPT

2.1 Learn

Lesson 4
Materials List (per group)
• Toy trucks, cars
What Is the Relationship • Measuring tape

between Force and Energy?

Activity 10
Investigate Like a Scientist

ON
45 min

I
Hands-On Investigation: IN

AT
VEST IG
Rolling Cars

Purpose
After reading multiple examples of how forces affect Safety
motion, students now investigate and directly observe
this relationship. Through observation, students • Follow all general lab safety rules.
conclude that applying large force results in a large • Do not eat or drink anything in the lab.
amount of kinetic energy and a further distance
traveled. Later in the unit, students will apply this • Wear closed-toe shoes.
relationship to their understanding of the impact of two
objects colliding. • Keep the toy cars and trucks on the ground.
Do not launch them off desks and tables.
Instructional Focus
In this activity, students collect and analyze data
about the distance model cars travel to construct an
explanation about the relationship between force and
kinetic energy in different scenarios.

178
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Page 151 Lesson 4, continued

Activity Activator: Make a Prediction

What Is the Relationship between Force and Energy?
Ask students to use prior experience to explain how the
distance an object moves depends on the amount of
Activity 10
force used to move it.
Investigate Like a Scientist
ASK If you are playing catch with a friend and the
Hands-On Investigation: Quick Code:
friend moves farther away, would you have to
egs4093
Rolling Cars
Now that you know more about the causes of motion, in this activity you
throw the ball harder or softer for your friend
will explore the effect of applying different amounts of force to an object.
You will investigate this by rolling toy cars across the floor. First, use what
to catch it?
you already know to predict how far the toy car or truck will roll. Complete
the activity, record your data, and then answer questions about what
I would need to throw the ball harder for it to
you observed.
reach my friend that is farther away.
Make a Prediction
Write your claim here. After some discussion, have students complete the
Student answers will vary. I predict that the harder I activity by making a prediction about how far a toy car
push the car, the farther it will go.
would roll if pushed.

Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 151

DIGITAL

Activity 10
Investigate Like a Scientist
Hands-On Investigation: Rolling
Cars

Quick Code:
egst4093

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 179
 CONCEPT

2.1 Learn

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2.1 Learn  How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?

Activity Procedure: What Will You Do?
What materials do you need? (per group)
1. Distribute an assortment of toy cars and trucks • Toy trucks, cars
among student groups. Ask each group to find • Measuring tape

and agree on a way to measure the distance their

toy cars will go (tape on the floor, yardstick, hand
lengths, tiles, etc.). Have small groups work in their

ON
own space in the classroom to determine a starting

I
IN

AT
VEST IG
point from which to roll the toy cars along the floor.

2. Have each group push a toy car hard. The groups What Will You Do?
1. Gather your toy cars and trucks.
should record the distance their toy car rolls. They 2. Plan a way to measure the distance your cars will travel, and create a
simple sketch of your plan.
should record their results numerically. Each group
3. Push a toy car hard from a starting point.
should conduct multiple trials and calculate the 4. Record the distance the toy car rolls.

average. 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 several times, and find the average.
6. Predict what will happen if you push your toy car very gently.
7. Push a toy car very gently from the starting point you used in step 3.
8. Record the distance the toy car rolls.
9. Repeat step 7 several times, and find the average.

152

180
PRINT
Page 153 Lesson 4, continued

3. Ask each group to predict and agree on what they

Record your data in the table.
think will happen if they push their toy car very
Trial Type of Push Distance gently. Have the groups push softly to see if their
1 Hard Answers will vary. prediction was correct. The groups should record
2 Hard Answers will vary. the distance that their car went. They should record
3 Hard Answers will vary. their results numerically. Again, each group should
4 Hard Answers will vary. conduct multiple trials and calculate the average.
Average hard push distance
4. After students have collected the data, have a
5 Gentle Answers will vary.
representative from each group share the type of
6 Gentle Answers will vary.
vehicle they used and the average distance for both
7 Gentle Answers will vary.
types of pushes. This can be shared verbally and/or
8 Gentle Answers will vary.
written on the board.
Average gentle push distance

Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 153

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 181
CONCEPT

2.1 Learn

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2.1 Learn  How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?

Analysis and Conclusions: Think About the Activity
Think About the Activity Think about the data you collected. How does this data support or
go against your hypothesis? Describe how you know. Then, answer
the question.

ASK • Did the results of the investigation provide My Claim The harder I push the car, the farther it will go.
evidence that supported or did not
support your hypothesis?
My hypothesis that the car pushed hard    When I measured the distances the
My claim is true because

would travel farther than the car pushed cars traveled, the average of the measurements was
higher for the harder pushes.
gently was verified by our results.

Photo Credit: Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

• Describe how you know. Could the distance each car traveled have changed if you had used a
different car or truck?
Specifically, the car that I pushed hard Answers may vary, but they should generally note
traveled on average 3 meters, and the some things that could have changed. Sample
car that was pushed gently traveled on answer: Yes, the distance the car traveled could
average 1 meter. have changed if we used a different car or truck. If it
was bigger, it would not have traveled as far. If it was
• What was the source of the variation in smaller, it would have traveled farther.
each of your trials?
In our hard-push trials, we could not push it Talk Together What do you think caused the car to
start and stop moving? What is your evidence? How does
the same every time, so that’s why James’s the car compare to the airplane you saw in Wonder?

push went over 5 meters and another only

went 3 meters.
154
• Could the distance each car traveled have
changed if you had used a different car or
truck?
Student answers will vary, but they should
generally note some things that could have
changed. Yes, the distance the car traveled
could have changed if we used a different
car or truck. If it was bigger, it would not
have traveled as far. If it was smaller, it
would have traveled farther.

• Why did each car stop where it did?

Student answers will vary, but they should
note that the car was slowing down as it
approached the point where it stopped.
The car started out quickly but slowed
down from friction between the tires
and the ground. Eventually, those forces
brought the car to a complete stop.

182
Lesson 4, continued

ASK • What additional questions do you have about starting and stopping?
Choose one of your questions and explain how you could learn
information to help you answer the question.
Students’ questions will vary, but they should provide at least two
questions and provide a means to test one of their questions. I
wonder about how friction works. I also wonder whether we could
have the car travel the same distance every time. To investigate the
second question, I would see if we could make a machine that would
push the car with the same force every time. Then, I would see if that
resulted in the car traveling the same distance each time.

Return to the video of the Truck versus Airplane in Activity 2. Show the video portion
depicting the truck starting and stopping (1:03-1:54). Place students in pairs. Instruct them to
turn to their partners and describe the forces acting on the truck to start and stop its motion.
At this point, students do not need quantitative values, but they should indicate that a force
greater than the force they applied to the cars would be needed, as the truck is heavier than
the toy car. Students may also think that the truck stops due to friction, similar to the toy car
in their testing. The next activity will support students with additional evidence related to
why objects stop or change their motion.

Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 183

 CONCEPT

2.1 Learn

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Lesson 5 Page 155
xx

Activity 11
Observe Like a Scientist
Activity 11
10 min Observe Like a Scientist
Energy, Work, and Force
Energy, Work, and Force
Quick Code:
egs4096
You already know that in order for motion to start or stop, force must be

Photo Credit: (a) inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com, (b) pjcross / Shutterstock.com, (c) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
applied to an object. Now, you will explore the relationships between force,
energy, and work. Read the text to find out how these three terms are
connected. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Purpose
Students now have a solid understanding of what To make a vehicle start or stop moving requires a
Video
motion is and which factors are involved in starting, force—either a push or a pull. Applying this force
to the vehicle requires energy. Imagine you had to
stopping, and changing motion. Before students can push a car along a flat road. Moving a car needs

begin learning about more sophisticated phenomena a lot of force. Soon you would be sweating hard as
your body used up its energy reserves working to get the car moving.
associated with motion, students must first explore the
Force and energy are different, but they are related to one another. Force
relationship between force, energy, and work. is something that changes energy in such a way that it can do work. In
the case of your pushing the car, the force your body exerts on the car is

Instructional Focus
changing the energy in your body to energy in the moving car. When you

Photo Credit: pjcross / Shutterstock.com

move the car, you are doing work. To put it another way, a force transfers
energy from one object to another. Work is the energy transferred by a
In this activity, students give an explanation of the force that is used to move the object.

relationship between force and energy in the context

of work.
Talk Together Now, talk together about the nature

Life Skills Respect for Diversity of force, work, and energy. What examples have you
encountered during class?

Strategy Life Skills  I can respect others.

Video resources are designed to help students meet Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 155
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Before students read the text and watch the video,

introduce students to the term work as it is applied in DIGITAL
physics.

ASK • How would you define the word work?

Student answers will vary but likely
students will offer chores or schoolwork as
examples of work.

• How do you think the scientific meaning of

Activity 11
the word work might be different from how
Analyze Like a Scientist
we use it in daily conversation? Energy, Work, and Force
Student answers will vary but most
students will be unfamiliar with the term
work as it is used in physics. Quick Code:
egst4095
ca2510s

184
Lesson 5, continued

As a whole class or in small groups, guide the students though the text. Stop to check for
understanding and discuss misconceptions.

Once the class is finished reading the text, revisit the discussion of the term work in
science versus how it is used in conversation. Facilitate a class discussion about the various
definitions of work.

ASK • How does the reading passage define work?

Work is the measure of energy transfer that occurs when an object is
moved over a distance.

• What do these two uses of the word work have to do with one
another?
Student answers will vary but most students will understand that the
daily use of the word implies using energy to complete a task and
involves some movement.

• How is work related to energy and force?

Force requires energy. Energy is the ability to do work.

Be sure to provide or confirm accurate responses so that students do not reinforce

misunderstandings.

If available, provide students with time to watch the video in small groups or as a
whole class.

Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 185

 CONCEPT

2.1 Share

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Lesson 5, continued Page 156

2.1 Share  How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?

Scientific Explanation Activity 12

Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Truck versus Airplane Quick Code:
egs4097
Now that you have learned about the
Video
role of balanced and unbalanced forces
in starting and stopping motion, review
Activity 12 the text and watch the video Truck
versus Airplane again. You first saw this
Record Evidence Like a Scientist

Photo Credit: (a) inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com, (b) Nelson Hale / Shutterstock.com

in Wonder.
20 min
How can you describe forces now?

Truck versus Airplane

Purpose How is your explanation different from before?

In this activity, students return to the questions posed

at the beginning of the concept and reconsider what

Photo Credit: Nelson Hale / Shutterstock.com

they know now. The process of writing a scientific
Look at the Can You Explain? question. You first read this question at the
explanation using evidence to support a claim is a key beginning of the lesson.

step in students constructing scientific knowledge that

they can then use and apply. Can You Explain?
How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students review and discuss their initial Life Skills  I can apply an idea in a new way.

explanations about the investigative phenomenon

156
Truck versus Airplane, based on the information about
forces and motion acquired in the previous activities.

Life Skills Creativity

DIGITAL
Strategy
Display the investigative phenomenon of the Truck
versus Airplane video and the Can You Explain?
question. Ask students to discuss and share with the
class or a partner their explanation for the investigative
phenomenon Truck versus Airplane.

After allowing students to discuss,

Activity 12
ASK How can this explanation help you answer the Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Can You Explain? question? Truck versus Airplane

Quick Code:
egst4097

186
PRINT
Page 157 Lesson 5, continued

Invite students to share their thoughts and explanations.

Now, you will use your new ideas about forces to answer this question.
To plan your scientific explanation, first write your claim. Guide the discussion to incorporate information taught
My claim: during this concept about friction, energy, and force.
Student answers may vary. Students may write that Review these ideas as they apply to this example and
a stationary truck, jet, or object will move when the
compare them to investigations conducted by the
forces acting on the object are unbalanced.
students.
Next, review your notes and answers from throughout the concept.
Identify two pieces of evidence that support your claim:
After providing scaffolding to the students, for those
Evidence 1 students able to do so, allow them to construct a full
Photo Credit: inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com

Student answers will vary. Students may cite that

scientific explanation. They can write, draw, or orally
a door will stay closed unless a person pushes or describe their claim, evidence, and reasoning.
pulls it open.
As students would have already reviewed sample
scientific explanations in earlier units, they should
be familiar with the claim, reasoning and evidence
Evidence 2
framework. You may want to review the following:

Student answers will vary. Students may cite Claim is a one-sentence answer to the question you
that a rolling ball will stop when it hits the wall. investigated. It answers, what can you conclude? It
should not start with yes or no.

Evidence must be:

• Sufficient—Use enough evidence to support the

Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 157
claim.

• Appropriate—Use data that support your claim.

Leave out information that doesn’t support the
claim.

Students will be introduced to the Reasoning part of the

framework in future concepts.

Review student responses in the graphic organizer:

My Claim:
Student answers may vary. Students may write that
a stationary truck, jet, or object will move when the
forces acting on the object are unbalanced.

Evidence 1:
Student answers will vary. Students may cite that a door
will stay closed unless a person pushes or pulls it open.

Evidence 2:
Student answers will vary. Students may cite that a
rolling ball will stop when it hits the wall.

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 187
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2.1 Share

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Lesson 5, continued Page 158

2.1 Share  How do forces act on a starting and stopping object?

Have students generate a scientific explanation to
Now, write your scientific explanation.
answer the Can You Explain? question. The forces acting on a truck with jet engines cause it to start and
stop because…
See sample student responses in Teacher Materials.

Can You Explain?

How do forces act on a starting and
stopping object?

Photo Credit: inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com

Sample student response:
Objects require a force to move them. Force is a push
or pull. When all the forces acting on an object are
equal, the object does not move. For an object to
move, the forces acting on it need to change. The
forces on a stationary truck are balanced. Once these
forces are no longer equal, the truck will begin to
move. A truck moving forward needs a force pulling it
back to make it stop. The truck will stop moving when
the forces become equal again. During the Hands-
On Investigation: Rolling Cars, we saw that different
amounts of forces led to different changes in motion. 158
A hard push or force moved objects farther distances.
Also, friction acted on the car, slowing it down. Friction
acted differently on each car because of the cars’
different sizes and shapes. Friction and the force of the
parachute helps stop the truck.

188
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Page 159 Lesson 5, continued

Activity 13 Review and Assess

Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Starting and Stopping Quick Code:
egs4099
Think about what you have learned so far about starting and stopping.
You explored how different forces cause objects to move. In the space
below, explain how forces act upon objects to start and stop motion.
Student responses will vary. Activity 13
Photo Credit: (a) inigolai-Photography / Shutterstock.com, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

Evaluate Like a Scientist 15 min

Review: Starting and Stopping

Purpose
The final activity of the concept asks students to review
and explain the main ideas of starting and stopping
Talk Together Think about the wheelchair that you
saw in the What We Already Know activity. How are
motion.
wheelchairs designed to both allow users to move and to keep
them safe? Can you think of other vehicles that have similar
features to a wheelchair?
Instructional Focus
Students summarize their learning about starting and
stopping with a written explanation and by completing
a concept summative assessment.

Strategy
Concept 2.1: Starting and Stopping 159
Now that students have achieved this concept’s
objectives, direct them to review the key ideas. You may
also assign students the summative assessment for this
concept.
DIGITAL
In the summative concept assessment, students will
determine the relationship between force and energy
and what makes an object stop or start moving.

Activity 13
Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Starting and Stopping

Quick Code:
egst4099

Concept 2.1: Starting

Concept
and2:
Stopping
Motion 189
 CONCEPT

2.2

Energy and
Motion

Photo Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

Concept Objectives
By the end of this concept, students should be able to:

• Ask questions that can be investigated to determine the form of Quick Code:
energy in a system or for an object. egst4100

• Use patterns and logical reasoning to predict if objects have kinetic

and/or potential energy.

• Communicate information about different sources of potential energy

that can be converted to kinetic energy by objects and construct an
explanation that energy is conserved during these conversions.

190
 Key Vocabulary Academic Vocabulary
new: chemical energy, gravitational convert
potential energy, kinetic energy,
potential energy, thermal
energy Quick Code:
egst4101
review: energy, friction, work
Photo Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

Key Vocabulary Strategy

Associations
Write the vocabulary words as headers of different columns on a board. Then, ask students
about other terms they could think of that relate to these vocabulary words. Have the
students discuss whether some points should be moved or removed.

Academic Vocabulary Strategy

Convert
Divide the class into small groups and place each group in charge of learning a definition
for the term convert in a different scenario. Then, each group should nominate a member
to explain the meaning to the rest of the class. Next, have the students discuss and
develop a more general definition of convert based on the specific definitions they have
learned.

Concept 2.2: Energy and

Concept
Motion: 191
CONCEPT

2.2 Energy and Motion

Concept Pacing

Recommended Pathway
In order to meet the expectations of the standards, students must complete each
activity within the recommended pathway.

Location Days Model Lesson Time

Activity 1 10 min

Lesson 1 Activity 2 15 min

Wonder
Activity 3 20 min

Activity 4 15 min

Lesson 2 Activity 5 15 min

Activity 6 15 min

Activity 7 25 min
Learn Lesson 3
Activity 8 20 min

Activity 10 20 min
Lesson 4
Activity 11 25 min

Activity 12 20 min

Share Lesson 5 Activity 13 10 min

Activity 14 15 min

192
Content Background

Energy
Work is the transfer of energy that occurs when an object is moved. Energy is the
capacity to do work. In the previous concept, students learned how to use these
familiar terms within a scientific context. Now students will use this foundational
understanding to begin thinking about energy in its different forms and types, as
well as how energy can be changed.

The amount of energy in the world is constant. The law of conservation of energy
states that energy is neither created nor destroyed. When energy is used, it
does not diminish or disappear; it simply changes forms. Students may think that
energy can be lost or used up, but in reality, energy is constantly being passed
from object to object or system to system, often changing forms and types in the
process.

Light energy from the sun becomes chemical energy in plants, which are
consumed by people. A bicyclist eats a salad and then uses this chemical
energy to compete in a race. As she pedals, she is turning chemical energy into
mechanical energy. Some of this energy is lost as heat energy when the rubber
tires of the bicycle encounter friction with the road. These are examples of how
energy is constantly changing forms all around us.

Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy

Scientists divide energy into two main forms: potential energy and kinetic energy.
In many investigations that students conduct for the remainder of this unit, they
will convert potential energy into kinetic energy. Understanding the difference
between these two terms is critical to being able to explain their data and
outcomes.

Potential energy is stored energy. Potential energy is the energy possessed by

something because of its position. Some examples of types of energy that can be
stored are chemical (stored inside food), elastic (an archer’s stretched bow), and
gravitational (a still marble at the top of a ramp).

Concept 2.2: Energy and

Concept
Motion: 193
CONCEPT

2.2 Energy and Motion

Content Background, continued

Kinetic energy is energy of motion. All moving objects have kinetic energy. Types
of kinetic energy include radiant, thermal, and sound. Radiant energy is energy
that travels in electromagnetic waves, such as X-rays or sunlight. Thermal energy
is the vibration of atoms within substances; these vibrations create heat. Sound
is another form of energy that utilizes waves. Sound waves are vibrations in the
particles of a medium, such as air, water, or wood. Sound energy is generally less
powerful than the other types of energy.

Mechanical energy can be either potential or kinetic. Mechanical energy is energy

objects have because of their motion or position. Think of a ball rolling down
a hill. At the top of the hill, before it begins to roll, the ball has only potential
energy from the pull of gravity. As the ball rolls, its potential energy is converted
to kinetic energy. In a perfect system, the ball’s mechanical energy would not
change as it rolls—each unit of potential energy would change to an equivalent
amount of kinetic energy. In reality, however, forces, such as friction and air
resistance, push against the ball as it rolls, converting its mechanical energy into
thermal energy and sound and causing it to slow down.

Types of Energy
There are many different types of energy. Some types of energy people can sense
directly. These include light, heat, and sound. Some types of energy are invisible;
we can see only what results from using them, such as how an object changes
or where it moves. Chemical energy is the energy stored in the bonds between
atoms and released during chemical changes. Biomass, fossil fuels, and coal are
examples of substances that contain large amounts of chemical energy. Another
type of energy, nuclear energy, is stored in the nuclei of atoms. Electricity, or
electrical energy, is energy that results from the movement of charged particles.

At the end of this concept, students should understand that different forms and
types of energy exist and that changes to energy can occur. However, students
at this level are not expected to be able to explain the complex nature of how
energy behaves at the atomic level.

194
Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 195
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2.2 Wonder

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Lesson 1 Page 161

Activity 1
Can You Explain? 10 min Activity 1
Can You Explain?
How do moving objects get energy?

Purpose
This activity draws on students’ prior knowledge of

Photo Credit: (a) Toa55 / Shutterstock.com, (b) Lubo Ivanko / Shutterstock.com

energy and motion by asking students to connect the
two ideas and consider how moving objects get energy. Have you ever seen someone running down a hill? What about a
sand surfer on a dune? Were they moving fast or slow? How do you
Activating students’ prior knowledge around the topic think moving objects, like a sand surfer, get their energy?

will allow them to build on what they already know How do moving objects get energy?
A sand surfer moves fast down the
about energy and motion as they make connections to
slope. All moving objects have energy.
designing safety features in a car. For example, a ball that is not moving
at the top of a hill has no energy, but as
Instructional Focus it moves down the hill, it has energy of
motion.

Photo Credit: Lubo Ivanko / Shutterstock.com

In this activity, students will use prior knowledge to
explain the concept of the energy of objects in motion.

Strategy Quick Code:

egs4102
Students may have some initial ideas about how to
answer the question (see sample student response in
the Student Materials page). By the end of the concept, Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 161

students should be able to construct a scientific

explanation that includes evidence from the concept
activities.
DIGITAL

Activity 1
Can You Explain?

Quick Code:
egst4102

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2.2 Wonder  How do moving objects get energy?

Activity 2 Investigative Phenomenon

Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Roller Coasters Quick Code:
egs4103
Objects are moving around us all the time. A moving object has energy.
Where do you think this energy comes from? Let’s investigate an example of
an object that moves very fast: a roller coaster. Read the text and watch the
video. Think about what is needed to make a roller coaster move. Activity 2
Ask Questions Like a Scientist 15 min

Photo Credit: (a) Toa55 / Shutterstock.com, (b) canbedone / Shutterstock.com

Have you ever been on a roller coaster?

Roller Coasters
Video
Imagine riding up a tall hill in a roller coaster
car. You slowly creep up the first steep hill. You
pause briefly at the top of the gigantic hill,
holding your breath. Then the speed of the
train you are riding will increase as it heads down the ramp.
Purpose
So, where did the energy to go that fast come from? At the beginning of
a roller coaster, electricity and motors are used to carry the car up to the The Investigative Phenomenon presents an engaging
top of the hill. But on the way down, the roller coaster car does not need scenario—sometimes familiar and sometimes
electricity. The car actually stored up some energy just by traveling higher
and higher. On the way down, this stored energy changed to a more active unfamiliar—to spark student curiosity about the world
form of energy. In fact, as the roller coaster races down the hill, its energy around them. In this activity, students think about a
increases the faster it goes.
roller coaster in motion and discuss the energy that
Photo Credit: canbedone / Shutterstock.com

makes it move.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students read a text and watch a video
about a roller coaster, make observations, and ask
162
questions about what happens to the energy used to
make it move.

Strategy
DIGITAL Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
video, text has been provided to support learning.

Direct students to read the text and watch the video

Roller Coasters to relate the motion of an object to the
cause of that motion. Ensure that students can apply the
basic principle that the roller coaster’s energy is related
to its speed.
Activity 2
Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Roller Coasters

Quick Code:
egst4103

Concept 2.2: Energy and

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Lesson 1, continued Page 163

After the video, have students think-pair-share questions

What do you wonder about the energy needed to get the roller coaster
they have regarding the energy used to get the roller moving? What happened to that energy as it moved? Write three questions
you have about roller coasters and energy. Share your questions with
coaster moving and what happened to that energy as a partner.

it moved. Students should generate their ideas in the I wonder . . .

form of questions they have about the roller coaster.

Student questions will vary. What happens to
The example of the roller coaster will be revisited the roller coaster’s energy when it goes upside
down?
elsewhere in the concept, so use the ideas
they generate here as an indicator of how their
understanding develops as they progress through the

Photo Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

I wonder . . .

concept. When does the roller coaster have the most

energy?

Teacher Reflection
I wonder . . .
• Did this activity engage the students?
What happens to the roller coaster’s energy
• Did this activity allow students to generate their when it stops?
own questions?

Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 163

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2.2 Wonder  How do moving objects get energy?

Activity 3
Activity 3
Think Like a Scientist
Think Like a Scientist 20 min

Energy in the Classroom

Energy in the Classroom Quick Code:
egs4104
Can you think of an example where energy is used? This word has
different meanings.

In this investigation, you will explore the classroom in search of objects that
use or contain different forms of energy.
Purpose
What Will You Do? In this activity, students explore a familiar environment—
Explore your classroom. Locate different objects that use or contain energy.
Record what you find in the table. If you do not think an object uses energy, the classroom—in search of objects that have energy.
leave that cell blank. If you do not think an object contains energy, leave that
As they compare objects, students consider that energy

Photo Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

cell blank. Remember that objects may use or contain several different kinds
of energy.
exists in different forms.
Record your notes in the table.

Object
How Does It Use
Energy?
How Does It Contain
Energy?
Instructional Focus
Answers will vary depending on objects selected. In this activity, students communicate prior knowledge
of energy and apply it to identifying different forms of
energy in objects found around the classroom.
Photo Credit: Vasilyev Alexandr / Shutterstock.com

Life Skills Decision-Making

Activity Activator
Students will be familiar with the idea of energy from
everyday use of the word, as well as in their science
164
classes.

This activity is designed to introduce students to

how the term energy is used in science by exploring
DIGITAL concrete examples of energy in its different forms.

Students will use this as a foundation for building

an understanding of different forms of energy that
can be applied during later reading and Hands-On
Investigations.

Activity 3
Think Like a Scientist
Energy in the Classroom

Quick Code:
egst4104

Concept 2.2: Energy and

Concept
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2.2 Wonder

Lesson 1, continued

Activity Procedure: What Will You Do?

