Based on the Next Generation Science Standards, and looked at through the lens of Sustainability, here are the units taught in third and fourth grade (over the course of two years).  As our district continues to develop NGSS-aligned units, some of these will shift.

'17-'18 School Year

• (FALL) Heredity Traits and Variations (Plants and Animals)
• (FALL) Biological Evolution
• (WINTER) Force and Motion
• (SPRING) Geology/Earth's Systems (changes in landscape over time)
• (ALL YEAR) Earth and Human Activity (our impact, natural resources, etc.) - taught both years

'18-'19 School Year

• (FALL) Weather
• (WINTER)Energy and Matter
• (WINTER) Wave Properties
• (SPRING) Molecules to Organisms (structures and processes)
• (ALL YEAR) Earth and Human Activity (our impact, natural resources, etc.) - taught both years

The Stargazers studied life cycles and inherited traits in the fall.  Students grew plants and recorded growth, studied live hissing cockroaches, and conducted experiments to gather more evidence about traits that help animals survive in different environments.

The 2015-2016 Stargazers studied animal adaptations and habitats.  (Next Generation Science Standard: 3-LSA-3).  These are habitat posters made by the desert, cave, mountain, and forest groups.