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Science!

Name

Life science, food chains, ecosystems

Date

Pick and PracticePick _____ activities to do.When you finish an activity, color its number.

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9

Make an eye-catching poster that illustrates a complete

food chain. Use pictures of plants and animals from old magazines. If you can’t find an important animal or plant that completes the

chain, draw it.

Independent practice grid: Program the student directions on a copy of this page with the number of activities to be completed. Then copy the

page for each student.

Choose an animal. Then write a story from that animal’s perspective about life in its food chain. In your story, write about your predators and how you avoid them. Also write about the animals or plants that you eat. Describe your habitat and the challenges you face finding enough food.

Choose an ecosystem and identify its main elements—the sun, nonliving parts, primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and decomposers. Next, illustrate each element on a 2 1_

4 " x 12" construction paper strip. Then staple the strips together to make a chain that shows how the elements interact.

Invent an animal. Then create a shoebox diorama that shows the creature’s niche in its habitat. On the outside of the box, illustrate the creature’s life cycle and its food chain.

Imagine you are a scientist who discovers a new insect species. This insect seems to live on a diet of ants. You bring 20 of the insects back to your lab to study. However, they escape on their first night in your lab. How does this insect species affect the ecosystem around your community? Write six journal entries from your point of view as a scientist about what happens.

Choose a major city in your state. Research the city’s history to find events that have changed the city's environment, such as land clearing, road building, or construction. Then

make a timeline that describes ten or more of these major events and how they affected the environment.

Make a four-column table like the one shown. Then research ten decomposers and record facts about each organism in the table.

Arrange the boldfaced terms on this page in alphabetical order. Next, pick ten terms, record each one’s definition, and then draw an illustration or diagram to explain

or give an example of each term.

American crocodile black-footed ferretCalifornia condor red wolf

Decomposer Type (Scavenger or Decomposer)Type of Matter It Breaks Down

How It Affects Its Ecosystem

pond forest

grassland

desert coral reef

pond forest

grassland

desert coral reef

pond forest

grassland

desert coral reef

pond forest

grassland

desert coral reef

My Life Story

Choose an animal that is endangered, such as one of those shown. Create a presentation (a speech to the class or a digital presentation) that describes the animal, its habitat, and its food chain. Next, explain why the animal is in danger. Then suggest three actions that can be taken to help save the animal from extinction.

©The Mailbox®

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Science Grab BagAnswer KeysPage 6Answers for 1 and 6–9 will vary. 2. Each tropical storm gets a name that helps scientists keep track of its unique behaviors. The World Meteorological

Organization issues four alphabetical lists of names that include both men’s and women’s names that are popular in

countries where hurricanes tend to hit. The first storm of the year gets a name that begins with A. The second storm

gets a name that begins with B, and so on. Certain letters are not used.

3. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa

4. cold front: leading edge of a cold air mass

dry line: boundary that separates moist and dry

air masses occluded front: slow-moving front that forms

when a cold air mass overtakes a warm air

mass and wedges itself under the warm air

mass, causing heavy rain that is followed by

steady light rain or snow squall line: line of active thunderstorms stationary front: front between warm and cold

air masses that moves very slowly or not at all

low-pressure system: area where the pressure

is lower than the surrounding area, can cause

high winds and warm air high-pressure system: area where the pressure

is higher than the surrounding area, can result

in clear skies and calm weather warm front: leading edge of a warm air mass

5. The first signs may be light rain followed by heavier rain and then rain mixed with hail. The hailstones may grow large.

When the hail stops, a funnel-shaped cloud may form and descend until it touches the ground. If it’s too dry for rain

and the funnel cloud, the first sign may be dust swirling just above the ground.

L

H

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Scale of Mineral Hardness

HardnessScratch Test

1You can easily scratch this type of

mineral with a fingernail.

2You can scratch this type of mineral

with a fingernail.

3You can just barely scratch this type

of mineral using a copper penny.

4You can easily scratch this type of

mineral with a piece of steel.

5You can scratch this type of mineral

with a piece of steel.

Mineral hardness

1 Make a chart that looks like the one shown.

2 Try to scratch each mineral with your fingernail. Describe the results on your chart.

If you can scratch a mineral, estimate its hardness. (See the scale.)

3 Using the penny’s edge, try to scratch each mineral you could not scratch with your

fingernail. Describe your results. If the penny scratches a mineral, estimate the

mineral’s hardness.

4 Using an end of the steel paper clip, try to scratch each remaining mineral. Describe

the results. If the paper clip scratches a mineral, estimate the mineral’s hardness.

5 The hardness scale actually goes up to ten. Use the scale on this page and your

experiment to answer the following questions on the back of your chart.

In the Nick of Time

What You Need

Scratchers:

fingernail (hardness of 2.5)

penny (hardness of 3.0)

end of a straightened steel paper clip

(hardness of about 5.5)

Minerals to be tested:

piece of chalk

pencil lead

six different rocks labeled A, B, C, D, E, and F

What You Do

Mineral Scratch Test What HappenedEstimated

Hardness Value

Step-by-step activity: Put this page and the materials at a center.

