Grade 1 Science Instructional Focus / Toolkit
The Grade 1 Science Instructional Focus Toolkit has been created to assist teachers in identifying activities that are well aligned to the
standards. This toolkit is not intended to replace your district’s curriculum or to be solely used to address the benchmarks. Care was given to
identify multiple activities that could be executed via hands-on inquiry, virtually and in some cases infused with the literacy block.
Resources have been pulled from CPALMS. For all activities, a materials list resides on the first page once you click the link. There may be
materials listed that are not accessible to you. Do not let this discourage you. There are talking points and alternative activities built within the
resources. Again, the toolkit serves as a suggestion of activities that can be used to support your instruction and should not be mistaken for
your course description.
Benchmark Verbiage Instructional Resources
Guidance and
Vocabulary
SC.1.E.5.1 Observe and discuss that there “Handy” Constellations (Lesson
are more stars in the sky than Plan) Students explore
anyone can easily count and that constellations and learn there are
they are not scattered evenly in more stars in the sky than can be
the sky. easily counted.
SC.1.E.5.2 Explore the Law of Gravity by Dive, Drop, Down (Lesson Plan)
demonstrating that Earth's Students will discover how
gravity pulls any object on or gravity affects household objects.
near Earth toward it even though
Look Out Below! (Lesson Plan)
nothing is touching the object.
Students test gravity’s pull with
parachutes.
SC.1.E.5.3 Investigate how magnifiers make Telescopes and Constellations
things appear bigger and help (Lesson Plan) Students will use a
people see things they could not real telescope to observe how
see without them. objects appear closer in an
artificial night sky. Students will
create a telescope model and
also make a pictorial record of
their findings.
SC.1.E.5.4 Identify the beneficial and Sunwise a Program that Radiates
harmful properties of the Sun. Good Ideas: (K-2 Introductory
Lesson PowerPoint) A program
that teaches students how to
protect themselves from the sun.
SC.1.E.6.1 Recognize that water, rocks, soil, Your Own Backyard Students
and living organisms are found discuss and explore
on Earth's surface. environmental features.
SC.1.E.6.2 Describe the need for water and Why We Need Water and Water
how to be safe around water Safety This lesson uses pictures
and a story to illustrate why we
need water and the difference
between safe and unsafe
practices around water.
Water Safety Fun Students will
role-play how to be safe around
water and learn important safety
rules.
SC.1.E.6.3 Recognize that some things in the Go With the Flow (Teaching Idea)
world around us happen fast and Students experiment with a
some happen slowly. simulated river bed and learn
that erosion takes place faster
with a young, fast-moving river
than with a slow, older river.
As the Earth Changes
(Unit/Lesson Sequence) In this
PBL experience, students will
explore the ways the world
changes around us and describe
the conditions of fast and slow
land changes. As teams, students
will create various models to
represent fast and slow land
changes. Individually, students
will create a flap book with two
fast changes and two slow
changes.
SC.1.L.14.1 Make observations of living Webcams: Animal Inquiry and
things and their environment Observation Students observe
using the five senses. animal habits and habitats using
one of the many webcams
broadcasting from zoos and
aquariums around the United
States and the world in this
inquiry-based activity that
focuses on observation logs, class
discussion, questioning, and
research.
Walking Stick
(Image/Photograph) This
resource is a visual
representation to help students
understand that some animals
can camouflage themselves in
such a way as to appear to be an
actual element of their
environment.
Investigating Local Ecosystems
(Lesson Plan) This lesson provides
students with opportunities to
investigate the habitats of local
plants and animals and explore
some of the ways animals
depend on plants and each other.
SC.1.L.14.2 Identify the major parts of plants, Learn About the Parts of a Plant
including stem, roots, leaves, and (Lesson Plan) Students interact
flowers. with nature and provides them
with a framework for their
observations by offering them
opportunities to explore,
question, and document
similarities and differences
among plant parts.
Growing Plants (Virtual
Manipulative) Students learn
about the necessary
requirements for the growth of
the plants like sunlight, water
and air.
They can also learn and play with
activities such as labeling various
parts of the plants and test their
knowledge with a quiz.
Biology of Plants (Text Resource)
Topics include characteristics of
living things, germination and
growth, the basic parts of plants,
photosynthesis, reproduction,
and ecological adaptations of
plants.
SC.1.L.14.3 Differentiate between living and Living and Nonliving (Teaching
nonliving things. Idea) Students practice how
scientists observe and record.
Going outside they will record in
their journal the things they
observe under the heading they
think it belongs in - living or
nonliving.
Living VS nonliving (Lesson Plan)
By examining video clips and still
photographs students learn
about the characteristics that
distinguish living things from
nonliving things. Students gather
evidence and develop criteria to
decide if something is living or
nonliving.
SC.1.L.16.1 Make observations that plants Same Yet Different (Teaching
and animals closely resemble Idea) As a result of this activity,
their parents, but variations exist students will understand that
among individuals within a there are differences among the
population. same kinds of plants and animals.