• In this activity, students explore the classroom to locate examples of objects that use or
contain different forms of energy. These include any number of common classroom or
laboratory objects. Examples:

• Mechanical energy: anything that moves, such as pencil sharpeners, clocks with
moving hands, or fans

• Chemical energy: food and batteries or battery-operated objects, such as clocks, cell
phones, or portable music players

• Thermal (heat) energy: anything that gives off heat, such as a radiator or matches

• Radiant (light) energy: anything that gives off light, such as ceiling lights, flashlights,
or computer screens

• Electrical energy: anything powered by electricity, such as computers, overhead

projectors, or televisions

• Sound energy: anything that produces sound, such as musical instruments, radios, or
alarm bells

• Remind students that energy is found everywhere, including in the classroom. Give
students 5 or 10 minutes to explore the classroom, trying to locate different objects that
use or contain energy. As they explore, students should organize their notes in their
three-column charts; if they do not think an object both uses AND contains energy, they
should leave the appropriate cell blank. Encourage the students to use descriptive words
such as loud, hot, and bright when recording their data. Remind students that objects
may use or contain several different kinds of energy.

• As students explore, circulate to make sure they are behaving appropriately and not
handling any dangerous objects. When ready, regroup as a class and have volunteers
share their notes to discuss the objects with energy found in the room.

ASK Do you see any similarities between multiple objects on your list? How
might you group or categorize your list?
Student answers will vary.

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Page 165 Lesson 1, continued

Think About the Activity

Analysis and Conclusions:
Were you surprised at the number of objects you found that contained or
used energy? Why?
Think About the Activity
Sample answer: I was surprised by how many things
use and contain energy. I didn’t think of all the things ASK • Were you surprised at the number of
we use every day. I never thought about our pencil objects you found that contained or used
sharpener using energy. energy? Why?
Sample answer: I was surprised by how
What were some forms of energy you observed? many things use and contain energy. I
Sample answer: The lamp on my teacher’s desk didn’t think of all the things we use every
has a bulb that gives off energy. I think this is a
Photo Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

day. I never thought about our pencil

type of light or electrical energy. The lamp also
sharpener using energy.
gives off heat.
• What were some forms of energy you
How did constructing a table help you understand forms of energy? observed?
Sample answer: It helped me to see all the different
Sample answer: The lamp on the teacher’s
types of objects that use or have energy in our
desk has a bulb that gives off energy. I
classroom. Seeing them written down makes me
wonder about the different types of energy we have
think this is a type of light or electrical
in the classroom. energy. The lamp also gives off heat.

• How did constructing a table help you

understand forms of energy?
Life Skills  I can analyze a situation.
Sample answer: It helped me to see all
the different types of objects that use or
Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 165
have energy in our classroom. Seeing them
written down makes me wonder about the
different types of energy we have in the
classroom.

Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 201

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2.2 Wonder  How do moving objects get energy?

Activate Prior Knowledge Activity 4

Evaluate Like a Scientist
What Do You Already Know About Quick Code:
egs4105
Energy and Motion?

Photo Credit: (a) Toa55 / Shutterstock.com, (b) PureImagination, (c) Melinda Nagy / Shutterstock.com, (d) Bplanet / Shutterstock.com,
Defining Energy
Activity 4 You have been thinking a lot about energy. Using what you already know, write

Evaluate Like a Scientist 15 min

your own definition of energy. Include an example to support your answer.
Student answers will vary. Energy is something that
makes things move or change. I eat food for energy,
What Do You Already Know About and it helps me grow and move.

Energy and Motion?

(e) Bullstar / Shutterstock.com

Moving Energy
Observe the pictures below and think about whether the ball has energy in
each picture. Circle the images where you think the ball has energy.

Purpose
This formative assessment allows students to
demonstrate what they already know about energy and
motion. At this point, fully formed scientific answers
are less important than students’ ability to provide
examples to support their reasoning.

Instructional Focus Student answers will vary.

In this activity, students construct a definition of Life Skills  I can share ideas I am not yet sure about.

energy, using an example from their daily lives as

166
evidence to support their explanation. Students then
consider images of an object in motion to explore the
relationship between motion and energy.

Life Skills Endurance DIGITAL

Defining Energy
Strategy
The assessment question Defining Energy provides a
formative assessment of students’ ability to define the
term energy.
Activity 4
• Remind students that they do not need to know the Evaluate Like a Scientist
correct answer at this point and they should simply What Do You Already Know About
share ideas. Energy and Motion?

Quick Code:
egst4105

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Lesson 2, continued

• Have students share definitions after responding to the item.

• Remind students that they can add to these definitions or make changes after learning
more in the lesson.

Moving Energy
Strategy
The formative assessment question demonstrates students’ knowledge of the relationship
between energy and motion and will help determine if they are already familiar with “stored”
or potential energy. After the assessment, have students explain their reasoning, but do not
correct misconceptions until Learn.

Teacher Reflection
Based on my data:

• What content do my students already know?

• What misconceptions do my students have at this point in the course?

• Are any of my students ready for extension at this point in the lesson?

Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 203

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2.2 Learn  How do moving objects get energy?

Activity 5

What Is Energy? Observe Like a Scientist

Energy Basics Quick Code:
egs4107
Energy is part of everything that happens in the world and everything we

Photo Credit: (a) Toa55 / Shutterstock.com, (b) Andy Dean Photography / Shutterstock.com, (c) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
do. What is energy and how do we know we are using energy? Read the
text and watch the video. Find evidence to explain how energy and work
are related.

Activity 5 Do you like to play outside, read a book, or

Observe Like a Scientist

Video
draw? All these activities need energy. Energy is
15 min the ability to do work, or make things happen.
Energy can be stored and changed into different

Energy Basics
forms. We cannot see energy, but we can see
and measure what energy can do. Whenever
you detect motion, heat, light, or sound, you can be sure energy is being
used. Work occurs when a force causes an object to move. When you kick a

Purpose
ball, the force of your kick causes the ball to move in a different direction.
Energy was needed to move your leg, which caused the ball to move.

This activity builds on student understanding of energy

Photo Credit: Andy Dean Photography / Shutterstock.com

by defining energy and connecting the two scientific
terms energy and work. Basic knowledge of these terms Talk Together Now, talk together about the ways
work and energy are related.
prepares students for understanding different forms of
energy and how energy is conserved and transferred.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students watch a video and read a text
Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 167
to obtain evidence to construct an explanation and
support their position about visible and invisible forms
of energy and the relationship between energy and
work.
DIGITAL
Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Prepare students for reading the text and watching the

video by asking the following:

• Can you see energy? Activity 5

ASK
Observe Like a Scientist
• How do you know if something is using Energy Basics
energy?
Quick Code:
egst4107

204
Lesson 2, continued

Read the text and watch the video Energy Basics, if available.

After reading the text and watching the video, push a chair several meters across the room.
Ask students to conclude whether work was performed on the chair. Prompt students to
identify the source of the energy used to push the chair.

Ask students to share responses to the ASK questions and encourage them to discuss
in pairs or small groups the relationship between energy and work. As students discuss,
circulate among them, listening for questions and disagreements to share with the class.

Differentiation
APPROACHING LEARNERS
If students are struggling to understand the different types of energy, have them complete
the activity Energy in the Classroom a second time. Incorporate the following changes:

1. Have students look over the table they filled out originally and discuss the forms of
energy in those objects.
2. Ask students how they knew these objects have energy.
3. Add some new objects to the classroom, a mix of ones with and without energy, for
students to consider.
4. Have students answer the questions from the Think About the Activity section for these
new objects.

ADVANCED LEARNERS
Provide students with magazines that can be cut up. Challenge students to find and cut out
images of examples that represent different forms of energy.

1. Encourage students to find something for each category on the table.

2. Ask students if there are images that do not fit into any of the categories on
the table.

Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 205

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Activity 6
What Is Energy?
Analyze Like a Scientist 15 min

Kinetic and Potential Energy Activity 6

Analyze Like a Scientist
Kinetic and Potential Energy Quick Code:
Purpose Have you ever dropped a book on your foot? One way that scientists
egs4106

talk about energy is to classify energy as kinetic or potential. Objects

After considering how objects move in the previous have kinetic energy if they are in motion. Potential energy is possible,
or stored, energy. While you hold the book, it has potential energy.
concept, students now take a closer look at how objects When you let go and it falls on your foot, the book is moving and has

Photo Credit: Olesia Bilkei / Shutterstock.com

kinetic energy. Look at the image. Think about what would happen
get the energy to move. Potential energy may be a new next. Then, read the text and write your answer to the question.

idea for students and is essential for understanding the Potential and Kinetic Energy

conservation and transfer of energy. Acrobat on the Tower Has Potential Energy

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students analyze a text about potential
energy and kinetic energy and then apply the
information to interpret visual data about different
acrobats to determine which one has the most potential
Potential Energy in Acrobats
energy.

Life Skills Critical Thinking Life Skills  I can identify problems.

Strategy
168
Prior to reading the text, ask students to talk to a
partner about what is happening in the picture of the
acrobats. Can they predict what would happen next?

Next, instruct students to read the text about kinetic DIGITAL

and potential energy.
Potential and Kinetic Energy
Acrobat on the Tower Has Potential Energy
With their partner, students will decide which acrobat
shown has the most potential energy.

Activity 6
Analyze Like a Scientist
Kinetic and Potential Energy

Quick Code:
egst4106

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Page 169 Lesson 2, continued

ASK What type of energy does the acrobat have

when he jumps off the platform?
Kinetic and Potential Energy
Energy is the ability to do work. Energy makes things happen. If there were no
The acrobat initially has potential energy.
energy on Earth, nothing would get done. There are two categories of energy: When he jumps off, the potential energy is
kinetic energy and potential energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion.
The word kinetic means that something is moving. In other words, kinetic
changed to kinetic energy as he falls.
energy is the energy an object has because it is moving. Potential energy
is stored energy or the energy of position. The word potential means that
something is possible. In other words, potential energy means that an object is
ready to do work or to be active.
Photo Credit: Olesia Bilkei / Shutterstock.com

What most likely happened next in the picture of the four acrobats?
After the person jumped down, potential energy
converted to kinetic energy. This energy transfer
through work helped the person propel the other
individual (at the base of the tower) into the air.

Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 169

Concept 2.2: Energy

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Lesson 3 Pages 170–171

What Are the Different Forms of Potential and

What Are the Different Kinetic Energy?

Forms of Potential and Activity 7

Kinetic Energy? Analyze Like a Scientist

Forms of Potential and Kinetic Energy Quick Code:
egs4110

Photo Credit: (a) mariva2017 / Shutterstock.com, (b) safakcakir / Shutterstock.com

What happens when you turn on a light? Energy can be stored in
many different forms. Energy can also change from one form to
another form. Read the text that follows. Use what you learn to
answer the questions.

Activity 7
Analyze Like a Scientist 25 min
Forms of Potential and Kinetic Energy
Potential energy is energy that is stored in an object. You could say that
an object with potential energy is not doing anything right now, but it has

Forms of Potential and Kinetic

the “potential” to do work in the future. You have already learned about
several types of potential energy.

Energy
For example, a ball at the top of a
hill has a type of potential energy,
called gravitational potential
energy, because it could roll down the

Photo Credit: safakcakir / Shutterstock.com

Purpose hill. Batteries have potential energy in
the form of stored chemical energy

This activity categorizes different forms of potential and that is not used until the battery is
connected to something. Spring
kinetic energy using real-world examples and introduces
the idea that energy can change from one form to
another.
170
Instructional Focus
In this activity, students read a text about the forms of
potential and kinetic energy and compare the obtained
information with their previous knowledge. DIGITAL

Strategy
Before reading, encourage students to use prior
knowledge to list as many forms of potential and kinetic
energy as they can. Then, instruct students read the text
describing the different forms of potential and kinetic
energy. After reading, have students revise their list.
Activity 7
Analyze Like a Scientist
Forms of Potential and Kinetic
Energy

Quick Code:
egst4110

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ASK • A roller coaster will convert stored

Forms of Potential and Kinetic Energy, continued potential energy in the cars as it drags
Anything can have potential energy. How much potential energy an object has them up the first hill. What form of
depends on a few things, including how large the object is and how high up it is.
potential energy is it creating?
Can you think of a time when energy was changed from one form to another?
gravitational potential energy
A fan uses electrical energy that changes, or transforms, into kinetic energy
when the blades of the fan move.
• When the roller coaster goes down the hill,
what form of energy is it converted into?
As the roller coast rises in height, it

Photo Credit: mariva2017 / Shutterstock.com

A roller coaster gains potential energy in the cars as it drags them up
the first hill. What form of potential energy is it creating? gains potential energy. This is converted
gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy as it goes down the
When the roller coaster goes down the hill, what form of energy is the hill. Since energy cannot be created or
potential energy converted into?
kinetic energy destroyed, the roller coaster will not “run
out” of energy. When the roller coaster
If an egg drops from your hand, what force pulls it to the ground?
What kind of energy does the egg have as it falls? Where did the egg stops, all of its kinetic energy has been
get the energy to fall?
The force that pulls the egg to the ground is transformed to other types of energy.
gravity. The egg has kinetic energy as it falls, and
it got the energy to fall from my hand picking it • If a raw egg drops from your hand, what
up and holding it. force pulls it to the ground? What kind
of energy does the egg have as it falls?
Where did the egg get the energy to fall?
The force that pulls the egg to the ground
172 is gravity. The egg has kinetic energy as it
falls, and it got the energy to fall from my
hand picking it up and holding it.

Concept 2.2: Energy

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2.2:Motion
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Activity 8
Observe Like a Scientist 20 min
Activity 8
Observe Like a Scientist

Types of Energy
Types of Energy Quick Code:
egs4111
Let’s explore more examples of potential energy, kinetic energy, and how
energy can be transformed from one to the other. Read the text that follows
and identify two examples of potential energy and how they change. Can
you think of other everyday examples?
Purpose

Photo Credit: (a) mariva2017 / Shutterstock.com, (b) Steve Shoup / Shutterstock.com

Students explore real-world examples to better
understand the transformation of energy from potential Energy is all around us and is constantly Video
changing and transforming from one form to
to kinetic or vice versa. another. Energy can also be transferred. When
you kick a ball, energy moves from your leg into
the ball. No matter how it changes or moves,
Instructional Focus new energy cannot be created and existing energy cannot be destroyed.

In this activity, students apply the information about All forms of energy are either potential or kinetic. Potential energy is energy
waiting to happen. This is also called stored energy. Energy can be stored in
the different forms of potential energy obtained in the many different forms. Kinetic energy is energy in motion. Potential energy

previous activity to interpret the text and video Types of can easily transform into kinetic and kinetic can transform into potential.

Energy and discuss how energy changes form. Have you ever used a flashlight that required batteries? There is chemical
energy stored in a battery. This is one type of potential energy. When the

Photo Credit: Steve Shoup / Shutterstock.com

flashlight is turned on, the potential energy is transformed into radiant

Strategy energy (light) and thermal energy (heat). A gas oven turns the chemical
energy stored in natural gas into thermal energy that cooks your food.

Video resources are designed to help students meet

instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Before watching the video, review kinetic and potential Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 173
energy by instructing students to rub their hands
together. Ask students to identify the motion as either
kinetic or potential energy. (Kinetic). Then ask students
to explain how they could increase the kinetic energy. DIGITAL
Ask students to identify the source of the potential
energy in the hand rubbing activity.

Activity 8
Observe Like a Scientist
Types of Energy

Quick Code:
egst4111

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2.2 Learn  How do moving objects get energy?

Prepare students for reading the text and watching the
videos by asking the following:

The food you eat also stores another type of chemical energy. Your digestive
ASK • What are two examples of potential
system breaks down the food you eat into energy it can store.
energy?
If you have ever used a spring-powered car, you might have noticed that
its spring wire stores kinetic energy. When you let go, the spring wire A ball on the ground or a book on a table.
unwinds and transforms into kinetic energy to make the car move. A real
car transforms chemical energy into mechanical, sound, and thermal
energy that are all kinetic as it drives down the road. The engine is where
• How can the potential energy change in

Photo Credit: (a) Pixabay, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
this transformation takes place, but can you guess what the source of the your examples?
potential energy is in this example?
If you kick the ball or drop the book, the
potential energy becomes kinetic.

Read the text and watch the video Types of Energy.

Talk Together In pairs, discuss two examples of
potential energy being converted into kinetic energy
from the passage. Identify the types of energy involved. Then,
share a new example of this transformation from your daily life.
After reading the text and watching the videos, ask
students to discuss in pairs how the potential energy
changed in various examples. Ask student pairs to share
Optional Digital Activity 9 original examples with the class.
Observe Like a Scientist
Forms of Energy Quick Code: As students discuss, circulate among them, listening for
egs4114
Go online to complete this activity. questions and disagreements to share with the class.

174

Optional Digital Activity 9

Observe Like a Scientist 15 min

Forms of Energy
This optional activity can be found
online. Optional digital activities
can be used to extend student
exploration or to challenge Quick Code:
advanced students. egst4114

Concept 2.2: Energy

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Activity 10 Activity 10
Analyze Like a Scientist
Analyze Like a Scientist 20 min
Energy Transformation in Engines Quick Code:
egs4113

Energy Transformation in Engines

You have learned a lot about energy so far. You now know that
energy exists in different forms and that energy is constantly changing.
Use what you know about potential (stored) energy and kinetic (motion)
energy. Read the text that follows and look for examples of these two
types of energy. Underline or highlight examples of potential energy

Purpose
and circle examples of kinetic energy. Then, answer the questions
based on your findings.

Students have become familiar with the ideas of energy

in different forms and the transfer of energy. Now, in Energy Transformation in Engines
preparation for the culminating work that they will do You might know that cars and trucks need

Photo Credit: Pixabay

gasoline to run, but what is gasoline made
in the Unit Project, students explore how all these ideas of? How does it make a car move? Gasoline
come together in the practical example of an engine. contains chemical energy, and a car’s
engine transforms that energy to power the
car. Gasoline also powers trucks, boats, and

Instructional Focus many other large and small vehicles.

Car Engine
The energy in gasoline is called chemical
In this activity, students use the knowledge acquired in potential energy. It is called potential
previous activities to interpret a text about the energy energy because it has the potential to power many things. It is just like
the food you eat that gives you energy for your day. The moving car has
conversions in an engine and identify which passages mechanical kinetic energy. You may have noticed that when a car engine
represent examples of potential energy. runs, it makes noise and gives off heat. This means that some of the potential
energy is being transformed into sound and thermal energy.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 175

DIGITAL

Activity 10
Analyze Like a Scientist
Energy Transformations in Engines

Quick Code:
egst4113

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Strategy
Energy Transformation in Engines, continued
To reinforce the concepts explored in the previous
The image shows the engine inside a car or bus, which is called an internal
combustion engine. An internal combustion engine can safely burn
activities on potential and kinetic energy, have
gasoline inside it. The energy is changed from potential energy into kinetic the students read the text describing the energy
energy, which is motion energy. Kinetic energy is what causes the car or
bus to move. One important thing to remember about energy is that it conversions that take place in an engine.
cannot be created or destroyed. Energy can only change. Potential energy
can change into kinetic energy.
As students read, have them underline or highlight
examples of potential energy. Have them circle
examples of kinetic energy.
What does the internal combustion engine change the potential
energy of gasoline into?
The engine changes the chemical potential ASK • What does the internal combustion engine
Photo Credit: Pixabay change the potential energy of gasoline
energy to kinetic energy.
into?
How does this compare to your body when you eat food?
The engine changes the chemical potential
The chemical potential energy from food changes energy to kinetic energy.
to kinetic energy that people use to move.
• How does this compare to your body when
you eat food?
The internal combustion engine transforms
the chemical energy of gasoline into kinetic
energy and heat energy.

Differentiation
176
ADVANCED LEARNERS
Challenge students to create a diagram of the flow of
kinetic and potential energy.

Concept 2.2: Energy

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2.2:Motion
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2.2 Learn

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Lesson 4, continued Page 177
xx

Activity 11
Evaluate Like a Scientist 25 min
Activity 11
Evaluate Like a Scientist

Easy Life Tool

Easy Life Tool Quick Code:
egs4116
You have learned a lot about different forms of energy and how they can
transform from one form into another. Now it is your turn to consider how
this knowledge could help you design a simple machine. Think about the
different forms of potential energy that make objects move. Write a list of
Purpose tasks that would be easier to do with a tool. Choose one task and design a
tool that would make this job easier to do, with less work for you. Draw your
Students have learned about the different forms of tool in action. Use arrows to show how the energy flows.

energy: potential and kinetic. They should also be able Students should use arrows to show how energy
to identify different types of energy, such as chemical flows within their drawings. Answers will vary.
and thermal. By designing a simple machine, students

Photo Credit: Pixabay

My tool is a robot hand that, when turned on,
demonstrate their conceptual understanding through draws power from batteries to open bottles with
a practical application. This activity also serves as a caps that are hard to open. Chemical energy from
formative assessment of student understanding to this the batteries is transformed into electrical energy.
point. The robot hand transforms electrical energy into
kinetic energy to do work. The electrical energy
is transformed into mechanical energy when
Instructional Focus the robot hand moves itself to open the bottle.
In this activity, students share ideas to design a solution Energy is not created or lost when transferred
for converting a type of energy and making objects from the battery. Energy is converted from one
move that could simplify their life. form to another when the robot arm is in use.

Life Skills Decision-Making Life Skills  I can decide on a solution to use.

Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 177

Strategy
Consider spending a few minutes having students
brainstorm in small groups different sources and forms
of potential energy that could be used to make objects DIGITAL
move. These will include different fuels—gasoline,
diesel, coal—but may also include potential energy
stored in batteries, catapults, springs, and more.

Ask students to share their ideas. Students will return to

fuels as energy resources in a later unit.

Then, direct students to complete the activity Easy Life

Tool. Activity
Activity 11
1
Evaluate Like a Scientist
Can You Explain?
Easy Life Tool
Differentiation
ADVANCED LEARNERS
In groups, have students discuss the question: What ACTIVITY TYPE 5 min Quick Code:
do you know about energy and motion? Have students egst4116
ca2509s
map out what they have learned throughout this section.

214
 CONCEPT

2.2 Share

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Page 178 Lesson 5
2.2 Share  How do moving objects get energy?

Activity 12 Scientific Explanation

Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Roller Coasters Quick Code:
egs4117
Now that you have learned about
Video
energy and motion, look again at the
video on roller coasters. You first saw
this in Wonder. Activity 12
How can you describe the motion of a
roller coaster now?
Record Evidence Like a Scientist 20 min

Photo Credit: (a) Toa55 / Shutterstock.com, (b) canbedone / Shutterstock.com

Roller Coasters

Purpose
How is your explanation different from before? Students return to the questions posed at the beginning
of the concept and reconsider what they know now
Photo Credit: canbedone / Shutterstock.com

about energy and motion. The process of writing a

scientific explanation using evidence to support a
claim is a key step in students constructing scientific
knowledge that they can then use and apply.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students review and discuss their initial
explanations about the Investigative Phenomenon
178
Roller Coasters based on the information on the types
and forms of energy acquired in the previous activities.

Strategy
DIGITAL Display the Investigative Phenomenon of the Roller
Coasters video and the Can You Explain? question. Ask
students to discuss their explanation for the Investigative
Phenomenon with a partner or as a whole class.

After allowing students to discuss,

ASK How can this explanation help you answer the

Can You Explain? question?
Activity 12
Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Roller Coasters

Quick Code:
egst4117

Concept 2.2: Energy

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2.2:Motion
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2.2 Share

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Lesson 5, continued Page 179

After providing scaffolding to the students, for those

Look at the Can You Explain? question. You first read this question at the
students able to do so, allow them to construct a full beginning of the lesson.

scientific explanation. They can write, draw, or orally

describe their claim, evidence, and reasoning. Can You Explain?
How do moving objects get energy?

As students would have already reviewed sample

scientific explanations in earlier units, they should Now, you will use your new ideas about energy and motion to write a
scientific explanation that answers the Can You Explain? question. To plan
be familiar with the claim, reasoning, and evidence your scientific explanation, first write your claim:

framework. You may want to review the following: My claim:

Student answers will vary. Objects get kinetic energy
A Claim is a one-sentence answer to the question you when other forms of energy are transformed.

Photo Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

investigated. It answers, What can you conclude? It
should not start with yes or no.

Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 179

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Page 180 Lesson 5, continued

2.2 Share  How do moving objects get energy?

Evidence must be:
Next, identify two pieces of evidence that support your claim. Record your
evidence in the first column. Finally, explain your reasoning. Reasoning ties
together the claim and the evidence. Reasoning shows how or why the data
count as evidence to support the claim.
• Sufficient—use enough evidence to support the
claim.
Evidence Reasoning That Supports Claim

We read about how When a roller coaster • Appropriate—use data that support your claim.
acrobats, cars, and is at the top of a hill, it Leave out information that doesn’t support
roller coasters all has potential energy. the claim.
transform energy. They This is transformed into
each turn potential kinetic energy when Reasoning ties together the claim and the
(stored) energy into the roller coaster goes evidence.
Photo Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com
the energy of motion down the hill.
(kinetic). Batteries have • It shows how or why the data count as evidence to
potential energy support the claim.
We also recorded that stored in them. This
items in our classroom is transformed into • It provides the justification for why this evidence is
had different energy kinetic energy when important to this claim.
sources. Some objects they make objects, like
used electricity, while a battery-powered fan, • It includes one or more scientific principles that are
others used batteries. move. important to the claim and evidence.

180

Concept 2.2: Energy

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2.2:Motion
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2.2 Share

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Lesson 5, continued Page 181

Have students generate a scientific explanation to

Now, write your scientific explanation.
answer the Can You Explain? question.
A moving object is an example of energy transformation because . . .
All moving objects have energy. Kinetic energy is
energy of motion. Objects get kinetic energy when

Can You Explain?

they move. For example, a ball at the top of a hill
that is not moving has no kinetic energy. The ball
has only potential energy from the pull of gravity.
How do moving objects get energy? As it begins to move down the hill, the potential
energy is converted to kinetic energy. This is similar
to a roller coaster. When the roller coaster is at the

Photo Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

Sample student response: top of the hill, it has the most potential energy, and
All moving objects have energy. Kinetic energy is as it moves down the track, the potential energy is
energy of motion. Objects get kinetic energy when converted to kinetic energy. When the ball comes to
rest at the bottom of the hill, there is no more kinetic
they move. For example, a ball at the top of a hill
energy in the ball. Energy comes in different forms.
that is not moving has no kinetic energy. The ball has
For example, natural gas is stored chemical energy.
only potential energy from the pull of gravity. As it
When it is burned, it will convert the energy to heat
begins to move down the hill, the potential energy is energy, which will move a hot-air balloon, converting
converted to kinetic energy. This is similar to a roller it to kinetic energy.
coaster. When the roller coaster is at the top of the hill,
it has the most potential energy, and as it moves down
the track, the potential energy is converted to kinetic
energy. When the ball comes to rest at the bottom
of the hill, there is no more kinetic energy in the ball.
Energy comes in different forms. For example, natural Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 181
gas is stored chemical energy. When it is burned, it will
convert the energy to heat energy, which will move a
hot-air balloon, converting it to kinetic energy.