A. Which of the scratch tests surprised you

most? Why?

B. Where do you think glass belongs on the

hardness scale? Explain.

C. Where do you think a nickel belongs on

the hardness scale? Explain.

Mineral Scratch Test What HappenedEstimated

Hardness Value

chalk fingernail My fingernail

D. Where do you think gold belongs on the

hardness scale? Explain.

E. Where do you think coal belongs on the

hardness scale? Explain.

F. Where do you think a diamond belongs

on the hardness scale? Explain.

©The Mailbox®

4

Put these facts to work!• Teach an instant science lesson! Display the facts as you read them aloud, encouraging students to find each bone or set of bones on themselves. Then follow up by having each student write a response to the following prompt. You were born with around 300 bones. By the time you’re an adult, you’ll only have about 206. What do you think happened to all those extra bones? Explain.• Research! Assign each pair of students one fact. Then guide the duo to research the bone or bones and write about their research, using the fact as the topic sentence.

• Label a diagram! Give each student a diagram of a skeleton and post the italicized vocabulary. Then read the facts aloud. As you read, guide students to match the terms and label the diagram.• Sing a song! Teach students to sing “Dry Bones.” Next, read the facts aloud. Then, draw a Venn diagram on the board and guide students to compare the song with the facts.• Write a song! Teach students to sing “Dry Bones.” Then display the facts as you read them aloud. Next, challenge each small group of students to rewrite the song, using the correct terminology and set aside time for each group to sing its version.

Skeletal systemThe Bare Bones

Fun-to-Share Facts About the Bones That Make Us Who We Are!

1 There are 27 bones in one hand but only 26 bones in one foot. 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

9 10

11 12

About half of a skeleton’s bones, 106 of them, are in the hands and feet.

Your finger and toe bones are called phalanges. There are 56 of them altogether.Your hand has three sets of bones—eight carpals or wrist bones, five metacarpals in your palm, and 14 phalanges.

Like your hand, your foot has three sets of bones—seven tarsals or ankle bones, five metatarsals in the body of your foot, and 14 phalanges.

A skull is made up of 22 bones. The part that holds your brain is called the cranium, and it’s made up of eight bones.Your face and jaw are formed by 14 facial bones. Babies’ skull bones are soft where they join.

As a baby gets older, its skull bones grow together in hard zigzag joints that are called sutures.

There are 33 vertebrae in the backbone.

Most people have 24 ribs, 12 on each side. Your ribs protect your heart and your lungs.There are about 206 bones in a human skeleton.

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©The Mailbox®

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©The Mailbox®

Fast Facts About Air

• Atsealevel,onecubicfootofairweighsabout11_5 ounces.

• Alltheairthatisaroundtheworldweighsmorethan5,700trilliontons.(Challengestudentsto

writethenumber:5,700,000,000,000,000!)

• Theairpressingdownonaperson’sshouldersweighsaboutoneton!However,thereisequalair

pressureallthewayaroundeachofus,sowedon’tfeelit.

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1

All you need is a supply of clean, plastic water or soda bottles, balloons,

and thumbtacks!

Chooseanexperimentandguideeachpairorsmallgroupofstudentstofollow

itssteps.Thenfollowupwithaclassdiscussionabouttheresultsorbyhaving

eachstudentwriteabouttheexperiment,itsresults,andherconclusions.

Air Is a Gas That Has Mass and Takes up Space!

Materials:emptyplasticwaterorsodabottlewithacap,balloon

1. Makeapredictionaboutwhatyouthinkwillhappenifyousqueezeanempty,capped

bottle.Thensqueezethecappedbottle.

2. Describewhathappensandtellwhyyouthinkithappens.(Thebottle’ssidesresist

squeezingbecausetheairpressureinsidethebottleincreasesastheroomforthegas’s

moleculesisreduced.)

3. Uncapthebottleandputaballoonoveritsneck.Makeapredictionaboutwhatyou

thinkwillhappenifyousqueezethebottlenow.Thensqueezethebottle.

4. Describewhathappensandtellwhyyouthinkithappens.(Asthebottle’ssidesare

pushedin,theairthatisdisplacedmovesintotheballoon,causingittoinflate.)

Heat Makes Gas Molecules Move Faster.

Materials:small,emptyplasticwaterorsodabottle;balloon

1. Puttheballoonontheuncappedbottle.

2. Makeapredictionaboutwhatyouthinkwillhappenifyouholdyourhandsaroundthe

bottlebutdon’tsqueezeit.Thenholdthebottlefortwominuteswithoutsqueezingit.

3. Describewhathappensandtellwhyyouthinkithappens.(Astheairinsidethebottle

getswarmer,theairmoleculesmovefasterandfartherapart,causingtheairtoexpand

intotheballoon.Theballoonwillbegintoinflate.)

Air Pressure Is Required!

