In Chapter 10: Work and Machines
In this topic we will learn about how energy is used to do work.
Some actions are work. Other actions are not work. Scientists say that work
is done when a force moves an object. Picking up books or shaking a rattle
are examples of work. A pulling force from the hands moves the book up. The
shaking force of the arm moves the rattle back and forth. Pushing against a
wall is not work because there is no motion. The wall does not move.
To do work you need energy. Energy is the ability to do work. Energy exists
in different forms. Moving things, like a rock rolling down a hill, have
energy of motion.
Sometimes objects have the ability to move because of their position. A rock
that is on top of a hill is in a position to move. Energy that can cause an
object to move is called stored energy. Other forms of energy include heat,
light, sound, and electricity. Energy moves from place to place, and changes
from one form to another. If a wood block is rubbed with sandpaper, the block
will feel warmer. The energy of the moving sandpaper is changed to heat
energy.
When people talk about work, they usually mean a job that adults do. Whether
you have a job or not, you work every day. You work when you pedal a bike.
You work when you jump rope. You even work a little bit when you do your
homework.
***
In this topic we will learn about how pushes and pulls change the motion of
objects.
Some things are harder to push or pull than others. You might use a big push
to push your bike up a hill. A small pull might be needed to open a book. A
spring scale can be used to measure pulls. Spring scales measure in newtons.
A newton is the unit used to measure pushes and pulls.
A force is a push or a pull. A force can change the motion of an object. You
see examples of forces in your everyday life. You use a pulling force when
you put on your backpack. You use a pushing force when you open a door.
One force that is everywhere is the force of gravity. Gravity is the pulling
force between two objects. It attracts or pulls objects together. It pulls
everything on Earth. The force of gravity between two objects depends on two
things. It depends on how much matter makes up the objects and how close they
are to each other. The more matter there is in objects, and the closer the
objects are to each other, the stronger the force of gravity between them
will be. Things fall to Earth because they are pulled by Earth's gravity. The
pull between Earth and other objects is very strong.
Some objects are heavy. Others are light. You can measure how heavy or light
something is by measuring its weight. Weight is the pull of gravity on an
object. Objects that weigh more have more matter in them. The more matter
there is in an object, the greater the pull of gravity is on that object.
Scientists measure weight in newtons. People in the United States measure
weight in pounds. A pound is the unit used to measure forces (such as weight)
in the English system of measurement. A newton is the unit of force in the
metric system.
***
In this topic we will learn about how other simple machines make work easier.
A ramp is an example of an inclined plane. An inclined plane is a flat
surface that is raised at one end. An inclined plane makes work easier. Going
up a hill, you have two paths. The path that goes straight up is shorter.
However, it takes more effort. The ramp is a longer distance, but it takes
less effort.
A wedge is another simple machine. A wedge is made of two inclined planes
placed back to back. A wedge uses force to raise an object up or split
objects apart. The sideways force of a wedge splits wood apart. A plow is
another example of a wedge. As the plow is dragged through the soil, it cuts
through the ground. The soil is moved aside.
Another simple machine is a screw. A screw is an inclined plane wrapped into
a spiral. The ridges of a screw are called threads. It takes less force to
turn a screw than to pound a nail. That is because a screw is moving a longer
distance. When you turn the head of a screw once, the spiral travels a long
way. The longer the distance, the less force you need to do work.
You can make work easier by using a compound machine. You make a compound
machine by putting two or more simple machines together. A pair of scissors
is a compound machine. Part of the scissors is a lever. The other part is a
wedge. A water faucet is a compound machine made of a wheel and axle and a
screw.
In Chapter 9: How things move
In this topic we will learn about different types of movement.
A moving object changes its position. Position is the location of an object.
Everything has a position. Your nose has a position in the middle of your
face. A race car has a position at the starting line. Some positions change.
A race car moves from the starting line to the finish line. Other positions
don't change. Your nose stays in the middle of your face.
When an object changes position it is in motion. Motion is a change of
position. Some motions are hard to see. A kicked ball may look like a blur. A
snail moves so slowly that it doesn't seem to be moving.
Some things move faster than others. Things that move faster have a greater
speed. Speed is how fast an object moves. You can judge an object's speed by
how quickly it changes position. A fast-moving object changes position
quickly. A slow-moving object takes longer to change position.
How is speed measured? You must measure two things: time and distance. Fast-
moving objects go long distances in a short period of time. Slow-moving
objects take longer to travel the same distance.
***
Forces and Motion
Forces
In this topic, we will learn about how forces affect the motion of an object.
When an object that was at rest starts to move, a change in motion occurs. A
change in motion also occurs when a moving object speeds up, slows down,
changes direction, or stops. A change in an object's motion is the result of
all the forces acting on the object.
