SKILL-BUILDING SCIENCE

Transcription

1 SKILLS FOR SUCCESS SKILL-BUILDING SCIENCE Grades 3-4 by Pablo Aguerre Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc. Greensboro, North Carolina

2 CREDITS Dedication To my beautiful wife Liz. Thank you for being my soft place to land! Editor: Matthew Fisher Layout Design: Van Harris Inside Illustrations: Jenny Campbell Cover Design: Matthew Van Zomeren PHOTO CREDITS: Comstock, Inc. Photodisc Photo courtesy of NASA This book has been correlated to state, national, and Canadian provincial standards. Visit to search for and view its correlations to your standards. 2006, Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc., Greensboro, North Carolina The purchase of this material entitles the buyer to reproduce worksheets and activities for classroom use only not for commercial resale. Reproduction of these materials for an entire school or district is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced (except as noted above), stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (mechanically, electronically, recording, etc.) without the prior written consent of Carson-Dellosa Publishing Co., Inc. Printed in the USA All rights reserved. ISBN

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Skill-Building Science Introduction... 5 A Guide to Experimental Design... 6 Experimental Design Student Worksheets...10 Graphing Worksheet...14 PHYSICAL SCIENCE Teacher Tips...15 Position and Motion of Objects Science Skills: Estimating and Measuring Length...17 Just the Facts: Forces Vocabulary...18 Balloon Rockets Sample Experiment...19 Experimental Design: Balloon Rockets Rocket Design Rockets and Our Everyday Lives Meet Daniela Bennett...24 Would You Go into Outer Space?...25 Just the Facts: Simple Machines Life without Simple Machines...27 Light, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism Science Skills: Reading a Thermometer Just the Facts: Fahrenheit vs. Celsius Science Skills: Working with Thermometers...31 Color and Heat Sample Experiment Experimental Design: Color and Heat Keeping in the Heat The Trouble with Insulators...37 Meet Tommy Cleveland House Advertisement Properties of Objects and Materials Science Skills: Creating a Bar Graph Science Skills: Gooey Glue Ball...41 Gooey Glue Slime Sample Experiment...42 Experimental Design: Gooey Glue Slime Thank You, Mr. Goodyear! Meet Allen Wiener Just the Facts: Matter of Facts Just the Facts: Solids, Liquids, and Gases...47 Comparing States of Matter Just the Facts: Mixtures and Solutions Bursting Bubbles Sample Experiment Experimental Design: Bursting Bubbles...51 Bubble Blower Challenge...52 EARTH SCIENCE Teacher Tips Properties of Earth Materials Science Skills: Estimating and Measuring Mass Volume and Mass Sample Experiment Experimental Design: Volume and Mass...57 The Strongest Earth Materials Water Is Essential Just the Facts: Rocks and Minerals Just the Facts: Earth s Layers Meet John Rihs Trip to the Center of Earth...67 Changes in Earth and Sky Just the Facts: Cloud Types Science Skills: Cloud in a Bottle Meet Carl Bowman...70 Rain Gauge...71 Streamer Wind Vane...72 Basic Barometer...73 Tracking Local Weather...75 Morning Weather Report...76 Modeling Erosion Sample Experiment Experimental Design: Modeling Erosion Engineering Design: Controlling Erosion...79 Carson-Dellosa CD

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Objects in the Sky Science Skills: Modeling Moon Shadows Just the Facts: Phases of the Moon Moon Observations Sample Experiment Experimental Design: Moon Observations Future Space Vehicles Meet Dr. Steve Danford Just the Facts: Out of This World Message in a Space Bottle Where Would You Explore? LIFE SCIENCE Teacher Tips characteristics of Organisms Science Skills: Reading Line Graphs Just the Facts: Can You Do This? Animal Adaptations Sample Experiment Experimental Design: Animal Adaptations Building with Your Beak Saving the World s Whales Just the Facts: Animal Kingdom: Vertebrates Just the Facts: Animal Kingdom: Invertebrates Comparing Animal Groups Meet Leonardo Bencomo Plant Height Challenge Meet Cheryl Baker Creating a New Organism Organisms and Environments Science Skills: Making Inferences Hiding in Colors Sample Experiment Experimental Design: Hiding in Colors Designing Camouflage Just the Facts: Food Chains Meet Elaine Leslie Crossing Roads Just the Facts: Comparing Habitats Habitat Haiku Just the Facts: Habitat Presentation answer key Life Cycles of Organisms Science Skills: Metamorphosis Just the Facts: Salmon Life Cycle Story of a Life Cycle Growing with Light Sample Experiment Experimental Design: Growing with Light Carson-Dellosa CD Skill-Building Science

