In Chapter 6:
We will learn that Earth's surface has many features.
A landform is a feature of Earth's surface. Mountains, hills, plateaus,
mesas, valleys, canyons, sand dunes and plains are all landforms.
Mountains are the highest landform. Mountains often have steep sides and
pointed tops. Hills are shorter and rounder than mountains. A plateau is flat
land with steep sides. It is higher than the land around it. Mesas are flat-
topped hills or mountains.
A valley is the low land between hills or mountains. Water often rushes down
into valleys. A canyon is a deep, narrow valley with steep sides. Canyons
often have rivers at the bottom. Sand dunes are mounds of wind-blown sand.
Plains are wide, flat lands.
Different bodies of water cover large parts of Earth, too. Earth's water
features include rivers, lakes, oceans, coasts, bays, and glaciers.
Rivers are large streams of water that flow across the land. A lake is a body
of water with land all around it. Oceans are very large bodies of salt water.
They cover about 70/100 of Earth's surface. A coast is where the ocean meets
land. A bay is a part of a lake or ocean that extends into the land. Glaciers
are huge masses of ice that move slowly across the land.
Earth's surface in the United States includes both landforms and water
features. For example, all states have small lakes. Nearly half of the states
border an ocean. The Rocky Mountains run north to south, and they cover much
of the west. Ranging between North Dakota and Texas are the Great Plains.
Farmers on the Great Plains raise much of the food we eat.
****
We will learn how weathering and erosion change Earth's surface.
Rocks can change and break apart. Weathering is the process that crumbles,
cracks, and breaks rocks. Weathering usually happens slowly. It may take many
years to break a rock.
Weathering can happen in many ways. Rushing water weathers rocks on beaches
and river bottoms. Strong winds may blow sand against rocks. Growing plant
roots help change rocks into soil.
Temperature changes can also weather rocks. When water freezes inside a rock,
the rock may crack. Chemicals can also weather rocks. Chemicals make up the
air, the water, and everything around you.
Weathered rocks and other weathered materials don't stay in one place. They
are moved around in a process called erosion. Erosion occurs when weathered
materials are carried away. Erosion is often a slow process. Rivers and
streams carry weathered rocks down mountains and hills.
A glacier can cause erosion also. A glacier is a huge mass of moving ice.
Wherever it goes, it moves rocks and other things in its path.
People change Earth's surface every day in many ways. Changes may be as small
as digging a hole in your backyard to building more houses. To make room for
houses, sometimes forests are cut down. At times, wetlands are drained.
Wetlands are ponds and swamps.
Roads change Earth, too. Builders may dig into hills or mountains to make
room for roads. When it rains, roads and parking lots do not let water soak
through. The water rushes away instead.
All these changes help make Earth a wonderful place to live.
****
We will learn how storms, earthquakes, volcanoes, and other events change
Earth's surface quickly.
A hurricane is a violent storm with strong winds and heavy rains. Hurricanes
are the largest and most powerful of all storms. They form over the oceans,
covering many miles. Their winds move in a circular pattern at speeds of 125
kilometers (78 miles) per hour or more.
Most hurricanes die out before they reach land. Those that move over the land
act like giant bulldozers. Rain, wind, and giant waves damage or destroy most
things in their path. Houses, bridges, roads, and cars may be swept away.
Trees are uprooted, and lives can be lost.
A tornado is a small, powerful windstorm over land. It looks like a giant
funnel. Winds swirl very fast in a tornado, sometimes 240 kilometers (150
miles) per hour or faster. Tornadoes may travel for many miles, damaging
houses, buildings, and anything else in their path.
A flood is a huge flow of water over land that is usually dry. Floods can be
caused by heavy rains, melting snow or breaking dams. Floods can carry away
rocks and soil, and destroy plants, houses, and buildings.
Earthquakes and volcanoes can change the land quickly. An earthquake is a
sudden movement in the rocks that make up Earth's crust. Earthquakes begin
far below the surface. Forces within Earth build up, then break Earth's rocks
suddenly. The breaking rocks shake the ground above them. Earthquakes can be
weak or very strong.
A volcano is an opening in Earth's surface. The word volcano is also the name
of the mountain that builds up around this opening. Sometimes a volcano can
erupt. An eruption occurs when melted rock, gases, pieces of rock and dust
are forced out of a volcano.
Some volcanoes may stay quiet for hundreds of years, then erupt suddenly.
Other volcanoes erupted in the past but will never erupt again. Melted rock
that flows onto the ground is called lava. Lava can cover everything in its
path and start fires.
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In Chapter 2:
In this topic we will learn what animals need to stay alive.
To live and grow, animals need food, water, air, and a place to live. Food
gives an animal energy. Energy is the ability to do work. Different animals
get food in different ways. Some animals eat only plants. Some eat only
animals. Some animals eat both plants and animals. Most animals' bodies are
made up mostly of water. Water has several important jobs. It helps the body
use food as fuel. It helps some animals stay cool. It helps get rid of body
wastes.
