Scope and sequence · Science
Grade 5 Earth Science: The Sky: Sun, Moon and Stars
A year of true stories about the sky, from Eratosthenes measuring the earth with a shadow and Galileo turning his telescope on the mountains of the Moon to Herschel’s new planet, Kepler’s ellipses, Newton’s apple, the railroad clocks of 1883 and Voyager’s last look home, each one taken apart to see how it was figured out and then tried with a stick, a string, a lamp and a notebook in the backyard.
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What to cover
32 of 36 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: Day and Year
- MUST COVER 1.1 Eratosthenes Measures the Earth (c. 240 B.C.) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 A Sundial · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 Rotation and Revolution · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 Time Zones and the Railroads (1883) · unit test
Unit 2: The Moon
- MUST COVER 2.1 Galileo Sees Mountains on the Moon (1609) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Phases Explained · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 Eclipses · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 Tides and the Moon · unit test
Unit 3: The Planets
- MUST COVER 3.1 The Wanderers ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Scale Model on a Long Walk ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Herschel Finds Uranus (1781) · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 Voyager’s “Pale Blue Dot” · unit test
Unit 4: The Stars
- MUST COVER 4.1 He Telleth the Number of the Stars (Psalm 147:4) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 Constellations in the Bible: Orion and the Pleiades (Job 38:31) · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Star Colors · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 Light-Years: Distant Starlight and How Creationists Answer It · unit test
Unit 5: Kepler and Newton
- MUST COVER 5.1 Kepler: Thinking God’s Thoughts After Him ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 Ellipses with String and Pins ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Newton’s Apple and the Moon · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 Gravity Experiments · unit test
Unit 6: Telescopes
- MUST COVER 6.1 Build a Simple Refractor ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 Hubble and Webb · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 Observatories · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 Night-Sky Observing · unit test
Unit 7: Seasons and Calendar
- MUST COVER 7.1 Tilt and Seasons ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 Solstices and Equinoxes · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 Julian and Gregorian Calendars (1582) · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 Passover and Easter Dates · unit test
Unit 8: Navigation by the Sky
- MUST COVER 8.1 Polaris, the North Star ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 An Astrolabe · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 The Southern Cross · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 The Magi’s Star (Matthew 2) · unit test
Unit 9: Bonus: Field Lab OPTIONAL unit
- OPTIONAL 9.1 Sundial in the Yard
- OPTIONAL 9.2 Star Map Night
- OPTIONAL 9.3 A Month of Moon Sketches
- OPTIONAL 9.4 Scale Solar-System Walk
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 36-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Session 1: Lesson 1.1 Eratosthenes Measures the Earth (c. 240 B.C.): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 2 | Session 1: Lesson 1.2 A Sundial: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 3 | Session 1: Lesson 1.3 Rotation and Revolution: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 4 | Session 1: Lesson 1.4 Time Zones and the Railroads (1883): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 1 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 5 | Session 1: Lesson 2.1 Galileo Sees Mountains on the Moon (1609): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 6 | Session 1: Lesson 2.2 Phases Explained: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 7 | Session 1: Lesson 2.3 Eclipses: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 8 | Session 1: Lesson 2.4 Tides and the Moon: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 2 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 9 | Session 1: Lesson 3.1 The Wanderers: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 10 | Session 1: Lesson 3.2 Scale Model on a Long Walk: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 11 | Session 1: Lesson 3.3 Herschel Finds Uranus (1781): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 12 | Session 1: Lesson 3.4 Voyager’s “Pale Blue Dot”: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 3 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 13 | Session 1: Lesson 4.1 He Telleth the Number of the Stars (Psalm 147:4): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 14 | Session 1: Lesson 4.2 Constellations in the Bible: Orion and the Pleiades (Job 38:31): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 15 | Session 1: Lesson 4.3 Star Colors: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 16 | Session 1: Lesson 4.4 Light-Years: Distant Starlight and How Creationists Answer It: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 4 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 17 | Session 1: Lesson 5.1 Kepler: Thinking God’s Thoughts After Him: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 18 | Session 1: Lesson 5.2 Ellipses with String and Pins: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 19 | Session 1: Lesson 5.3 Newton’s Apple and the Moon: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 20 | Session 1: Lesson 5.4 Gravity Experiments: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 5 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 21 | Session 1: Lesson 6.1 Build a Simple Refractor: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 22 | Session 1: Lesson 6.2 Hubble and Webb: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 23 | Session 1: Lesson 6.3 Observatories: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 24 | Session 1: Lesson 6.4 Night-Sky Observing: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 6 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 25 | Session 1: Lesson 7.1 Tilt and Seasons: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 26 | Session 1: Lesson 7.2 Solstices and Equinoxes: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 27 | Session 1: Lesson 7.3 Julian and Gregorian Calendars (1582): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 28 | Session 1: Lesson 7.4 Passover and Easter Dates: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 7 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 29 | Session 1: Lesson 8.1 Polaris, the North Star: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 30 | Session 1: Lesson 8.2 An Astrolabe: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 31 | Session 1: Lesson 8.3 The Southern Cross: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 32 | Session 1: Lesson 8.4 The Magi’s Star (Matthew 2): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 8 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 33 | Session 1: Lesson 9.1 Sundial in the Yard: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 34 | Session 1: Lesson 9.2 Star Map Night: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 35 | Session 1: Lesson 9.3 A Month of Moon Sketches: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 36 | Session 1: Lesson 9.4 Scale Solar-System Walk: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 9 review and unit project |
Grading: Experiments (prediction, careful measuring, variable and control, explanation) 30%, Field notebook (dated pages, times and weather, labeled tables and sketches) 20%, Unit quizzes (10 items, 50 points each) 25%, Unit projects 25%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69. Below 60: redo the experiment or quiz with help.