5 NAME DATE ESTIMATING AND MEASURING LENGTH Length is a measurement of the distance between two points. Scientists measure length in metric units called meters (m) and centimeters (cm). When you estimate the length of an object, you are making your best guess. Materials: classroom objects (books, desks, doorways, etc.) meterstick Procedure SCIENCE SKILLS PHYSICAL SCIENCE 1. List four items found around the classroom (book, desk, doorway, etc.). 2. Estimate the lengths of the objects in centimeters (cm) or meters (m). Record the estimates on the data table below. 3. Use a meterstick to measure the actual lengths of the objects. Record the measurements on the data table. 4. Subtract the smaller number from the larger number to find the difference between your estimates and the actual lengths. Record the difference in the last column of the data table. Data Table: Remember to label each measurement with the units you used. Object Estimate of Length Actual Length Difference Conclusions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. 1. When would it be helpful to estimate the length of an object? 2. When would it be helpful to measure the length of an object? Skill-Building Science Carson-Dellosa CD

6 PHYSICAL SCIENCE NAME DATE Write each letter in the correct blank to match each word with its correct definition. Use a dictionary, a science book, or the Internet to complete this activity. 1. position 2. motion 3. force 4. acceleration 5. gravity JUST THE FACTS FORCES VOCABULARY a. occurs when an object speeds up b. pushing or pulling c. a measurement of how much gravity is pulling on an object d. occurs when an object is moving from one place to another 6. weight 7. friction e. occurs when objects rub against each other f. where something or someone is located g. a force that pulls all objects toward each other 18 Carson-Dellosa CD Skill-Building Science

7 BALLOON ROCKETS SAMPLE EXPERIMENT Question: How does the amount of gas released from an object affect its movement? HYPOTHESIS: If the amount of gas released from an object affects its movement, then the release of more gas will result in more movement of the object. Variables, CONTROL, and Constants: Independent variable: Amount of air blown into the balloon Dependent variable: The distance the balloon rocket travels on the fishing line Control: A fully inflated balloon Constants: Variables that must remain the same type/size of balloon type/length of fishing line type/size of drinking straw height/angle of fishing line design of balloon rocket type of measurement tool type/length of yarn used for measuring method of measurement MATERIALS: plastic drinking straw 12" (30.5 cm) balloon 48" (121.9 cm) piece of yarn permanent marker 30' (9.14 m) piece of fishing line masking tape meterstick small binder clip Procedure 1. Fully inflate the balloon and twist it closed. Attach a binder clip to the balloon to prevent it from deflating. To find the circumference of the inflated balloon, wrap the yarn around the center of the balloon. Place your finger on the yarn to mark the distance around the balloon. Carefully transfer this length of yarn to the meterstick. Record the length of the yarn on the data table. Divide this measurement into fourths. Record these lengths on the data table. Wrap small pieces of masking tape at each of these lengths on the yarn. Use a permanent marker to label each measurement on the masking tape. (These measurements will serve as the independent variables.) For example, if a fully inflated balloon has a circumference of 36" (91.4 cm), then one-fourth of the circumference is 9" (22.9 cm). A 9" (22.9 cm) length of yarn can be wrapped around the circumference of a balloon that is one-fourth inflated. 2. Fully inflate the balloon and carefully tape it to the plastic drinking straw. Slowly release the air from the balloon. Then, thread the fishing line through the straw. 3. Secure one end of the fishing line tightly to the wall at about shoulder height. Stretch the fishing line to another wall, make sure that the line is taut, and secure the end tightly. 4. Using the labeled yarn to measure, inflate the balloon until it is one-fourth full. Twist the balloon so that the air does not escape. 5. Release the balloon. Use the meterstick to measure the distance in centimeters that the balloon rocket travels. 6. Record the distance on the data table and repeat steps 4 5 two more times. 7. Find the average distance traveled. Record it on the data table. 8. Repeat steps 4 7 for each amount of air (one-half, three-fourths, and fully inflated). Skill-Building Science Carson-Dellosa CD

8 PHYSICAL SCIENCE NAME EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN DATE BALLOON ROCKETS Forces can cause an object to move, stop it from moving, or change its direction. Scientists use this fact to propel rockets into space. When a rocket lifts off, it releases gas out of its engine, forcing it to push forward and up into the atmosphere. This happens when the rocket is flying through space, too. When the gases come out of engines in the back of a rocket, this causes the rocket to move forward. Task: Design an experiment to determine how the amount of air in a balloon affects the distance that a balloon rocket travels. Complete the worksheets (pages 10 14) as you design and perform your Balloon Rockets experiment. hints hypothesis: Think about what you already know about how the amount of air in a balloon affects the distance that it will travel when released. variables, CONTROL, AND CONSTANTS: What will you test? What will change as a result of the independent variable? To which trial will you compare all of the results? Which parts of the experiment must stay the same? GRAPH: Create a graph that shows a picture of the data you collected in this experiment. Remember to label both axes and give the graph an appropriate title. 20 Carson-Dellosa CD Skill-Building Science