All animals need air because it contains oxygen. Oxygen is a gas that is in
air and water. Oxygen is an important gas. Animals can live for a few days
without food or water. However, they would die in just a few minutes without
oxygen. All body parts need oxygen to live and grow.
Some needs, like the need for food, are inner needs. Signals inside an
animlal's body tell it what to do to respond to an inner need. When you are
hungry your brain tells you to eat.
All animals need a place to live. Animals respond to changes in the
environment in different ways. Bats return to their caves to sleep. When the
weather gets colder and the days get shorter, some animals gather food for
the winter. Geese and butterflies migrate. To migrate means to move to
another place. Bears and other animals find places to hibernate. To hibernate
means to rest or sleep through the cold winter.
~~
We will learn about the changes animals go through as they live and grow.
Organisms change as they grow through their life cycle. A life cycle is all
the changes in an organism's life. Organisms go through stages. At birth, the
organism's life begins. As an organism lives, it grows and changes. It may
take on a new form. During reproduction, an organism creates new organisms
like itself. At death, the organism's life ends.
Like people, some organisms get larger as they grow older. Unlike people,
some organisms go through a life cycle change called metamorphosis.
Metamorphosis means a change in the body form of an organism. Big changes
take place in insects like the butterfly. Other animals, such as frogs and
toads, also go through metamorphosis. Young frogs live only in water. Adult
frogs live both in and out of water. Their bodies must change to live in both
places. Other animals like birds, turtles, cats, and bears do not go through
metamorphosis.
What makes you you? You have inherited traits. Inherited traits are
characteristics that come from your parents. How do you inherit traits?
People start out life as an egg. The egg contains special material from both
parents. This material determines your traits.
Not all traits are inherited. Some are learned traits. A learned trait is
something that you are taught or learn from experience. You learn to ride a
bicycle or speak a language.
~~
We will learn how different body parts work together to help an animal
survive.
Animals can have four main kinds of parts. Each part helps it survive in some
way.
•Parts that support and protect: these include skin, shells, feathers,
scales, and bones.
•Parts that move: arms, legs, wings, and fins are moving parts.
•Parts that get information: eyes, ears, skin, noses, and tongues gather
information.
•Parts that take in materials: mouths, noses, skin, and other openings in
organisms can take in materials.
Body parts are made of smaller parts. These smaller parts work together in
systems. A system is a group of parts that work together.
Bones and muscles form a system that supports your body and helps animals
move. Being able to move helps animals survive. Moving parts help animals get
food, escape from danger, and build or find homes. Different body parts
collect different information. Eyes get light information. Ears receive
sounds. The skin gets information from touch.
Some parts of animals take in materials to get energy. Animals take in food
and oxygen. Animals breathe gases in and out through lungs or gills. Most
large organisms also have liquid and solid wastes. Special systems in their
bodies get rid of these wastes.
~~
In this lesson you will learn how to classify animals.
Animals may be classified in many ways. They may be classified by where they
live, what they eat, or what they look like. Some animals have a backbone.
Animals with backbones are called vertebrates. Turtles, frogs, fish, birds
and cats are all vertebrates. Animals without backbones are called
invertebrates. Invertebrates include, worms, starfish, spiders and flies.
A fish lives its whole life in water. Like people, fish need oxygen to live.
Fish use their gills to get oxygen from water. The water enters the fish's
mouth, then moves through the gills behind the fish's head. The gills take in
oxygen, and the water passes out.
A fish is cold-blooded. Cold-blooded means that the body temperature changes
with the surrounding temperature. When a fish is in cold water its
temperature will drop. When a fish is in warm water its temperature will
rise.
An amphibian is also cold-blooded. It spends part of its life in water and
part on land. Frogs and salamanders are both amphibians.
A reptile lives on land and has a waterproof skin. Examples of reptiles
include lizards, turtles and snakes. A reptile is cold-blooded. Reptiles need
the sun to warm their bodies.
A bird has a beak, feathers, two wings, and two legs. Birds are the only
animals that have feathers. Feathers keep birds' bodies smooth so that they
can fly or swim easily.
A mammal is an animal with hair or fur. A female mammal feeds its young with
milk. Gorillas, whales, and cats are all examples of mammals. A mammal may
have thick or thin fur or just a few hairs. Dolphins and elephants have just
a few hairs. Mammals are warm-blooded. Their bodies stay at the same
temperature, even when it's very cold or very hot around them.
~~
Chapter 2: Animals
Science
Animals of the World:
Guess the mystery animal as you learn more about where in the world it lives.
http://www.kidscom.com/games/animal/animal.html
Science
Birds In Flight:
What makes a bird a bird? Find out here and learn how they fly.
http://wings.avkids.com/Book/Animals/intermediate/birds-01.html
Social Studies
Caribbean Conservation Corporation:
Did you know that sea turtles are found in the Caribbean? Visit this site to
see how sea turtles live.
http://www.cccturtle.org/
Social Studies
Florida Wildlife Extension:
Did you ever wonder about the types of frogs and toads found in Florida?
