1st Grade Science Priority Benchmarks

When asked "How do you know?,” students support their answer with observations.   For example: Use observations to tell why a squirrel is a living thing.

Observe that many living and nonliving things are made of parts and that if a part is missing or broken, they may not function properly.

Recognize that tools are used by people, including scientists and engineers, to gather information and solve problems. For example: Magnifier, snowplow and calculator.

Describe similarities and differences between soil and rocks.  For example: Use screens to separate components of soil and observe the samples using a magnifier.

Observe, record and recognize that water can be a solid or a liquid and can change from one state to another.

Air has mass, takes up space, and can exert a pushing force to make objects move.

Demonstrate that objects move in a variety of ways, including a straight line, a curve, a circle, back and forth, and at different speeds.  For example: Spinning toy and rocking toy.

Describe how push and pull forces can make objects move. For example: Push and pull objects on smooth and rough surfaces.

Measure, record and describe weather conditions using common tools.
For example: Temperature, precipitation, sunrise/sunset, and windspeed/direction.