Science education in first grade builds upon the foundation that began in kindergarten. First graders learn that all living things have the same basic needs. Students should be given as many opportunities as possible to experience and interact with living things within the environment. Study of the basic needs of all living things should begin with things that can be experienced immediately, such as plants and animals in backyards, gardens, and playgrounds.
In first grade, students can be expected to conduct simple experiments in which they make predictions and test them. Students can draw conclusions from experiments and practice recording and explaining them. First grade students should gain practice in working in collaborative groups and in using basic science instruments.
1. The student will engage in investigations that lead to the discovery of science
concepts.
a. Draw pictures that portray some features of the object being described.
b. Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, and/or written statements.
c. Record observations on a bar graph.
d. Practice safety procedures in all science activities.
1. Matter – The student will observe that materials come in different forms (states)
including solids, liquids, and gases.
a. Identify the many ways in which objects can be grouped or classified.
b. Classify solids according to their properties:
*Color
*Texture
*Shape (ability to roll or stack)
*Weight
c. Determine the properties of liquids:
*Color
*Buoyancy (float or sink)
d. Observe changes in the state of matter due to the mixing, heating, cooling,
tearing, sifting, sanding and pounding of common materials.
e. Explore how different materials can be made by physically combining substances.
1. Plants/Animals – The student will evaluate the different ways in which plants and
animals meet their needs.
a. Determine the needs of plants:
*Air
*Water
*Nutrients
*Light
b. Determine the needs of animals:
*Air
*Water
*Food
*Shelter
c. Determine that different plants and animals inhabit different kinds of
environments (habitats).
c. Observe the external features that help plants and animals thrive in different
types of places (adaptations).
d. Describe how seasonal changes affect plants, animals, and their surroundings (e.g.
migration, hibernation, camouflage, adaptation, dormancy).
e. Observe the different ways animals move from place to place, and how plants
germinate and disseminate.
1. Earth’s Surface – The student will observe that the Earth is composed of land,
air, and water.
a. Identify characteristics of mountains, rivers, oceans, valleys, deserts, and local
land forms.
b. Identify resources from the Earth that are used in every day life.
c. Explore how many resources can be conserved.
Experiential Location Suggestions:
Playground
Gardens
Other Theme Suggestions:
Nature
Necessity
Living and Non-Living Objects
Beneath the Ground