Students learn about the characteristics of light, light interactions (such as reflecting and absorbing), and about light as energy. They also learn to make predictions, summarize, use text features as they read, and to write summaries and scientific explanations. They learn and use scientific vocabulary, such as source, emit, evidence, and analyze.
Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading
Integrated Science and Literacy Curriculum Grades 3-4
Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading units span grades 2–5, focusing on key life science, earth science, and physical science topics along with powerful literacy strategies. While each unit has a recommended grade span, many teachers have successfully used units at different grade levels. Click on the name of a unit below for more information.
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The Speed of Light -
Can You See in the Dark? -
Why Do Scientists Disagree? -
I See What You Mean -
The Handbook of Light Interactions -
Light Strikes! -
Cameras, Eyes, and Glasses -
It’s All Energy -
Sunlight and Showers
40 sessionsPhysical Science -
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Tornado! A Meteorologist and Her Prediction -
In Falling Through the Atmosphere -
The Weather Encyclopedia -
Water in the Desert -
Drinking Cleopatra’s Tears -
Go with the Flow: Making Models of Streams -
Sky Notebook -
The Wet Weather Handbook -
What’s Going on With the Weather?
40 sessionsEarth ScienceStudents learn about the water cycle, air and atmosphere, phase change, and weather patterns. They also learn to pose questions, think about what they already know about a topic, use text features as they read, and to write process descriptions and scientific explanations. They learn and use scientific vocabulary such as humidity, precipitation, evidence, and data.
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Blue Whales and Buttercups -
The Code -
Mystery Mouths -
Evidence from the Past
20 sessionsLife ScienceStudents learn about biodiversity, relatedness among organisms, heredity, adaptations, and the fossil record. They also learn to make inferences, to use captions and illustrations as they read, and to write comparison paragraphs. They learn and use scientific vocabulary such as characteristic, extinct, evidence, and claim.
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Systems -
Secrets of the Stomach -
Voyage of a Cracker -
Handbook of Body Systems -
What’s the Diagnosis?
20 sessionsLife ScienceStudents learn about structure and function, systems, and human body systems, with a focus on the digestive system. They also learn to visualize and use text features as they read, and to write scientific descriptions. They learn and use scientific vocabulary, such as interact, nutrients, evidence, and model.
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