Montague Township School District
Science Curriculum Guide
Grade 1
2025-2026
Danielle Christmann · Annie Lutz
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Description
This Grade 1 science curriculum consists of five units spanning the full school year, organized around the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Students progress through investigations of patterns in the sky, characteristics of living things, biomimicry, properties of light and sound, and practical applications of these properties to solve communication problems. Throughout the year, students develop proficiency in planning and conducting investigations, constructing evidence-based explanations, designing solutions to real-world problems, and using models to represent their thinking. The curriculum emphasizes hands-on observation, collaborative inquiry, and the integration of science practices with engineering design.
Big Ideas
- Natural events occur in patterns that can be observed, described, and predicted.
- Structures of organisms are related to their functions and help them survive.
- Engineers solve problems by studying and mimicking solutions found in nature.
- Light and sound are forms of energy with observable properties and practical applications.
- Understanding science concepts allows us to design devices that improve communication and solve problems.
Essential Questions
- What patterns can we observe in the natural world, and how can we use them to make predictions?
- How do the structures of plants and animals help them survive and meet their needs?
- How can we use our understanding of nature to solve human problems?
- What are the properties and behaviors of light and sound?
- How can light and sound be used to communicate over a distance?
Core Textbook
Life Sciences — Inquisitive
Earth and Space Sciences
Life Sciences
Physical Sciences
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Students participate in shared research and writing projects across all units. In Unit 1, students create books describing patterns of change in the sky and write journal entries relating daylight to seasons, aligned to W.1.7 and W.1.8. In Unit 2, students read informational texts to identify main topics, retell key details, and ask and answer questions about organism traits and parent-offspring behaviors, aligned to RI.CR.1.1, RI.CI.1.2, and W.RW.1.7. In Unit 3, students conduct shared research and produce writing about how humans mimic organisms to solve problems, aligned to W.RW.1.7. In Unit 4, students read informational texts about light and sound, write informative texts naming facts about topics, and participate in collaborative conversations, aligned to W.IW.1.2, W.RW.1.7, W.SE.1.6, and SL.PE.1.1. In Unit 5, students gather information from texts and media about communication devices, write how-to books describing their engineering design solutions, and add drawings to clarify ideas, aligned to W.RW.1.7, W.SE.1.6, and SL.PE.1.1.
Students apply mathematics across multiple units. In Unit 1, students use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving amounts of daylight, organize and interpret data in up to three categories, and reason abstractly and quantitatively, aligned to 1.OA.A.1, 1.MD.C.4, MP.2, MP.4, and MP.5. In Unit 2, students use measurement tools to order and compare leaves by length, organize data into simple graphs, and apply place-value strategies, aligned to 1.MD.A.1, 1.NBT.B.3, 1.NBT.C.1, 1.NBT.C.2, and 1.NBT.C.3. In Unit 3, there are no explicit mathematics connections identified. In Unit 5, students measure lengths of string using nonstandard and standard units, compare lengths indirectly, and organize drumbeat data into graphs, aligned to 1.MD.A.1, 1.MD.A.2, MP.2, MP.4, and MP.5.
Assessment in this curriculum employs a three-tiered approach. Formative assessments occur continuously throughout each unit through observations, student questioning, and evidence collection during investigations and engineering activities. Benchmark assessments check understanding of key concepts at unit transition points, using tasks like comparing organisms or demonstrating investigations. Summative assessments occur at the end of each unit and typically involve design challenges, creation of informational texts, or performance-based tasks that require students to apply learning. Alternative assessments provide flexibility, allowing students to demonstrate understanding through drawings, concept maps, models, or oral explanations. Assessment is integrated with instruction and focuses on science practices as much as content knowledge.
| Unit | Formative | Summative | Benchmark | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01Patterns of Change in the Sky | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| 02Characteristics of Living Things | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| 03Mimicking Organisms to Solve Problems | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 04Light and Sound | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| 05Communicating with Light and Sound | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Coverage | 5/5 | 5/5 | 2/2 | 5/5 |
| Unit | IEP | 504 | MLL | At-Risk | Gifted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01Patterns of Change in the Sky | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 02Characteristics of Living Things | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 03Mimicking Organisms to Solve Problems | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 04Light and Sound | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 05Communicating with Light and Sound | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Coverage | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |