Stages 0 · 1 · 2
Science
Predict, test fairly, explain with things you cannot see.
Seeds
SCI-1
Everything is made of tiny particles
SCI-2
Things don't start moving by themselves
SCI-3
Energy changes form but is never made or lost
SCI-4
Living things survive by their structure
SCI-5
Change one thing, watch one thing
SCI-6
Big and small, fast and slow
Stages
0
Early Start
What will it do?
1
Observe and Say
How do we make the test fair?
- Sink or float? Whether something floats depends on how heavy it is for its size, not on how heavy it is. Try it
- Where does a shadow go? A shadow is where light is blocked, so it always points away from the light; moving the light changes the shadow's direction and length. Try it
- Light the bulb: why it needs a loop A bulb lights only when there is an unbroken loop from one end of the battery, through the bulb, and back to the other end. Try it
- What makes a sound? Every sound comes from something vibrating, and the vibration needs air, water or a solid to travel through; faster vibrations sound higher. Try it
2
Models and Patterns
How do we explain what we cannot see?
- Solid, liquid, gas: the same particles Heating does not change the particles, only how fast they move and how far apart they are. Try it
- Why a long lever helps Weight times distance must match on both sides; a longer arm needs less weight. Try it
- Who eats whom, and where the energy goes Each step up a food chain passes on only about a tenth of the energy; the rest is used for living and lost as heat. Try it
- Where does the sugar go? Dissolved sugar breaks into particles too small to see, spread through the water; the scale shows the total weight does not change. Try it
- Can a coat keep ice cold? A coat does not make heat; it slows heat moving across it — so it keeps a warm body warm and a cold ice cube cold. Try it
- Why does the Moon change shape? Half of the Moon is always lit by the Sun; as the Moon goes round Earth in about a month, we see different amounts of that lit half. Try it
Ideas we expect to meet
- Heavy things sink, light things float.
- Sugar disappears when it dissolves.
- It is cold in winter because Earth is farther from the Sun.