218
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Pages 182–183 Lesson 5, continued

in Action
in Action
Activity 13 Quick Code:
egs4118
Analyze Like a Scientist
Activity 13
Kinetic Energy and Potential Energy Analyze Like a Scientist 10 min
in Winter Sports
Figure skating is a popular winter sport in many countries. The best
figure skaters from around the world complete in the Winter Olympics.
Have you ever seen ice skaters performing? As you read, think about Kinetic Energy and Potential Energy
in Winter Sports
the types of energy and the transformations that occur while someone

Photo Credit: Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock.com

is ice skating.

Read the text about Olympic figure skating. Think about how kinetic
energy and potential energy are used during ice skating. Then,
complete the activities that follow.
Purpose
Students consider the real-world scenario of figure
Kinetic Energy and Potential Energy skating and determine when the most and least amounts
in Winter Sports of kinetic and potential energy are used. This activity
Do you enjoy watching winter sports, such as the Olympic sport of ice-skating? provides students the opportunity to apply what they
know about energy and motion to an Olympic sport.

Instructional Focus
Photo Credit: Discovery Education

In this activity, students construct an explanation to

compare the kinetic and potential energy involved in
Olympic Skater figure skating.
182
Strategy
Applying knowledge to new and sometimes unfamiliar
situations helps students build mental flexibility, creative
thinking, and curiosity. If students are unfamiliar with
DIGITAL figure skating or other winter sports, encourage them
to imagine what the experience might be like before
reading the text. In class discussion, encourage students
to make connections between what they read and their
own favorite sports.

Activity 13
Instruct students to read the text and view the images
Analyze Like a Scientist in the passage. If possible, project the Ice-Skating Jump
Kinetic Energy and Potential Energy image on a large screen. Also have the students view the
in Winter Sports image Ice-Skating Jump and the image Nathan Chen,
both online.
Quick Code:
egst4118 • Show each image on a large screen. If possible,
cover the letters above the Ice-Skating Jump image
until after students discuss the questions. As a class,
determine where the skater has the most kinetic
energy and the most potential energy.

Concept 2.2: Energy

Conceptand
2.2:Motion
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2.2 Share

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Lesson 5, continued Page 184

• Next, have students determine where the skater has

When does the skater have the least kinetic energy? When does the
the least kinetic and potential energy. skater have the most kinetic energy?
The skater who begins to skate has the least
• In the image Ice-Skating Jump, the skater has the kinetic energy. The skater who is flipping in the
most kinetic energy when her feet leave the ice, air and jumping has the most kinetic energy.

Photo Credit: (a) Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock.com, (b) anatoliy_gleb / Shutterstock.com, (c) Pixabay, (d) lassedesignen / Shutterstock.com
between the second and third images. She has the More Potential Energy or More Kinetic Energy?
most potential energy in the fourth image, at the Now consider energy in some other popular activities where snowy
winters are common. Look at the different pictures and think about
top of her jump. If students have trouble with the energy use. Talk about the different types of energy you observe.

activity, have them review the images again.

More Potential Energy or More Kinetic

Energy?
Strategy
After reading the text and viewing the images, the
students should attempt the formative assessment
More Potential Energy or More Kinetic Energy? Which
pictures show more potential energy, and which ones
show more kinetic energy? Students should circle the
pictures that show more potential energy.

184
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneurs use the resources of self-awareness,
self-evaluation, motivation, and perseverance. When
reading about these Olympic athletes, ask students
how they think that athletes set ambitious goals and
stay motivated. What obstacles might an Olympic
athlete face when trying to achieve his or her vision?
As entrepreneurs, students will need to draw upon
the resources of self-awareness and self-evaluation
as they set personal goals and work toward their
collective or individual vision.

220
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Page 185 Lesson 5, continued

Activity 14 Review and Assess

Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Energy and Motion Quick Code:
egs4119
Think about what you have learned so far about energy and motion.
Energy is found in many different forms around us. In order for an object
to be put into motion, some form of energy must get things started. In the
space below, first explain the different forms and types of energy that you Activity 14
Photo Credit: (a) Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock.com, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

studied. Then, explain how energy is related to motion.

Student answers will vary. Evaluate Like a Scientist 15 min

Review: Energy and Motion

Purpose
The final activity of the concept asks students to review
and explain the main ideas of energy and motion, and
then connect their understanding to the unit theme.
Talk Together Consider what you know about energy
and motion. How does your new knowledge help you
consider how to design a safety feature in a car? Instructional Focus
In this activity, students communicate what they have
learned about energy and motion in writing.

Strategy
Now that students have achieved this concept’s
Concept 2.2: Energy and Motion 185 objectives, direct them to review the key ideas. You may
also assign students the summative assessment for this
concept.

In the summative concept assessment, students will

DIGITAL determine how we use different types of energy and what
the difference is between kinetic and potential energy.

Teacher Reflection
• How many of my students met the objectives
for this concept?
Activity 14
Evaluate Like a Scientist • For students who did not meet the objectives,
Review: Energy and Motion what are my next steps?

Quick Code:
egst4119

Concept 2.2: Energy

Conceptand
2.2:Motion
Share 221
 Photo Credit: Kwadrat / Shutterstock.com
Speed
CONCEPT

2.3

222
 Concept Objectives
By the end of this concept, students should be able to:
• Use mathematical and computational thinking to calculate the speed
of objects in terms of distance traveled and time moving using Quick Code:
egst4120
standard units of measurement.

• Use qualitative observations and quantitative data to describe how an

object’s change in position occurs at different rates.

• Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns in the speed of

objects and use these patterns to predict future motion.

• Argue from evidence that objects that move faster possess more
kinetic energy than objects that move more slowly.

• Construct an explanation based on evidence and logic that the speed

of an object depends on the energy of the object.

Key Vocabulary
new: resistance, speed
review: force
Photo Credit: Kwadrat / Shutterstock.com

Quick Code:
egst4121

Key Vocabulary Strategies

Teach the Word
Organize the class into pairs. Have each student in the pair learn one of the two
vocabulary words and teach it to his or her partner. Provide some basic reference
materials (such as videos or text definitions). Ask students to share their partner’s
explanation and whether they think they understood its meaning correctly.

Act It Out
Have students stand facing a partner. When you introduce a word, ask them to act it out
(and show how it is used) to their partner. Ask students to describe their partner’s “acting”
and say whether it accurately represented the word.

Concept 2.3:
Concept
Speed: 223
CONCEPT

2.3 Speed

Concept Pacing

Recommended Pathway
In order to meet the expectations of the standards, students must complete each
activity within the recommended pathway.

Location Days Model Lesson Time

Activity 1 10 min

Wonder Lesson 1 Activity 2 20 min

Activity 3 15 min

Activity 4 25 min
Lesson 2
Activity 5 20 min

Lesson 3 Activity 6 45 min

Learn Activity 7 10 min

Lesson 4
Activity 8 35 min

Activity 9 15 min

Lesson 5 Activity 11 10 min

Activity 12 20 min

Share Activity 13 25 min

Lesson 6
Activity 14 20 min

224
Content Background

Speed
An understanding of energy, motion, and work helps prepare students for using
these concepts as variables in investigations. To make sense of the data that they
will gather in these experiments, students must first understand speed as a scientific
concept. Students must also be able to make calculations to quantify speed.

Speed is defined as the rate at which an object moves over a distance. When
we describe speed, we use numbers. For example, we talk about cars moving
40 kilometers per hour. As an object moves, its position is always changing.
Furthermore, some type of force is required to change an object’s speed. The
amount of force needed to change an object’s motion depends largely on the
object’s mass, with larger objects requiring more force to slow, stop, or change
direction. For example, the amount of force needed to get a large truck moving
is much greater than the amount of force needed to move a small car. Once in
motion, the large truck requires a much greater counterforce than the car to slow
down or stop.

Calculating and Comparing Speeds

Words such as faster and slower help us compare the speeds of moving objects.
Speed is calculated by taking the distance that an object travels and dividing that
by the travel time. The mathematical formula for speed can be worded as “speed
equals the distance traveled over time.” For this reason, the units of speed relate
distance to time. Examples of speed measurements include 5 kilometers per
hour, or km/hr (typical walking speed), 13 centimeters per year (typical speed
for growing fingernails), and 51 centimeters per minute (typical speed for an
earthworm). Speed, distance, and time are related to one another. If two of the
three quantities are known, then the third can be calculated.

To help students understand this idea, talk through scenarios where two friends
are running together. You may consider discussing various situations such as the
following. In a race, one friend may sprint for a time, while the other maintains a
steady pace. If both students run the same distance, the top speed of each runner
is not important. At the end of the race, the runner who ran the distance in less
total time had the fastest speed. On the other hand, if two friends run a race with
the same elapsed time but one friend ran a farther distance, the runner who ran a
longer distance completed the race at a faster speed.

Throughout Concept 3, students will gain a practical knowledge of both speed

and how it relates to the other physical phenomena they have explored. As
they proceed into Concept 4, students apply these ideas to practical real-world
scenarios by exploring collisions.

Concept 2.3: Speed 225

CONCEPT

2.3 Speed

Hands-On Investigations Preparation

Learn

Location Instructional Focus Materials to Prepare (per group)

Activity 6: In this activity, students will work • 30-centimeter ramp

Measuring in groups to measure the speed of
• 3 balls, such as tennis balls, golf
Speed various balls traveling down a ramp.
balls, marbles, or table-tennis balls
• Meterstick or measuring tape
• Masking tape
• Books
• Stopwatch
• Balance (optional)

Activity 8: In this activity, students will use model • Toy trucks

Racing Downhill trucks to measure the speed and
• Cardboard paper towel tube
kinetic energy of objects moving down
inclines of various angles. • Paper cup, 360 mL
• Scissors
• Several books
• Metric ruler
• Removable sticky note flags
• Stopwatch

226
Concept 2.3: Speed 227
 CONCEPT

2.3 Wonder

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Lesson 1 Page 187

Activity 1
Can You Explain? 10 min Activity 1
Can You Explain?
How can you measure the speed of
something moving fast?

Purpose

Photo Credit: (a) Kwadrat / Shutterstock.com, (b) aapsky / Shutterstock.com

This activity builds on the concepts of energy and
You now know a lot about motion and energy. Think about the
motion by asking students to consider how to measure energy it takes to move at high speeds. If you want to travel from
Ain Sokhna to El Alamein quickly, you may soon be able to travel on
the speed of an object. During this concept, students Egypt’s first high-speed train.

will be connecting speed with what they already know How can you measure the speed of something moving fast?

about energy and motion to promote critical thinking I would measure speed in kilometers per
hour or meters per second. To calculate
about vehicle safety features.
speed, I would need to know the
distance traveled. Then, I would measure
Instructional Focus
the time taken to travel that distance.
In this activity, students begin to think about how they

Photo Credit: aapsky / Shutterstock.com

could measure the speed of a moving train.

Life Skills Endurance

Quick Code: Life Skills  I can share ideas I am
egs4122 not yet sure about.

Strategy
Students may have some initial ideas about how to Concept 2.3: Speed 187
answer the question (see sample student response in
the Student Materials page). By the end of the concept,
students should be able to construct a scientific
explanation, which includes evidence from the concept
activities.
DIGITAL

Differentiation
APPROACHING LEARNERS
For students with very little or no prior experience with
an understanding of the nature of speed as it relates
to distance, the Wonder activities and Can You Explain?
question will be difficult to answer. Schedule time
Activity 1
before or after class to explain and show why these
Can You Explain?
factors are related to each other. Visual illustrations
such as diagrams may be useful when explaining this
relationship.
Quick Code:
egst4122

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Page 188 Lesson 1, continued

2.3 Wonder  How can you measure the speed of something moving fast?

Activity 2 Investigative Phenomenon

Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Cheetah Speed Quick Code:
egs4123
We know that cars, trains, and other vehicles can move very fast, but what
about animals? You may have heard that a cheetah is the fastest cat on the
planet. What are some characteristics of a cheetah that help it move so
quickly? Read the text and watch the video. Think of questions you Activity 2
have about speed.
Ask Questions Like a Scientist

Photo Credit: (a) Kwadrat / Shutterstock.com, (b) JonathanC Photography / Shutterstock.com

20 min

Cheetah Speed
Cheetahs run faster than humans. A cheetah
Video
can run 100 meters in 6.4 seconds. They are
the fastest land animal. Cheetahs can go from
zero to 96.5 kilometers per hour (kph) in three
seconds and three strides. A fast car can go from Purpose
zero to 96.5 kph in more than four seconds.
A high speed train takes 37 seconds to reach Students may think that only cars, trucks, and other
96.5 kph. So, how is it possible for a cheetah to go so fast?
vehicles can move quickly. In this Investigative
Speed is how the cheetah survives as a predator. That speed is the result Phenomenon, students are introduced to the fastest
of some very special physical characteristics. Cheetahs run with their
Photo Credit: JonathanC Photography / Shutterstock.com

claws out to better push off the ground. Their head is low to the shoulder, land animal, the cheetah, and the characteristics
which cuts down air resistance. Large openings in a cheetah’s nose help
that allow it to achieve such speed. Students are
it breathe a lot of air, and it has a large, oversized powerful heart. The
cheetah’s spine is flexible and acts like a spring for its leg muscles. Finally, encouraged to begin thinking about the comparison of
the cheetah’s body is lightweight, weighing in at 41–45 kg on average
the cheetah’s characteristics to those of a fast car.
for males.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students ask questions about how much
188 energy a cheetah possesses to run at top speeds.

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
DIGITAL instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Use the reading passage and video to help students

create questions about the concept of speed.

Activity 2
Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Cheetah Speed

Quick Code:
egst4123

Concept 2.3: Speed 229

 CONCEPT

2.3 Wonder

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Lesson 1, continued Page 189

Prepare students for reading the text and watching the

Are cheetah’s paws bigger or smaller than other cats? Write three questions
video by asking the following: you have in the chart below.

I wonder . . .
ASK • What is the fastest land animal?
Student questions will vary.
• How do you think its speed compares to a
human, car, or high-speed train?

Read the text and watch the video Let’s Investigate

Cheetah Speed, if available. I wonder . . .

Photo Credit: Kwadrat / Shutterstock.com

After reading the text and watching the video, ask Why does a cheetah being lightweight help it
students to record three questions in the chart and then run faster?
share with the class.

I wonder . . .

Teacher Reflection What is air resistance and how does it affect

speed?
• Did this activity engage the students?

• Did this activity allow students to generate their

own questions?

• What will you organize differently next year?

Concept 2.3: Speed 189
• Were students able to think about new
concepts, such as speed?

230
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Page 190 Lesson 1, continued

2.3 Wonder  How can you measure the speed of something moving fast?

Activity 3 Activate Prior Knowledge

Observe Like a Scientist
Objects Move at Different Speeds Quick Code:

Photo Credit: (a) Vinicius Bacarin / Shutterstock.com, (b) Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com, (c) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
egs4124
Have you ever played soccer and knew a teammate was passing to you,
but you had to run faster to catch up to the ball? What does it mean to go
faster? Read the text and watch the video. Discuss the relationship of time,
distance, and speed. Activity 3
Observe Like a Scientist 15 min
Using a timer or stopwatch to keep track of your Video

Objects Move at Different Speeds

time, you could walk up and down a soccer field
in about four minutes. If you ran, you could go
back and forth between the goals several times
in four minutes. The fastest runners in the world

Purpose
can run about 15 soccer fields, or about one and a half kilometers, in four
minutes. Horses are even faster. They can run up and down 15 soccer fields
in four minutes. A car on the highway can go twice as fast as the horses. To
go even farther in four minutes, catch a ride on a rocket. Rockets go really
Students may have some ideas about the relationship
fast after they blast off. between distance, time, and speed. This activity shows
As you think about time and distance, what do you notice about the speed different objects moving for a set time so that students
of each object? A runner, horse, car, or rocket might all travel for the same
can start to build the connections to relate time and
Photo Credit: ARENA Creative / Shutterstock.com

amount of time but go different distances. How do you know which is

the fastest? distance to speed.

Instructional Focus
Talk Together Now, talk together about how you
might determine how fast something is moving. In this activity, students observe an informal experiment
to initiate their thinking about how speed can be
measured.
190

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
DIGITAL videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Use the reading passage and video to help students

initiate their thinking about how speed can be measured.

Activity 3
Observe Like a Scientist
Objects Move at Different Speeds

Quick Code:
egst4124

Concept 2.3: Speed 231

 CONCEPT

2.3 Wonder

Lesson 1, continued

Prepare students for reading the text and watching the video by asking the following:

ASK • How far can you move in four minutes?

• How do you know if something moves

faster than something else?

Read the text and watch the video Speed and Time, if available.

Pause the video after the first 43 seconds. Ask to students to describe what was different
between walking and running.
You can go a farther distance in the same amount of time if you run.

Play the rest of the video and encourage students to reflect on the relationship between
time, distance, and speed.

After reading the text and watching the video, allow students to share what they observed in
small groups. Circulate among them, listening for questions and disagreements to share with
the class.

232
 CONCEPT

2.3 Learn

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Page 191 Lesson 2
2.3 Learn  How can you measure the speed of something moving fast?

What Is Speed?
What Is Speed?
Activity 4
Analyze Like a Scientist
Basics of Speed Quick Code:
egs4127
Think of a time when you were moving very quickly. Maybe you were
riding in a car on the highway. Have you ever been stuck in a traffic Activity 4
jam? If you have, you remember that your car was moving very slowly.
Analyze Like a Scientist
Photo Credit: Vinicius Bacarin / Shutterstock.com

Objects move at different speeds around us all the time. Read the text
25 min
and look at the image to learn more about speed. Then, write and draw
your definition of speed.

Basics of Speed
Basics of Speed
Speed is a measurement of how fast something is moving. Speed measures the
distance that an object travels over time. The speed of an object is the same no
Purpose
matter which direction it moves. If you move 5 meters backward every second This activity builds on what students already know about
or 5 meters forward, your speed is still
5 meters per second. Speed is displayed speed from experience and introduces the term as a
Photo Credit: Vinicius Bacarin / Shutterstock.com

in units of distance over time. Therefore, scientific concept. Students consider examples of speed
to calculate an object’s speed, divide the
distance it travels by the time it takes and how to compare different speeds.
to travel there. Some common units of
speed are meters per second (m/sec) and
kilometers per hour (km/hr or kph). Instructional Focus
Traffic Sign
In this activity, students generate an explanation of
speed based on evidence from the scientific text.
Concept 2.3: Speed 191

Strategy
At this age, all students have some knowledge of
speed. Running with each other on the playground,
DIGITAL racing toy cars, traveling on various modes of
transportation; all these experiences have provided
them with context to begin discussing speed within an
academic framework. Use familiar scenarios as access
points for students to connect the study of physics to
the real world.

Before students read the text describing speed, have

them look at the image within the text.
Activity 4
Analyze Like a Scientist • Where have you seen a sign like this
ASK
Basics of Speed
before?
Student answers will vary.
Quick Code:
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• What information is this image telling you?
The speed limit is 80 kilometers per hour.

Concept 2.3: Speed 233

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2.3 Learn

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Lesson 2, continued Page 192

Guide student discussion toward speed and the

comparison of speeds of cars. Basics of Speed, continued

To compare the speed of one object to the speed of a second object, measure
As students read the text, have them highlight the distance both objects travel in a given period of time. The object that
travels the greater distance in the same amount of time is moving at a greater
information they can use as evidence to support their speed. If one runner travels 6 kilometers in 1 hour and a second runner travels
initial ideas on the Can You Explain? question or the 9 kilometers in 1 hour, the second runner is moving at a greater speed.

original question they generated during Wonder. Another way to compare speed is to see which object moves a given distance
in the smaller amount of time. Imagine two cars racing 1,000 meters. The car
Students should record evidence throughout the that finishes in less time is faster. It has the greater speed.
Learn section. Speed is defined as distance per unit of time. We often see speed in units of

Photo Credit: Vinicius Bacarin / Shutterstock.com

kilometers per hour. Consider a car that travels 90 kilometers per hour. This
After students read, have them write a definition of car is faster than a car that travels 60 kilometers per hour.

speed in their own words and include an image to help

explain it.
Speed is . . .
ASK • How do we measure the speed of an
object? Student responses and drawings will vary
We measure the total distance traveled but should include the fact that speed is
and the amount of time it takes to travel distance traveled in a certain amount of time.
that distance.

• What are some standard units we use to

measure and describe time, distance, and
speed?
meters per second (m/sec), kilometers per
192
hour (km/hr)

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Pages 193–194 Lesson 2, continued

Activity 5
Activity 5
Observe Like a Scientist 20 min
Observe Like a Scientist

Measuring an Object’s Motion

Measuring an Object’s Motion Quick Code:
egs4128
How far is your house from your school? How long does it take you to
get there? If you know the answers to these two questions, you can find
out the speed at which you travel. Read the text that follows and watch the
video to find out how to calculate and describe speed. Underline the
sentence that explains which two pieces of information you need to know Purpose
to calculate speed. Circle one example of the units of measurement used
Photo Credit: Vinicius Bacarin / Shutterstock.com, (b) Thierry Weber / Shutterstock.com

to describe speed.
Now that students are familiar with the basics of speed,
they are ready to take a closer look at the relationship
between time and distance. With this understanding,
Have you ever been on a trip? Was it close to
home or far away? How far two places are from
Video
students will be able to make accurate speed
one another is the distance between them. If
you traveled far away, it may have taken a long
calculations in subsequent activities.
time to get there. How long it takes to travel a

Instructional Focus
distance depends on how fast you are moving. If
you walk somewhere, it will take you longer to get there than if you travel
on a faster moving bicycle. Something that moves as quickly as an airplane
or high-speed train can cover a long distance in a short period of time.
In this activity, students look for evidence to explain what
Speed is the measurement of how fast something is moving. Faster moving
information is necessary to make speed calculations.
Photo Credit: Thierry Weber / Shutterstock.com

things have higher speeds, and slower moving things have lower speeds. You
can find the speed that something is moving by doing some simple math. Life Skills Problem-Solving

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
Life Skills  I can use information to solve a problem.
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
Concept 2.3: Speed 193 videos, text has been provided to support learning

Before reading the text or watching the video, ask

students to recall a time that they went on a trip and
how they made the journey (on foot, in a car, or in an
DIGITAL airplane). Ask students to consider the different speeds
at which we can travel, discussing which is the fastest
mode of transportation versus the slowest.

ASK What information do we need to know in

order to find out at what speed a vehicle was
traveling when it made a trip?
Student answers will vary. Some students may
understand that how far you traveled (distance)
Activity 5
and how long it took (time) are important
Observe Like a Scientist
Measuring an Object’s Motion
factors in being able to determine speed.

Provide students time to read the text and watch the

video. Then, discuss in pairs. Ask students to complete
Quick Code:
egst4128
the student response task together. As students
discuss their ideas, circulate among them, listening for
misconceptions and questions.

Concept 2.3: Speed 235

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2.3 Learn

Lesson 3

Materials List (per group)

How Do I Calculate Speed? • 30-centimeter ramp
• 3 balls of varying size and type, such as
tennis balls, golf balls, marbles, or
table-tennis balls
• Meterstick or measuring tape
Activity 6 • Masking tape
Investigate Like a Scientist 45 min
• Books
• Stopwatch
Hands-On Investigation: • Balance (optional)

Measuring Speed

ON
Purpose

I
Hands-On Investigations allow students to apply their IN

AT
understanding of abstract concepts to a practical VEST IG
situation. In this investigation, students use what they
know about the relationship between time and distance
to calculate speed.
Safety
Instructional Focus
• Follow all lab safety guidelines.
In this activity, students work in groups to measure the
speed of various balls traveling down a ramp. • Follow proper disposal and cleaning
procedures after the lab.
Life Skills Collaboration
• Wear proper safety attire, including closed-toe
Activity Activator: Make a Prediction shoes, safety goggles, lab coats or aprons, and
Students may have heard the term speed used or gloves.
described in their personal experiences. In previous • Tie back long hair.
activities, students learned the scientific definition of
speed and how to calculate it. This activity builds upon • Do not eat or drink anything in the lab.
students’ basic knowledge of both speed and energy.
The faster an object moves, the more energy it has.
Students may already understand this concept based on
experience. This investigation allows them to measure,
record, and analyze data to provide evidence of this
scientific principle.

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Page 195 Lesson 3, continued

To begin, review the definition of speed with students.

Activity 6
Students should know that speed is the distance an
Investigate Like a Scientist object moves over a certain amount of time. Introduce
Hands-On Investigation: Quick Code:
egs4131
the activity, telling students that they will observe balls
Measuring Speed rolling down the ramp. Ask students to predict which
Have you ever rolled objects down a hill and noticed that different objects
travel downhill at different speeds? In this investigation, you will measure ball they think will move down the ramp the fastest.
the speed of various balls traveling down a ramp. Afterward, describe your
results and compare your findings with other groups in the class.

Make a Prediction Activity Procedure: What Will You Do?

What will you need to know to determine the speed of the balls?
I need to know the distance the balls travel and how
Part 1: Conduct the Investigation
long it takes them to travel that distance.
1. Help students set up their ramps if necessary. (Note:
the lower the ramp, the slower the object will travel
down it.) Use books to set the height of the ramp.
All students should set their ramps to the same
height. Ask students to draw a simple sketch of their
investigation set-up.

2. Measure 1 meter from the bottom edge of the ramp

and place a piece of tape on the floor as a finish line.

3. Challenge students to figure out what information

Life Skills  I can think about how my team works together.
they will need to know to measure the ball’s speed as
Concept 2.3: Speed 195 it rolls down the ramp. (Students will need to know
the distance the ball travels and the amount of time it
takes the ball to roll down the ramp.)

4. Next, students will roll a variety of balls down the

DIGITAL ramp, one at a time. Students need to gently let go of
the ball and not forcefully roll it down the ramp. The
balls should be different sizes and weights.

5. Groups should have one student roll the ball, one

student operate the stopwatch, and one student
record the data. If groups have more than three
students, students should take turns in the different
Activity 6 roles. The timer should start the stopwatch when the
Investigate Like a Scientist ball is released at the top of the ramp and stop the
Hands-On Investigation:
Measuring Speed
stopwatch when the ball crosses the finish line.

