Course Contents

UNIT 1 Plants and Plant Growth Basic parts of plants: seed, root, stem, branch, leaf • Plants make their own food. • Flowers and seeds: seeds as food for plants and animals (for example, rice, nuts, wheat, corn) • Two kinds of plants: deciduous and evergreen • Farming How some food comes from farms as crops How farmers must take special care to protect their crops from weeds and pests How crops are harvested, kept fresh, packaged, and transported for people to buy and consume UNIT 2 Animal and Their Need Plants make their own food, but animals get food from eating plants or other living things. • Offspring are very much (but not exactly) like their parents. • Most animal babies need to be fed and cared for by their parents; human babies are especially in need of care when young. • Pets have special needs and must be cared for by their owners. UNIT 3 The Human Body The five senses and associated body parts: Sight: eyes Hearing: ears Smell: nose Taste: tongue Touch: skin • Taking care of your body: exercise, cleanliness, healthy foods, rest,Vision,Hearing UNIT 4 Matter Basic concept of atoms • Names and common examples of three states of matter: solid (for example, wood, rocks) liquid (for example, water) gas (for example, air, steam) • Water as an example of changing states of matter of a single substance Properties of matter (basics) • Mass: the amount of matter in an object, similar to weight • Volume: the amount of space a thing fills • Density: how much matter is packed into the space an object fills • Vacuum: the absence of matter Properties of Matter: Measurement Units of measurement: Length: centimeter, inch, foot Volume: gallon, quart • Temperature: degrees Fahrenheit UNIT 5 Molecules Compounds are formed by combining two or more elements and have properties different from the constituent elements. • Early theories of matter The early Greek theory of four elements: earth, air, fire, and water Later theories of Democritus: everything is made of atoms and nothing else (“atom” in Greek means that which can’t be cut or divided); atoms of the same kind form a pure “element” Alchemy in middle ages • Start of modern chemistry Lavoisier and oxygen: the idea that matter is not gained or lost in chemical reactions John Dalton revives the theory of the atom. Mendeleev develops the Periodic Table, showing that the properties of atoms of elements come in repeating (periodic) groups. Niels Bohr develops a model of the atom in shells that hold a certain number of electrons. Bohr’s model, plus the discovery of neutrons, helped explain the Periodic Table: atomic number, atomic weight, and isotopes UNIT 6 Chemical Bonds and Reactions To get a stable outer shell of electrons, atoms either give away, take on, or share electrons. • Chemical reactions rearrange the atoms and the electrons in elements and compounds to form chemical bonds. • When single atoms combine with themselves or with other atoms, the result is a molecule. O2 is a molecule of oxygen. NaCl is a molecule of salt, and because it has more than one element is called a compound. • Ionic bond Atoms like sodium that have just one or two extra electrons are very energetic in giving them away. Elements with the same number of extra or few electrons can join with each other to make an ionic bond. Example: NaCl, table salt. • Metallic bond In the metallic bond, electrons are not given away between elements, but are arranged so that they are shared between atoms. Pure metals show this sharing, and the atoms can rearrange themselves in different ways, which explains why you can pound metals into different shapes. Covalent bond Some atoms share electrons in a definite way, making them very stable and unreactive. Examples are H2 and O2. Carbon, which can take up or give away 4 electrons in covalent bonds, can help make molecules that can adopt almost any shape. It is the basis of life. • Kinds of reactions Oxidation: a chemical reaction that commonly involves oxygen. More generally, oxidation is a reaction in which an atom accepts electrons while combining with other elements. The atom that gives away electrons is said to be oxidized. Examples: rusting of iron, burning of paper. Heat is given off. Reduction: the opposite of oxidation. Reduction involves the gaining of electrons. An oxidized material gives them away and heat is taken up. Acids: for example, vinegar, HCl, H2SO4; sour; turn litmus red Bases: for example, baking soda; bitter; turn litmus blue pH: ranges from 0-14; neutral = 7, acid = below 7, base = above 7 Reactions with acids and bases In water solution, an acid compound has an H ion (a proton lacking an electron), and the base compound has an OH