Fifth Grade: Space Systems
Talking Science Through Texts > Fifth Grade > Space Systems
Driving Questions: How do lengths and directions of shadows or relative lengths of day and night change from day to day, and how does the appearance of some stars change in different seasons?
Fifth Grade Crosscutting Concepts
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Patterns
Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort, classify, communicate and analyze simple rates of change for natural phenomena.
Cause and Effect
Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change.
Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
Natural objects exist from the very small to the immensely large.
Talking Science: Crosscutting Concepts to Support Comprehension
Crosscutting concepts have application across all domains of science. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science. They include patterns; cause and effect; scale, proportion, and quantity; systems and system models; energy and matter; structure and function; and stability and change. The Framework emphasizes that these concepts need to be made explicit for students because they provide an organizational schema for interrelating knowledge from various science fields into a coherent and scientifically based view of the world.
Suggested Read Aloud Texts
Choose a text to view its read aloud guide.
Margaret and the Moon
Earthrise
Look Up
Star Stuff
Talking Science: Formative Assessment Probes
Extend the discussion of these books using the suggested prompts from the Uncovering Student Ideas in Science Series from Page Keeley and NSTA.
- 5-PS2-1
- #13 Talking About Gravity, USI Volume 1, 2nd Ed, p. 101
- #35 Apple on the Ground (USI PSV1) p. 163
- #37 Gravity Rocks (USI PSV1) p. 171
- #38 Tower Drop (USI PSV1) p. 177
- 5-ESS1-1
- #11 How Far Away is the Sun? (USI Ast) p. 61/li>
- #35 Is the Sun a Star? (USI Ast) p. 189
- #36 Where are the stars in Orion? (USI Ast) p. 193
- 5-ESS1-2
- #25 Objects in the Sky (USI Vol2) p. 185
- #24 Me and My Shadow (USI Vol3) p. 185
- #5 The Two Rs (Rotate/Revolve) (USI Ast) p. 27
- #9 What’s Moving? (USI Ast) p. 51
- #13 Shorter Days in Winter (USI Ast) p. 69
- #8 No Shadow (USI Ast) p. 47