6. Students can record their data in a T-chart with the

Quick Code:
egst4131 labels “Type of Ball” and “Time (seconds).”

Concept
Concept2.3:
2.3:Speed
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Lesson 3, continued Page 196

2.3 Learn  How can you measure the speed of something moving fast?
7. After groups have rolled the first ball, pause the
activity so that all students can practice describing What materials do you need? (per group)
the speed. For example, students should accurately • 30-centimeter ramp • Books

describe the speed and use correct units, such as • 3 balls of varying size or type • Stopwatch

• Meterstick or measuring tape • Balance (optional)

“The tennis ball traveled 1 meter in 2 seconds.” • Masking tape

8. Circulate around the room as students repeat the

process for all of their different balls, checking to be

ON
sure that students are not changing the height of the

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IN

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VEST IG
ramp and not forcing the balls down the ramp. What Will You Do?

1. Set up your ramp, and draw a simple sketch of your investigation.

Part 2: Sharing Data

2. Measure 1 meter from the end of your ramp and place a piece of masking
tape on the floor as a finish line.
3. Roll the three different balls down the ramp, one at a time.
After students have finished the investigation, provide 4. Start the stopwatch as you release the ball. Stop the stopwatch when the
them with time to complete the section Think About ball passes the finish line.
5. Record your results in the table that follows.
the Activity.
Type of Ball Time (seconds)
Call on representatives from each group to share
their findings. Record the outcomes of each teams’
investigations in a space visible to the whole class.
Allow time for students to discuss any patterns or
generalizations that they can make based on the
class data.
196

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Page 197 Lesson 3, continued

Think about the Activity

Analysis and Conclusions:
What pattern do you notice when you look at the results from all the
groups together?
Think About the Activity
Answers may vary. The speed of the balls differed,
ASK • What pattern do you notice when you look
even though the ramp and distance stayed the
same.
at the results from all the groups together?
Answers may vary. The speed of the
balls differed, even though the ramp and
How were your group’s results different from other groups’ results? Why do
distance stayed the same.
you think they were different?
Answers may vary. Some students may have pushed • How were your group’s results different
the ball down the ramp. Some students may not from other groups’ results? Why do you
have stopped the stopwatch soon enough.
think your results were different?
Answers may vary. Some students may
have pushed the ball down the ramp.
How could you change the ball’s speed, other than changing the type of ball
you roll down the ramp? Some students may not have stopped the
Answers may vary. I could change the height of the
stopwatch soon enough.
ramp or the surface of the ramp.
• How could you change the ball’s speed,
other than changing the type of ball you
roll down the ramp?
Answers may vary. I could change the
height of the ramp or the surface of the
Concept 2.3: Speed 197 ramp.

Concept
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2.3:Speed
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Lesson 4 Page 198

Activity 7 Activity 7
Analyze Like a Scientist
Analyze Like a Scientist 10 min
Calculating Speed Quick Code:
egs4133

Calculating Speed
You have learned a lot about speed, time, and distance. Now, let’s
use everything you know to calculate the speed of four friends riding
bicycles (calculating speed: speed = distance / time). Read the text.
Then, in the space provided, complete your assigned problem with your
group. Show your work and get ready to share your answer with the

Purpose
class. Record answers shared by the other groups.

At this point, students have a deep understanding of

Calculating Speed
speed as it relates to distance and time. In this activity
Let’s use some time and distance data to calculate the speed of two
students review the process for and practice calculating

Photo Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

different-colored cars. A yellow car moves 10 meters in 5 seconds. A green

speed. car moves 20 meters in 5 seconds. What are the speeds of the two cars?
Which car is going faster? First, we will calculate the speed of the yellow car:

10 m in 5 sec = 10 m divided by 5 sec = 2 m/sec, or 2 meters per second

Instructional Focus Next, we will calculate the speed of the green car:

Students apply mathematical and computational 20 m in 5 sec = 20 m divided by 5 sec = 4 m/sec, or 4 meters per second
thinking to solve real-world problems and compare So, every second, the yellow car travels 2 meters, and the green car travels
speeds using provided distance and time information. 4 meters. The green car is faster. It is two times as fast as the yellow car.

Another way to think about this is to consider how far each car traveled
Life Skills Collaboration

Photo Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

in 5 seconds. The yellow car went 10 meters. The green car traveled
20 meters. The green car went twice as far, so it is moving faster.

Strategy
Life Skills  I can think about how my team works together.
• Engage students with the text and challenge
students to calculate the speed of a yellow car that
travels 10 meters in 5 seconds and a green car that 198

travels 20 meters in 5 seconds. 2 m/s and 4 m/s

• Ask students to share their answers and explain

how they performed their calculations. Write the
DIGITAL
formula for calculating speed (speed=distance/time)
in a place that students can refer to it as they make
further calculations.

• Engage students in a four corners strategy by writing

each problem on a piece of paper or poster board
and taping problems to different corners of the room.
• Amir rides his bike 10 kilometers in 1 hour. How
Activity 7
fast is he going? 10 km/h Analyze Like a Scientist
Calculating Speed
• Nour rides her bike 20 kilometers in 2 hours.
How fast is she going? 10 km/h
Quick Code:
• Omar rides his bike 15 kilometers in 3 hours.
egst4133
How fast is he going? 5 km/h

• Rashida rides her bike 30 kilometers in 2 hours.

How fast is she going? 15 km/h

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Page 199 Lesson 4, continued

• Assign students to different corners to work on the

Problem 1 Problem 2
problems together. (You may want to count off or
Amir rides his bike 10 kilometers in Nour rides her bike 20 kilometers in
1 hour. How fast is he going? 2 hours. How fast is she going? use another method to divide students equally.) Tell
10 km/h 10 km/h students that they must work together to solve the
problem and record their work. Ask one student
from each corner to share with the whole class.
Problem 3 Problem 4
Omar rides his bike 15 kilometers in Rashida rides her bike 30 kilometers
3 hours. How fast is he going? in 2 hours. How fast is she going? • Discuss results with students. Call attention to the
5 km/h 15 km/h riders who traveled a different distance but in the
same amount of time and riders who rode at the
Photo Credit: Toa55 / Shutterstock.com

same speeds but for a different distance.

Which rider is the fastest? How do you know?
Rashida is the fastest. The riders traveled • Encourage students to create their own problem
different distances in different amounts of time related to speed. Students then switch problems
but she was moving at the fastest rate of speed. with a partner, and work to solve each other’s
To find this I divided 30 km by 2 hours.
Your Speed Problem original problems.
Compose an original problem involving speed. Then, switch problems
with a partner and work to solve each other’s original problems.
Student answers will vary.

Concept 2.3: Speed 199

Concept
Concept2.3:
2.3:Speed
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Lesson 4, continued

Materials List (per group)

• Toy trucks
What Is the Relationship • Cardboard paper towel tube

between Speed and Kinetic • Paper cup, 360 mL

• Scissors
Energy? • Several books
• Metric ruler
• Removable sticky note flags
• Stopwatch

Activity 8
Investigate Like a Scientist 35 min

ON
Hands-On Investigation:

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IN

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Racing Downhill VEST IG

Purpose
At this point in the concept, students can make speed
calculations with confidence. Students have explored Safety
how the speed of an object can vary depending on • Follow all lab safety guidelines.
the object. As students work toward exploring what
happens when objects collide, they investigate a new • Be careful using sharp objects such as scissors,
variable: how slope affects speed and energy. glass jars, and other equipment.

• Follow proper disposal and cleaning

Instructional Focus
procedures after the lab.
In this activity, students use model cars or trucks to
measure the speed and kinetic energy of objects • Wear proper safety attire including closed toe
moving down inclines of various angles. shoes, safety goggles, lab coats or aprons, and
Life Skills Accountability gloves.

• Tie back long hair.

Activity Activator: Make a Prediction
• Do not eat or drink anything in the lab.
To introduce the activity, ask students for ideas on how
to measure the speed of a moving object, such as a car
or an athlete running. Point out that police officers use
radar to track the speed of moving cars and coaches
use a stopwatch to measure the speed of athletes.

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Page 200 Lesson 4, continued

2.3 Learn  How can you measure the speed of something moving fast?
Then, explain that another way to measure a moving
What Is the Relationship between Speed and
object’s speed is by measuring its kinetic energy, or how
Kinetic Energy? far it can move an object at rest. Tell students that in this
activity, they will be rolling toy trucks down cardboard
tubes into a paper cup and measuring how far the truck
Activity 8 moves the cup.
Investigate Like a Scientist
Hands-On Investigation: Racing Downhill Quick Code:
egs4136 Activity Procedure: What Will You Do?
Consider what you have learned about speed and energy so far. In your
last investigation, you changed the size of the ball that you rolled down a
ramp. In this investigation, you will use model trucks to measure the speed
and kinetic energy of objects moving down a cardboard tube at various Part 1: Measuring Speed
angles, or inclines. You will measure the distance a paper cup moves when
your truck rolls down the tube at each angle and into the cup. Divide students into pairs. Explain that one student will
Make a Prediction
roll the car or truck down the cardboard tube and the
How do you think kinetic energy will change with the angle of the tube? other will measure its speed. Remind students that they
Answers may vary. The steeper the incline, the more should not push the trucks or try to make them move
kinetic energy the truck will have. too quickly but that they are measuring the natural
speed.
How will the cup measure kinetic energy?
Answers may vary. The farther the cup moves after 1. Students place one end of the cardboard tube on
the truck rolls into it, the more kinetic energy the top of one of their books, with the other end resting
truck had.
on a table, or the floor.

Life Skills  I can work to meet expectations. 2. Students record the number of books used. The
number of books will represent the incline angle.
200

3. One student holds the stopwatch while the other

places the truck at the upper edge of the tube. The
student with the truck will then release the truck
DIGITAL so it rolls down the tube while the student with the
stopwatch captures its time.

4. Students record the time of the trial next to the

number of books used.

5. Students increase the angle of incline by adding

another book, then repeat the experiment.
Students then add a second book and perform the
Activity 8 experiment a third time.
Investigate Like a Scientist
Hands-On Investigation:
Racing Downhill

Quick Code:
egst4136

Concept 2.3: Speed 243

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Lesson 4, continued Page 201

Part 2: Measuring Kinetic Energy

Inform students that they will now be testing how the What materials do you need? (per group)
truck’s kinetic energy changes as the angle of incline • Toy trucks • Metric ruler

• Cardboard paper towel tube • Removable sticky note flags

changes.
• Paper cup, 360 mL • Stopwatch

• Scissors
1. Students remove all but the original book, then
• Several books
replace the truck and tube.

ON
2. Students cut a hole in the side of their cup, large

I
IN

AT
What Will You Do? VEST IG
enough to allow the truck to enter without hitting
any of its edges. 1. With your partner, record the number of books used to
set up your tube in the column Number of Books.
2. Roll your truck down the tube, use the stopwatch to keep time, and
3. Students place the cup upside down on the table or record how long the truck takes to travel to the end of the tube in the
column Time to Travel.
floor at the lower end of the cardboard tube, with 3. Add a book to change the incline angle and repeat the steps. Add a
second book and repeat the steps again.
the “tunnel entrance” facing the tube’s opening. 4. Now, repeat each incline, but place a cup at the bottom of the tube.

Have one student mark the position of the cup with 5. Measure the distance the cup moves after each time the truck rolls
into it.
a sticky note flag.
Number of Books Time to Travel Distance the Cup Traveled

4. One student releases the truck. It will roll down the Answers will vary.
tube and into the cup, moving the cup away from
its original position. When the cup stops, have the
other student mark its new location with a second
sticky note flag.
Concept 2.3: Speed 201
5. Students measure the distance between the two
sticky note flags with their ruler and record the
measurement in the data table.

6. Students increase the angle of incline by adding

another book, then repeat the experiment. Then,
have them add a second book and perform the
experiment a third time.

Analysis and Conclusions:

Think About the Activity
ASK • What happened to the speed of the truck
when the incline increased?
Answers may vary. The greater the incline,
the faster the truck went.

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Page 202 Lesson 4, continued

2.3 Learn  How can you measure the speed of something moving fast?
• How did the results of the speed test
Think About the Activity
What happened to the speed of the truck when the incline increased?
compare to the results of the kinetic
Answers may vary. The greater the incline, the faster energy test?
the truck went. Answers may vary. Both speed and kinetic
energy increased as the angle of the incline
How did the results of the speed test compare to the results of the kinetic increased.
energy test?
Answers may vary. Both speed and kinetic energy
• What conclusion can you draw about the
increased as the angle of the incline increased.
relationship between speed and kinetic

Photo Credit: Joshua Resnick / Shutterstock.com

energy, based on this experiment?
What conclusion can you draw about the relationship between speed and
kinetic energy, based on this experiment? Answers may vary. Speed and kinetic energy
Answers may vary. As speed increases, so does have a direct relationship. Kinetic energy can
kinetic energy. Objects that have more speed have be used to measure speed, and vice versa.
more energy that can be transferred.
Differentiation
ADVANCED LEARNERS
As you work with students throughout this lesson, help
them develop their understanding of forces and their
relationship to an object’s speed. Their explorations
of the resources in this lesson should prepare them
for more advanced concepts such as Newton’s laws;
they will also help them better understand the close
relationship between speed and motion.
202

APPROACHING LEARNERS
The multiple steps in this activity may be challenging
for some students to follow. You may wish to model the
steps to small groups of students and then ask them
to repeat without assistance. Continue to ask students
to connect distance, motion, and speed based on
observations.

Teacher Reflection
• Can my students identify the strengths and
weaknesses of models?

• What data did my students struggle with during

the Hands-On Investigation?

• What other examples of kinetic energy being

used as a way to measure speed could I include
the next time I teach this lesson?

Concept
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Lesson 5 Page 203

How are Speed and Energy Related?

How are Speed and Energy

Related? Activity 9
Analyze Like a Scientist
Changing Speed Quick Code:
egs4137
Imagine riding in a car through a town or city. The car speeds up,
then slows down, then stops, then starts moving again. Read the text
about changing speeds. As you read, highlight the key ideas and
supporting details.

Photo Credit: Joshua Resnick / Shutterstock.com

Activity 9
Analyze Like a Scientist 15 min Changing Speed
If you want an object to move faster, you must give it more kinetic energy.

Changing Speed
If you want it to go slower, you must reduce its kinetic energy. You have
learned that forces make things move. When a force is used to push an
object, the speed of the object depends upon the force used. The more
force applied to an object, the faster it goes. The faster it goes, the more

Purpose
kinetic energy it has. Let’s think about how this works in a car.

Photo Credit: Joshua Resnick / Shutterstock.com

If a driver wants a car to go faster, she presses the gas pedal. This sends
Students have been measuring and comparing speeds of more gasoline into the engine. This allows the engine to convert more

various objects. This lesson connects two ideas students potential energy in the gas into kinetic energy in the engine. This kinetic
energy provides the force that turns the wheels faster, and the car
have been exploring: speed and the forms of energy speeds up.

(potential and kinetic).

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students use the information from a text Concept 2.3: Speed 203

about the relationship between speed and forces to

construct an explanation for how to change a car’s speed.

Strategy DIGITAL
Provide students with the text that describes the
relationship between changes in speed and force.

Prior to reading the text,

ASK How do you make a car speed up and slow

down?
You can reduce or increase the force applied
to the vehicle to change the speed. Activity 9
Analyze Like a Scientist
Changing Speed

Quick Code:
egst4137

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Page 204 Lesson 5, continued

Have students read the text. Students should highlight

Changing Speed, continued the key ideas and supporting details of the text. Then,
What if the driver wants the car to slow down? If she takes her foot off the tell students to discuss 1 to 2 key ideas from the text
gas, the car will slow down and eventually roll to a stop because of friction
with a partner. Remind them to refer back to the text for
between the tires and the road. If she presses the gas pedal less, the car will
also slow down until the car reaches a slower speed. evidence.

Changing Speed Photo Credit: Joshua Resnick / Shutterstock.com

Optional Digital Activity 10

Observe Like a Scientist
RC Racing Cars Quick Code:
egs4138
Go online to complete this activity.

204

Optional Digital Activity 10

Observe Like a Scientist 15 min

RC Racing Cars
This optional activity can be found
online. Optional digital activities
can be used to extend student
exploration or to challenge Quick Code:
advanced students. egst4138

Concept
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2.3:Speed
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Lesson 5, continued Page 205
xx

Activity 11
Evaluate Like a Scientist 10 min
Activity 11
Evaluate Like a Scientist

Train Race Train Race Quick Code:

egs4139
Use what you now know about speed to compare model trains in the
scenario given. Read the text and then answer the question.

Purpose
This formative assessment asks students to apply what Ahmed loves model trains. He wants to get one that is faster than the one
he has now. The train catalog gives the speed for a new train: it travels
they have learned about speed to a new situation. This 4 meters every 8 seconds. Ahmed tested his old train on his 3-meter

Photo Credit: Joshua Resnick / Shutterstock.com

activity serves as a check for understanding before track so he could compare it to the new train in the catalog. His old train
traveled 3 meters in 12 seconds.
students compose a scientific explanation for what they
have learned.
Should Ahmed buy the new train? Explain your reasoning using calculations

Instructional Focus
of speed from the data.
Ahmed should buy the new train because it is faster.
1
In this activity, students analyze data about model trains The old train moves at a rate of 4 (0.25) meter per
1
to generate claims based on evidence from the data. second. The new train can move at a rate of 2 (0.5)
meter per second.

Strategy
During this formative assessment, instruct students to
read the text and answer the questions for the item
Train Race. This is a good opportunity to compare
student answers and check for understanding before
moving forward in instruction. Concept 2.3: Speed 205

DIGITAL

Activity 11
Evaluate Like a Scientist
Train Race

Quick
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Page 206 Lesson 5, continued

2.3 Share  How can you measure the speed of something moving fast?

Activity 12 Scientific Explanation

Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Cheetah Speed Quick Code:
egs4140
Now that you have explored the
Video
concept of speed, return to the
example of a cheetah. Cheetahs are the
fastest land animal. What do we need Activity 12
to know in order to find out just how
Record Evidence Like a Scientist

Photo Credit: (a) Kwadrat / Shutterstock.com, (b) JonathanC Photography / Shutterstock.com

fast they run? Read the text and watch
the video again. You first saw this in 20 min
Wonder. Discuss your answers to the
Talk Together question with a partner.

How can you describe cheetah speed now? Cheetah Speed

Purpose
How is your explanation different from before? In this activity, students return to the questions posed
at the beginning of the concept and reconsider what
they know now. The process of writing a scientific
Photo Credit: JonathanC Photography / Shutterstock.com

explanation using evidence to support a claim is a key

Look at the Can You Explain? question. You first read this question at the step in students constructing scientific knowledge that
beginning of the lesson.
they can then use and apply.
Can You Explain?
How can you measure the speed of something moving fast? Instructional Focus
In this activity, students construct explanations about
the Investigative Phenomenon Cheetah Speed and the
206
Can You Explain? question or a question of their own.

Strategy
Display the Investigative Phenomenon of the Cheetah
DIGITAL Speed video, text, and Can You Explain? question.

Review the Let’s Investigate Cheetah Speed text and

video, if available. Use the text, or while watching the
video as a class, pause at the 45-second mark and allow
students a moment to record the data shared. The
cheetah ran 100 meters in 6.4 seconds. Explain that
students will come back to these numbers after the video.

Activity 12 Then, read the rest of the text or play the remainder
Record Evidence Like a Scientist of the video. Remind students that the formula for
Cheetah Speed calculating speed is distance divided by time. Since this
calculation involves decimal points, do it together as a
class using a calculator.
Quick Code:
egst4140

Concept
Concept2.3:
2.3:Speed
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Lesson 5, continued Page 207

Describe how the distance the cheetah traveled

Use your new ideas about speed to answer the Can You Explain? question.
(100 meters) divided by the time the cheetah ran To plan your scientific explanation, first write your claim. Your claim is a
one-sentence answer to the question you investigated. It answers, What
(6.4 seconds) calculates to a speed of 15.625 meters can you conclude? It should not start with yes or no.

per second. Have students round up to the next whole My claim:

number in their notes to describe the cheetah’s speed Answers will vary.
as 16 meters per second. Have students turn and talk
with a partner to discuss the following questions. Then, record your evidence. Next, consider and explain how your evidence
supports your claim.

ASK • How can you describe cheetah speed now? Evidence Reasoning That Supports Claim

Speed is the During the Hands-On

Photo Credit: Kwadrat / Shutterstock.com

• How is your explanation different from measurement of how Investigation: Measuring
before? fast something is Speed, I learned to
moving. You could measure the distance
• How can this explanation help you answer calculate the speed that a ball is traveling
the Can You Explain? question? of a passing car by and the time it takes
finding the distance to travel that distance.
As students would have already reviewed sample the car traveled and I also saw this type of
scientific explanations in earlier units, they should how long it took the calculating done in the
be familiar with the claim, reasoning, and evidence car to get there. If you cheetah video, when
framework. You may want to review the following: know these two things, the researcher set the
then you will be able to timer as the cheetah
A claim is a one-sentence answer to the question you measure how fast the ran 100 meters.
investigated. It answers, what can you conclude? It car is going.
should not start with yes or no.
Concept 2.3: Speed 207
Evidence must be:

• Sufficient—Use enough evidence to support the

claim.

• Appropriate—Use information from text, video,

or data that supports the claim. Leave out
information that doesn’t support the claim.

Reasoning ties together the claim and the evidence.

• Shows how or why the data count as evidence to

support the claim.

• Provides the justification for why this evidence is

important to this claim.

• Includes one or more scientific principles that

are important to the claim and evidence.

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2.3 Share  How can you measure the speed of something moving fast?
Now, write your scientific explanation.

Can You Explain?

Speed is the measurement of how fast something is
moving. You could calculate the speed of a passing
car by finding the distance the car traveled and how
long it took the car to get there. If you know these How can you measure the speed of
two things, then you will be able to calculate how something moving fast?
fast the car is going. To do this accurately, I would
use the procedures in the Hands-On Investigation
Measuring Speed. I learned to measure the distance After providing scaffolding to students, for those
that a ball is traveling and the time it takes to travel students able to do so, allow them to construct a full

Photo Credit: ermess / Shutterstock.com

that distance. We saw this in the cheetah video,
scientific explanation. Students can write, draw, or orally
when the researcher set the timer as the cheetah
describe their claim, evidence, and reasoning.
ran 100 meters. In the activity Racing Downhill, we
collected evidence that the faster an object moves,
the more kinetic energy it has. A cheetah running Sample student response:
has more kinetic energy than someone sitting down Speed is the measurement of how fast something is
on a chair. moving. You could measure the speed of a passing car by
finding out the distance the car traveled and how long it
took the car to get there. If you know these two things,
then you will be able to measure how fast the car is
going. To do this accurately, I would use the procedures
in the Hands-On Investigation Measuring Speed. I
learned to measure the distance that a ball is traveling
and the time it takes to travel that distance. We saw this
208
in the cheetah video, when the researcher set the timer
as the cheetah ran 100 meters. In the activity Racing
Downhill, we collected evidence that the faster an object
moves, the more kinetic energy it has. A cheetah running
has more kinetic energy than someone sitting down on a
chair.

Differentiation
APPROACHING LEARNERS
For glossary terms such as speed and motion, try to
include actual representations as well as textual or
graphical formats to help students better conceptualize
each term’s meaning. Have materials on hand that
embody concepts relevant to an object’s motion,
distance, and time.

Concept
Concept2.3:
2.3:Speed
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 CONCEPT

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Lesson 6 Page 209
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in Action
in Action
Activity 13 Quick Code:
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Analyze Like a Scientist
Activity 13
Analyze Like a Scientist 25 min
Solar Vehicles
Now that you have been thinking about speed and motion, have you
ever thought about designing a car? Mechanical engineers help design

Solar Vehicles
cars and think about how to use energy in creative ways. Read the text
to learn more about solar powered vehicles. Think about whether you

Photo Credit: (a) ermess / Shutterstock.com, (b) Markus Pfaff / Shutterstock.com

would like to become a mechanical engineer one day.

Purpose
Solar Vehicles
This activity uses the example of solar powered vehicles
Most cars run on gasoline. The use
to promote students’ creative thinking. Students explore of fuel and the exhaust it produces

the role of an important profession—mechanical contribute to climate change. More and

more vehicles are running on electricity.
engineers. Students apply their understanding of speed Electric vehicles have batteries that must

and energy in a real-world scenario. be charged. Can you imagine a car that
never has to stop for gas or a charge?
Solar Cells
Mechanical engineers are designing
Instructional Focus

Photo Credit: Markus Pfaff / Shutterstock.com

vehicles that run on nothing but the sun. There are, of course, some
difficulties. At this time, the amount of energy we can capture from the sun
Students obtain information about solar vehicles to is not as great as the amount of energy we get from gasoline or an electric

evaluate the use of solar energy related to the speed battery. How can mechanical engineers make solar vehicles drive as quickly
as conventional vehicles? Among other things, they reduce the weight of the
of solar vehicles. vehicle, and make other efficient changes.

Concept 2.3: Speed 209

ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneurs suggest creative ideas for solving
problems. As students read about mechanical
engineers, encourage them think of how the work
engineers are doing with solar vehicles shows DIGITAL
entrepreneurial creativity. As students think of how to
calculate the speed of solar vehicles, you will likely
need to remind them to look for opportunities and
ideas drawing on what students already know and
to use the entrepreneurial skills of creativity, adding
value to ideas, and setting an innovative vision.

Activity 13
Analyze Like a Scientist
Solar Vehicles

Quick
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Strategy
Pros of Using This Car Cons of Using This Car
Ask students to read about solar vehicles and to create
• no need for gas • The amount of a list of the pros and cons of using this car in a T-chart.
• no charging car energy that we can
• doesn’t cause capture from the
climate change sun is not as great
as the amount of
energy that we can
get from gasoline
or an electric

Photo Credit: ermess / Shutterstock.com

battery.

210

Concept 2.3: Speed 253

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Lesson 6, continued Page 211
xx

Solar Vehicle Solar Vehicle

The solar vehicle is so lightweight that most instruments are excluded. Without a

Strategy speedometer, how can we know the speed of the solar vehicle? In the following
activity, you will design a way to calculate the solar vehicle’s speed.

This portion of the activity can be used to generate a The fastest solar vehicle can go slightly more than 88 kilometers per hour.
Calculating that speed can be challenging because most of the solar vehicle
discussion about speed and how it relates to distance races take place in remote locations, and in most cases, the solar vehicles do not
have speedometers. Imagine that you have been given the task of calculating the
and time. speed of the solar vehicle. How would you do it?