Think of what happens when you get off a seesaw. The forces suddenly become
unbalanced, and the seesaw moves.
Unbalanced forces also create a change of motion in a tug-of-war. When both
sides pull equally, the forces balance, and nothing moves. If one side begins
to pull harder, the forces become unbalanced, resulting in a change in the
rope's position.
Think about a ball rolling on the floor. Over time, the ball slows down, so a
force must be acting on the ball. The force that slows down the ball is
friction. Friction is a force that occurs when one object rubs against
another object. In this case, friction occurs when the ball rubs on the
floor.
Different materials produce different amounts of friction. Rough materials
produce a lot of friction. Most smooth materials produce less friction.
However, other materials, such as rubber, are smooth but still produce a lot
of friction.
When you ride a bike, friction against the tires slows the bike down even if
you are riding on a smooth sidewalk. You have to keep pedaling to keep the
bike moving. How do brakes stop a bike's motion? The brake pad squeezes
against the rim of the wheel, causing friction. The wheel slows down, and
eventually, the bike stops.
***
In this lesson, we will learn how sound travels through matter.
If you want to make a sound, you need to make something move. Try placing
your hand to your throat while speaking. You can feel something moving
inside. Sounds are made when an object vibrates, or moves back and forth
quickly.
When you pluck a guitar string, you might see it vibrate. Other times, it may
vibrate so fast that you won't see it move. When a guitar string vibrates, it
makes the air around it vibrate, too. Particles in the air also move back and
forth quickly. This allows the sound to move through the air. You hear the
sound when the air's back-and-forth motion reaches your ear. Without air, you
would not hear sound. Sound can move through solids, liquids, and gases.
A sound's pitch is how high or low it is. Length can sometimes cause a change
in pitch: shorter strings vibrate faster than longer ones. The faster a
string vibrates, the higher the sound's pitch. By tapping a piano's keyboard,
you can hear very low- or very high-pitched sounds.
Volume is how loud or soft a sound is. Making loud sounds takes more energy
than making soft sounds. For example, a whisper uses less energy than a yell.
How are you able to hear sound? A sound takes less than a second to travel
across a room to your ear. Then, the sound must pass through your ear to your
brain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Chapter 8: Earth and Space
In this topic we will learn about how Earth moves.
Every day, the Sun appears to come up and go down. However, the Sun does not
move past Earth. Instead, Earth turns, or rotates. As Earth rotates,
different parts of Earth move through the Sun's light and then out of the
light. This causes day and night. One complete rotation takes 24 hours.
Earth rotates on an imaginary line called an axis. The North Pole is at one
end of the axis. The South Pole is at the other end. Earth's axis is tilted,
not straight up and down.
Earth also revolves, or moves in a circular path, around the Sun. The path
that Earth follows around the Sun is its orbit. It takes 365 days for Earth
to travel around the Sun.
Because Earth's axis is tilted, the North Pole and South Pole usually do not
receive the same amount of sunlight at the same time. This causes the
seasons. When the North Pole is tilted toward the Sun, the Sun's rays strike
that part of Earth directly. When this happens, it is summer in the northern
part of Earth. When the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun, the Sun's
rays do not strike that part of Earth as directly. When this happens, it is
winter in the northern part of Earth.
In summer, your part of Earth is tilted toward the Sun. This makes the Sun
appear high in the sky. In winter, the Sun appears lower in the sky.
**********
In this topic we will learn about the appearance and features of the Moon.
The Moon is a satellite of Earth. A satellite is anything that orbits another
larger object in space. As the Moon orbits around Earth, it seems to change
shape. The shape of the Moon does not really change. The amount of the Moon
that can be seen changes. As the Moon orbits Earth, one side is always lit.
As the Moon changes position, different parts of its lighted side are seen
from Earth. The changing view of the Moon is called the Moon's phases. The
Moon passes through all of its different phases once about every 29 days.
During the new moon, none of the lighted side of the Moon faces Earth, so we
do not see the Moon. In the first quarter phase, we can see half of the
lighted side, or one-fourth of the Moon. In the full moon phase, we see all
of the lighted side of the Moon. In the last quarter phase, we see half of
the lighted side, or one-fourth of the Moon.
The surface of the Moon is covered with a layer of dust. There are mountains
and craters. A crater is a hollow area, or pit, in the ground. Most of the
Moon's craters were made when chunks of rock or metal from space hit the
surface of the Moon. The Moon does not give off any light of its own. It
reflects light from the Sun. The Moon is both very hot and very cold. The
side of the Moon facing the Sun is hotter than any place on Earth. On the
side facing away from the Sun, it is much colder than any place on Earth.
