GENETICS AND HEREDITY
The Hook: Students read and learn about “The Blue People of Troublesome Creek,” a group of people with a strange disorder that causes them to be born with bluish-tinted skin. Genetics and Heredity guides students through 12 hands-on inquiries organized in three clusters:
- Reproduction
- Probability and Inheritance
- Heredity
The Performance Assessment: Students gather information from a variety of resources about a genetic disorder. They present their research in a brochure that is designed to educate student nurses who will work with individuals who have genetic disorders.
EARTH IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
The Hook: Students complete a “KWL” chart with information about the solar system. Students read and view a CD-ROM sequence about the potential end of the Earth by collision with an asteroid.
Earth in the Solar System guides students through 11 hands-on inquiries organized in three clusters:
- Objects and Orbits
- Gravity, The Moon and Tides
- Stars and Galaxies
The Performance Assessment: Students determine whether a distant planet in our galaxy is suitable for habitation by humans and other life forms after Earth is destroyed by an asteroid.
STRUCTURE AND CHANGES OF MATTER
The Hook: Students view an animated story about a brother and sister who find some “treasures” in their attic. To determine the value of their discoveries, the children must first determine the composition of the objects.
Structure and Changes of Matter guides students through 11 hands-on inquiries organized in four clusters:
- Atoms
- Elements
- Properties of Elements and Compounds
- Characteristics of Chemical Reactions
The Performance Assessment: Students determine the composition of the coins (treasures) and the identity of the mystery ingredient.
TRANSFER OF ENERGY
The Hook: Students begin by reading news clips about blackouts in California. They brainstorm and produce a list of inconveniences caused by an electrical blackout. Viewing electricity as a form of energy we depend on, students generate a list of electrical appliances that are used in most homes every day. They offer scenarios of what a day might be like if they “lost” electricity as a form of energy. They are challenged to think of other types of energy that might be used in place of electricity.
Transfer of Energy guides students through 10 hands-on inquiries organized in three clusters:
- Transfer of Heat
- Energy from the Sun
- Transferring Electrical Energy
The Performance Assessment: Students design certain electrical, thermal, and light energy components of an alternative energy home that is not connected to an electrical power plant. For each component, they identify energy transformations.