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Soil Habitats
Students explore soil, decomposition, habitats, adaptations, and other key concepts through firsthand investigations such as building a terrarium. They create diagrams, discuss findings, and learn how to search for and keep track of evidence with books such as The Handbook of Forest Floor Animals and My Nature Notebook. Science and literacy skills are further addressed by other unit texts such as Snail Investigations and Walk in the Woods.

Shoreline Science Students are immersed in concepts related to shoreline ecosystems, earth materials, erosion, and human impact on the environment. They gain experience with making explanations based on firsthand evidence gathered from investigations such as What is Sand and How Is It Made? as well as secondhand evidence from unit texts such as the Handbook of Sandy Beach Organisms. Science and literacy skills are further addressed by other unit texts such as My Sea Otter Report.

Designing Mixtures Students are introduced to the concept of solubility when they read the unit text Solving Dissolving. Then they engage in firsthand investigations such as testing the solubility of four possible soda ingredients and making glue. They discuss the role of cause and effect in making mixtures, then search through the reference book Handbook of Interesting Ingredients to compare their ideas to those of other scientists. Science and literacy skills are further addressed by other unit texts such as Jess Makes Hair Gel and Jelly Bean Scientist.

Gravity and Magnetism In Gravity and Magnetism (20-session Unit), students explore forces affecting their everyday lives: gravity, magnetic force, and electrostatic force. The unit opens with Forces, in the familiar setting of a playground, where students read about how forces act between things all around them. Through firsthand activities, students explore magnets and gravity, while What My Sister Taught Me About Magnets and Gravity Is Everywhere reinforce their understanding. Literacy sessions focus on the skills of comparing and contrasting and non-fiction text features. Throughout the unit students search for evidence and make explanations, gaining valuable literacy and inquiry skills.

Digestion and Body Systems
In Digestion and Body Systems, students investigate the human body, considering its structures and functions from a systems perspective. Firsthand activities, interactive instructional routines, and five student books involve students in doing, talking, reading, and writing about body systems. Among the books are Secrets of the Stomach, where students learn how the stomach functions, and that scientific explanations include claims and evidence, and What?s The Diagnosis? about how doctors use evidence in making a diagnosis.

Variation and Adaptation
Variation and Adaptation immerses students in learning about foundational, standards-based life science concepts: variation, adaptation, heredity, relatedness, extinct organisms, and the fossil record. Firsthand activities and four original student books engage students as they learn to distinguish observations from inferences, develop the reading comprehension skill of making inferences, gather evidence from observations and text, and make scientific explanations using evidence. The Code introduces heredity; Evidence from the Past presents the fossil record.

Models of Matter
The Models of Matter integrated science-literacy unit immerses students in learning about particulate nature of matter, using properties to separate mixtures, phase change, and other key physical science concepts. The unit has two investigations—each with 10 sessions, in which students engage in the inquiry processes of making inferences, visualizing and using mental models, evaluating models, and making explanations from evidence. Four student books engage students in reading and talking about these important science concepts and skills. About half of the sessions in the unit have a literacy focus. As students read the books, they learn reading comprehension strategies, such as of making inferences. Students also learn to use nonfiction text features to locate information and understand important ideas. Students write scientific explanations and represent information visually through diagrams. Throughout the unit, students are provided with opportunities for oral discourse and discussions focusing on the nature and practices of science.

Chemical Changes
The Chemical Changes integrated science-literacy unit immerses students in learning about chemical reactions, the particulate nature of matter, and other key physical science concepts. The unit has two investigations—each with 10 sessions, in which students engage in the inquiry processes of posing questions, hypothesizing, conducting experiments, and making explanations from evidence. Five student books engage students in reading and talking about these important science concepts and skills. About half of the sessions in the unit have a literacy focus. As students read the books, they learn reading comprehension strategies, such as posing questions. Students also learn to use nonfiction text features to locate information and understand important ideas. Students make explanations from evidence, write scientific procedures, and organize data in tables. Throughout the unit, students are provided with opportunities for oral discourse and discussions focusing on the nature and practices of science.

Light Energy
The Light Energy integrated science-literacy unit immerses students in learning about the characteristics of light, the multiple ways light interacts with materials, light as energy, energy transformations, and other key physical science concepts. The unit has four investigations—each with 10 sessions, in which students engage in the inquiry processes of making predictions, recording and analyzing data, making explanations from evidence, evaluating claims and evidence, and summarizing. Nine student books engage students in reading and talking about these important science concepts and skills. About half of the sessions in the unit have a literacy focus. As students read the books, they learn reading comprehension strategies such as making predictions and summarizing. Students also learn to use a variety of nonfiction text to locate information and understand important ideas. Students write scientific explanations and summaries of written text, and learn to use and interpret data tables. Throughout the unit, students are provided with opportunities for oral discourse and discussions focusing on the nature and practices of science.

Weather and Water
The Weather and Water integrated science-literacy unit immerses students in learning about air and the atmosphere, phase change, the water cycle, weather patterns, and other key earth science concepts. The unit has four investigations—each with 10 sessions, in which students engage in the inquiry processes of posing questions, using tools to extend their senses, using models, analyzing data, and making explanations from evidence. Nine student books engage students in reading and talking about these important science concepts and skills. About half of the sessions in the unit have a literacy focus. As students read the books, they learn reading comprehension strategies such as accessing and applying prior knowledge and posing questions. Students also learn to use nonfiction text features to locate information and understand important ideas. Students write scientific explanations and process descriptions, and learn to use and interpret maps and graphs. Throughout the unit, students are provided with opportunities for oral discourse and discussions focusing on the nature and practices of science.

Aquatic Ecosystems
In Aquatic Ecosystems, students learn about ecosystems by conducting investigations of classroom model ponds. Through using models as well as reading Ecosystems Around the World and You Can Make a Difference, students learn about the flow of energy in and human impact on ecosystems. Students also learn to pose questions and make connections, take part in scientific discourse, and write descriptive informational text.

Planets and Moons
Planets and Moons immerses students in learning about the Solar System with a focus on how technology is used in exploration. Students work to master comprehension skills of setting goals and synthesizing, write scientific explanations, and use and evaluate models. By reading Exploring Planets and Moons and Planetary Scientist students learn about scientists who investigate our solar system and beyond. Students work in teams to research a planet or moon and design a mission in which they could land there and gather data.