Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook: Unit 1 — Scientific Investigation

**Grade:** 5 | **Subject:** Science | **State:** OK

## Unit Overview
Complete middle school science study guide covering scientific investigation, matter, motion, energy, space, earth science, life science, human body, heredity, ecology

This unit covers 5 chapters over approximately 1-58 pages.

## Chapters
- **Thinking Like a Scientist**

• Scientific Experiments

• Lab Reports

• SI Units

• Lab Safety

  Source Text Excerpt

  2 Chapter 1 THINKING LIKE A SCIENTIST The BRANCHES of SCIENCE and HOW THEY FIT TOGETHER EARTH SCIENCE deals with Earth and space-things like planets, stars, and rocks. Earth science studies nonliving things and their history. PHYSICAL SCIENCE is all about matter and energy, the most basic building blocks of the universe. It includes PHYSICS (energy interacting with matter) and CHEMISTRY (matter and how it transforms). LIFE SCIENCE, or BIOLOGY, is the study of all living things, like plants, animals, and even single-cell organisms.

3

1. PHYSICS studies a single Lego and all of its properties, like how it moves around and its energy.
2. CHEMISTRY studies how Legos fit together to create larger things.
3. LIFE SCIENCE studies all of the possible living things made out of Legos.
4. EARTH SCIENCE studies all the nonliving things in the Lego world. Science is like thinking about the universe as a Lego world:

4 SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY Science is a way to find answers to questions about the world around us. Scientists are very much like detectives, using evidence to solve complex puzzles. Scientists find evidence by conducting experiments and making observations. The process used by scientists to research a question is called SCIENTIFIC  INQUIRY. Trying to find the answers to a question is also called the SCIENTIFIC METHOD. A scientific inquiry begins with a question about the world around us and how it works. After a question has been identified, the next step is to collect all of the possible information that relates to that investigation by doing background research, making observations, and conducting experiments. BACKGROUND RESEARCH looks at the findings of past scientists to predict what will happen in an experiment. This prediction is called a HYPOTHESIS. Scientists test their hypotheses by making OBSERVATIONS and comparing them to their predictions. Observations require using your senses-the way something looks, smells, feels, or

## Learning Objectives
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
- Explain the key concepts in each chapter
- Complete the hands-on activities and notebooking exercises
- Demonstrate understanding through the review questions

## Pacing
**Suggested:** 1 chapter per week (2 days/week, 45 min sessions)
- Day 1: Read chapter + narrate
- Day 2: Complete activity + notebooking
- Day 3: Vocabulary + review questions
- Day 4: Project/experiment + journal entry

## Assessment
- Notebook entries (daily)
- Chapter review questions
- Unit project presentation
- Vocabulary quiz

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*Source: Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook by Workman Publishing / Michael Geisen (2016)*

👩‍🏫 Teacher’s Guide — Unit 1: Scientific Investigation

Lesson Plan at a Glance

• Topic: Unit 1: Scientific Investigation
• Grade: 5 | Subject: Science | State: OK
• Reading: See lesson plan
• Suggested Pacing: 4 sessions × 45 min (Read → Narrate → Activity → Notebook)

Teaching Sequence

1. Read Aloud the assigned text; have student narrate back in their own words.
2. Big Idea to Land: This unit explores scientific investigation through hands-on investigation and reading.
3. Cover These Sections: (see student content for section headings)
4. Do a Hands-On Activity from the list — concrete experience before abstract.
5. Notebook: Student completes journal entry recording observations.
6. Review: Ask discussion questions orally; finish with review questions.

Discussion Questions (with what to listen for)

• Q: How would you explain this concept to a younger sibling? (Listen for accurate paraphrasing, not memorized definitions.)
• Q: What would happen if we changed [key variable]? (Listen for cause-and-effect reasoning.)
• Q: Where have you seen this in real life? (Listen for authentic connections.)

Vocabulary to Define Together

Materials to Gather

• Notebook/journal
• Writing utensils
• Textbook: Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook
• Map/globe (for history/geography)
• Basic lab supplies (for science)

Standards Covered

Watch For (Common Misconceptions)

• Confusing mass with weight — use the Moon example consistently.
• Skipping narration — oral retelling is where retention happens; don’t skip it.
• Activity without notebook — the journal entry IS the assessment; don’t separate them.
• Lecturing instead of questioning — aim for 80% student talk, 20% teacher talk.

Differentiation

• Struggling: Provide sentence frames for narration; allow oral responses.
• Advanced: Add extension question: “How would this change if…?”
• ELL: Pre-teach key vocabulary; use visual aids and sentence frames.

Assessment Look-Fors

• Accurate narration with key vocabulary
• Notebook entry shows observation + reflection
• Map/timeline entry accurate
• Discussion participation with evidence
• Project completion with explanation