Photo Credit: ermess / Shutterstock.com

Solar Powered Cars

Answers will vary. To calculate the speed of

the solar vehicle, I need to know the time and
distance. I would record the time as the vehicle
passed each of two markers placed at a set
distance from each other. Subtracting the first
time from the second and dividing the distance
between the markers by the difference in time
will tell me the speed of the solar vehicle.

Concept 2.3: Speed 211

DIGITAL

Activity 1
Can You Explain?

ACTIVITY TYPE 5 min Quick Code:

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2.3 Share  How can you measure the speed of something moving fast?

Activity 14 Review and Assess

Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Speed Quick Code:
egs4142
Think about what you have learned so far in this concept. What is the
relationship between energy, motion, and speed? As you review this
concept, use the space provided to summarize your learning. Explain how
speed and kinetic energy are related and measured. If you have additional Activity 14
questions about speed, write them in the space provided and share these
Evaluate Like a Scientist

Photo Credit: (a) Kwadrat / Shutterstock.com, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
with your teacher and classmates.
Student answers will vary. 20 min

Review: Speed

Purpose
The final activity of the concept asks students to review
and explain the main ideas of speed. This activity allows
students to reflect on what they understand about
Talk Together How does your new understanding
speed and how it relates to the overall unit project,
of speed help you better understand car crashes? Talk focusing on vehicle safety.
to your partner about how you can use your knowledge of
energy, motion, and speed to improve the safety features of
passenger vehicles.
Instructional Focus
In this activity, students summarize their learning and
apply it to the big ideas of the unit.

212
Strategy
Now that students have achieved this concept’s
objectives, direct them to review the key ideas
from their notes. You may also share the summative
DIGITAL assessment for this concept with students.

In the summative concept assessment, students will

identify how speed is measured and what impact
an increase in force has on the speed of an object.
Students will also identify the relationship between
speed and the time it takes to travel a distance.

Activity 14
Evaluate Like a Scientist Teacher Reflection
Review: Speed
• How many of my students met the objectives
for this concept?
Quick Code:
egst4142 • For students who did not meet the objectives,
what are my next steps?

Concept
Concept2.3:
2.3:Speed
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 Photo Credit: KarepaStock / Shutterstock.com
Energy and
Collisions
CONCEPT

2.4

256
 Concept Objectives
By the end of this concept, students should be able to:
• Construct an explanation based on evidence and logical reasoning
that the speed of an object depends on the energy of the object. Quick Code:
egst4143
• Analyze and interpret data to describe how the speeds of objects and
masses of objects affect the amount of damage in collisions between
objects.

• Predict the outcomes of collisions based on patterns in energy transfer

and change between the interacting objects.

• Use mathematical and computational thinking to organize data to

reveal patterns in the mass, speed, and energy of objects using
standard units.

Key Vocabulary
new: collision, mass

review: energy, force, kinetic energy, speed

Photo Credit: KarepaStock / Shutterstock.com

Quick Code:
egst4144

Key Vocabulary Strategies

Guess the Word
Select the vocabulary words to introduce, divide the class into small teams, and assign a
word to them without revealing it to the rest of the class. Provide the teams with a list of
interview questions about their word and have them prepare the answers. Then, be the
interviewer and ask the questions to the corresponding team. Finally, have the rest of the
class guess their assigned word.

Word ID
Ask students to create an “identity card” for each word. On each card, they should write
the word, its definition, an example, and a sketch. Then, have each student share the ID
card with a partner.

Concept 2.4: Energy and Concept

Collisions: 257
CONCEPT

2.4 Energy and Collisions

Concept Pacing

Recommended Pathway
In order to meet the expectations of the standards, students must complete each
activity within the recommended pathway.

Location Days Model Lesson Time

Activity 1 10 min

Wonder Lesson 1 Activity 2 15 min

Activity 3 20 min

Activity 4 20 min
Lesson 2
Activity 5 25 min

Activity 6 30 min
Learn Lesson 3
Activity 7 15 min

Lesson 4 Activity 8 45 min

Activity 9 20 min
Lesson 5
Activity 10 25 min

Share Activity 11 20 min

Lesson 6
Activity 12 25 min

258
Content Background

Throughout the unit, students have learned how to describe, quantify, calculate,
and investigate how objects in the world move around them. Students explored
the relationships between complex ideas like energy, work, and force. They
have applied these concepts to include interactions with speed and slope. Now,
students apply what they understand about the physics of motion and energy
transfer to explain what happens when objects collide. Students investigate how
the variables of mass and speed are connected to the force of an impact.

In this concept, students explore real-world scenarios that provide evidence in

support of Newton’s laws. Students do not need to memorize nor cite the laws.
Instead, by the end of this concept, students should have a basic understanding
of the underlying principles. Students should be able to explain the outcomes of
their investigations in a way that demonstrates comprehension of how these laws
include all of the material covered in Unit 2.

In the Unit Project that follows this concept, students design an automobile safety
feature that reflects their understanding of how the principles of the laws of
motion can be leveraged to engineer products that keep passengers in a car safe.

The following information is provided for teacher reference only.

Sir Isaac Newton published his first law of motion in 1687. Newton’s Laws of
Motion, used as a framework for this concept, state the following:

• Newton’s First Law of Motion: An object is in motion when its distance from
another object is changing. This law, also known as the law of inertia, states
that an object in uniform motion remains that way unless an external force is
applied.

• Newton’s Second Law of Motion: Newton’s second law explains the

relationship between force (F), mass (m), and acceleration (a). It states that
force is equal to a change in momentum per change in time, written in
mathematical form as F=ma.

• Newton’s Third Law of Motion: Newton’s third law states that for every action
(force), there is an equal and opposite reaction (force). For example, when an
athlete jumps to catch a ball, his feet push down on the ground (action), and
the ground pushes the athlete into the air (reaction).

The physics behind Newton’s Laws of Motion will be explored in a more comprehensive
manner in later grades.

Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 259

CONCEPT

2.4 Energy and Collisions

Hands-On Investigations Preparation

Learn

Location Instructional Focus

Activity 6: In this activity, students build on their understanding of speed from the previous
Speed and concept’s Hands-On Investigation: Racing Downhill.
Collisions

Optional In this optional extension activity, students will engage in two Hands-On Investigations
Extension: to explore the relationships between speed, mass, and kinetic energy. During the
Activity 8: investigations, students will use evidence obtained to engage in arguments about the
relationship between the mass and both the speed and kinetic energy of objects.
Mass in
Collisions

260
Materials to Prepare (per group)

• Modeling clay or flour mixture

• Piece of cardboard
• Meterstick

Part 1 Part 2

• Toy car • 1-meter string

• Scale or balance • Paper cup or milk carton
• Metal washers, paper clips, coins, paper • Toy car or light and heavy objects
found in the classroom
• Books
• Ruler
• Ramp from cardboard
• Tape
• Stopwatch
• Meterstick

Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 261

 CONCEPT

2.4 Wonder

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Lesson 1 Page 214

Activity 1
Can You Explain? 10 min Activity 1
Can You Explain?
What happens to objects when they
collide with another object?

Photo Credit: (a) KarepaStock / Shutterstock.com, (b) Inked Pixels / Shutterstock.com

Purpose
The last concept opens with the idea of objects Have you ever seen a wrecking ball knocking down a building?
A wrecking ball is usually a very heavy steel ball that swings on a
colliding, so that students can connect the ideas of cable. It helps construction workers knock down walls or parts of
buildings. What other objects have you observed that collide or
energy, force, and speed to the Unit Project context of a crash together?

car crash. Students may have experience with a wrecking What happens to objects when they collide with another object?

ball, but also encourage students to think of other Answers will vary. When one object hits
another object, energy is transferred. A
examples of collisions to activate their prior knowledge.
faster-moving object has more energy
than a slower-moving object. An object
Instructional Focus with more energy will cause more damage

Photo Credit: Inked Pixels / Shutterstock.com

In this activity, students begin to construct explanations than an object with less energy. A heavier
about what happens to energy during collisions. object will also cause more
damage than a lighter object.
Life Skills Endurance Quick Code: Life Skills  I can share ideas I am
egs4145 not yet sure about.

Strategy
Ask students to share if they have ever seen a building 214

being knocked down using a wrecking ball, such as the

one shown in the image. If they have not, ask students
to look at the picture of the wrecking ball and imagine it
knocking down the wall. DIGITAL
Encourage students to explain what they know about
how energy relates to the speed of an object, such as
the speed of a moving, heavy ball. Encourage students
to use the terms previously discussed, such as potential
and kinetic energy.

Then, ask students to consider what happens when the

ball hits the wall. Challenge students to think about the
change in speed for two objects colliding with each Activity 1
other and what the change in speed indicates about the Can You Explain?
energy in the system. Students may have some initial
ideas about how to answer the question. At this point,
a fully formed or completely scientifically accurate
Quick Code:
explanation is not necessary. However, by the end of egst4145
the concept, students should be able to construct a
scientific explanation, which includes evidence from the
concept activities.

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Page 215 Lesson 1, continued

2.4 Wonder  What happens to objects when they collide with another object?

Activity 2 Investigative Phenomenon

Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Collision Quick Code:
egs4146
Have you ever hit a ball with a bat or a stick? Imagine you are watching
a cricket match. Cricket might be an unfamiliar sport to you. It is a popular
game all over the world. In
cricket, a player uses a wooden Activity 2
bat to hit a ball. The cricket
player stands with a bat and Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Photo Credit: (a) KarepaStock / Shutterstock.com, (b) Rosli Othman / Shutterstock.com

moves it as the ball approaches 15 min

at high speed. The bat makes
contact with the ball.

Collision
Discuss with Your Class

Purpose
Imagine that you are watching a player hit a ball with a bat. What happens
to the energy from the moving bat to the moving ball? What do your senses
observe? What would the player feel? What do you hear? What do you see?

After your discussion, record your answers.

Most students have some familiarity with hitting a ball
Answers will vary. The bat transfers its kinetic energy with a bat or a stick. In order to understand the forces
to the ball, causing the ball to increase its speed in involved in a car crash, students examine the forces
a different direction. The impact makes a popping between a bat and a ball. This activity encourages
Photo Credit: Rosli Othman / Shutterstock.com

sound. The batter would feel the bat hitting the ball. students to use their understanding of potential and
kinetic energy and apply it to what happens when a bat
makes contact with a ball.

Life Skills  I can analyze a situation.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students examine the game of cricket,
Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 215
make observations, and ask questions about changing
variables in the ball and bat system.

Life Skills Decision-Making

DIGITAL
Strategy
While cricket may be unfamiliar to many students, it
is a globally popular sport. Students may also have
heard of or seen American-style baseball or softball,
which are similar examples. A cricket or baseball bat
is not necessary to understand the idea of two objects
colliding. Use this cricket scenario to initiate small-
group or class discussion about the different things that
Activity 2
happen when objects collide.
Ask Questions Like a Scientist
Collision

Quick Code:
egst4146

Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 263

 CONCEPT

2.4 Wonder

Lesson 1, continued

Consider taking students and a bat and ball outside to observe what happens when bat and
ball collide. Encourage students to make very detailed observations about what happens
during and after the collision of ball and bat. Repeat several times so that all students can
see. (If it is not possible to take students and the sporting equipment outside, you may want
to play a clip of a cricket, baseball, or softball match for students to support visualization and
observation.)

Discuss with Your Class

Use students’ ideas and observations to generate discussion about collisions. Then, provide
different scenarios of other collisions and have students make predictions about what they
think they would observe. For example, what would they observe if a stuntperson jumped
out of a window onto an airbag or if a stone hit a glass window?

Finally, have students generate questions about the cricket situation based on changing the
variables in the image. Some students may need to be guided toward the variables of speed
of ball, mass of ball, mass of bat, and speed of bat.

Teacher Reflection
• Did this activity engage the students?

• Did this activity allow students to generate their own questions?

• What, if anything, about this activity would I do differently next time?

• Were students able to make predictions about what they would observe during
different types of collisions?

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Page 216 Lesson 1, continued

2.4 Wonder  What happens to objects when they collide with another object?

Activity 3 Activate Prior Knowledge

Observe Like a Scientist
Watching Objects Collide Quick Code:
egs4147
Have you ever made toy cars crash into each other? Think about
happened when they crashed. What safety equipment keeps us safe
in our cars? Read the text and watch the video, if available. Write three
questions you have, and share them with the class. Activity 3
Observe Like a Scientist 20 min

Photo Credit: (a) KarepaStock / Shutterstock.com, (b) Sony Ho / Shutterstock.com

What happens to your body when you ride in a car

Watching Objects Collide

Video
and the car stops suddenly? Your body continues
to move forward. Objects that are in motion stay
in motion until something stops them. When
the car stops suddenly, what keeps you in your
place? Seatbelts are used in cars to keep your body from moving forward.
Seatbelts have saved thousands of lives.
Purpose
Airbags slow the speed of a person moving forward. An airbag is like a big Students should recall investigating the speed of fast
pillow to land against during a crash. Airbags inflate automatically when objects, such as a train, in the previous concept. In this
sensors in the car detect a crash. The purpose of an airbag is to absorb the
energy of the car’s impact. Airbags are made of thin, nylon material folded activity, students observe a real-world example of a
into the steering wheel, seat, dashboard, or door. A sensor tells the airbag train collision. As students observe the use of an airbag
to inflate. The airbag fills with a gas to provide a soft cushion. An airbag
on a train, encourage students to also consider how an
Photo Credit: Sony Ho / Shutterstock.com

has to deflate almost as fast as it inflates. Airbags have holes, or vents, to

allow the bag to deflate so you can get out of the car.
airbag in a car keeps people safe from the forces in a
collision.

Life Skills  I can identify problems.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students obtain evidence from text and
216
media to explain the cause-and-effect relationship
between collisions and transfer, or change, of energy.
Students also examine the role of airbags in keeping
passengers safe.
DIGITAL
Life Skills Critical Thinking

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Use the reading passage and video to help explain the

Activity 3 effects of a collision and the role of airbags in keeping
Observe Like a Scientist passengers safe.
Watching Objects Collide

Quick Code:
egst4147

Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 265

 CONCEPT

2.4 Wonder

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Lesson 1, continued Page 217

Prepare students for reading the text and watching the

video by asking the following: Every year, there are many accidents in which a train hits a car that may
be stuck on the train tracks. Trains are much larger than cars. Trains can
travel at a high speed. The higher the force when objects collide, the more
ASK • What parts of a car help keep you safe in a dangerous it is. Could airbags on the front of a train help protect people

collision? in a car?

• What is an airbag?
I wonder . . .

• How does an airbag keep you safe in a car? Student questions will vary. Which way do
objects move when one object hits another?
• Predict what would happen if a train

Photo Credit: KarepaStock / Shutterstock.com

collided with a car.

Read the text and watch the video Train versus Car, if I wonder . . .

available. Does the frame of a car protect me in a

collision?
Ask students to generate their own questions from the
text and video related to how passengers are protected
during a collision. Encourage students to focus their I wonder . . .
questions around: What happens in a collision? What
Do larger objects that are heavier cause more
can safety equipment do to protect me? How does the
damage in a collision?
size of objects affect what happens in a collision?

After reading the text and watching the video, facilitate

a discussion where students use evidence from the
video and text to explain how airbags can reduce the Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 217

effects of a collision. During the discussion, encourage

students to ask each other questions such as: How do
you know? Do you have additional evidence?

Note: Be sensitive to students in your class who have

been in a car crash or had family members in a car
crash. This could be an emotional topic.

Differentiation
APPROACHING LEARNERS
Have students think of times when they have collided
with another object. For example, a student bumped
into another student walking in the hallway. What
happened to the direction and speed of each person
involved? Another example is toy cars or marbles. Have
students discuss these examples using vocabulary from
this unit.

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Page 218 Lesson 2

What Do We Observe When Objects Collide?

What Do We Observe
Activity 4
Analyze Like a Scientist When Objects Collide?
Energy and Collisions Quick Code:
egs4149
Think of all the objects you bump into every day, such as walking into
your friend in the hallway or hitting your toe on the leg of a chair. Ouch!
Consider what happens to your body and the other person or object
when these accidents happen. Think about what you already know

Photo Credit: Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com

about energy transfer. Read the text. Then, complete the activity.

Activity 4
Analyze Like a Scientist 20 min
Energy and Collisions

Energy and Collisions

When two things bump, or crash, into each other, we can say a collision
has taken place. When this happens, an energy transfer occurs. Think
about this: If you are running down the street without looking, and you
run into a sign, what happens? The chances are you will stop moving,
perhaps bounce off, and get hurt. The sign may wobble a bit and rattle.
Purpose
Photo Credit: Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com

When you hit the sign, you would stop moving forward. What happened
to your kinetic energy? What energy changes were taking place here? How
would things be different if you were walking? What could have happened As a starting point for exploring the variables involved
if you were running faster?
in the collision of two objects, this activity invites
students to consider everyday scenarios involving
small-scale collisions. Thinking about the transfer of
kinetic energy from their body to objects they might
commonly bump into can help students begin to
218 understand how larger objects, moving at higher
speeds, can respond more dramatically.

Instructional Focus
DIGITAL Students obtain information from a text to draw a
model describing how the kinetic energy of colliding
objects changes before and after a collision.

Strategy
Have students read the text that describes how
the differences in the kinetic energy of objects can
determine the forces exerted in a collision. The
Activity 4
emphasis of this concept is on the transfer of energy in
Analyze Like a Scientist the collision and how the amount of energy transferred
Energy and Collisions depends in part on object speed and mass.

ASK What happens to energy when two objects

Quick Code: collide?
egst4149

Concept 2.4: Energy

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Lesson 2, continued Page 219

Facilitate a discussion on the reading passage,

encouraging students to react to and connect personal
experiences with the text. Then, instruct students to
draw a two-framed comic strip showing the before and
after of a collision of their choosing. Students write a
description of the changes in kinetic energy below the
illustrations. Children Running

Sample student answer: The bicycle has kinetic energy Now, draw a two-framed comic strip showing the before and after of
as it goes down the sidewalk. When the cyclist collides a collision. Underneath, write a description of the changes in kinetic

Photo Credit: Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com

energy of the objects that collide.
with the bread cart, the kinetic energy transfers to the
cart and the bread. The cart tips over and the bread Answers may vary. Example response: The
scatters. bicycle has kinetic energy as it goes down
the sidewalk. When the cyclist collides with
Differentiation the bread cart, the kinetic energy transfers to
the cart and the bread. The cart tips over and
APPROACHING LEARNERS
the bread scatters.
This activity contains several new vocabulary terms
that may be unfamiliar to students. After reading, have
students draw a collision and label all the parts using
the highlighted vocabulary words from the reading
passage. Have students compare their diagrams with a
partner and correct any misconceptions.

Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 219

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Page 220 Lesson 2, continued

How Does the Speed of an Object Affect What

Happens in a Collision?
How Does the Speed of
Activity 5 an Object Affect What
Analyze Like a Scientist
The Effect of Speed on Collisions Quick Code:
Happens in a Collision?
egs4150
Remember when you rolled toy cars down a ramp? You learned that
the speed of the car affected how far the cup moved when the car
crashed into it. As you read, highlight information in the text that
supports the patterns you saw in your data from the investigation

Photo Credit: Rob Wilson / Shutterstock.com

Racing Downhill.

Activity 5
The Effect of Speed on Collisions
The amount of kinetic energy an object has depends upon its speed. The
Analyze Like a Scientist 25 min
faster an object travels, the more energy it has. When a speeding object

The Effect of Speed on Collisions

hits another object, it transfers some of its energy to it. The faster the
object, the more energy it transfers. Some of this energy may be in the
form of heat, light, or sound. Because of their extra energy, fast-moving
objects can do much more damage than slow ones. When they hit an
Photo Credit: Rob Wilson / Shutterstock.com

Purpose
object, they exert more force. This force can smash a car fender or, in
some cases, damage the car beyond repair.

Students apply what they already know about speed

and energy to consider the effects of these factors on
collisions. Asking students to recall a previous activity
where they gathered data helps them to connect what
they have already learned with new information.
220

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students use a text to analyze and look
for patterns in kinetic energy and speed data collected
DIGITAL
in the Hands-On Investigation: Racing Downhill.

Strategy
Ask students to review their own data (or provide
students with sample data) from the Hands-On
Investigation: Racing Downhill, which they conducted
in the previous concept. In that activity, students used
model cars to measure the speed and kinetic energy of
Activity 5
objects moving down inclines of various angles.
Analyze Like a Scientist
The Effect of Speed on Collisions Instruct students to read the text describing the effects
of speed on a collision.
Quick Code: Tell students to highlight information in the text that
egst4150
supports the patterns they see in the data.

Concept 2.4: Energy

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Lesson 2, continued Page 221

With a partner, have students make predictions about

collisions by answering the questions at the end of the
text. Have students share out to see how their thinking
compares to others. Accept all answers at this time.

ASK What does the pattern of data you see allow

you to conclude about kinetic energy and
speed?
Answers will vary. Objects that have more Accident
kinetic energy travel at a faster speed.

Photo Credit: Rob Wilson / Shutterstock.com

If a car increases its speed, its kinetic energy increases. All this energy will
result in a large force being exerted in an accident. This is one reason why
driving fast is so hazardous. If two cars drive headlong into one another, then
the forces exerted in the accident depend upon the combined speed of both
cars. Damage would be much more severe. What do you think would happen
if two cars traveling at different speeds in the same direction collided? How
would the forces in this rear-end collision compare to those in a headlong
collision?

Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 221

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Page 222 Lesson 3
2.4 Learn  What happens to objects when they collide with another object?
Activity 6
Activity 6
Investigate Like a Scientist 30 min
Investigate Like a Scientist

Hands-On Investigation:
Hands-On Investigation: Quick Code:
egs4151
Speed and Collisions
Now that you have reviewed your data from Racing Downhill, you know
that objects traveling at a faster rate of speed have more kinetic energy. Speed and Collisions
Now let’s look a little closer at how force can affect both speed and kinetic
energy. In this investigation, you will use a clay ball and a cardboard platform

Purpose
to investigate the speed and kinetic energy of objects.

Make a Prediction
How do you think the amount of force will affect the kinetic energy of an
In this investigation, students deepen their
object?
understanding of force and speed by investigating
Answers may vary. The greater the amount of force,
the more kinetic energy the object will have.
how these factors affect the amount of kinetic energy
transferred in a collision.

Instructional Focus
How are speed and kinetic energy related?
Answers may vary. The greater the speed of an
object, the greater its kinetic energy. In this activity, students build on their understanding
of speed from the previous concept’s Hands-On
Investigation: Racing Downhill.

Life Skills Collaboration

Life Skills  I can think about how my team works together.

222

DIGITAL

Activity 6
Investigate Like a Scientist
Hands-On Investigation:
Speed and Collisions

Quick Code:
egst4151

Concept 2.4: Energy

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2.4 Learn

Lesson 3, continued

Materials List (per group)

Activity Activator: Make a Prediction
• Modeling clay or flour mixture
In this activity, students use a piece of cardboard and a
• Piece of cardboard
ball of clay to measure the kinetic energy of faster and
• Meterstick
slower objects. Students will observe and assess the
damage made to a ball of clay when the ball of clay is
lightly dropped versus when the ball is thrown harder
and faster onto a landing platform.

To introduce the activity, remind students of the

experiments they performed in Racing Downhill that

ON
illustrated how more speed equals more force in a
moving object. Ask students what happens when a

I
IN

AT
moving car hits an unmoving object. Tell students that
they will be dropping and throwing a ball of clay onto a VEST IG
piece of cardboard that will serve as a landing platform.
They will observe the damage made to the clay and
record sketches in the table provided.
Safety
• Follow all lab safety guidelines.

• Follow proper disposal and cleaning

procedures after the lab.

• Wear proper safety attire, including closed-toe

shoes, safety goggles, lab coats or aprons, and
gloves.

• Tie back long hair.

• Do not eat or drink anything in the lab.

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Page 223 Lesson 3, continued

Activity Procedure: What Will You Do?

What materials do you need? (per group)
• Modeling clay or flour mixture Measuring Kinetic Energy in Collisions
• Piece of cardboard
• Meterstick Inform students that they will be testing how the ball of
clay’s kinetic energy changes as the speed it is falling
changes.

ON
What Will You Do?
1. Roll a ball of clay in your hands, smoothing the sides of it.
1. Have students roll a ball of clay in their hands,

I
IN

AT
Sketch the ball of clay. VEST IG
2. Use the cardboard to create a landing platform, attached smoothing the sides of it.
to a hard surface on the ground. Position the clay ball
1 meter above the platform and lightly open your fingers to drop, not
throw, the ball of clay onto the platform.
2. Direct students to choose an area on the ground
3. Sketch the dropped ball of clay in the table.
4. Smooth the clay ball over and repeat the experiment, this time putting force that is a hard surface to attach their cardboard. This
behind the clay ball and throwing it at the platform from 1 meter above.
Sketch the result. will create a landing platform for their clay. Then,
5. Repeat one more time and throw the clay ball a bit harder at the platform.
Sketch the result.
have another student position the clay ball 1 meter
above the platform and lightly open their fingers to
Amount of Force Used Sketch of Clay
drop, not throw, the ball of clay onto the platform.
Dropped
3. Ask students to carefully pick up the clay ball from
Thrown Lightly the landing surface. Instruct students to make
sketches of the ball in the data table. Their drawings
Thrown Hard should reflect any changes to the clay made by the
impact.
Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 223 4. Students will then smooth the clay ball over and
perform the experiment two more times, each time
putting a bit more force behind the clay ball and
throwing it at the platform from 1 meter above.

Concept 2.4: Energy

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Lesson 3, continued Page 224

2.4 Learn  What happens to objects when they collide with another object?
Analysis and Conclusions: Think About the Activity
Think About the Activity What can you conclude about the relationship between speed and kinetic
energy based on this experiment?
Answers may vary. The greater the speed of a
ASK • What can you conclude about the
moving object, the greater the kinetic energy in the
relationship between speed and kinetic collision.
energy based on this experiment?
Students should conclude that the greater
How do the results from this experiment compare with the results from the
the speed of a moving object, the greater tests you did in Racing Downhill? How are they different?
Answers may vary. I saw the same relationship
the kinetic energy in the collision.
between speed and kinetic energy in both tests.
• How do the results from this experiment This experiment examined how the speed (force) of
an object affects how much of a collision it has, while
compare with the results from the tests
the other experiment measured how the speed
you did in Racing Downhill? How are they changed with different inclines.
different?
What does the damage to the clay tell you about what happens to vehicles
Students may respond that when the stack in a real-world collision?
Answers may vary. The faster a car is going, the
of books was higher, the car went farther.
more damage it will do when it hits something.
When the ball of clay was dropped with
more force, the dent was deeper.