Both Earth and the Moon rotate and revolve. They also both reflect light from
the Sun. Earth is bigger than the Moon. Earth also has more gravity than the
Moon has. Earth has air and liquid water. The Moon does not have either of
these things, so scientists believe that there is no life on the Moon.
*********
In this topic we will learn about the features of the Sun.
The Sun is a star. A star is a hot glowing sphere of gases that gives off
energy. Earth receives the Sun's energy in the form of heat and light. The
Sun is a medium-sized star. It looks much larger than other stars because it
is so close to Earth.
The Sun has a lot of mass. Since the Sun is so massive, the pull of its
gravity is strong. The Sun's gravity pulls on Earth and the other planets. A
planet is a satellite of the Sun. The Sun's gravity pulls the planets toward
the Sun. The planets' motion keeps them from falling into the Sun.
The Sun is millions of times hotter than the hottest place on Earth. The
light from the Sun is very bright, so you should never look directly at the
Sun. Some places on the Sun are cooler than the rest of the Sun. These places
are dark areas on the Sun's surface called sunspots. Sunspots are not
permanent. Sometimes there are many sunspots. Sometimes there are fewer
sunspots. Around the Sun there is a layer of gases called the corona. You can
see the corona during a total solar eclipse.
Coal, oil, and gas are fuels that contain energy from the Sun. A fuel is
something that is burned to provide heat or power. These fuels were formed
from plants and animals that lived long ago. These plants and animals used
the Sun's energy, just as living things use it today. When we burn these
fuels today, we are using stored energy that originally came from the Sun.
Sometimes there are storms on the Sun. Gases explode and give off a lot of
energy. Loops of gas can move above the Sun's surface and into the corona.
These loops are called prominences.
Without the Sun, there would be no life on Earth.
**********
We will also be creating a power point presentation on the constellations.
Each group will research and summarize how their constellation came to be.
They will then create their constellation with their bodies. Children are
grouped as follows:
Andromeda (the chained Princess): Cristina, Jyl
Aquila (the eagle): Jonathan, Jesse
Bootes (the herdsman): Spencer, Nick G.
Cassiopeia (the queen): Rita, Keilei
Corona Borealis (the crown): Geoffrey, Nicholas P.
Cygnus (the swan): Juliana, Lizzie, Katherine
Corvus (the crow): Maya, Nicole
Draco (the dragon): Fabrizio, JD
Gemini (the twins): Alexandra, Cassie
Leo (the lion): Sean, Tommy
Lyra (the harp): Cece, Brooke
Orion (the hunter): AJ, Cris
Pegaus (the winged horse): Jacqueline, Emily S.
Sagittarius (the archer): Marco, Matthew
Taurus (the bull): Ashley, Emily W.
Important Links:
Science
A Change of Seasons:
Learn what causes the seasons and when the longest and shortest days of the
year are!
http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/News/1999/News-equinox.asp
Science
International Women’s Air and Space Museum:
There are many women astronauts from all over the world that have been a big
part of their country’s space program. Read about them on this web site.
http://www.iwasm.org/airspace/women.htm
Science
NASA Kids: The Moon:
How do you know when there will be a full moon? Learn about the phases of the
Moon by clicking on the "-" and "=" signs to see what the Moon looked like
days ago, and what it will look like in days to come!
http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/Earth/Moon/Moon.asp
Science
The Satellite Site:
Do you know what a satellite does? Check out the links on this site to see
how a satellite works.
http://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/online/satellite/
Science
The Times Looks Back: Sputnik:
Have you ever heard of Sputnik? Check out this site to learn about it.
http://www.nytimes.com/partners/aol/special/sputnik/
Science
Discover Our Solar System:
Can you name all the planets in our solar system? Click on your age range to
learn more.
http://www.smplanet.com/planets/planetintro.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Chapter 7:
The Weather
We will learn about the weather's air temperature, air pressure, and wind.
Air is all around you. Air surrounds the entire Earth. The air that
surrounds Earth is called the atmosphere. The atmosphere is made up of
different gases and dust. Some of the dust comes from fires and volcanoes on
Earth. Earth's atmosphere is made up of layers. The layer closest to the
surface of Earth is called the troposphere. All life on Earth exists here.
Weather takes place on the troposphere. Weather is what the air is like at a
given time and place. The sun heats the air on a hot summer day. It feels
hot. The it is the air. Temperature is a measure of how hot or cold
something is. Air temperature is always changing. It is usually warmer
during the day than at night. The sun heats Earth and the air. You can use a
thermometer to measure temperature. Places near Earth's North and South
Poles do not get as much sunlight as places near the equator. The sun stays
low in the sky near the poles. The weight of the atmosphere presses on you
all the time. It presses on everything on Earth. The pressing down force of
the air on Earth is called air pressure. Your body is used to air pressure.