Visit this site to learn about the different types of frogs and toads found
in Florida.
http://www.wec.ufl.edu/extension/frogs/default.htm
Social Studies
African Animals:
What kinds of animals would you see on a safari? Visit this site to see the
kinds of animals that you might see.
http://www.ctap3.org/_lperry/africa/animals.htm
Social Studies
Our Wild Neighbors :
Learn how animals are specially adapted to life in Alaska by playing this
game.
http://www.nps.gov/aplic/forkids.htm
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In Chapter 1:
We will learn about how to tell living things from nonliving things.
An organism is a living thing. How can you tell an organism from a nonliving
thing? A living thing grows. It starts out small. Then it gets bigger.
Organisms also change as they grow.
The way a living thing changes during its life is called development. An oak
tree begins as an acorn. Then it grows to a young tree. Its branches and
trunk become thicker and stronger. The oak tree changes shape and color as
it develops.
Another feature of living things is that they make more of their own kind.
Reproduction is the way living things make more of their own kind. Plants
grow from seeds. Chicks hatch from eggs. Some animals, like puppies, are
born live.
All organisms live in an environment. An environment is made up of
everything that surrounds an organism, including the air, water, soil, and
even other organisms. An organism responds to its environment. To respond
means the way a living thing reacts to changes in its environment. The
leaves on trees respond to a change in environment by turning color in
autumn. Bears respond by sleeping in a cave in the winter.
Living things use their senses to gather information about their
environment. When living things share information by sending, receiving, and
responding to signals, they communicate. They use their senses of
sight,smell, hearing, and touch to collect information. Living things
communicate in different ways. Some birds sing to mark their territory or
area. Skunks sometimes spray a strong-smelling liquid to communicate.
********
We will learn about what organisms need to stay alive.
To live and grow, organisms need food, water, air, and a place to live. Food
gives an organism energy. Energy is the ability to do work. Different
organisms get food in different ways. Plants make their own food. Some
animals eat only plants. Some eat only animals. Some animals eat both plants
and animals. Other organisms, like mushrooms, get food from dead organisms.
Most organisms are made up mostly of water. Water has several important
jobs. It helps the body use food as fuel. It helps some animals stay cool.It
helps get rid of body wastes.
Most organisms need air because it contains oxygen. Oxygen is a gas that is
in air and water. Oxygen is an important gas. You can live for a few days
without food or water. However, you would die in just a few minutes without
oxygen. All your body parts need oxygen to live and grow. Plants and animals
also need oxygen to get the energy they need from food.
Some needs, like the need for food, are inner needs. Signals inside an
organism's body tell it what to do to respond to an inner need. When you are
hungry your brain tells you to eat.
All organisms need a place to live. Living things respond to changes in the
environment in different ways. Daylight signals some flowers to open. Bats
return to their caves to sleep. When the weather gets colder and the days
get shorter, some animals gather food for the winter. Geese and butterflies
migrate. To migrate means to move to another place. Bears and other animals
find places to hibernate. To hibernate means to rest or sleep through the
cold winter.
*********
We will learn about how plants grow and reproduce.
The stages in a plant's life cycle are similar to those in an animal's life
cycle. A plant begins life, grows and develops, reproduces, and dies.
A seed is a tiny capsule that contains a plant embryo. An embryo is a young
organism that is just beginning to grow. Each seed contains food for the
embryo to use as it grows.
Seeds germinate, or begin to grow. Seeds do not always germinate right away.
Seeds can wait for months, or even years, until the conditions are right for
growth. A seed needs light, water, nutrients, oxygen, and the right
temperature to germinate.
Most plants make seeds, like the pea plant. There are two main groups of
plants that reproduce by making seeds. Flowering plants are plants that
produce seeds after they produce flowers. Most plants in the world are
flowering plants. Conifers are trees that produce seeds inside of cones.
Flowers can have male parts and female parts. The female parts make eggs
that become seeds. The male part contains pollen. Pollen is a powder that is
needed by the egg to make seeds. To make seeds, pollen and eggs must come
together. The wind, insects, and birds bring pollen to eggs.
Pine trees have two kinds of cones: small pollen cones and large seed cones.
Wind blows pollen from the small cones to the large ones. When pollen
attaches to the large cone, a seed is made.
Plants can reproduce in other ways, too. A fern uses spores to reproduce.
Spores only need light, water, and nutrients to grow. Some plants can grow
from cuttings, which are pieces of the plant that have been cut off. A bulb
is an underground stem covered with leaves that can grow a new plant just
like the parent plant. A tuber is an underground stem that produces new
plants that are just like the parent plants.
Summaries taken from:
http://www.mhschool.com/science/2002/student/unitlist.php3?
vGrade=3&vAlt=Birds