Kara's Corner

Everything you need to teach a unit on the weather and climate! Topics include: air masses, fronts, air pressure, climate, properties that make weather, the instruments that measure weather, and what makes the wind blow. Teacher and student outlines (I have students fill out their outlines as we work through the material.), activities galore, a multiple choice test with answer key and an extended response question. Information outlined comes from the 2002 Science textbook of Macmillan/ McG

Matter Matters! This unit includes a teacher and student outline, lots of high interest experiments, and an extended response. Topics include: * mass vs weight * properties of matter * 3 states of matter * Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! * elements * mixtures vs compounds * physical vs chemical changes Information outlined comes from the 2002 Science textbook of Macmillan/ McGraw and Hill.

Everything you need to teach the concepts of sound and light! I've organized this unit by presenting the core content then supplying activities that go with each standard. Two extended response questions and a final test with an answer key are also included. Sound topics: * how it's made * how it travels * how it moves through the different states of matter * pitch and frequency Light topics: * how it travels * transparent, translucent, opaque * shadows * reflection and refraction Informatio

After students have researched their topic, it's time to get organized! This outline is for a 5 paragraph essay: introductory paragraph, three paragraphs in the body, and the conclusion. Each paragraph in the body requires a subheading, topic sentence, and supporting sentences. I also ask students in each section of the body if they will be using a text feature. Finally, students list their references.

This all inclusive unit includes a teacher's and a student's outline, a quiz on seasons, activities to do with the unit and a test. Topics covered: * what rotation and revolution mean to Earth * what causes seasons * why we have moon phases and what they are Outlined information comes from the 2002 Science textbook of Macmillan/ McGraw and Hill.

Teaching about animal adaptations - physical traits and behaviors is a fun standard in 4th grade science. This is one activity my kids love to do! Set out posters of animals, books on animals (you can even use your reading series textbook and find informational text on animals), pull up websites on animals, and have turtle shells, a rack of antlers, etc. and even stuffed animals setting out. Rotate groups of students around the different places so they can read about / investigate animals and

Ideas to go with the study of slow and fast changes to Earth's surface. Includes experiments, a song, videos, and other suggestions to liven up this area of study.

This is an outline of the ways to measure matter including mass, length, area, volume, weight, and density. Under density is a demonstration experiment. Also included is a lab where students use a pan balance, ruler, scale, and graduated cylinder to find the measurements of common items. Information outlined comes from the 2002 Science textbook of Macmillan/ McGraw and Hill.

This unit includes an outline of content, activities, computer web sites, a song, an invitation to a Producer Party, an ERQ (extended response question), and a test with an answer key. Topics include: * structures and functions of roots, stems, petals, sepals, leaves, and flowers * types of roots * parts of stem, leaves, flowers, and seeds * photosynthesis * how flowering plants reproduce * the life cycle of a flowering plant * germination of a seed * how seeds travel * dormancy in dec

A great tool to use to introduce, teach, or review weather! Concepts include: * layers of the atmosphere * what makes weather? (humidity, temperature, air pressure, and wind) * air masses * fronts (warm, cold, and stationary) * reading a weather map * weather vs climate * what affects climate

Everything you need to teach a unit on Ecosystems! There are content pages, activities galore, and a brief assessment that includes an answer key. Topics include: * 9 basic ecosystems * what makes ecosystems different from each other? * producers, consumers, and decomposers * food chains and food webs * what can affect food chains and food webs? Activities include: * making a paper chain food chain * writing an ecosystem acrostic * singing a song * research opportunities * and more! Informat

Everything you need to get your electricity unit on the right circuit! An outline of content, activities, a quiz, and an extended response on electricity included! Current Electricity content: * open and closed circuits * conductors and insulators * series and parallel circuits Magnet content: * attract and repel * electromagnets * how electricity is made Information outlined comes from the 2002 Science textbook from Macmillan / McGraw-Hill.

This tri-fold goes along with the JOURNEYS series (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2012 edition) Targeted skills are assessed: * the lesson vocabulary * grammar skills: simple subject and simple predicate * comprehension skill: summarizing May be used as center work, homework, or as a summative assessment.

This multiple choice test includes the following concepts: * transparent, translucent, opaque * through which state of matter does sound travel the fastest * how sound and light travel * pitch and frequency * reflection, refraction, and absorption This test is INCLUDED in my Sound and Light Complete Unit!

This is a fun, one session group activity, that reviews physical and chemical changes, categorizing them, and then writing a poem or song about the changes. This activity is included in my MATTER unit!

A simple graphic organizer to help your students identify three natural resources, if they are renewable or nonrenewable, and their uses. Can be used in conjunction with finding the information on their own or as an assessment.

A great tool to use while teaching, as an assignment, or as an assessment! Students are asked to categorize the sources of energy (biomass, hydropower, geothermal, wind, solar, petroleum, natural gas, coal, uranium, and propane) as renewable or non-renewable and determine if they are kinetic or potential forms of energy. Answer key included!

This evaluative tool is based on the story "My Brother Martin" from the JOURNEYS series ( Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2012 edition). Targeted skills assessed: * lesson vocabulary * grammar skills: prefixes, complete subjects and complete predicates * comprehension skills: author's purpose, compare and contrast This may be used as center work, homework, or as a formative assessment.

A solid component to your unit on Animals! Includes a teacher outline, student outline, Jeopardy Game with answers, and a test with answers. I outlined the information from Chapters 3 and 4 from the 2002 Science textbook of Macmillan/ McGraw and Hill. However, you don't need the textbook. Use the outline as a springboard to supplement as you choose. For the Jeopardy game, I simply write the categories and the points on the board. I use a deck of cards to get my students into groups. The J

An effective and versatile tool to use as you're teaching this content, as an assignment, or as an assessment!