Lesson 1 What Plants Need – We learned that plants need pollinators to make new plants. We learned that the roots of plants keep plants in the ground. The roots keep plants healthy by taking in water, minerals, and nutrients from the soil.

Lesson 1 Earth’s Motion Around the Sun – We learned what causes the cyclic pattern of the seasons. We learned that Earth’s axis spin is fixed in direction over the short-term but tilted relative to its orbit around the sun. The seasons are a result of that tilt and are caused by the differential intensity of sunlight on different areas of the Earth across the year. When the northern hemisphere tilts toward the Sun it receives more concentrated sunlight and has warmer temperatures, but when it tilts away from the sun, it receives less sunlight and has cooler temperatures. We created a model showing the tilt of Earth’s axis and the revolution around the Sun. This model illustrates the reason for seasons on Earth.

Lesson 1 Earth’s Motion Around the Sun – We investigated Earth’s movements which are rotation or spinning on its axis and revolution or moving around the Sun. We discovered that the Earth spins counterclockwise on its axis. Our evidence is that the Sun, Moon, and stars seem to move from east to west across the sky. Our evidence of revolution is the seasonal patterns of change throughout the year, including length of daytime, and the amount of sunlight different locations on Earth receive. The evidence of how the curve of Earth’s surface affects temperatures on Earth includes the fact that it is colder at the poles and warmer at the equator. Regions near the poles receive less solar energy than regions near the equator because the curved surface causes sunlight to be less concentrated and more spread out the farther you travel from the equator.

Lesson 1 What Plants Need – We learned that plants need pollinators to make new plants. We learned that the roots of plants keep plants in the ground. The roots keep plants healthy by taking in water, minerals, and nutrients from the soil.

Quiz on Lesson 2 People and the Environment.

Lesson 2 People and the Environment – We learned that the Amazonian rain forest is the largest rain forest in the world. It is often called the “lungs of the world” because the trees in the forest absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Then we looked at ways we can try to preserve Earth’s resources. We learned that using both sides of a paper and recycling it can help preserve the rain forests. We learned that government should educate people about the benefits of sustainable resource use. They can also use financial incentives to encourage the use of alternative energy’s resources.

Lesson 3 Design Solutions to Slow Landscape Changes – We learned that civil engineers use design software as part of their engineering design process. It helps them visualize the design solution and whether or not it can be used. This is how they build, test, and improve designs before using them. Then we looked into new ways to slow landscape changes by preventing wind erosion.

Lesson 2 People and the Environment – We learned that deforestation impacts Earth’s systems by increasing habitat destruction, erosion, and the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Water quality can be reduced by increased soil erosion too. We learned that engineering solutions such as conservation drones and individual actions such as using renewable resources for heating homes can mitigate negative impacts on our Earth’s systems. We observed that urbanization is increasing in our area.

Lesson 3 Design Solutions to Slow Landscape Changes – We learned that the breakwater is an offshore structure such as a wall protecting a Harbor or beach from the force of waves. We also learned that planting shrubs along a coast and using rocks to block waves can slow landscape changes. We learned about levies to control flooding too. We discovered that planting crops in curves that follow the shape of the hills will help in growing more crops and preventing erosion.

Lesson 2 People and the Environment – We investigated how cutting down trees impacts Earth’s systems. We learned that trees are cut down to make space for buildings and farms. Trees are also cut down to make lumber and products such as paper and cardboard. We learned activities and how to use technologies to mitigate negative impacts from cutting down trees.