Standard: Science

28 Feb 2021

Soils in Nature

August-June

Soil is a natural resource that  provides the foundation for producing our food, shelter, fuel. It also provides the surface on which to build our buildings and cities.  Students will get a bit dirty as they compare soils in different habitats at Greenacres and examine the past environment in which they formed.

Ohio Science Standards:

  • ESS Grade 6: Soil is unconsolidated material that contains nutrient matter and weathered rock.
  • ESS Grade 6: Rocks, minerals and soils have common and practical uses.

NGSS Standards:

  • MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
  • MS-ESS2-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface at varying time and spatial scales.
  • MS-ESS3-1. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth’s mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.

Vocabulary:

erosion, deposition, soil, humus, inorganic, organic

Video Introduction: CLICK HERE for a video with a Greenacres educator

28 Feb 2021

Inquiry in Nature

August-June

Scientific inquiry is a way of doing science that includes making observations, forming hypotheses, designing studies, collecting data, and drawing conclusions. Students will design and conduct a simple investigation to learn about the environment at Greenacres through the inquiry process.

Ohio Science Standards:

  • SIPA Grade 3-5: Observe and ask questions about the world that can be answered through scientific investigations.
  • SWK Grade 3-5: Science is a way of knowing about the world around us based on evidence from experimentation and observations.

NGSS Standards:

  • 5-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

Vocabulary:

observation, investigation, comparative question, data, analysis

Video Introduction: CLICK HERE for a video with a Greenacres educator

28 Feb 2021

Nature Exploration: Native Species

August-June

This program engages students in a hand-on exploration of our local natural spaces. Students will dive into the world of native plant and animal species found in southern Ohio. Students will explore Greenacres’ native species populations and natural habitats.  This is an ideal program for a first time visit to Greenacres or for students to become more comfortable in nature.

Ohio Science Standards:

  • LS Grade 5: Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem.
  • SS Grade 5: Geography- Political, environmental, social and economic factors cause people, products and ideas to move from place to place in the Western Hemisphere and results in diversity.

NGSS Science Standards:

  • 5-PS3-1. Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
  • 5-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.

Vocabulary:

observation, native species, invasive species, population

Video Introduction: CLICK HERE for a video with a Greenacres educator

28 Feb 2021

Nature Exploration: Discovery

August-June

This program engages students in a hands-on exploration of Ohio’s natural areas.  We will focus on building identification and classification skills and applying them to learning about our environment.   This is an ideal program for a first time visit to Greenacres or for students to become more comfortable in nature.

Ohio Science Standards:

  • SIPA Grade 3-5: Observe and ask questions about the world that can be answered through scientific investigations.
  • SWK Grade 3-5: Science is a way of knowing about the world around us based on evidence from experimentation and observations.

NGSS Standards:

  • 4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. 

Vocabulary:

observation, discovery, classification

Introduction: CLICK HERE for a poster from a Greenacres educator

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