Anchorage School District
District
|
Grade/Semester |
Semester Science Content |
Focus |
| K Fall | Patterns: Observe, record and analyze patterns observed in local weather and plant life throughout the Alaskan seasons. The needs of living things are explored through the investigation of the plant life cycle. | Scientific Inquiry |
| K Spring | Forces & Motion: Investigate the basic interactions of forces that result in motion through pushes, pulls, collisions and ramps and design a machine that uses pushes and pulls to perform a given task. | Engineering Design |
| 1st Fall | Alaskan Animals: Investigate how the characteristics of Alaskan animals can be very different and have adapted to allow for survival in specific Alaskan ecosystems with particular conditions. | Engineering Design |
| 1st Spring | Light, Sound & Coding: Explore and record how sound and light waves travel through different substances and how waves are used to communicate. Introduction to computer science and coding. | Scientific Inquiry |
| 2nd Fall | Properties of Matter: Collect data to classify materials by their characteristics and investigate physical changes of material and the different suitability of different materials for different purposes. | Scientific Inquiry |
| 2nd Spring | Earth Systems: Model and record the interactions of the moon, Earth and sun and the fast and slow land changes that impact Alaska (earthquakes, volcanoes, glaciers, weathering, erosion). | Engineering Design |
| 3rd Fall | Observing Seasonal Variation: Conduct weather observations, model the water cycle, explore cloud formation and identification, and observe how trees interact with their environment. | Engineering Design |
| 3rd Spring | Analyzing Seasonal Variation: Identify and analyze patterns in weather, explore the factors that result in Alaskan weather and climate, and investigate how heat energy is transferred. | Scientific Inquiry |
| 4th Fall | Energy & Computer Science: Investigate the forms that energy can take; create series and parallel circuits, and design a circuit-based application; create numbers, letters and images using binary code. | Engineering Design |
| 4th Spring | Interdependence: Model the interactions of Earth systems, focusing on the movement of water and soil through Alaskan watersheds and the interconnectedness of organisms within these ecosystems. | Scientific Inquiry |
| 5th Fall | Dynamic Earth: Explore and model Earth's spheres and the processes that impact the geosphere (plate tectonics, weathering and erosion); analyze earthquake and volcano data and design a structure to limit damage from these events. | Scientific Inquiry |
| 5th Spring | Space Science: Investigate the forces that affect the movements of objects, focusing on unbalanced forces and the patterns caused by these forces; design space technology using this understanding. |
Engineering Design |
| 6th Fall | Ecosystems: Explore the interactions that occur in Alaskan ecosystems and investigate the biotic and abiotic interactions of ecosystems by creating and monitoring a bottle-based ecosystem model. | Scientific Inquiry |
| 6th Spring | Energy: Investigate energy forms and conversions, explore alternate energy resources and design sustainable energy solutions that rely on energy transformations. | Engineering Design |