Grades 3-5

Oh, Salmon!

(View Complete Item Description)

Through this lesson, students in 3rd-5th grade will understand how the human history of a local creek (Whatcom Creek in this example) affects the health of salmon populations. This lesson is an active way to engage students in graphing through the use of models and uses critical thinking to understand implications of human actions in the past and in the future.

Material Type: Game, Interactive, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Reading

Authors: Barbara Soots, Hannah Newell

PEI SOLS 5th grade Forests: Forest Ecosystem Benefits

(View Complete Item Description)

The goal of the fifth grade Forests: Forest Ecosystem Benefits storyline is to build on students’ previous knowledge of plant/animal needs, ecosystems, and protection of Earth’s resources. In this storyline students develop an understanding of forest ecosystems, tree benefits including carbon sequestration, and what trees need to grow/gain mass. 

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 5th grade Food Waste

(View Complete Item Description)

While food waste is not typically seen as contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, it is a major contributor. Reducing food waste is the 3rd most beneficial drawdown solution. Wasted food, and the resources to produce that food, are responsible for approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. When individuals and groups reduce food waste, it has a huge impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Food waste awareness is applicable to every person and community. In this storyline, students conduct a “food waste audit”. Each participating class of students collects, sorts and measures their food waste for one day at lunch. Students discuss the local and global causes and effects of food waste in the environment. Students will also learn the cultural connections around food waste from experts or elders from the local Indian tribe and inquire how different agencies in the community deal with food waste (e.g, grocery store, food bank, city). Suggestion for how students can present their findings and create an action plan are also included. 

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 5th grade: Regenerative Agriculture (Eastern Washington)

(View Complete Item Description)

Soil quality is an important aspect of growing food. In this storyline, students will discover what soil is made of and how carbon is an important part of soil quality as well as how carbon moves between plants, soil, and air. Students will learn how Indigenous people used practices such as composting. Finally, students will explore what regenerative agriculture practices are and how they can be a solution to how the climate is changing over time.  

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 4th Grade Natural Hazards: Erosion

(View Complete Item Description)

What we see on Earth’s surface is a complex and dynamic set of interconnected systems that include the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere and biosphere. Earth’s processes are the result of energy flow and matter cycling within and among these systems. Understanding Earth’s systems is important for many decisions made in communities today such as where to build a road, where a salmon can successfully build a redd to lay eggs, and how to ensure air quality. Erosion involves all five spheres giving students an excellent example of the interconnectedness of these large systems.  Students may begin the storyline by hearing a story about the relationship between the land and plants from an Indigenous perspective, a local tribe elder or expert if possible. This perspective can be woven throughout the storyline while students explore different types of erosion: wind, water and ice in sand and soil. For real life experiences, students visit their schoolyard or nearby area to find examples of erosion. They may find examples from very small to larger examples of places where soil has eroded. They may find places where human foot traffic has made pathways through a previously planted area.  

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 3rd Grade Fire: Wildfires in Washington

(View Complete Item Description)

A change in climate over time has contributed to a significant increase of wildfires in our state. In this storyline, students will make the connection between changes in ecosystems and the interconnectedness of all things. Students will gain an understanding of combustion (fire triangle), and observe through data that certain conditions (humidity, temperature, fuel load, etc.) contribute to forest fires (fire environment triangle). 

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

Grade 3 - Elementary Science and Integrated Subjects: How Do Plants Grow and Survive

(View Complete Item Description)

Elementary Science and Integrated Subjects is a statewide Clime Time collaboration among ESD 123, ESD 105, and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Development of the resources is in response to a need for research- based science lessons for elementary teachers that are integrated with English language arts, mathematics and other subjects such as social studies. The template for Elementary integration can serve as an organized, coherent and research-based roadmap for teachers in the development of their own NGSS aligned science lessons.  Lessons can also be useful for classrooms that have no adopted curriculum as well as to serve as enhancements for  current science curriculum. The EFSIS project brings together grade level teams of teachers to develop lessons or suites of lessons that are 1) focused on grade level Performance Expectations, and 2) leverage ELA and Mathematics Washington State Learning Standards.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Reading, Unit of Study

Authors: Georgia Boatman, Barbara Soots, Ellen Ebert, Kimberley Astle, Washington OSPI OER Project

Grade 4 - Elementary Science and Integrated Subjects: Sage Grouse and Sagebrush, Threatened Partners

(View Complete Item Description)

Elementary Science and Integrated Subjects is a statewide Clime Time collaboration among ESD 123, ESD 105, and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Development of the resources is in response to a need for research- based science lessons for elementary teachers that are integrated with English language arts, mathematics and other subjects such as social studies. The template for Elementary Integration can serve as an organized, coherent and research-based roadmap for teachers in the development of their own NGSS aligned science lessons.  Lessons can also be useful for classrooms that have no adopted curriculum as well as to serve as enhancements for  current science curriculum. The EFSIS project brings together grade level teams of teachers to develop lessons or suites of lessons that are 1) focused on grade level Performance Expectations, and 2) leverage ELA and Mathematics Washington State Learning Standards.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan, Module, Reading, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Georgia Boatman, Barbara Soots, Ellen Ebert, Kimberley Astle, Washington OSPI OER Project

Grade 5 - Elementary Science and Integrated Subjects: Where Do Plants Get What They Need to Grow?