Learning About Mealworms
(Unit/Lesson Sequence) Students
learn about metamorphosis and
how animals change from birth
to the adult stage through
observing and collecting data as
mealworm larvae progress
through their life cycle to the
adult stage (beetles)
Butterfly Life Cycle: Biography of
a Caterpillar (Lesson Plan)
Students observe and write
about the life cycle of a
caterpillar.
SC.1.L.17.1 Through observation, recognize Flower Garden (Lesson Plan)
that all plants and animals, Students will determine which
including humans, need the basic flowers are the best to plant in a
necessities of air, water, food, flower garden. The students will
and space. receive data about the hardiness
of each flower, the amount of
sun and water each needs, and
the number of flowers each plant
will produce.
Microhabitats (Lesson Plan)
students explore the
surroundings of the school and
observe different types of
habitats, recording the
environment and what
conditions allow animals and
plants to thrive there.
SC.1.N.1.1 Raise questions about the natural A Slick Operation: Oil Spill Lab-
world, investigate them in teams SeaWorld Classroom Activity
through free exploration, and (Teaching Idea) Students will be
generate appropriate able to demonstrate and discuss
explanations based on those the effects of oil on a bird's
explorations. feathers and discuss a variety of
ways humans might be able to
remove it.
Birds' Bills (Lesson Plan) Students
will compare and contrast
different kinds of birds' bills and
categorize pictures. After
drawing the bills in each
category, they will then compare
the bill types with common
household items.
Wiggly Worms (Lesson Plan)
students will compare and
contrast red worms and
earthworms through exploration
(magnifying glasses provided)
and a read-aloud.
SC.1.N.1.2 Using the five senses as tools, Blankets for Babies (Lesson Plan)
make careful observations, Students will choose which baby
describe objects in terms of blanket a store should buy to sell,
number, shape, texture, size, based on these factors; size, how
weight, color, and motion, and soft it is, color, and safety.
compare their observations with Students will rank four blankets
others. from best to worst.
Classification Performance Task
(Assessment) The task assesses
primary students' abilities to
perform process skills such as
classification by using observable
differences and similarities.
Kool Aid Chemistry (Lesson Plan)
Students will investigate dilution
with Kool-Aid. The students will
use their five senses to explore
the solution
Taste vs. Smell (Teaching Idea)
Students practice observation by
using their sense of taste and
smell.
SC.1.N.1.3 Keep records as appropriate - Focused Observation: Recording
such as pictorial and written A Hike (Lesson Plan) Students
records - of investigations will learn how to focus their
conducted. observations during a nature
hike. Observation paper is
divided to record things observed
above a student's head, below
the student's knees and in
between the student's head and
knees.
SC.1.N.1.4 Ask "how do you know?" in How do Objects Move |
appropriate situations. Engineering Design Challenge
(Unit/Lesson Sequence) Students
explore and explain the many
different ways that an object
moves and how its properties
affect its movements using an
engineering challenge.
Sink or Float? Students explore
different objects that may sink or
float using science process skills.
SC.1.P.12.1 Demonstrate and describe the Push and Pull Magnet Art – an
various ways that objects can Engineering Design Challenge
move, such as in a straight line, (Lesson Plan) This Engineering
zigzag, back-and-forth, round- Design Challenge is intended to
and-round, fast, and slow. help first grade students apply
the concepts of the various ways
objects can move, and that the
way to change the motion of an
object is to apply a push or a
pull.
Investigating Motion With
Marbles Students will use 2
marbles of different size and a
box to investigate what makes
the marbles move and what will
cause the marbles to change
speed and direction.
SC.1.P.13.1 Demonstrate that the way to Forces and Movement (Virtual
change the motion of an object is Manipulative) Learners will
by applying a push or a pull. understand that pushes or pulls
can make somethings speed up,
slow down or change direction.
The students will also identify
different causes that can affect
speed and movement and will be
able to make simple predictions
about the outcome of an
experiment.
Give it a Push! (Lesson Plan)
Students learn about forces on
objects such as a push or a pull.
Students interact with items in
their classroom testing pushes
and pulls. Students explore the
strength of pushes through a toy
race investigation.
Playing with Science: Push & Pull
(Original Tutorial) Learn how to
change the motion of an object
by applying pushing and pulling
forces using a variety of toys.
SC.1.P.8.1 Sort objects by observable Observing and Sorting (Unit
properties, such as size, shape, Lesson/Sequence) Students learn
color, temperature (hot or cold), to make observations that clearly
weight (heavy or light), texture, distinguish specific objects from
and whether objects sink or float. others and how to sort items by
different attributes (e.g., color,
size, weight).
Shell Sorts (Lesson Plan) Students
learn about sorting objects by
texture, size and shape.
Sink or Float (Lesson Plan)
Students make predictions and
test and sort a variety of objects
based on whether they sink or
float.
Matter is EVERYWHERE Part 3
(Lesson Plan) Students will
classify matter by temperature.
Students will explore and come
to conclusions about the
temperature (hot or cold) of
matter.