Materials:emptyplasticwaterorsodabottlewithacap,water,thumbtack

1. Fillthebottlewithwaterandtightlyscrewonthecap.

2. Makeapredictionaboutwhatyouthinkwillhappenifyoupokeaholeinthebottomof

thebottle.Thenusethethumbtacktopokeaholeinthebottomofthebottle.

3. Describewhathappensandtellwhyyouthinkithappens.(Nothingwillhappen.Air

pressurecan’tgetinatthetopofthebottletopushdownonthewater.)

4. Makeapredictionaboutwhatyouthinkwillhappenifyoupokeasecondholenearthe

topofthebottle,abovethewaterline.Thenusethethumbtacktopokeaholeabovethe

waterline.

5. Describewhathappensandtellwhyyouthinkithappens.(Waterwillbegintotrickleout

becauseaircangetinatthetopofthebottleandpushdownonthewater.)

3 Explorations With a Bottle and Air

6

Weather!

Name

Weather

DatePick and Practice

Pick _____ activities to do.

When you finish an activity, color its number.

Independent practice grid: Program the student directions on a copy of this page with the number of activities to be completed. Then copy the page for each student.

also called twisters

occur mostly in spring or early summer

have the most violent of all winds

can form in minutes

can form with no warning

centers are like vacuums

called waterspouts when they form over lakes or oceans

1 Write five or more paragraphs that describe

a thunderstorm you have experienced. Tell

how it began, what it was like, what you did during

the storm, how it ended, and what happened

afterward.

2 Find out how

tropical storms and

hurricanes are named.

Create a picture book of

six or more pages that

explains the process.

3 Use an almanac to find states that tornadoes

tend to hit most. Draw a map of the United

States and color each state in Tornado Alley.

4 Fold a sheet of paper in half three times to

create eight sections. Then cut the sections

apart and staple them together to create a booklet

of weather map symbols. On each page, draw the

symbol for and define one of the following terms.

5 Research the warning signs of a tornado.

Make a chart listing the warning signs and

explaining the precautions people should take

before a tornado strikes.

6 If a severe storm warning were issued while

you were at school, what would you do?

Find out from your principal what your school’s

safety guidelines are. Create a mini poster about

the guidelines that can be copied and shared with

other classes.

7 Write an acrostic poem for three of the

following stormy words.

8 Arrange the facts shown in order of

importance. Then use the facts to write a

paragraph about hurricanes.

9 Arrange the facts shown in order of

importance. Then use the facts to write

a paragraph about tornadoes.cold front

dry line

occluded front

squall line

stationary front

low pressure system

high pressure system

warm front

Warning!

rainhaillightning

storm

twister

windcloudsthunder

•getweakerastheymoveoverland

•beginoverawarmsea

•strongestwindsandheaviestrainssurroundtheircenters

•formwhereseatemperaturesare82°Forhigher

•windsswirlaroundtheeye

A Storm

Named Alice

Almanac

©The Mailbox®

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What You Need

What You Do

Rain Check3 kinds of rocks (two of each kind)6 clear plastic cupsvinegar (or another acidic liquid)

water

Step-by-step partner activity: Put the page and materials at a center.

Key Vocabularyacidic precipitationdamage pollution

Rock Description

In Water

In Vinegar

Initial observationAfter 24 hours

After 7 days Initial observation

After 24 hours

After 7 days

WaterRock A VinegarRock A

Earth science, acid rain

1 Pour 1_2 cup of vinegar in each of three cups. Then pour 1_

2 cup of

water in each of the three remaining cups.2 For each rock pair, place one rock in a cup of vinegar and one in

a cup of water. Label each cup. 3 Make a chart like the one shown. Observe and describe each

rock. Then on the back of your chart, write about what you think

will happen in the next 24 hours.

4 Observe the rocks after 24 hours. Describe any changes in the

rocks or the liquids.5 Observe the rocks after seven days. Describe any changes in

the rocks or the liquids.6 What did you learn about the effect of water and acid rain

(vinegar) on rocks? What do you think will happen if the rocks

are left in the vinegar and water for 14 days? For one month?

For one year? Write your conclusions on the back of your chart. ©The Mailbox®

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7

What You Need

What You Do

Heave-Ho!Force and motion, pulley

empty thread spool

3-foot length of string or ribbon

shoe (or another heavy object)

pencil

paper (one sheet for each student)

Step-by-step partner activity: Put this card in a plastic page protector for durability. Then put the card and the needed materials at a center.

force pulley

motion work

Key Vocabulary

1 Tie one end of the string around the heavy object.

Take turns lifting the object six inches off the floor.

2 Observe. Then sketch the action and label the

directions of force and motion. Explain what

happened when you pulled the string.

3 Put the spool on a pencil and hold the

pencil level.

4 Have your partner slide the free end of the string

over the spool. Take turns slowly pulling down the

string, lifting the object six inches off the floor.

5 Observe. Then sketch the action. Label the

directions of force and motion. Explain what

happened when you pulled the string.

6 Compare the actions. How might you use a pulley?

7 ©The Mailbox®