1st grade Science
8 units matched to the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards.
Focus areas
- Plant and animal parts, parents and young, light and sound, and materials
- Science and engineering practices: planning simple tests and designing solutions
- How science connects to people and communities in Minnesota and beyond
Units
Unit 1
Animal Survival
Body features (thick fur, webbed feet, shells, camouflage) and behaviors (hibernating, migrating, storing food) that help animals survive.
Benchmark: 1L.3.1.1.1 · how animals use their outside parts to survive, grow and meet their needs
Unit 2
Light & Sound
Sources of light and sound, loud and quiet, high and low sounds, shadows, and how light passes through glass but not walls.
Benchmark: 1P.1.2.1.1 · how vibrating materials make sound, and how sound makes materials vibrate
Unit 3
Materials
Describing materials (hard, soft, see-through, waterproof) and choosing the best material for a job, like a raincoat or a window.
Benchmark: 1P.2.1.1.1 · testing materials to find which have the properties a job needs
Unit 4
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.
Benchmark: 1L.1.1.1.1; 1L.4.2.1.2 · how young plants and animals are like their parents, and how parents help their young survive
Unit 5
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.
Benchmark: 1L.3.1.1.1 · how plants use their outside parts to survive and grow
Unit 6
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.
Benchmark: 1L.3.2.2.2 · solving a human problem by copying how plants and animals use their parts
Unit 7
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.
Benchmark: 1P.3.2.2.1 · using light or sound to send a message over a distance
Unit 8
Care for Our Earth
Show how your family reuses and recycles. Spend time outside, and talk about taking only what you need and leaving nature as you found it.
Benchmark: 1E.4.2.1.1; 1E.4.1.1.1 · how people change the land, water and air, and ways to lessen that impact
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