CENTERVILLE ISD

5th Grade Science

I would encourage all 5th grade parents to read the grade 5 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science located at the following web page: TEKS   http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter112/ch112a.html

Basics of what we will study: 

Physical Science -  In the area of physical science students concentrate first on Matter and Energy, and then on Force, Motion, and Energy. In "Matter and Energy" students learn that matter has measurable physical properties and that those properties determine how matter is classified, changed, and used. Students will classify matter based on physical properties including mass, magnetism, physical state (solid, liquid, gas), relative density (sinking and floating), solubility in water, and the ability to conduct or insulate thermal energy and electric energy. Students must be able to identify the boiling and freezing points of water on the Celsius scale, and must be able to demonstrate that some mixtures maintain the physical properties of their ingredients. 

In "Force and Energy" students learn that energy occurs in many forms and can be observed in cycles, patterns, and systems. Students explore the uses of energy, including mechanical, light, thermal, electrical, and sound energy. Students learn that the flow of electricity in circuits requires a complete path through which an electric current can pass and produce light, heat and sound. Students also learn that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object or travels through one medium to another, and that light can be refracted or reflected. Students must also design an experiment that tests the effect of force on an object. 

Earth and Space - In this section students learn that the Earth's surface is constantly changing and the Earth has useful resources. Student explore the processes that led to the formation of sedimentary rocks and fossil fuels. They recognize how landforms such as deltas, canyons, and sand dunes are the result of changes to Earth's surface by wind, water, and ice. They identify alternative resources such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biofuels. They must also identify fossils as evidence of past living organisms and the nature of the environments at the time.  The student must also knowthat that there are recognizable patterns in the natural world and among the Sun, Earth, and Moon system. Students are expected to differentiate between weather and climate. The student must explain how the Sun and the ocean interact in the water cycle. Students also need to understand that the Earth rotates on its axis once know that every 24 hours causing the day/night cycle. We also explore how the Sun seems to move across the sky and what is really happening in this situation. The last thing we do in this section is to identify and compare the physical characteristics of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

Life Science - The students observe the way organisms live and survive in their ecosystem by interacting with living and non-living things. Students study how energy from the Sun is used by producers to make their own food, and how that energy is transferred through a food chain and food web to consumers and decomposers. The students also try to predict changes to ecosystems by the actions of nature and man. The students study the significance of the carbon-dioxide cycle to the survival of plants and animals. We then study the actual structures and life processes and how they help an organism survive in its environment. The students will compare the structures and functions of different species that help them live and survive such as hooves, webbed feet, beaks, and fur. The students differentiate between inherited traits of plants and animals such as spines on a cactus or the shape of a beak and learned behaviors such as an animal learning tricks or a child riding a bike. And the last thing we study in this section is the difference between complete and incomplete metamorphosis of insects.