• What does the damage to the clay tell you

about what happens to vehicles in a
real-world collision?
Students should conclude that if a vehicle 224
hits with greater force, the damage will be
greater.

After students have analyzed their data and answered

the analysis and conclusion questions, remind them of
the investigative phenomenon of hitting a cricket ball.

ASK Using evidence from your investigation, what

would you expect to see if the bat is swung
faster?
The faster clay ball, the one thrown with more
force, made a larger dent. Therefore, I think a
faster swing will make the ball go farther.

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Pages 225–226 Lesson 3, continued

Activity 7 Activity 7
Analyze Like a Scientist
Analyze Like a Scientist 15 min
The Effect of Mass on Collisions Quick Code:
egs4154

The Effect of Mass on Collisions

The amount of mass in the objects involved in a collision can also
make a big difference in the outcome of the crash. Look at the image
of the trucks. Think about which vehicle would probably cause more
damage in a collision. Read the text, and then choose two conversation
starters to help you discuss your ideas with classmates.

Purpose
Students have explored the relationship between speed
The Effect of Mass on Collisions
and the kinetic energy transfer in collisions. Mass is
Why do big trucks need
bigger engines than cars? The another variable that is important to understand in
Photo Credit: Pixabay

difference has to do with the collisions. The reading passage in this activity provides
mass of each vehicle. A large
truck has a much greater mass students with background information that will prepare
than a car. As each vehicle them for the investigation Mass in Collisions.
moves faster, the energy from
the fuel its engine uses is
converted into kinetic energy. Comparing Trucks
Instructional Focus
The bigger the mass of the vehicle, the more fuel it consumes, and the more
kinetic energy it gains. A large truck traveling at the same speed as a car has
In this activity, students analyze a text to explain how
more kinetic energy. If the mass of an object doubles, its kinetic energy at a the mass of moving objects can affect the amount of
certain speed also doubles. So, a 1-ton truck has half the kinetic energy of a
2-ton truck traveling at the same speed.
kinetic energy in a collision.
Photo Credit: Pixabay

Strategy
To prepare students for the Hands-On Investigation:
Mass in Collisions, ask students to think about what
Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 225 they already know about the role that mass plays in a
collision. Pose the following scenario for students to
consider.

Imagine that you are playing football with a group of

DIGITAL family members. Throughout the course of the game,
you might run into other players. If you bumped into
your 2-year-old cousin, the impact to your body would
feel very different than if you bumped into your adult
uncle.

ASK What is the main difference in the impact of

these two collisions?
Student answers will vary but could include: The
Activity 7
Analyze Like a Scientist toddler’s body is smaller than the adult’s body.
The Effect of Mass on Collisions The impact with the toddler probably would
not knock me over. Bumping into the adult,
who is much bigger, might knock me down.
Quick Code:
egst4154 Next, have students read the text that describes how
mass affects a collision.

Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 275

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2.4 Learn

Lesson 3, continued

Use the conversation starters to have groups of three discuss what they have read about
collisions and mass. Each student should choose two starters to complete and then share
with their group.

As students are discussing, circulate around the classroom to formatively assess students’
understanding of the effect mass has on the kinetic energy of an object and the damage it
can cause in a collision. Encourage group members to reply to each other’s comments using
the starters as well.

Conversation Starters

Question Clarify Connect

I don’t get this part . . . Let me explain . . . This reminds me of . . .

What if . . . No, I think it means . . . The differences are . . .

Predict Comment Explain

I wonder if . . . This is confusing because . . . The basic idea is . . .

I think that . . . This is hard because . . . My understanding is . . .

Differentiation
ADVANCED LEARNERS
Bicyclists sometimes have collisions while riding or racing and can get concussions if they
hit their heads. Have students research helmet technologies that help reduce the impact of
collisions.

APPROACHING LEARNERS
In order to support students’ discussions around mass and collisions, consider reviewing
the glossary term mass to begin the lesson. Have students identify pairs of objects in the
classroom where one object has more or less mass than the other.

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Page 227 Lesson 4

Optional Extension Investigation

Optional Extension
Investigation
Activity 8
Investigate Like a Scientist
Hands-On Investigation: Quick Code:
egs4153
Mass in Collisions
You have learned different ways to think about and describe motion. You
have investigated speed, explored force, and measured energy. In this
investigation, you will first measure the speed of toy cars with different
Activity 8
masses moving down inclines. Then, you will measure the distance a paper
cup moves when heavy and light objects collide with it.
Investigate Like a Scientist 45 min

Make a Prediction
How are mass and speed related?
Answers may vary. The greater the mass of an
Hands-On Investigation:
object, the greater its speed. Mass in Collisions

How are mass and kinetic energy related? Purpose

Answers may vary. The greater the mass of a moving
The Unit Project asks students to assimilate knowledge
object, the greater its kinetic energy.
they have gained to design a safety feature that would
prevent injury during a collision. To prepare students for
Life Skills  I can think about how my team works together. this task, in this activity students engage in two more
Hands-On Investigations. These activities connect what
Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 227 students have learned about the concepts of force,
speed, mass, kinetic energy with the role they play in
the outcomes of a collision.

DIGITAL Instructional Focus

In this activity, students use evidence obtained to
engage in arguments about the relationship between
the mass and both the speed and kinetic energy of
objects.

Life Skills Collaboration

Activity 8
Investigate Like a Scientist
Hands-On Investigation:
Mass in Collisions

Quick Code:
egst4153

Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 277

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2.4 Learn

Lesson 4, continued

Materials List (per group)

Activity Activator: Make a Prediction
Part 1
This activity builds on student knowledge from the
• Toy car • Ramp from
Hands-On Investigatons Racing Downhill and Speed
• Scale or balance cardboard
and Collisions. In the first activity, students will
• Metal washers, • Tape
manipulate the mass of objects to measure the effect paper clips, coins, • Stopwatch
of increased mass on speed. In the second activity, paper • Meterstick
students will investigate the effect that an increase • Books, 2
in mass has on kinetic energy. To do this, students
compare the distance a paper cup moves when light Part 2
and heavy cars collide with it. • 1-meter string • Toy car or light
• Paper cup or milk and heavy objects
To introduce the activity, remind students of the carton found in the
experiments they performed in Racing Downhill and • Ruler classroom
Speed and Collisions. Tell students they will now
be investigating how mass affects kinetic energy in
collisions. Connect this idea to real life by asking
students if all vehicles they see on the road have the
same or similar mass. Note examples to compare, such
as compact cars (less mass) and trucks or buses (more

ON
mass). Ask students to plan how to test and measure

I
the speed of toy cars with different masses. If needed, IN

AT
guide students to realize that they will need to measure VEST IG
the mass of the toy cars each time rather than the angle
of incline.

Safety
• Follow all lab safety guidelines.
• Follow proper disposal and cleaning
procedures after the lab.
• Wear proper safety attire, including closed-toe
shoes.
• Tie back long hair.
• Do not eat or drink anything in the lab.

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Page 228 Lesson 4, continued

2.4 Learn  What happens to objects when they collide with another object?
Activity Procedure: What Will You Do?
What materials do you need? (per group)
Part 1 Part 2 Part 1: How Does Mass Affect Speed?
• Toy car • 1-meter string
• Scale or balance • Paper cup or milk carton During the first investigation, students will use a
• Metal washers, paper clips,
coins, paper
• Toy car or light and heavy
objects found in the classroom
procedure similar to the ones that they used in Racing
• Books, 2 • Ruler Downhill and Speed and Collisions. Inform students that
• Cardboard (for making
a ramp) they will not change the angle of the incline that the toy
• Tape
cars move down. In this experiment, students will change
• Stopwatch
• Meterstick the mass of the toy cars. Students may use whatever

ON
materials are available to change the mass of the cars.
I
IN They may tape coins, paper clips, or other objects to the
AT

VEST IG
What Will You Do? top of the car in order to change the mass. When taping,
Part 1: How Does Mass Affect Speed? help students make sure that they do not tape over the
1. Tape washers or other weights to two of the three cars, adding different
amounts of weight to each.
wheels of the toy cars so that the cars may still roll down
2. Place one end of the cardboard ramp on two stacked textbooks. the ramp. Divide the class into the same student pairs
3. Mark a finish line with a piece of tape.
used in the previous activities. Tell students that they
4. Weigh each toy car and record its mass in the table below.
5. Release the cars from the top of the ramp, one by one, and record how may choose one angle for their incline by stacking books
long it takes them to cross the finish line. Test each car three times.
and that they will keep this angle for each of their tests.
Part 2: Measuring Kinetic Energy Remind students that one student will roll the toy car
1. Tie one end of the string to a pencil. Attach the lightest toy car to the
other end. down the ramp, and the other student will measure its
2. Place a paper cup on the floor in the path the car will swing. Mark the
cup’s starting location on the floor with a piece of tape.
speed (represented by the time it takes the car to pass
the finish line). Remind students that they should simply
228
hold and release the toy car at the top of the ramp.
Students should not push the cars to make them move,
since they are measuring unaided speed.

Sample class plan:

1. Instruct students to place one end of the ramp on
top of two stacked books, with the other end resting
on the floor.

2. Allow students to choose a location for placing a

piece of tape on the floor as a finish line.

3. Demonstrate for students how to measure the mass

of the toy car and record that number.

4. Explain that one student will hold the stopwatch

while the other places the toy car at the upper edge
of the ramp.

5. The student with the toy car releases the car so that
it rolls down the ramp while the student with the
stopwatch measures the time it takes to pass the
mark on the floor.

Concept 2.4: Energy

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Lesson 4, continued Page 229

6. Remind students how to record the time to

3. Hold the car straight out so that the cup is in the swinging path when
represent the car’s speed. you let go.
4. Release the car and let it collide with the cup.

7. Demonstrate for students how to add mass to the 5. Mark where the cup moved to with a piece of tape and measure how
far this is from the starting position.

toy car by taping two coins (washers, paper clips, or 6. Repeat with heavier cars.
7. Record your results.
something similar) to the top of the car.
Data for How Mass Affects Speed

8. Students repeat the experiment and record their Car Mass Trial Speed

results. 1 1

1 2

Part 2: How Does Mass Affect Kinetic Energy? 1 3

2 1
At the beginning of the second investigation, inform 2 2
students that they will now be testing how an object’s 2 3
kinetic energy changes as its mass changes. Facilitate 3 1

a class discussion on how to design a plan that tests a 3 2

heavy and a light object swinging into (and knocking 3 3

over) a paper cup. Students may use the toy cars from
Data for Measuring Kinetic Energy
the previous investigation as well as other materials
Cars (lightest to heaviest) How many centimeters did the cup move?
found in the classroom.
1

Sample class plan: 2

3
1. Show students how to tie a 1-meter piece of string
with one end attached to a pencil and the other to
Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 229
the toy car.

2. Demonstrate how one student should stretch

and hold the string horizontally so that the string
stretches between the pencil and the toy car, 1
meter above the ground.

3. The second student places a paper cup on the floor,

within the swinging path of the toy car, and marks
the cup’s starting location on the floor with a piece
of tape.

4. Model how the first student should release the

toy car (but hold onto the pencil) so it swings and
collides into the cup. (This may take a few tries.)

5. The second student measures the distance the

paper cup moved after the swinging toy car hit it.

6. As in Part 1, students tape additional materials to

the toy car so that it is heavier and then tie the
heavier toy car to the string.

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2.4 Learn  What happens to objects when they collide with another object?
7. Students repeat the experiment with the heavier toy
Think About the Activity
What happened to the speed of the toy car when its mass increased?
car tied to the string.
The speed of the toy car increased as its mass
increased. 8. Remind students to record their results.
How did the results of the speed test compare to the results of the kinetic
energy test?
Both speed and kinetic energy increased as mass Analysis and Conclusions:
increased.
Think About the Activity
How do the results from this experiment compare to the results from
the tests you did in Racing Downhill and Speed and Collisions? How are
they different? ASK • What happened to the speed of the toy car
Answers may vary. The speed and kinetic energy when its mass increased?
both increased with increasing angle and increasing When the mass increased, the speed
mass. The objects we tested, angle of the ramp, and
increased.
mass are different, which required different data.

What do you think would happen if you used a toy car with greater mass • How did the results of the speed test
than in your previous experiments?
The toy car’s speed and kinetic energy would compare to the results of the kinetic
increase. energy test?
Both speed and kinetic energy increased as
What do your results tell you about vehicle collisions in the real world?
Answers may vary. Vehicles with more mass have mass increased.
more kinetic energy at the same speeds than
vehicles with less mass. They cause more damage • How do the results from this experiment
in collisions. compare to the results from the tests
you did in Racing Downhill and Speed
230 and Collisions? How are they different?
Answers may vary. The speed and kinetic
energy both increased with increasing
angle and increasing mass. The variables,
angle, and mass are different, which
required different data.

Teacher Reflection
• Can my students identify the strengths and
weaknesses of design ideas?

• What data did my students struggle with during

the Hands-On Investigation?

• What examples of extension activities could I

include the next time I teach this lesson?

Concept 2.4: Energy

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Lesson 5 Page 231

Does Energy Disappear in a Collision?

Does Energy Disappear in a

Collision? Activity 9

Analyze Like a Scientist

Energy Conversions during a Collision Quick Code:
egs4155
You already know that when two objects collide there is a transfer
of energy. When you play a game with marbles, kinetic energy is
transferred from your arm to the marble. Then, there is a transfer of
energy from your marble to the ones you hit to knock out of the triangle.
Click! That sound you hear when the marbles collide is energy, too.
Where did this sound energy come from? Read the text about Newton’s
Activity 9 cradle. As you read, highlight all the forms of energy to which kinetic

Analyze Like a Scientist

energy is transformed. Watch the video for a demonstration.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

20 min

Energy Conversions during Energy Conversions during a Collision

a Collision
From what you have observed, you know that
Video
when objects collide, energy changes and
transfers take place. The amount of energy
depends on the kinetic energy of the objects and

Purpose
the direction in which they are traveling. Their
kinetic energy is determined by both their speed
and their mass. What happens to all this kinetic
Students have built conceptual and experiential energy when objects collide?
understanding of how mass and speed affect a collision.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

This activity deepens student understanding of energy
in a collision by exploring a concrete demonstration of
energy conversion.
Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 231

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students identify the transfer of energy in
a Newton’s cradle by reading a scientific text, watching
a video, and discussing with peers. DIGITAL

Strategy
Video resources are designed to help students meet
instructional goals. If your students cannot access the
videos, text has been provided to support learning.

Show students the video of Newton’s cradle. If you have

a Newton’s cradle, display how it works. Activity 9
Analyze Like a Scientist
ASK Does the cradle keep working forever? If Energy Conversions during
not, why? a Collision
Student answers will vary. Students may
reference friction as one of the reasons the Quick Code:
cradle will eventually stop. egst4155

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Page 232 Lesson 5, continued

Provide students with time to read the text that

describes the conversion of energy during a collision.
Energy Conversions during a Collision, continued Ask students to highlight all the types of energy to
None of the energy disappears. In a collision, energy in equals energy out.
which kinetic energy is transferred when the balls strike
Energy is conserved in a collision. We can model collisions using a simple one another. Once students have finished reading,
device called a Newton’s cradle. In a Newton’s cradle, most of the energy is
transferred to other balls, which is why the same number of balls move on one facilitate a discussion about the prompt in the Talk
side of the cradle as on the other. Together box.
You can hear that some energy is lost as sound. Some is lost as friction between

Photo Credit: (a) Pixabay, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
the string and other parts, as the balls move. The balls lose a little energy as Revisit students’ answer to the question, Does the
they pass through the air. If you leave the cradle long enough, after lots of
collisions, the moving balls lose their kinetic energy and stop.
cradle keep working forever?

ASK Now that you have learned more, would you

change your answer? How so?

Talk Together If a moving car hits a stop sign, not all

the energy transfers to the stop sign. Where else does
the energy go? MISCONCEPTION
Energy transfer is a messy process. If a car collides
with a stop sign, the kinetic energy is transferred from
the car to the stop sign. What happens to the sign
does not account for all of the car’s energy though.
Some of the kinetic energy becomes sound energy
or heat energy. Students at this level do not need
to understand how to make calculations associated
with how much energy converts to which other
232
types of energy. They should, however, understand
that multiple energy conversions can result from a
collision.

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Lesson 5, continued Page 233

2.4 Share  What happens to objects when they collide with another object?

Scientific Explanation Activity 10

Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Collision Quick Code:
egs4158
Now that you have learned

Activity 10 about energy and collisions,

look again at the image of a bat

Record Evidence Like a Scientist 25 min

hitting a ball. You first saw this
in Wonder.

Collision
How can you describe what

Photo Credit: (a) Pixabay, (b) Rosli Othman / Shutterstock.com

happens when a bat hits a ball?

Purpose
Students return to the questions posed at the beginning How is your explanation different from before?

of the concept and reconsider what they know now.

The process of writing a scientific explanation using
evidence to support a claim is a key step in students
constructing scientific knowledge that they can then use Look at the Can You Explain? question. You first read this question at the

Photo Credit: Rosli Othman / Shutterstock.com

beginning of the lesson.
and apply.
Can You Explain?
Instructional Focus What happens to objects when they collide with another object?

In this activity, students construct a scientific explanation

about the Investigative Phenomenon Collision and the Life Skills  I can apply an idea in a new way.

Can You Explain? question.

Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 233
Life Skills Creativity

Strategy
Display the Investigative Phenomenon of Collision and DIGITAL
the Can You Explain? question. Ask students to discuss
and share with the class or a partner their explanation
for the Investigative Phenomenon Collision.

After allowing students to discuss,

ASK How can this explanation help you answer the

Can You Explain? question?
Activity 10
Record Evidence Like a Scientist
Collision

Quick Code:
egst4158

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2.4 Share  What happens to objects when they collide with another object?
As students would have already reviewed sample
Now, use your new ideas to answer the question. To plan your scientific
explanation, first write your claim. Your claim is a one-sentence answer that scientific explanations in earlier units, they should
explains what you can conclude. It should not start with a yes or no.
be familiar with the claim, reasoning, and evidence
My claim:
Student answers will vary. framework. You may want to review the following:

A claim is a one-sentence answer to the question you

Next, record the evidence that supports your claim. Then, explain your
reasoning. Reasoning ties together the claim and the evidence. Reasoning
investigated. It answers, what can you conclude? It
shows how or why the data count as evidence to support the claim. should not start with yes or no.
Evidence Reasoning That Supports Claim

We observed that the When one object hits

Evidence must be:

Photo Credit: KarepaStock / Shutterstock.com

harder we threw a ball another object, energy
of clay at a platform, is transferred. A faster- • Sufficient—Use enough evidence to support the
the more damage moving object has claim.
there was to the more energy than a
clay. This shows that slower moving object.
more speed means An object with more • Appropriate—Use data that support your claim.
more kinetic energy energy will cause more Leave out information that doesn’t support the
in collisions. We read damage than an object
that larger vehicles with less energy. A claim.
with more mass have larger object will also
more kinetic energy cause more damage Reasoning ties together the claim and the evidence,
than smaller vehicles than a smaller object. and:
with less mass. So in The greater the mass of
a collision, more mass an object, the greater
means more force. the kinetic energy. • Shows how or why the data count as evidence to
support the claim.

• Provides the justification for why this evidence is

234
important to this claim.

• Includes one or more scientific principles that are

important to the claim and evidence.

Can You Explain?

What happens to objects when they
collide with another object?

After providing scaffolding to the students, for those

students able to do so, allow them to construct a full
scientific explanation. They can write, draw, or orally
describe their claim, evidence, and reasoning.

Concept 2.4: Energy

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Lesson 5, continued Page 235
xx

Sample student response:

Now, write your scientific explanation.
The amount of energy a moving object has depends on The amount of energy a moving object has depends
its mass and its speed. A heavy moving object possesses on its mass and its speed. A heavy moving object
more energy than a lighter moving object traveling at possesses more energy than a lighter moving
the same speed. An object that moves fast has more object traveling at the same speed. An object that
energy than an object of the same mass that is moving moves fast has more energy than an object of the
slowly. Therefore, a car of the same mass will do more same mass that is moving slowly. Therefore, a car
damage to a wall if it is moving faster. When objects of the same mass will do more damage to a wall if
collide, energy is transferred. Sometimes that energy is it is moving faster. When objects collide, energy is
transferred. Sometimes that energy is transferred
transferred into kinetic energy, heat, and sound. In the

Photo Credit: KarepaStock / Shutterstock.com

into kinetic energy, heat, and sound. In the reading
reading and video, we learned that energy in a Newton’s
and video, we learned that energy in a Newton’s
cradle is transferred into sound and friction as the balls cradle is transferred into sound and friction as the
move. The moving balls eventually lose all their kinetic balls move. The moving balls eventually lose all their
energy and stop. kinetic energy and stop.

Differentiation
APPROACHING LEARNERS
For glossary terms such as speed and mass, have
students draw representations or write a description to
help them visualize the concepts.

Have students demonstrate concepts by acting them

out. For example, students could act out pushing a
Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 235
chair as an example of force.

Teacher Reflection DIGITAL

• How have my students’ construction of
scientific explanations improved from earlier in
the course?

• How did I provide scaffolding for students

to construct their scientific explanations? Do
I need to scaffold more or less for their next
scientific explanation?

• How do I know my students are ready to

apply the core content knowledge to another
context?
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Page 236 Lesson 6

in Action
in Action
Activity 11 Quick Code:
egs4159
Analyze Like a Scientist
Activity 11
Crash Investigator
Do you like to solve puzzles? Are you good at looking for important Analyze Like a Scientist 20 min
details? If so, then you may be interested in a career as a crash
investigator. Read the text. As you read, highlight the different

Crash Investigator
measurements that a crash investigator needs to take.

Crash Investigator Purpose

Photo Credit: Pixabay
Crash investigators see a car
crash as a puzzle. To solve
Students explore the real-world career of a crash
the puzzle, they use scientific investigator who analyzes the relationship between
laws of motion. Scientists use
evidence to explain that an
speed and protecting passengers in a vehicle in order
object in motion continues in to develop their own ideas for the Unit Project.
motion until something stops it.

Car Crash Instructional Focus

In this activity, students simulate crash investigators’
work by analyzing images of different car crash
Photo Credit: Pixabay

scenarios.

Strategy
236 Instruct students to read the text on crash
investigations. Instruct students to highlight in the text
the different measurements that a crash investigator
needs to take to solve the case.
DIGITAL Take a look at the photo Car Crash. What can
ASK
you assume about the object that hit the car?
Why do you think that?

Activity 11
Analyze Like a Scientist
Crash Investigator

Quick Code:
egst4159

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Lesson 6, continued Page 237

ENTREPRENEURSHIP Although the investigator may ask the drivers of the two cars who caused the
Entrepreneurs often look for opportunities in accident, he gets a lot of information as a result of examining the two cars. He

new situations. Car crash investigators use this also finds out more using what he knows about force, energy and motion.

skill when trying to determine the cause of a The investigator’s first task is to measure things at the scene of the accident.
He or she measures damage to the cars and where the cars ended up after the
crash. Entrepreneurs look for ways to be creative crash. Sometimes, he or she may not take measurements at the scene directly.
when solving problems. As students read the Instead, photos and videos provide needed information of the crash scene.
By looking at photos in detail, the investigator can learn about the crash
passage, prompt them to consider ways that a car without blocking the road. The cars are stored to allow the damage to be
crash investigator has to use creativity and other closely inspected.

entrepreneurship skills. Crash investigators need to know the force that acted on a vehicle and the
mass of the vehicle. They measure the mass directly using a scale. To figure

Photo Credit: Pixabay

out the force, they use reference materials. These reference materials are
measurements that the car manufacturers supply. Manufacturers crash cars
under controlled conditions. They install devices that measure the forces
directly. The damage to the vehicle changes with changing force. Crash
investigators compare the cars from the crash to the data the manufacturers
supply. This comparison helps them know how much force was involved in
the crash.

Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 237

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Crash Site Scenarios: Front to Side Impact and Head-On

Crash Site Scenarios: Front to Side
Read the scenarios and complete the activities.
Impact and Head-On
A crash investigator is investigating a crash site. She has drawn this diagram of
the cars just before the collision. The red car drove through the intersection from
a stop, while the blue car continued in a straight line. The blue car hit the red car.
This portion of the activity shows two different crash
Draw an arrow to show the direction the red car traveled after the collision.
Assume the cars have about equal mass.
site scenarios. Students should use their knowledge of
energy and collisions to complete the activities. The
work can be completed in small groups.

A crash investigator is investigating another crash site. She has drawn this Photo Credit: Pixabay

diagram of the cars just before the collision. The red car is driving toward the
intersection legally. The blue car is driving in the wrong lane. The cars are
heading toward each other. The investigator’s data show that the cars hit head-on.
Draw an arrow to show the direction the red car traveled after the collision. The
blue car was speeding, while the red car was below the speed limit.
Assume the cars have about equal mass.

238

Concept 2.4: Energy

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Lesson 6, continued Page 239

Review and Assess Activity 12

Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Quick Code:
egs4160
Energy and Collisions
Think about what you have learned so far about collisions. What is the

Activity 12 relationship between energy, motion, speed, and collisions? As you review
this concept, use the space below to summarize your learning. Explain what

Evaluate Like a Scientist happens when objects collide and how energy is transferred. If you have
additional questions about speed, write them below and share these with

Photo Credit: (a) Pixabay, (b) Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com
25 min your teacher and classmates.
Student answers will vary.
Review: Energy and Collisions

Purpose
The final activity of the concept asks students to review
and explain the main ideas of energy and collisions.
This activity allows students to reflect on what they Talk Together You should now be able to apply your
understand about collisions and how to relate to the knowledge about energy, motion, speed, and collisions
to the Unit Project. Think about how you can use your
overall Unit Project, focusing on vehicle safety. understanding of car crashes to improve the safety features
inside a passenger vehicle.

Instructional Focus
In this activity, students will summarize their learning and
apply it to the big ideas of the unit.

Strategy 239
Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions

Now that students have achieved this concept’s

objectives, direct them to review the key ideas. Then
ask students to discuss the topic in the Talk Together
box to help them prepare for the Unit Project. DIGITAL

Teacher Reflection
• How many of my students met the objectives
for this concept?