ion (with an extra electron). When the two come together, they form HOH (water) plus a stable compound called a “salt.” • How chemists describe reactions by equations, for example: HCl + NaOH = NaCl + H2O • A catalyst helps a reaction, but is not used up. Introduction to Magnetism Identify familiar everyday uses of magnets (for example, in toys, in cabinet locks, in “refrigerator magnets,” etc.). • Classify materials according to whether they are or are not attracted by a magnet. UNIT 7 Properties of Matter: Measurement Units of measurement: Length: centimeter, inch, foot Volume: gallon, quart • Temperature: degrees Fahrenheit Introduction to Electricity Basic parts of simple electric circuits (for example, batteries, wire, bulb or buzzer, switch) • Conductive and nonconductive materials • Safety rules for electricity (for example, never put your finger, or anything metallic, in an electrical outlet; never touch a switch or electrical appliance when your hands are wet or when you’re in the bathtub; never put your finger in a lamp socket; etc.) Electricity as the charge of electrons • Static electricity • Electric current • Electric circuits, and experiments with simple circuits (battery, wire, light bulb, filament, switch, fuse) Closed circuit, open circuit, short circuit • Conductors and insulators • Electromagnets: how they work and common uses • Using electricity safely Basic terms and concepts (review from grade 4): Electricity is the charge of electrons in a conductor. Opposite charges attract, like charges repel. Conductors and insulators Open and closed circuits Short circuit: sudden surge of amperage due to the reduction of resistance in a circuit; protection from short circuits is achieved by fuses and circuit breakers Electrical safety • Electricity as the charge of electrons Electrons carry negative charge; protons carry positive charge Conductors: materials like metals that easily give up electrons Insulators: materials like glass that do not easily give up electrons • Static electricity A static charge (excess or deficiency) creates an electric field. Electric energy can be stored in capacitors (typically two metal plates, one charged UNIT 8 Basic terms and concepts (review from grade 4): Electricity is the charge of electrons in a conductor. Opposite charges attract, like charges repel. Conductors and insulators Open and closed circuits Short circuit: sudden surge of amperage due to the reduction of resistance in a circuit; protection from short circuits is achieved by fuses and circuit breakers Electrical safety • Electricity as the charge of electrons Electrons carry negative charge; protons carry positive charge Conductors: materials like metals that easily give up electrons Insulators: materials like glass that do not easily give up electrons • Static electricity A static charge (excess or deficiency) creates an electric field. Electric energy can be stored in capacitors (typically two metal plates, one charged positive and one charged negative, separated by an insulating barrier). Capacitor discharges can release fatal levels of energy. Grounding drains an excess or makes up a deficiency of electrons, because the earth is a huge reservoir of electrons. Your body is a ground when you get a shock of static electricity. Lightning is a grounding of static electricity from clouds. • Flowing electricity Electric potential is measured in volts. Electric flow or current is measured in amperes: 1 ampere = flow of 1 coulomb of charge per second (1 coulomb = the charge of 6.25 billion billion electrons). The total power of an electric flow over time is measured in watts. Watts = amps x volts; amps = watts/volts; volts = watts/amps. The unit of electrical resistance is the ohm.

Course Synopsis

This course will help teachers in understanding the basic concepts about science. They will be acknowledged with Atom, theories of atoms, and difference between atoms and molecules. They will be able to tell about the different states of matter and its properties. This course will also help them with the knowledge of basic animal and plant needs (their modes of food consumption). They will also be able to differentiate between evergreen and deciduous plants. In short, they will be acquired with the basic science knowledge that's primary in teaching elementary classes.

Course Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, pre-service teachers/teachers will be able to: 1) define the basic need of animals and plants 2) define the atom and theories related to it 3) describe types of plants and animals (based on their structure and food consumption methods) 4) define periodic table 5) discuss matter and its all states