(View Complete Item Description)

Elementary Science and Integrated Subjects is a statewide Clime Time collaboration among ESD 123, ESD 105, and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Development of the resources is in response to a need for research- based science lessons for elementary teachers that are integrated with English language arts, mathematics and other subjects such as social studies. The template for Elementary integration can serve as an organized, coherent and research-based roadmap for teachers in the development of their own NGSS aligned science lessons.  Lessons can also be useful for classrooms that have no adopted curriculum as well as to serve as enhancements for  current science curriculum. The EFSIS project brings together grade level teams of teachers to develop lessons or suites of lessons that are 1) focused on grade level Performance Expectations, and 2) leverage ELA and Mathematics Washington State Learning Standards.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan, Module, Reading

Authors: Georgia Boatman, Barbara Soots, Ellen Ebert, Kimberley Astle, Washington OSPI OER Project

PEI SOLS 4th Grade Natural Hazards: Erosion (Spanish)

(View Complete Item Description)

Lo que vemos en la superficie de la Tierra es un conjunto complejo y dinámico de sistemas interconectados que incluyen la geósfera, la hidrósfera, la atmósfera, la criósfera y la biósfera. Los procesos de la Tierra son el resultado del flujo de energía y el ciclo de la materia que está dentro y entre estos sistemas. Comprender los sistemas de la Tierra es importante para muchas decisiones que se toman hoy en las comunidades, por ejemplo en dónde construir una carretera, en dónde un salmón puede poner huevos con éxito y cómo garantizar la calidad del aire. La erosión involucra las cinco esferas, lo que brinda a los estudiantes un excelente ejemplo de la interconexión de estos grandes sistemas.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 4th grade Renewable Energy: Solar

(View Complete Item Description)

Solar energy in the form of light is available to organisms on Earth in abundance. Natural systems and other organisms have structures that function in ways to manage the interaction with and use of this energy. In this storyline, students compare resources used for energy and their effect on the atmosphere. Students will explore how light energy interacts with materials and how light energy can be transformed into energy for heating and cooling.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 3rd Grade Coastal Hazards: Flooding

(View Complete Item Description)

The Washington State coastline is a culturally important place and valuable resource for communities of people, animals, and plants throughout Washington and the United States. As coastal flooding from storms and erosion threatens our coastal environments, communities are forced to make difficult decisions about how to protect themselves, their history, and their livelihoods. In this Storyline, students will learn what coastlines are and why they are important to humans and other types of natural communities. Given the specific weather hazard of coastal flooding, they will test materials and design structures that could be used to help reduce the impacts caused by this hazard.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

What Makes a Weed a Weed? (for 3-5 Educators)

(View Complete Item Description)

This professional development course consists of a series of workshops focused on NGSS-aligned & local phenomenon-centered curriculum, developed by IslandWood with funding from the OSPI ClimeTime Grant. It is currently structured to be delivered online and for Upper Elementary (3-5) educators. A slide deck and accompanying handouts are available to complement the course outline. 

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Full Course, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Brad Street

PEI SOLS 5th grade Food Waste (Spanish)

(View Complete Item Description)

Mientras que el desperdicio de comida no es típicamente visto como un contribuyente de emisiones de gas de efecto invernadero, es un contribuyente mayor. Reducir el desperdicio de comida es la 3era solución más beneficiosa para la reducción de dichos gases. La comida desperdiciada y los recursos para producirla, son responsables del aproximadamente 8% de las emisiones globales de gases de efecto invernadero. Cuando los individuos y grupos reducen el desperdicio de comida, esto tiene un gran impacto en la reducción de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. La conciencia del desperdicio de comida es aplicable a cada persona y comunidad. En este caso, los estudiantes van a conducir una “auditoría de desperdicio de comida”. Cada clase de estudiantes participantes recolecta, clasifica y mide su desperdicio de comida por un día durante el almuerzo. Los estudiantes discuten las causas locales y globales y los efectos del desperdicio de comida en el ambiente. Los estudiantes también aprenden las conexiones culturales alrededor del desperdicio de comida de los expertos o gente mayor de las tribus locales, e indagan cómo las diferentes agencias en la comunidad lidian con el desperdicio de comida (e.g. tiendas de abarrotes, bancos de comida, la ciudad). Los estudiantes presentan sus resultados y crean un plan de acción.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEI SOLS 3rd grade Fire: Wildfire in Washington (Spanish)

(View Complete Item Description)

Un cambio en el clima a lo largo del tiempo ha contribuido a un aumento significativo de los incendios forestales en nuestro estado. En este caso, los estudiantes harán la conexión entre los cambios en los ecosistemas y la interconexión de todas las cosas. Los estudiantes aprenderán sobre la combustión (triángulo de fuego) y observarán a través de los datos, que ciertas condiciones (humedad, temperatura, carga de combustible, etc.) contribuyen a los incendios forestales (triángulo del ambiente de fuego).

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute

PEISOLS 5th grade Urban Forestry: Urban Heat Islands

(View Complete Item Description)

Students will learn how trees grow and cycle matter, and trees’ roles in a changing climate. The urban heat island effect is examined and students learn about the many benefits trees offer cities. The storyline culminates with students examining the trees and canopy cover in their or a nearby city and proposing actions to increase the urban forest through a letter to city officials.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Pacific Education Institute