• For students who did not meet the objectives, Activity 12

what are my next steps? Evaluate Like a Scientist
Review: Energy and Collisions

Quick Code:
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290
Concept 2.4: Energy and Collisions 291
UNIT

2 Motion

PRINT
Unit Project Pages 240–241

Unit Project
Solve Problems Like a Scientist Solve Problems
80 min
Like a Scientist

Vehicle Safety Unit Project: Vehicle Safety

Car makers design vehicles for safety. But how do they know what
Quick Code:
egs4162

happens to cars during different types of crashes? Is it possible to design

cars that are safe in all types of crashes?

Instructional Focus

Photo Credit: (a) Volodymyr Baleha / Shutterstock.com, (b) Tharin Sinlapachai / Shutterstock.com
The Unit Project allows students to return to the anchor
phenomenon for the unit, the Science of Car Crashes,
and apply the unit learning standards to solve or
research a problem.

Students research safety features of vehicles and use

their research to design, test, and refine a device that
transfers the energy of impact into a mechanism that
will protect passengers from injury during a collision.
Students must identify the types of crashes the new
safety features protect against, the forces involved in
these crashes, and the specific ways in which the safety
Car Crash
features counteract these forces.

Life Skills Problem-Solving

Life Skills  I can use information to solve a problem.

Strategy
240
Use the video What Is an Airbag? if available, and the
provided text from the Unit Project Preview, along with
ideas from the final concept that outlined how train
airbags are used as protective devices. Encourage
DIGITAL
students to discuss, brainstorm, and list a wide variety
of devices and technologies in vehicles that provide
protection. You may want students to complete the
project individually or in pairs. Remind students to cite
their research sources in their presentations or reports.

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Unit Project
ASK • What types of crashes will your device
Car Crash Safety
You have learned about airbags and how they keep people safe. Now,
protect against?
conduct research online about the latest safety features carmakers are
using to protect drivers and passengers. Choose one new safety feature
Answers will vary. Students should identify
other than airbags introduced in the last 10 years and create a plan to
improve this device.
a general range of speed that the vehicles
You will be creating a report or presentation to share with your teacher and can be travelling for the device to remain
your class. Your report should describe how the impact of a collision will
trigger the device to activate and which riders in the car would benefit from effective (neighborhood speed, highway
its protection. You should include your design, the methods you plan to use
to test your device, and any modifications you would make to improve your speed, etc.), the direction of travel that
device using technology or other innovations.
the two cars could be moving in when the
Include in your report the types of crashes the device best protects against,
impact occurs, as well as which travelers

Photo Credit: Volodymyr Baleha / Shutterstock.com

the direction of the forces involved in these crashes, and the ways the
feature counteracts them. Also, discuss at least one way this safety feature
could be improved. (driver, front-seat passenger, back-seat
Notes passengers, etc.) would benefit from
protection.

• What forces are involved in these types of

crashes?
Answers will vary. Students should connect
crashes to kinetic and potential energy.

• What ways will your new safety feature

counteract these forces?
Answers will vary. Students should be able
to describe how the device that they have
242 chosen will absorb the transfer of energy
that occurs during a collision, sparing the
passengers in the car from the injury that
occurs when energy is transferred to the
human body during an impact.

Unit 2: Motion 293

 Primary 4
Resources

• Concept Assessments
• Graphic Organizers
• Safety in the Science Classroom
• Glossary
• Index
 Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 1: Adaptation and Survival

Name Date

Instructions
Please answer each question carefully.

1. What is adaptation?
A. It is a process by which organisms create offspring.
B. It is a characteristic that has changed over time to help
living things survive and reproduce.
C. It is a form of pollination used by conifers.
D. It is a form of excretion that organisms with a digestive
system use to get rid of waste.

2. Imagine taking some fish from coastal waters and transferring them into a
deep, dark, sea cave. Which characteristics would the new fish be missing
that other animals, already living in the deep sea environment, might
exhibit as adaptations?
Circle all the characteristics that apply.

Brilliant colors Big fins Colorless skin More efficient gills

Great hunting
Good eyesight Poor eyesight Thick scales
abilities

3. Which would die if it did not have the right adaptations for survival in its
environment?
A. a rock
B. a car
C. an apple tree
D. a glass

Unit 1 Concept Assessment A1

 Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 1: Adaptation and Survival

Name Date

4. What happens to organisms that do not have the right adaptations for the
conditions of their environment?
A. The population increases.
B. The organisms die off.
C. The population stays the same.
D. The biodiversity of the ecosystem increases.

5. How do adaptations affect the survival rate of a species?

A. Adaptations decrease the survival rate of a species.
B. Adaptations increase the survival rate of a species.
C. Adaptations change all of the organism’s structures.
D. Adaptations change all of the organism’s learned
behaviors.

6. The growth of a plant is influenced by its adaptations to the weather

conditions. A student observes that a desert plant fails to grow in
humus-rich well-watered soil. The most likely reason for this is that .
A. humus prevents plant growth
B. a desert plant survives in less water
C. water easily drains out in a humus soil
D. a desert plant needs more nutrients in the soil for growth

7. Antelope that live in wide, open plains must adapt by using

A. thick fur which helps to keep them warm in winter.
B. long legs which help them run fast.
C. bright colors to help them attract a mate.
D. their hard outer shell to protect them.

A2
 Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 2: Senses at Work

Name Date

Instructions
Please answer each question carefully.

1. Read the following scenario. In which part of the event is your nervous
system receiving a message?
A. You touch your finger to a cactus thorn.
B. You pull your hand away.
C. You yell “Ouch!”
D. Your finger begins to bleed.

2. What are the two organs that make up the central nervous system?
A. the brain's cerebellum and the spine
B. the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
C. the sensory and motor system
D. the spinal cord and the brain

3. Azza suddenly woke up and smelled something burning. She crept down
the stairs to see what was happening. She found her parents reading
and sitting by the fire place, which was burning wood. Why did Azza
wake up?
A. The smell of the fire sent a signal through her blood cells to
her brain and she woke up.
B. The smell of the fire sent a signal through her nerves to her
brain and she woke up.
C. Azza's nose was stuffy from a cold and she could not sleep.
D. Azza was too cold upstairs to sleep.

Unit 1 Concept Assessment A3

 Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 2: Senses at Work

Name Date

4. Eyes squint instinctively to avoid light when bright light falls on them
suddenly. Which two systems are involved in this process?
A. nervous and muscular
B. nervous and respiratory
C. circulatory and muscular
D. circulatory and respiratory

5. On a hot summer day, Malek left the pool and began to climb a ladder to
his tree house. He hurt his toe by bumping it on the ladder as he climbed
into the tree house. How did Malek know that he had hurt his toe?
A. The nerves in his hurt toe sent a signal through his body to
his brain.
B. The blood cells in his toe sent a signal through his body to
his brain.
C. Malek's toes became very cold and numb.
D. Malek's toe became smaller than before he had bumped it
on the ladder.

6. Rami stopped suddenly on his bike because he heard a car speed by him.
Which system received the external signal of hearing that enabled Rami to
respond by stopping his bike?
A. circulatory system
B. excretory system
C. muscular system
D. nervous system

A4
 Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 2: Senses at Work

Name Date

7. How is your nervous system like a pizza delivery restaurant?

A. It needs fuel to run efficiently.
B. Orders are sent out based upon the different messages
that come in.
C. It can take a long time for messages to be delivered and
sent out.
D. Not everyone sends his or her orders to the same location.

8. Match each sensory organ by drawing a line to the type of information that
the organ’s receptors collect.

Sensory Organ Sensory Information

A. Hand 1. light coming through an open window

B. Eyes 2. a skunk's foul scent

C. Tongue 3. heat from a hot stove

D. Ears 4. the bitter taste of a lemon

E. Nose 5. a loud noise blasting from car speakers

Unit 1 Concept Assessment A5

 Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 2: Senses at Work

Name Date

9. Indicate if the following statements about the nervous system are true or
false by placing a T (true) or F (false) in the column to the left.

Nerves are constantly receiving information from the senses and

sending them to the brain, even while a person is sleeping.

When a person steps on a sharp rock with their bare foot, their
brain is the last organ to react to the information.

Each sense organ in the nervous system works on its own,

independently from the brain, when the brain is busy doing
other jobs for the body.

If someone were to burn their hand, the brain can store that
memory so that it can tell them to move his or her hand the next
time a hot surface is nearby.

10. Students in a classroom hear a tornado siren go off. Which of the following
could be ways in which they respond? Read the selections and place a
check (✓) next to the correct responses.

The ears sense a loud sound causing the brain to send a

message for their hands to cover the ears.

Their noses sense something that smells bad causing the brain
to send a message to students’ hands to pinch their noses shut.

The siren sends a message to the students’ brains that causes

them to remember a scary tornado event last year. It also signals
their brain to send a message for the students to yell in alarm.

The ears pick up noise and the brain tells the legs to jump out of
the seat.

Students sense sound with their ears and the brain sends a
message to the hands to rub their elbows in pain.

A6
 Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 2: Senses at Work

Name Date

11. Place the sentences in order of how the information is processed by the
brain. Use 1 for the statement that happens first and 4 for the statement
which happens last.

Nerves in the body connect the sense organs to the brain.

Information from the environment is received by a sense organ.

The brain determines what to do with the information.

The signals travel as electrical pulses from the organ to the

nerves in the brain.

Unit 1 Concept Assessment A7

 Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 3: Light and Sight

Name Date

Instructions
Please answer each question carefully.

1. Which of the following is a source of light?

A. the moon
B. our eyes
C. fire
D. a mirror

2. What property of light helps you see yourself in a mirror?

A. refraction
B. reflection
C. absorption
D. relativity

3. Which statement best explains why you can see yourself when you look at
a mirror?
A. Light is refracted as it passes through the mirror.
B. Light is reflected, bouncing off the mirror.
C. Light is refracted, bouncing off the mirror.
D. Light is reflected as it passes through the mirror.

A8
 Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 3: Light and Sight

Name Date

4. The arrows in each answer choice represent light rays. Which drawing
shows how light is reflected by a mirror?
A. B.

C. D.

5. What type of surface scatters light unevenly?

A. shiny
B. rough
C. smooth
D. transparent

6. What word is used to describe light as it strikes a smooth, shiny surface

and bounces off ?
A. shadow
B. energy
C. reflection
D. wave length

7. What happens to light when it hits a rough surface?

A. scattering
B. reflection
C. absorption
D. refraction

Unit 1 Concept Assessment A9

 Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 3: Light and Sight

Name Date

8. Salma visited a lake surrounded by mountains. She observed the image of

the mountains on the surface of the lake’s water.

Photo Credit: Js.One / Shutterstock.com

Salma built a diorama to model what she saw. She used a postcard of a
mountain scene to represent the mountains and a small mirror to
represent the lake. Which is the best explanation of why her model
represents what she saw?
A. The mirror refracts light onto the image of the mountain on
the postcard
B. The mirror reflects light onto the image of the mountain on
the postcard.
C. The image of the mountain on the postcard is refracted by
the mirror.
D. The image of the mountain on the postcard is reflected by
the mirror.

9. Which set of objects below would all reflect light well?

A. aluminum foil, brick wall, mirror
B. metal spoon, tree trunk, aluminum foil
C. mirror, metal spoon, brick wall
D. metal spoon, mirror, aluminum foil

A10
 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 1: Starting and Stopping

Name Date

Instructions
Please answer each question carefully.

1. Imagine you are riding in a car down the highway. Read the selections and
place a check (✓) next to the objects that you can look at to let you know
the car is in motion.

The soccer ball sitting in the seat next to you.

The sign of the highway telling you the speed limit.

The can of soda in the cup holder.

The light pole you see out the window.

The parked car that you pass on the road.

2. Read the selections and place a check (✓) next to the two sentences that
describe the exertion of force on a wheelbarrow.

Ziad is going to use a wheelbarrow to haul rocks from one area

to another.

The wheelbarrow is sitting at one end of the path.

Ziad loads rocks from a pile nearby into the wheelbarrow.

Once the wheelbarrow is full of rocks, they are ready to be

moved to the opposite end of the path.

Ziad lifts the wheelbarrow’s handles and pushes it along the path.

After arriving at the destination, he prepares to dump the rocks.

He pushes the handles of the wheelbarrow upward so that the

rocks fall out of the front.

Unit 2 Concept Assessment A11

 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 1: Starting and Stopping

Name Date

3. The class is playing tug of war in the courtyard. There are 10 students on
either side of the rope. What would explain that no one has moved?
A. One team has more force than the other.
B. One team has half the force of the other.
C. The teams have equal and opposite forces.
D. The teams have unequal and opposite forces.

4. Review each statement below and decide if it describes a change in

position, a change in both position and direction, or neither. Write the
appropriate abbreviation in the column to the left of each statement.
P = change in position
PD = change in position and direction
N = neither

A soccer ball is kicked.

A glass sits on a table.

A rocket is shot up into the air then falls to the ground.

A moving train turns north.

A bus travels 50 kilometers in a straight line.

A sailboat moving forward is pushed left by a gust of wind.

A12
 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 1: Starting and Stopping

Name Date

5. Review each statement below and decide if the motion of the objects
below will be stopped by either the force of friction or by a collision with
another object. Write the appropriate abbreviation in the column to the
left of each statement.
F = Force of Friction
C = Collision

A soccer ball rolls across a field.

A car rolls into a wall.

A pitcher throws a baseball to the catcher.

A rugby player is tackled during a game.

A girl on a swing eventually stops swinging.

6. Which of the following indicates motion?

A. bicycle
B. sunlight
C. running water
D. guitar string

7. Circle the two sentences about force that are true.

A force always causes movement. Two forces can be unbalanced.

A force is a push or a pull. Forces are only created by people.

Two forces must be equal. A force always leads to work.

Unit 2 Concept Assessment A13

 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 1: Starting and Stopping

Name Date

8. A toy car is sitting still in the driveway. Nawal kicks the car and it spins
moving sideways. The car is considered in motion because .
A. the car was kicked
B. the car did a wheelie
C. the car has four wheels
D. the position of the car changed

9. Fatma is pushing a big box. Ezz comes to help her.

How does this change the force and motion of the box?
A. It does not change the force or the motion.
B. It increases the force and decreases the motion.
C. It increases the force and increases the motion.
D. It decreases the force and increases the motion.

10. Heba notices that the position of her golf ball on the green has changed
in comparison to the flagpole in the hole. This change is a result of .
A. motion of the flagpole
B. motion of the ball
C. speed of the ball
D. speed of the flagpole

A14
 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 2: Energy and Motion

Name Date

Instructions
Please answer each question carefully.

1. When gasoline is burned, stored chemical energy is released in the form

of and light.
A. fumes
B. carbon dioxide
C. sparks
D. heat

2. You toss a ball into the air. The ball falls and then bounces back into the
air. What happens to its energy?
A. All of the energy remains unchanged.
B. More energy is created as the ball bounces.
C. Some energy is destroyed as the ball bounces.
D. Some energy changes to other forms of energy.

Unit 2 Concept Assessment A15

 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 2: Energy and Motion

Name Date

3. There are lots of ways one form of energy can be transformed into
another form.
Draw a line to match the action with the correct energy transformation.
Each action will match an energy transformation. Not all of the energy
transformations will have a match to an action.

Action Energy Transformation

A. Dalia lifts a bowling ball to the 1. motion → sound

top of a slide.
2. chemical → electrical
B. The ball begins to roll down
the slide.
3. gravitational potential → motion
C. The rolling ball makes a lot of
noise on the metal slide. 4. motion → gravitational potential
D. The ball strikes the head of a
nail which gets pounded into a 5. motion → thermal
piece of wood, heating the nail
and wood a little. 6. motion → light

4. When you clap your hands, what happens to the energy of motion in your
hands?
A. It becomes sound energy and heat energy.
B. It becomes potential energy and solar energy.
C. Some is lost, and some becomes sound energy.
D. Some is lost, and some becomes chemical energy.

A16
 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 2: Energy and Motion

Name Date

5. Which ball has kinetic energy but not potential energy?

A. a ball rolling down a ramp
B. a ball sitting on a high shelf
C. a ball bouncing up and down
D. a ball rolling on a flat sidewalk

6. Which type of energy change occurs when a person rides a bike?

A. heat energy changes to potential energy
B. chemical energy changes to kinetic energy
C. solar energy changes to chemical energy
D. kinetic energy changes to nuclear energy

7. Which of the following can store energy?

A. battery
B. wire
C. plastic
D. rubber

Unit 2 Concept Assessment A17

 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 2: Energy and Motion

Name Date

8. Examples of how we use energy are listed below. Write the form of energy
used in the column on the left.

Chemical Motion Light

Sound Electricity

You hear a dog barking at a cat.

Your cell phone uses a battery.

A girl roller skates on the sidewalk.

Your body uses glucose for energy.

You see lights coming towards you.

Gasoline explodes inside a bus engine.

You use a flashlight on a camping trip.

A18
 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 3: Speed

Name Date

Instructions
Please answer each question carefully.

1. Read each situation below and decide if the speed of the object will
increase or decrease, based on the force that is applied to it. Write
INCREASE or DECREASE in the column on the left.

A sailboat gets pushed from behind by a gust of wind.

A ball rolls into a wall.

A soccer ball is kicked.

A man pulls on the leash of a dog, as the dog tries to

run away.

A pitcher throws a baseball.

2. Read the statements below to determine the ones that give enough
information to calculate the speed of the object. Place a check (✓) next to
the statements apply.

A boy ran 4 kilometers on a cold and windy morning.

A car was able to travel 200 kilometers in 4 hours.

A plane was in the air for 6 hours and went higher than
8,000 meters.

A horse ran around the 2-kilometer racetrack in 2 minutes.

A boat traveled 4 kilometers across the lake when the

temperature was 13°C.

Unit 2 Concept Assessment A19

 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 3: Speed

Name Date

3. How is speed measured?

A. distance traveled per unit of time
B. time per unit of distance traveled
C. mass per unit of distance traveled
D. volume per unit of mass

4. Which formula can be used to calculate speed?

A. distance/time
B. time/distance
C. mass/time
D. time/mass

5. Aya is going down the slide. Her mother gives her a push. How does the
push affect her motion down the slide?
A. The push decreases her speed.
B. The push increases her speed.
C. The push does not affect her speed.
D. The push stops her downward motion.

6. What is calculated as the distance traveled per unit of time?

A. work
B. speed
C. density
D. acceleration

A20
 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 3: Speed

Name Date

7. Circle the sentence that correctly describes the relationship between

speed and time.

The faster the speed of an object, the shorter distance it can

travel in a set time.

The faster the speed of an object, the less amount of time it

takes to travel a set distance.

The speed of an object is equal to the amount of time it takes

to travel a set distance.

The speed of an object increases as the amount of time

traveled increases.

The speed of an object decreases as the time it takes to travel

increases.

8. Nabila was paddling a rubber raft in the pool. Laila swam in back of the
raft and began pushing it. What was the effect on the raft's motion?
A. It stopped.
B. It increased in speed.
C. It decreased in speed.
D. It moved at the same speed.

Unit 2 Concept Assessment A21

 Concept Assessment
Unit 2, Concept 3: Speed

Name Date

9. A snail and a cat are in a race. The cat always travels faster than the snail.
If both animals leave the starting line at the same time, which races will
the cat always win?
A. only races across long distances, not short distances
B. only races across short distances, not long distances
C. races of any length
D. no races

10. Moustafa is sliding down the hill on a piece of cardboard. His sister
pushes him from behind. What effect does this have on his motion?
A. He stops.
B. He speeds up.
C. He slows down.
D. His motion remains the same.

A22
Unit 1 Concept 1

Concept Assessment Concept Assessment

Unit 1, Concept 1: Adaptation and Survival Unit 1, Concept 1: Adaptation and Survival

Name Date Name Date

Instructions 4. What happens to organisms that do not have the right adaptations for the
Please answer each question carefully. conditions of their environment?

1. What is adaptation? A. The population increases.

A. It is a process by which organisms create offspring. B. The organisms die off.

B. It is a characteristic that has changed over time to help C. The population stays the same.
living things survive and reproduce. D. The biodiversity of the ecosystem increases.
C. It is a form of pollination used by conifers.
5. How do adaptations affect the survival rate of a species?
D. It is a form of excretion that organisms with a digestive
system use to get rid of waste. A. Adaptations decrease the survival rate of a species.
B. Adaptations increase the survival rate of a species.
2. Imagine taking some fish from coastal waters and transferring them into a
C. Adaptations change all of the organism’s structures.
deep, dark, sea cave. Which characteristics would the new fish be missing
that other animals, already living in the deep sea environment, might D. Adaptations change all of the organism’s learned
exhibit as adaptations? behaviors.
Circle all the characteristics that apply.
6. The growth of a plant is influenced by its adaptations to the weather
Brilliant colors Big fins Colorless skin More efficient gills conditions. A student observes that a desert plant fails to grow in
humus-rich well-watered soil. The most likely reason for this is that .
Great hunting A. humus prevents plant growth
Good eyesight Poor eyesight Thick scales
abilities
B. a desert plant survives in less water
3. Which would die if it did not have the right adaptations for survival in its C. water easily drains out in a humus soil
environment? D. a desert plant needs more nutrients in the soil for growth
A. a rock
B. a car 7. Antelope that live in wide, open plains must adapt by using

C. an apple tree A. thick fur which helps to keep them warm in winter.

D. a glass B. long legs which help them run fast.

C. bright colors to help them attract a mate.
D. their hard outer shell to protect them.

Unit 1 Concept 2

Concept Assessment Concept Assessment

Unit 1, Concept 2: Senses at Work Unit 1, Concept 2: Senses at Work

Name Date Name Date

Instructions 4. Eyes squint instinctively to avoid light when bright light falls on them
Please answer each question carefully. suddenly. Which two systems are involved in this process?

1. Read the following scenario. In which part of the event is your nervous A. nervous and muscular
system receiving a message? B. nervous and respiratory
A. You touch your finger to a cactus thorn. C. circulatory and muscular
B. You pull your hand away. D. circulatory and respiratory
C. You yell “Ouch!”
5. On a hot summer day, Malek left the pool and began to climb a ladder to
D. Your finger begins to bleed.
his tree house. He hurt his toe by bumping it on the ladder as he climbed
into the tree house. How did Malek know that he had hurt his toe?
2. What are the two organs that make up the central nervous system?
A. The nerves in his hurt toe sent a signal through his body to
A. the brain's cerebellum and the spine
his brain.
B. the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
B. The blood cells in his toe sent a signal through his body to
C. the sensory and motor system his brain.
D. the spinal cord and the brain C. Malek's toes became very cold and numb.
D. Malek's toe became smaller than before he had bumped it
3. Azza suddenly woke up and smelled something burning. She crept down on the ladder.
the stairs to see what was happening. She found her parents reading
and sitting by the fire place, which was burning wood. Why did Azza
6. Rami stopped suddenly on his bike because he heard a car speed by him.
wake up?
Which system received the external signal of hearing that enabled Rami to
A. The smell of the fire sent a signal through her blood cells to respond by stopping his bike?
her brain and she woke up.
A. circulatory system
B. The smell of the fire sent a signal through her nerves to her
B. excretory system
brain and she woke up.
C. muscular system
C. Azza's nose was stuffy from a cold and she could not sleep.
D. nervous system
D. Azza was too cold upstairs to sleep.

Unit 1 Concept Assessment Answer Key A23

Unit 1 Concept 2, continued

Concept Assessment Concept Assessment

Unit 1, Concept 2: Senses at Work Unit 1, Concept 2: Senses at Work

Name Date Name Date

7. How is your nervous system like a pizza delivery restaurant? 9. Indicate if the following statements about the nervous system are true or
false by placing a T (true) or F (false) in the column to the left.
A. It needs fuel to run efficiently.
B. Orders are sent out based upon the different messages Nerves are constantly receiving information from the senses and
that come in. T sending them to the brain, even while a person is sleeping.
C. It can take a long time for messages to be delivered and
When a person steps on a sharp rock with their bare foot, their
sent out. F brain is the last organ to react to the information.
D. Not everyone sends his or her orders to the same location.
Each sense organ in the nervous system works on its own,
independently from the brain, when the brain is busy doing
8. Match each sensory organ by drawing a line to the type of information that
the organ’s receptors collect.
F other jobs for the body.

If someone were to burn their hand, the brain can store that
Sensory Organ Sensory Information memory so that it can tell them to move his or her hand the next
T time a hot surface is nearby.
A. Hand 1. light coming through an open window
10. Students in a classroom hear a tornado siren go off. Which of the following
B. Eyes 2. a skunk's foul scent could be ways in which they respond? Read the selections and place a
check (✓) next to the correct responses.
C. Tongue 3. heat from a hot stove
The ears sense a loud sound causing the brain to send a
D. Ears 4. the bitter taste of a lemon
✓ message for their hands to cover the ears.

Their noses sense something that smells bad causing the brain
E. Nose 5. a loud noise blasting from car speakers to send a message to students’ hands to pinch their noses shut.

The siren sends a message to the students’ brains that causes

them to remember a scary tornado event last year. It also signals
✓ their brain to send a message for the students to yell in alarm.

The ears pick up noise and the brain tells the legs to jump out of
✓ the seat.

Students sense sound with their ears and the brain sends a
message to the hands to rub their elbows in pain.

Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 2: Senses at Work

Name Date

11. Place the sentences in order of how the information is processed by the
brain. Use 1 for the statement that happens first and 4 for the statement
which happens last.

2 Nerves in the body connect the sense organs to the brain.

1 Information from the environment is received by a sense organ.

4 The brain determines what to do with the information.

The signals travel as electrical pulses from the organ to the

3 nerves in the brain.

A24
Unit 1 Concept 3

Concept Assessment Concept Assessment

Unit 1, Concept 3: Light and Sight Unit 1, Concept 3: Light and Sight

Name Date Name Date

Instructions 4. The arrows in each answer choice represent light rays. Which drawing
Please answer each question carefully. shows how light is reflected by a mirror?

