tyThis 12 week course will cover second semester of 4th and 5th grade science content in an engaging and interactive style. Students will be encouraged to question, explore, analyze, and make conclusions about science content through the best practices supported by National Science Teacher's Association guidelines. All lessons will be based on the 5E model of inquiry science, which allows students to make their own discoveries, supported by the teacher and will include appropriate academic vocabulary. Lesson activities will include interactive notebooks to record learning, hands on science investigations, videos, articles, foldables, models, discussions, and games. Every lesson will spark imagination and encourage learner interaction. Instructional level is appropriate for ages 9 - 11, however younger students with strong reading and critical thinking skills may also be successful. If your child is out of the age range, please reach out so that we may discuss learning levels and content more in depth. My teaching style is relaxed and accommodating, as I strive to reach all learners through a variety of modalities. Students in my classes will always feel successful, supported, and encouraged. Classes will meet twice per week for 55 minutes each session following the outline below  (Part 1 is not a prerequisite)- 

Week 1:  Set the Tone - This week we will get to know each other through a Kahoot game, set up interactive notebooks that will be used each class period, and review safe science procedures and tools scientists use. We will begin our study of Earth science with an introduction of common landform and the forces that create them. Science lab: Weathering as an agent of change. 
Week 2: Earth Science: We will continue our study of landforms and forces that create them. Labs include modeling the movement of sediment by water, wind, and ice through erosion. We will also discuss and model rapid and slow changes to Earth's surface.
Week 3: Earth materials: Learn the characteristics of different earth materials and their ability to retain or filter water. How does soil composition affect plants in different ecosystems? Discuss and create sedimentary rock and the rock cycle. 
Week 4: Fossils and fossil fuels - model how fossils form and how different fossil fuels form over time.  Compare a variety of alternative energy resources such as wind power, solar power, hydroelectric power, and nuclear power and the benefits of each.
Week 5: Begin Space science - We will explore the physical characteristics of Sun, Earth, and Moon and the movement of Earth that creates the day/night cycle. Compare and contrast the Sun/Earth/Moon cycles and the effects of their movements.
Week 6:  Review the planets in our solar system and their order from the Sun. Learn how the movement of all of the objects in the sky affects conditions on each of the planets, including Earth. Learn how phases of the moon occur and how the moon affects tides on Earth.
Week 7:  Begin Life Science - Define and compare different land and marine ecosystems on Earth. Explore interdependence of organisms in ecosystems and living/nonliving interactions in ecosystems.
Week 8:  Continue our ecosystem study - How do changes in ecosystems affect the organisms that live there?  How do fossils give us clues to past environments. Students will choose one ecosystem to explore thoroughly and present to the class the following week.
Week 9: Structure and functions of plants and plant parts. Labs include seed dissection,  components of a flower, and plant needs. Students will choose a variable to test with a plant and conduct a valid investigation on their own.
Week 10: Structures and functions of different animals and their adaptations for survival in various ecosystems. Identify the difference between learned and inherited behavior in animals. Explore adaptations animals need in different ecosystems, then create a "new, never before seen" animal with adaptations of their choice.
Week 11: Food chains and food webs in ecosystems and what happens to the web when changes in the ecosystem upset the balance. How does human activity affect ecosystems. Types of organisms - producers, consumers, decomposers, and their niche in the ecosystem.   At the end of class students will be given a product menu to choose a final project topic and presentation to be given to the class the following week.
Week 12: This week wraps up the course with students presenting their final products to the class and giving and receiving feedback. We will play a game that incorporates all of the content of the course and celebrate our successes.