Fifth Grade Science Units

I. Life Sciences: September - Early November (approximate dates)

A. Classifying Living things

1. How are all living things alike?

2. How do scientists classify into kingdoms?

3. How are kingdoms divided into smaller groups?

B. Plant Processes

1. What are plant cells like?

2. How do plants take in materials?

3. How do plants make and use food?

4. How do plants produce seeds?

5. How do plants reproduce without flowers or cones?

C. Invertebrates and Vertebrates

1. What kinds of organisms are in the animal kingdom?

2. How are invertebrates classified?

3. How are arthropods classified?

4. How are vertebrates classified?

D. Populations and Communities

1. What are populations and communities?

2. How do different populations share an environment?

3. How do different populations affect one another?

4. How do populations change?

5. How do communities change naturally?

II. Earth Science: November - December (approximate dates)

A. Earth's Changing Crust

1. How does weathering change the Earth's crust?

2. How does moving water cause erosion?

3. How do glaciers and wind cause erosion?

4. How do rocks change? Rock Cycle

5. How do fossils form?

B. Protecting the Environment

1. How can water be protected?

2. How can air be protected?

3. How can land be protected?

4. How can communities solve pollution problems?

III. Physical Science: January - March (approximate dates)

A. Investigating Matter

1. What are properties of matter?

2. What are atoms?

3. What are elements?

4. How are atoms combined?

5. What are solutions and suspensions?

B. Heat and Matter

1. What are heat and temperature?

2. How is matter heated?

3. How does heat affect matter?

4. How is temperature measured?

C. Changing forms of Energy

1. How does energy change form?

2. How is electric energy produced?

3. How is energy changed and used?

4. How are work and force measured?

D. Energy Resources

1. How are fossil fuels used as sources of energy

2. How are atoms used as a source of energy?

3. How is moving water used as a source of energy?

4. How can people use sunlight and wind?

5. How can heat inside the earth be used as an energy resource?

IV. The Human Body: April - May (approximate dates)

A. Body support, Movement, Nutrition & Growth (review)

B. Respiratory and Excretory Systems

C. Reproductive System (two week unit: plans available for parent preview)

D. Drug Awareness (D.A.R.E.)

Barb Eldridge / January 1999