You don't even notice it most of the time. If you were to climb a mountain,
however, your ears would "pop." This pop is caused by a change in air
pressure pushing on your eardrum. You may also feel your ears pop on an
elevator or airplane. Air moves from an area of high pressure to an area of
lower pressure. This moving air is called wind. Large bodies of air are
called air masses. The place where different masses of air meet is where
most weather changes happen. Here it may be cloudy or rainy or stormy.
We will learn the water cycle is the path water follows on Earth. Everything
around you is made up of matter. Air, water, and books are all made of
matter. Matter can be found in three different forms--solid, liquid, and
gas. A solid has a definite shape. A book is an example of a solid. A liquid
takes the shape of its container. Water in a cup is a liquid. A gas spreads
out to fill the container that holds it. The air inside a balloon spreads
out to fill the entire balloon. Water is a type of matter that can be a
solid, a liquid, or a gas. After it rains, there are puddles in the street.
The next day they are gone. The water went into the air above. It changes
from a liquid into a gas. This gas is water vapor. The changing of a liquid
into a gas is called evaporation. Sometimes water droplets form inside of a
window. These water droplets do not come from the rain. They come from the
air itself. When water vapor in the air cools, it changes back into liquid
water. The change of a gas into a liquid is called condensation. Animals and
plants use water every day to survive. They get the water from one or more
parts of the water cycle. The water cycle is the never-ending path water
takes between Earth and the atmosphere. Water evaporates into the air,
condenses into clouds, and returns to Earth as precipitation. Precipitation
is water that returns to Earth from the atmosphere. It can be in the form of
rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
We will learn how temperature, air pressure, and wind speed are measured.
When scientists describe weather they measure temperature, air pressure, and
amount of precipitation. They also measure the speed and direction of the
wind. Described below are the main weather instruments and what they
measure. A thermometer is used to measure the temperature of the air. Indoor-
outdoor thermometers give the air temperature both inside the house and
outside at the same time. A barometer measures air pressure. A rising
barometer usually means fair weather is coming. A falling barometer reading
usually means precipitation is on its way. The amount of rainfall can be
measured. A rain gauge measures how much precipitation has fallen. A weather
vane indicates the direction of the wind. The arrowhead tells you where the
wind is coming from. An anemometer measures how fast the air is moving. It
gives you the winds speed. Scientists gather data about the weather. They
use symbols to show the data on a large weather map. Scientists then share
this information with others and make forecasts. A weather map may show you
cloud cover, temperature, and other current weather conditions.
Chapter Links
Chapter 7: Earth's Water
Science
NASA Earth Science Enterprise:
Explore the Earth�s air, land, and water through this site by NASA.
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/
Science
Clouds and Particles:
Did you ever wonder what the different kinds of clouds are? Find their names
and pictures here.
http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/u7.html
Science
Franklin Institute Online: Make Your Own Weather Station:
Learn how to make your own weather station from this site. Make sure to get
help from your teacher or another adult!
http://www.fi.edu/weather/todo/todo.html
Science
Web Weather for Kids:
Do you ever think about why we have thunderstorms? Find out how a
thunderstorm builds and why lightening happens from this site!
http://www.ucar.edu/40th/webweather/
Science
PBS Online: Savage Seas:
How does weather effect the seas? Check out this site to learn how!
http://www.thirteen.org/savageseas/weather-main.html
Social Studies
Mission: Biomes:
Find out what it would be like to live in a completely different climate.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Laboratory/Biome/
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.
Want to lean more? Check out these exciting sites. (Note: You will need to
copy and paste.)
Science
How a Stream Becomes a River:
Learn how a tiny stream forms and grows into a mighty river.
http://mbgnet.mobot.org/fresh/rivers/how.htm
Science
Landforms:
Explore the landforms of Earth with pictures and descriptions.
http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/landforms.htm
Science
What's a Water Gap?:
What happens when a river turns around? Learn how the Delaware Water Gap
formed.
http://www.nps.gov/dewa/Kids/MJH/kidGEOLO.html
Science
Exotic Images & Sounds: Glacier Bay, Alaska:
What does a glacier look like? Check out the photos on this site to see for
yourself.
http://www.webcorp.com/images/alaskaimages.htm
Science
The Glacier Story:
Do you want to know more about glaciers? Check out The Glacier Story to know
more!
http://nsidc.org/glaciers/story/page1.html
Science
Oceans Alive:
How many oceans are there in the world? Find out on this site and learn more
about them!
http://www.mos.org/oceans/planet/profiles.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
We 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.
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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
