1st grade Science
12 units matched to the Alabama Course of Study.
Focus areas
- Light and sound, plant and animal parts, parents and young, and patterns in the sky
- Science and engineering practices: planning simple tests and designing solutions
- Engineering design: solving real problems in Alabama and beyond
Units
Unit 1
Light & Sound
Sources of light and sound, loud and quiet, high and low sounds, shadows, and how light passes through glass but not walls.
Content standard: 1.1; 1.2; 1.3 · sound from vibrations, needing light to see, and how materials block or let light through
Unit 2
Light and Sound
Sound is made by vibrations and can bounce, travel and be absorbed. Light comes from sources such as the Sun, fire and electricity, travels in straight lines and bounces off surfaces. Children also learn to protect their eyes and ears.
Content standard: 1.1; 1.3 · making sounds by vibrating things, and how light and sound meet different materials
Unit 3
Signals Far Away
Practices how light and sound can carry a message over a distance, from flashlights and whistles to drums and signal flags, and how to design a simple signal.
Content standard: 1.4 · using light or sound to send a signal over a distance
Unit 4
Animal Survival
Body features (thick fur, webbed feet, shells, camouflage) and behaviors (hibernating, migrating, storing food) that help animals survive.
Content standard: 1.5 · how animals' outside parts help them survive, grow and meet their needs
Unit 5
Animal Features
Noticing body parts like fur, feathers, fins and shells, and how features help animals and plants live where they do.
Content standard: 1.5 · shells, fur, feathers and other outside features that help animals live
Unit 6
Plant Parts at Work
Practices what each outside part of a plant does to help it survive and grow, from roots that drink water to thorns that keep animals away.
Content standard: 1.5 · how roots, stems and leaves help plants survive and grow
Unit 7
Ideas from Nature
Practices how plants and animals use their outside parts to survive, and how people copy those parts to design solutions, like burrs and hook-and-loop straps.
Content standard: 1.5 · how outside features help living things, and ideas people copy from them
Unit 8
Our Bodies & Senses
The five senses, the body part linked to each, and the jobs of the heart, lungs, brain, bones and stomach.
Content standard: 1.5 · how the parts of our own bodies help us live and meet our needs
Unit 9
Parents & Babies
Practices how animal parents feed, protect and teach their young, and how young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.
Content standard: 1.6; 1.7 · how parents help their young survive, and how young are like and unlike their parents
Unit 10
Bird, Mammal & Fish Life Cycles
Practices the basic life cycles of a bird (egg, chick, adult), a mammal (born live, young drinks milk, adult) and a fish (egg, fry, adult).
Content standard: 1.7 · how baby birds, mammals and fish grow to look like their parents
Unit 11
Sky & Seasons
Day and night, the sun, moon and stars (the moon reflects sunlight), and the order of the seasons.
Content standard: 1.8; 1.9 · patterns of the sun, moon and stars, and hours of daylight through the year
Unit 12
Sun & Moon Patterns
Practices the pattern of the Sun's position through the day, how shadows change, and how the Moon seems to change shape over about a month. Remind your child never to look straight at the Sun.
Content standard: 1.8 · patterns of the sun and moon in the sky through the day and the month
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