BSCS Science Tracks: Connecting Science And Literacy: Investigating The Changing Earth Student Guide

EARTH & SPACE SCIENCE-This module continues students' investigations of earth materials--soils, rocks, and water--that began in Level 1. In this module, students build on their understanding of the properties of soil, rocks, and water by investigating changes on the surface of Earth due to weathering and erosion. They learn about land forms and how those land forms change over time because of the interactions among soil, rocks, water, and wind. Students construct and use stream tables to investigate the flow of water over Earth's surface. They also learn about sudden changes in Earth's surface due to volcanic eruptions, landslides, earthquakes, and flooding. The module introduces the concept of the rock cycle through an imaginative story about Sam, the grain of sand, and his travels.

BSCS Science Tracks includes a comprehensive Student Guide and resource book at every level, 1-5. The Student Guide is not a "read-about-science" book; rather, it serves as a guide to help students learn to do the following things.

• Conduct scientific inquiries within a collaborative team and on their own
• Become more responsible for their own learning
• Manage the hands-on activities themselves
• Structure collaborative learning tasks
• Develop science and technology concepts and skills
• Reflect on their learning and assess their own conceptual and skill development
• Conduct independent inquiries related to questions or topics of personal interest
• Develop skills for reading in the content areas
• Follow and interpret directions

In addition, the Student Guides reinforce components of basic literacy, including shared reading and writing, guided reading and writing, continuous assessment, skills instruction, reading procedural text, listening and speaking skills, journal writing, record keeping, hints and reminders, reading and writing in a social context, and reading and writing in a content area.