1. Which of the following is a source of light? A. B.

A. the moon
B. our eyes
C. fire
C. D.
D. a mirror

2. What property of light helps you see yourself in a mirror?

A. refraction
5. What type of surface scatters light unevenly?
B. reflection
A. shiny
C. absorption
B. rough
D. relativity
C. smooth

3. Which statement best explains why you can see yourself when you look at D. transparent
a mirror?
6. What word is used to describe light as it strikes a smooth, shiny surface
A. Light is refracted as it passes through the mirror.
and bounces off ?
B. Light is reflected, bouncing off the mirror.
A. shadow
C. Light is refracted, bouncing off the mirror.
B. energy
D. Light is reflected as it passes through the mirror.
C. reflection
D. wave length

7. What happens to light when it hits a rough surface?

A. scattering
B. reflection
C. absorption
D. refraction

Concept Assessment
Unit 1, Concept 3: Light and Sight

Name Date

8. Salma visited a lake surrounded by mountains. She observed the image of

the mountains on the surface of the lake’s water.
Photo Credit: Js.One / Shutterstock.com

Salma built a diorama to model what she saw. She used a postcard of a
mountain scene to represent the mountains and a small mirror to
represent the lake. Which is the best explanation of why her model
represents what she saw?
A. The mirror refracts light onto the image of the mountain on
the postcard
B. The mirror reflects light onto the image of the mountain on
the postcard.
C. The image of the mountain on the postcard is refracted by
the mirror.
D. The image of the mountain on the postcard is reflected by
the mirror.

9. Which set of objects below would all reflect light well?

A. aluminum foil, brick wall, mirror
B. metal spoon, tree trunk, aluminum foil
C. mirror, metal spoon, brick wall
D. metal spoon, mirror, aluminum foil

Unit 1 Concept Assessment Answer Key A25

Unit 2 Concept 1

Concept Assessment Concept Assessment

Unit 2, Concept 1: Starting and Stopping Unit 2, Concept 1: Starting and Stopping

Name Date Name Date

Instructions 3. The class is playing tug of war in the courtyard. There are 10 students on
Please answer each question carefully. either side of the rope. What would explain that no one has moved?

1. Imagine you are riding in a car down the highway. Read the selections and A. One team has more force than the other.
place a check (✓) next to the objects that you can look at to let you know B. One team has half the force of the other.
the car is in motion.
C. The teams have equal and opposite forces.
The soccer ball sitting in the seat next to you. D. The teams have unequal and opposite forces.

✓ The sign of the highway telling you the speed limit. 4. Review each statement below and decide if it describes a change in
position, a change in both position and direction, or neither. Write the
The can of soda in the cup holder. appropriate abbreviation in the column to the left of each statement.
✓ The light pole you see out the window. P = change in position

✓ The parked car that you pass on the road.

PD = change in position and direction
N = neither

2. Read the selections and place a check (✓) next to the two sentences that P A soccer ball is kicked.
describe the exertion of force on a wheelbarrow.
N A glass sits on a table.
Ziad is going to use a wheelbarrow to haul rocks from one area
to another. PD A rocket is shot up into the air then falls to the ground.

The wheelbarrow is sitting at one end of the path. PD A moving train turns north.

Ziad loads rocks from a pile nearby into the wheelbarrow. P A bus travels 50 kilometers in a straight line.

Once the wheelbarrow is full of rocks, they are ready to be PD A sailboat moving forward is pushed left by a gust of wind.
moved to the opposite end of the path.

✓ Ziad lifts the wheelbarrow’s handles and pushes it along the path.

After arriving at the destination, he prepares to dump the rocks.

He pushes the handles of the wheelbarrow upward so that the

✓ rocks fall out of the front.

Concept Assessment Concept Assessment

Unit 2, Concept 1: Starting and Stopping Unit 2, Concept 1: Starting and Stopping

Name Date Name Date

5. Review each statement below and decide if the motion of the objects 8. A toy car is sitting still in the driveway. Nawal kicks the car and it spins
below will be stopped by either the force of friction or by a collision with moving sideways. The car is considered in motion because .
another object. Write the appropriate abbreviation in the column to the
A. the car was kicked
left of each statement.
B. the car did a wheelie
F = Force of Friction
C. the car has four wheels
C = Collision
D. the position of the car changed
F A soccer ball rolls across a field.
9. Fatma is pushing a big box. Ezz comes to help her.
C A car rolls into a wall.

C A pitcher throws a baseball to the catcher.

C A rugby player is tackled during a game.

F A girl on a swing eventually stops swinging.

6. Which of the following indicates motion?

A. bicycle How does this change the force and motion of the box?
B. sunlight A. It does not change the force or the motion.
C. running water B. It increases the force and decreases the motion.
D. guitar string C. It increases the force and increases the motion.
D. It decreases the force and increases the motion.
7. Circle the two sentences about force that are true.
10. Heba notices that the position of her golf ball on the green has changed
A force always causes movement. Two forces can be unbalanced.
in comparison to the flagpole in the hole. This change is a result of .

A force is a push or a pull. Forces are only created by people. A. motion of the flagpole
B. motion of the ball
Two forces must be equal. A force always leads to work.
C. speed of the ball
D. speed of the flagpole

A26
Unit 2 Concept 2

Concept Assessment Concept Assessment

Unit 2, Concept 2: Energy and Motion Unit 2, Concept 2: Energy and Motion

Name Date Name Date

Instructions 3. There are lots of ways one form of energy can be transformed into
Please answer each question carefully. another form.

1. When gasoline is burned, stored chemical energy is released in the form Draw a line to match the action with the correct energy transformation.
of and light. Each action will match an energy transformation. Not all of the energy
transformations will have a match to an action.
A. fumes
B. carbon dioxide Action Energy Transformation
C. sparks A. Dalia lifts a bowling ball to the 1. motion → sound
D. heat top of a slide.
2. chemical → electrical
B. The ball begins to roll down
2. You toss a ball into the air. The ball falls and then bounces back into the
the slide.
air. What happens to its energy? 3. gravitational potential → motion
A. All of the energy remains unchanged. C. The rolling ball makes a lot of
noise on the metal slide. 4. motion → gravitational potential
B. More energy is created as the ball bounces.
C. Some energy is destroyed as the ball bounces. D. The ball strikes the head of a
nail which gets pounded into a 5. motion → thermal
D. Some energy changes to other forms of energy.
piece of wood, heating the nail
and wood a little. 6. motion → light

4. When you clap your hands, what happens to the energy of motion in your
hands?
A. It becomes sound energy and heat energy.
B. It becomes potential energy and solar energy.
C. Some is lost, and some becomes sound energy.
D. Some is lost, and some becomes chemical energy.

Concept Assessment Concept Assessment

Unit 2, Concept 2: Energy and Motion Unit 2, Concept 2: Energy and Motion

Name Date Name Date

5. Which ball has kinetic energy but not potential energy? 8. Examples of how we use energy are listed below. Write the form of energy
A. a ball rolling down a ramp used in the column on the left.

B. a ball sitting on a high shelf

Chemical Motion Light
C. a ball bouncing up and down
Sound Electricity
D. a ball rolling on a flat sidewalk

6. Which type of energy change occurs when a person rides a bike?

A. heat energy changes to potential energy
Sound You hear a dog barking at a cat.

B. chemical energy changes to kinetic energy Electricity Your cell phone uses a battery.
C. solar energy changes to chemical energy Motion A girl roller skates on the sidewalk.
D. kinetic energy changes to nuclear energy
Chemical Your body uses glucose for energy.
7. Which of the following can store energy?
A. battery
Light You see lights coming towards you.

B. wire Chemical Gasoline explodes inside a bus engine.

C. plastic Electricity You use a flashlight on a camping trip.
D. rubber

Unit 2 Concept Assessment Answer Key A27

Unit 2 Concept 3

Concept Assessment Concept Assessment

Unit 2, Concept 3: Speed Unit 2, Concept 3: Speed

Name Date Name Date

Instructions 3. How is speed measured?

Please answer each question carefully.
A. distance traveled per unit of time
1. Read each situation below and decide if the speed of the object will B. time per unit of distance traveled
increase or decrease, based on the force that is applied to it. Write
C. mass per unit of distance traveled
INCREASE or DECREASE in the column on the left.
D. volume per unit of mass
Increase A sailboat gets pushed from behind by a gust of wind.

Decrease A ball rolls into a wall.

4. Which formula can be used to calculate speed?
A. distance/time
Increase A soccer ball is kicked. B. time/distance
C. mass/time
A man pulls on the leash of a dog, as the dog tries to
Decrease run away. D. time/mass

Increase A pitcher throws a baseball. 5. Aya is going down the slide. Her mother gives her a push. How does the
push affect her motion down the slide?
2. Read the statements below to determine the ones that give enough A. The push decreases her speed.
information to calculate the speed of the object. Place a check (✓) next to
B. The push increases her speed.
the statements apply.
C. The push does not affect her speed.
A boy ran 4 kilometers on a cold and windy morning. D. The push stops her downward motion.
✓ A car was able to travel 200 kilometers in 4 hours.
6. What is calculated as the distance traveled per unit of time?
A plane was in the air for 6 hours and went higher than A. work
8,000 meters.
B. speed
✓ A horse ran around the 2-kilometer racetrack in 2 minutes. C. density
D. acceleration
A boat traveled 4 kilometers across the lake when the
temperature was 13°C.

Concept Assessment Concept Assessment

Unit 2, Concept 3: Speed Unit 2, Concept 3: Speed

Name Date Name Date

7. Circle the sentence that correctly describes the relationship between 9. A snail and a cat are in a race. The cat always travels faster than the snail.
speed and time. If both animals leave the starting line at the same time, which races will
the cat always win?
The faster the speed of an object, the shorter distance it can
travel in a set time. A. only races across long distances, not short distances
B. only races across short distances, not long distances
The faster the speed of an object, the less amount of time it C. races of any length
takes to travel a set distance.
D. no races
The speed of an object is equal to the amount of time it takes
to travel a set distance. 10. Moustafa is sliding down the hill on a piece of cardboard. His sister
pushes him from behind. What effect does this have on his motion?
The speed of an object increases as the amount of time A. He stops.
traveled increases. B. He speeds up.
C. He slows down.
The speed of an object decreases as the time it takes to travel
increases. D. His motion remains the same.

8. Nabila was paddling a rubber raft in the pool. Laila swam in back of the
raft and began pushing it. What was the effect on the raft's motion?
A. It stopped.
B. It increased in speed.
C. It decreased in speed.
D. It moved at the same speed.

A28
 Name

T-Chart
Topic

Graphic Organizers B1
 Name

Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

My Question My Claim
A question I want to answer The answer to my question

Evidence I Collected
Data and evidence I collected from Reasoning That Supports My Claim
video, reading, interactives, and Why my answer is correct
hands-on activities

B2
 Name

Cause / Effect
Topic

Cause Effect

Graphic Organizers B3
 Name

Venn Diagram

B4
 Safety in the Science Classroom

Following common safety practices is the first rule of any laboratory or field
scientific investigation.

Dress for Safety

One of the most important steps in a safe investigation is dressing appropriately.

• Use gloves to protect your hands and safety goggles

to protect your eyes when handling chemicals, liquids,
or organisms.
• Wear proper clothing and clothing protection. Tie
back long hair, roll up long sleeves, and if they
are available, wear a lab coat or apron over your
clothes. Always wear close-toed shoes. During field
investigations, wear long pants and long sleeves.

Be Prepared for Accidents

Even if you are practicing safe behavior during an
investigation, accidents can happen. Learn the
emergency equipment location if available and how
to use it.

Most importantly, when an accident occurs, immediately

alert your teacher and classmates. Do not try to keep
Safety Goggles
the accident a secret or respond to it by yourself. Your
teacher and classmates can help you.

Safety in the Science Classroom R1

 Practice Safe Behavior
There are many ways to stay safe during a scientific investigation. You should always use
safe and appropriate behavior before, during, and after your investigation.

• Read all of the steps of the procedure before beginning your investigation. Make sure
you understand all the steps. Ask your teacher for help if you do not understand any
part of the procedure.
• Gather all your materials and keep your workstation neat and organized. Label any
chemicals you are using.
• During the investigation, be sure to follow the steps of the procedure exactly. Use only
directions and materials that have been approved by your teacher.
• Eating and drinking are not allowed during an investigation. If asked to observe the
odor of a substance, do so using the correct procedure known as wafting, in which you
cup your hand over the container holding the substance and gently wave enough air
toward your face to make sense of the smell.
• When performing investigations, stay focused on the steps of the procedure and your
behavior during the investigation. During investigations, there are many materials and
equipment that can cause injuries.
• Treat animals and plants with respect during an investigation.
• After the investigation is over, appropriately dispose of any chemicals or other
materials that you have used. Ask your teacher if you are unsure of how to dispose of
anything.
• Make sure that you have returned any extra materials and pieces of equipment to the
correct storage space.
• Leave your workstation clean and neat. Wash your hands thoroughly.

R2
 Glossary

A C
adaptation camouflage
a behavior or physical feature that has changed the coloring or patterns on an animal’s body
over time to help an organism survive in its that allow it to blend in with its environment
environment (related word: adapt)
canyons
air deep valleys carved by flowing water
the part of the atmosphere closest to Earth; the
part of the atmosphere that organisms on Earth
chemical energy
energy that can be changed into motion
use for respiration
and heat
antenna
a device that receives radio waves and
chemical weathering
changes to rocks and minerals on Earth’s
television signals
surface that are caused by chemical reactions
Arctic
being from an icy climate, such as the
code
information transformed into another,
north pole
representative, form (such as using dots and
dashes to represent letters)

B collision
the moment where two objects hit or make
behavior contact in a forceful way
all of the actions and reactions of an animal or a
person (related word: behave) conserve
to protect something, or prevent the wasteful
brain overuse of a resource
the main control center in an animal body;
part of the central nervous system

Glossary R3
Glossary

contour lines E
lines drawn on a map to show places of stable
versus changing elevation- lines that are closer Earth
together represent steeper topography, while the third planet from the sun; the planet on
lines that are farther apart represent flatter which we live (related words: earthly;
areas earth – meaning soil or dirt)

convert (v) earthquake

to change forms a sudden shaking of the ground caused by the
movement of rock underground

ecosystems
D all the living and nonliving things in an area that

delta interact with each other

a fan-shaped mass of mud and other sediment

electromagnetic spectrum
that forms where a river enters a large body
the full range of frequencies of electromagnetic
of water
waves

deposition
elevation
laying sediment back down after erosion moves
the height of an area of land above sea level
it around
energy
digestive system
the ability to do work or cause change; the
the body system that breaks down food into
ability to move an object some distance
tiny pieces so that the body’s cells can use it for
energy energy source
where a form of energy begins
digital
a signal that is not continuous and is made up energy transfer
of tiny separate pieces the transfer of energy from one organism to
another through a food chain or web; or the
dune
transfer of energy from one object to another,
a hill of sand created by the wind
such as heat energy

R4
engineer fossil fuels
Engineers have special skills. They design tools fuels that come from very old life forms that
or technologies that help solve problems. decomposed over a long period of time,
like coal, oil, and natural gas
erosion
the removal of weathered rock material. After friction
rocks have been broken down, the small a force that slows down or stops motion
particles are transported to other locations by
wind, water, ice, and gravity. fuels
any materials that can be used for energy
erupt
the action of lava coming out of a hole or crack
in Earth’s surface; the sudden release of hot G
gasses or lava built up inside a volcano (related
word: eruption) generate
to produce by turning a form of energy into
extinct electricity
describes a species of animals that once lived
on Earth but which no longer exists (related geothermal
word: extinction) heat found deep within Earth

glacier
a large sheet of ice or snow that moves slowly
F
over Earth’s surface
feature
gravitational potential energy
things that describe what something looks like
energy stored in an object based on its height
force and mass
a pull or push that is applied to an object
gravity
forecast the force that pulls an object toward the center
(v) to analyze weather data and make an of Earth (related word: gravitational)
educated guess about weather in the future; (n)
a prediction about what the weather will be like
in the future based on weather data

Glossary R5
Glossary

H L
heat landforms
the transfer of thermal energy large natural structures on Earth’s surface, such
as mountains, plains, or valleys
hibernate
to reduce body movement during the winter lava
in an effort to conserve energy (related word: molten rock that comes through holes or cracks
hibernation) in Earth’s crust that may be a mixture
of liquid and gas but will turn into solid rock
hydroelectric energy once cooled
electricity generated by moving water flowing
over and spinning a turbine light
a form of energy that moves in waves and
particles and can be seen
I
information M
facts or data about something; the arrangement
or sequence of facts or data magma
melted rock located beneath Earth’s surface

magnetic field
K a region in space near a magnet or electric
current in which magnetic forces can be
key
detected
a tool on a map used to explain symbols and
provide scale
map
a flat model of an area
kinetic energy
the energy an object has because of its motion
mass
the amount of matter in an object

R6
matter nonrenewable
material that has mass and takes up some once it is used, it cannot be made or reused
amount of space again

migration nonrenewable resource

the movement of a group of organisms from a natural resource of which a finite amount
one place to another, usually due to a change exists, or one that cannot be replaced with
in seasons currently available technologies

minerals
natural, nonliving solid crystal that makes up
rocks
O
ocean
model
a large body of salt water that covers most
a drawing, object, or idea that represents a real
of Earth
event, object, or process

opaque
motion
describes an object that light cannot travel
when something moves from one place to
through
another (related words: move, movement)

organism
mountains
any individual living thing
areas of land that form a peak at a high
elevation (related term: mountain range)

P
N physical map
a type of map which illustrates the physical
nerve
features found in an area such as mountains
a cell of the nervous system that carries signals
and bodies of water
to the body from the brain, and from the body
to the brain and/or spinal cord

Glossary R7
Glossary

political map R
a type of map which illustrates the political
boundaries within an area such as countries or radiation
cities electromagnetic energy (related word: radiate)

pollute receptor
to put harmful materials into the air, water, or nerves located in different parts of the
soil (related words: pollution, pollutant) body that are especially adapted to receive
information from the environment
pollution
when harmful materials have been put into the reflect
air, water, or soil (related word: pollute) light bouncing off a surface (related word:
reflection)
potential energy
the amount of energy that is stored in an reflex
object; energy that an object has because of its an automatic response
position relative to other objects
remote (adj)
predator to be operated from a distance
an animal that hunts and eats another animal
renewable
predict to reuse or make new again
to guess what will happen in the future (related
word: prediction) renewable resource
a natural resource that can be replaced
prey
an animal that is hunted and eaten by another reproduce
animal to make more of a species; to have offspring
(related word: reproduction)
pupil
the black circle at the center of an iris that resistance
controls how much light enters the eye when materials do not let energy transfer
through them

R8
respiratory system soil
the system of the body that brings oxygen into the outer layer of Earth’s crust in which plants
the body and releases carbon dioxide can grow; made of bits of dead plant and
animal material as well as bits of rocks and
rock cycle minerals
the process during which rocks are formed,
change, wear down, and are formed again over sound
long periods of time anything you can hear that travels by making
vibrations in air, water, and solids

sound wave
S a sound vibration as it is passing through a
material; most sound waves spread out in every
satellite
direction from their source
a natural or artificial object that revolves around
another object in space
speed
the measurement of how fast an object
sediment
is moving
solid material, moved by wind and water, that
settles on the surface of land or the bottom of a
sun
body of water
any star around which planets revolve

seismic
survive
having to do with earthquakes or earth
to continue living or existing: an organism
vibrations
survives until it dies; a species survives until
it becomes extinct (related word: survival)
senses
taste, touch, sight, smell, and hearing (related
system
word: sensory)
a group of related objects that work together to
perform a function

Glossary R9
Glossary

T V
tectonic plate valley
one of several huge pieces of Earth’s crust a low area of land between two higher areas,
often formed by water
thermal energy
energy in the form of heat volcano
an opening in Earth’s surface through which
topographic map magma and gases or only gases erupt (related
a map that shows the size and location of an word: volcanic)
area’s features such as vegetation, roads, and
buildings

trait W
a characteristic or property of an organism
water
transparent a compound made of hydrogen and oxygen;
describes materials through which light can can be in either a liquid, ice, or vapor form and
travel; materials that can be seen through has no taste or smell

turbine watermills
a machine designed to spin in a stream of structures that use a turbine or water wheel
moving water, steam, or wind that is often used to harness the kinetic energy of moving water
in generating electricity to operate machinery or as a step in the
generation of electricity

R10
watershed
a region in which all precipitation and surface
water collects and drains into the same river

wave
a disturbance caused by a vibration; waves
travel away from the source that makes them

weathering
the physical or chemical breakdown of rocks
and minerals into smaller pieces or aqueous
solutions on Earth’s surface

windmills
structures that use blades placed at an angle
around a fixed point to convert the kinetic
energy of wind into energy that can operate
machinery or generate electricity

work
a force applied to an object over a distance

Glossary R11
 Index

A 116, 134–135, 166, 186, potential 163, 193, 203,

188, 196, 216, 218, 228, 206–214, 217–220, 246
Adaptation 11, 15–27, 30, 32, 40, 249–251, 262, 284–285 solar 252–253
42, 50, 57, 113, 140 Code 111, 125–131, thermal 194, 200,
Air 32–34, 37, 100, 169–172, 176, 135–136 210–211, 214
194, 220, 229, 259 Collision Environment 9, 11, 14–17, 22,
Analyze Like a Scientist 17–22, and mass 275–276 26–28, 32, 35–37, 39–40,
30–31, 35–36, 40–41, 58, and speed 269–270 42, 47, 52–53, 58–61, 63,
70, 73, 92, 94, 100, 107, 69, 71–73, 79, 106, 113,
124, 129, 132, 137, 171,
175, 184, 206, 208, 212,
D 117, 136
Evaluate Like a Scientist 27, 42,
233, 240, 246, 252, Digestive system 28–31
54, 60–61, 68, 74, 85,
267–270, 275–276, Digital 59, 61, 70, 73, 174,
102, 109, 121, 139, 177,
282–283, 287–288 211, 247
189, 202, 214, 221, 248,
Animal relationships Disease 35
255, 290
predator and prey 15, 35
Arctic 15, 17, 36 E Extinct 9, 35

Ask Questions Like a Scientist 13,

51, 83–84, 117, 167, 197,
Ear 51, 53, 57, 67, 73 F
Ecosystem 15, 22, 35–36
229, 263 Feature 9, 17, 94
Electromagnetic spectrum 79
Force
Energy 29, 79, 82, 92, 100, 105,
B 117, 156–159, 161, 163,
and energy 178, 184, 189
and motion 173–174
Body 168–169, 175, 177–178,
and speed 163–164, 246–247
brain 45, 47, 55, 58–59, 61, 184–185, 187, 189–213,
types of 173
65–68, 72–73, 105, 117 216–221, 225, 228–229,
Friction 163–164, 170, 175–177,
ear 51, 53, 57, 67, 73 236, 242–247, 251–252,
182–183, 187–188,
heart 45, 58–59, 73, 113 257, 259, 262–263, 265,
193–194, 247, 283, 286
nerve 45, 47, 58–59, 61, 267–270, 273, 280,
282–283
65–68, 72–73
organ 28–30, 45, 47, 51, chemical 193–194, 200, 208, G
58–59, 72–74, 117 210–214, 218 Gravity 64, 161, 163, 170,
receptor 45, 61 and collision 267–268, 172, 174–175, 177, 194,
skin 47, 67 273–274 209, 218
stomach 29, 31 conservation of 190, 193, 204,
tongue 59 206, 282–283 H
Body systems and force 178, 184, 189
Heart 45, 58–59, 73
digestive 28–31 and motion 156, 158, 169,
Heat 39, 155, 158, 194, 200–201,
nervous 47, 51, 58–62, 67–72, 173–176, 202, 259
204, 210, 213, 218, 269,
74, 132 gravitational potential
283, 286
Brain 47, 55, 58–59, 61, 65–68, 208–209
72–73, 105, 117 kinetic 156, 163, 178, 190,
193–194, 206–214,
I
C 216–220, 226, 242–245, Information 25, 27–28, 38, 40, 47,
50–51, 53–55, 58–59, 63,
251, 260, 262–263,
Camouflage 9 267–275, 277–278, 65–67, 69, 71–73, 87, 92,
Can You Explain? 12, 37–38, 280–281, 283, 285–286 94–95, 107, 113, 120–122,
50, 71–72, 82, 104–105, nuclear 194 124–125, 129–130,

R12
 132–136, 139, 187, 206, Ocean 9 Speed 223, 225, 228–247,
208, 234, 240, 252 Opaque 77, 100 249–251, 293
Instructional strategies Organ 28–30, 45, 47, 51, 58–59, STEM in Action 40, 107, 137,
Four Corners 240 72–74, 117 219, 252–253, 287
Investigate Like a Scientist 62–66, Organism 9, 11, 15, 28, 32, 35, Stimulus 63, 72
89–91, 96–99, 178–182, 40, 42, 47, 51–52, 74, Stomach 29, 31
236–239, 242–244, 79, 113 Survive 9, 11–13, 15, 17–18,
271–274, 277–281 20–24, 26–27, 29, 31, 34,
P 36, 39, 42, 47, 50–51, 54,
L Pollute 9, 36
57, 60, 72–73, 79, 95, 100,
113, 117, 229
Light 77, 79–80, 85–86, 89–90, Predator 15, 35
System 26, 28–34, 42, 45, 47, 51,
92–101, 105–107, 109, Prey 15, 35
58–61, 67–69, 72–74, 125
113, 116–118, 129,
134–135, 139, 158, R
193–194, 200–201, T
Receptor 45, 61
204, 208 Thermal energy 194, 200,
Record Evidence Like a Scientist
210–211, 214
37–39, 71–73, 104–106,
M 134–136, 186–188,
Think Like a Scientist 23–26, 125,
199–201
Mass 225, 259, 264, 267, 215–218, 249–251,
Tongue 59
275–281, 286 284–286
Trait 11, 14, 42, 60
Matter 80, 82, 96–97, Reflection 101
Transparent 77, 100
100–101, 161 Refract 80
Motion 103, 156–159, 163–164, Reproduce 9, 15, 42, 47
169–178, 183–184, 188, Resistance 223, 229 U
202, 259 Rotate 161, 172 Unit Project 140–142, 159,
292–293
N S
Nerve 45, 47, 58–59, 61, 65–68, Senses 45, 47–75, 82–83, 87–88, W
72–73 113, 116–118, 122, 124, Work 184
Nervous system 47, 51, 58–62, 132, 137
67–72, 74, 132 Skin 47, 67
Solve Problems Like a Scientist
O 140–141, 292–293
Sound 45, 50–51, 54, 57–58,
Observe Like a Scientist 15, 20,
63, 67, 72–73, 113, 116,
28, 32, 34, 53, 56, 59,
122–123, 125, 129–130,
61, 67, 87, 119, 122, 133,
135–138, 141–142, 194,
169–170, 173–174, 184,
200, 204, 212, 263, 269,
204, 210–211, 231, 235,
283, 286
247, 265

Index R13
Primary 4
Teacher Edition
Science Term 1