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Grades K–2 · Semester 3 · 44 readings

Explore everyday mechanisms

Begin with parts that hold and move. Follow the connected explanations through small structures do big jobs, keeping each small group together and taking time to understand its illustrations.

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One possible pace is 2–3 explanations a week over 16 weeks. Keep each small unit together, revisit its pictures and allow more time whenever an idea needs it.

Unit 1Parts that hold and move3 readings ⌄

Blades, spring-loaded jaws and folded paper work through the arrangement of their parts.

  1. How do scissors move their two blades?Machines
  2. Why do a clothespin's jaws close when released?Machines
  3. How do folds and joins make an envelope hold a letter?Everyday Life
Unit 2Familiar water routes3 readings ⌄

Connected pipes, a water seal and a straw explain different ways water and air can move.

  1. How can one water pipe supply several sprinklers?Systems
  2. Why does a sink pipe keep water in its bend?Systems
  3. How can a pressure difference raise a drink in a straw?Everyday Life
Unit 3Drops and light3 readings ⌄

Water can stay separate from oil, form tiny floating drops or redirect sunlight into a rainbow.

  1. Why does this oil stay above the water?Materials & Matter
  2. What is fog made of?Earth & Space
  3. How do water drops make a rainbow?Earth & Space
Unit 4Contact and living structures3 readings ⌄

Gills, a web and a sliding toy show different effects of a structure meeting its surroundings.

  1. How do fish gills take oxygen from water?Organisms
  2. How can a spider’s silk web catch prey?Organisms
  3. Why does a sliding toy slow down?Materials & Matter
Unit 5Places and positions3 readings ⌄

A seat number, a shared-space plan and a screen location each identify a particular place.

  1. How can a numbered ticket reserve a particular seat?Societies
  2. How can zones show different uses within a shared room?Societies
  3. How does a touchscreen use the place you touch?Computing
Unit 6Numbers and codes3 readings ⌄

Clock positions, equal quantities and a barcode carry different kinds of information.

  1. How do clock hands show hours and minutes?Mathematics
  2. What does the equals sign tell us about two amounts?Mathematics
  3. How can barcode stripes carry an identifier?Computing
Unit 7Words and accounts3 readings ⌄

Labels name things, because connects a reason, and a recording can preserve a spoken recollection.

  1. How do noun labels name pictured things?Language
  2. How does because connect an event with a reason?Language
  3. How does oral history preserve spoken memories?History & Evidence
Unit 8Pictures and layers3 readings ⌄

Maps record places, drawn marks suggest texture, and musical parts can happen together.

  1. How can maps show changes in a place?History & Evidence
  2. How can marks suggest a texture?Arts & Music
  3. How can two instruments sound together?Arts & Music
Unit 9Stories and movement together2 readings ⌄

People use timing, movement and shadows to communicate in performances.

  1. How can two tango dancers move together without calling out each step?Arts & Music
  2. How can a flat wayang puppet become a moving character on a screen?Arts & Music
Unit 10Music made with movements2 readings ⌄

Discover how small movements can start a tune or bring musicians together.

  1. How can a music box play a tune without fingers?Arts & Music
  2. How do musicians know when to start together?Arts & Music
Unit 11Light and hidden views3 readings ⌄

Mirrors, a tiny opening and a reflector change where light goes, producing three different kinds of surprising view.

  1. How can a periscope show what is above a wall?Machines
  2. How can a tiny hole make an upside-down picture?Everyday Life
  3. Why does a bicycle reflector shine back?Everyday Life
Unit 12Small structures, surprising effects3 readings ⌄

A firefly makes light, a sea star moves tiny feet, and water molecules build a snow crystal. Each effect has its own physical structure.

  1. How does a firefly make its own light?Organisms
  2. How can a sea star walk on tiny tube feet?Organisms
  3. Why can a snow crystal grow six arms?Earth & Space
Unit 13Patterns and messages3 readings ⌄

Floor tiles, raised dots and reflected images use repeated arrangements for different purposes.

  1. How can repeating tiles cover a floor without holes?Mathematics
  2. How can raised dots carry written words?Language
  3. Why does a kaleidoscope show one shape many times?Arts & Music
Unit 14Motion and change3 readings ⌄

Folded paper, a doorway sensor and a popcorn kernel turn a change in conditions into a visible result.

  1. How does opening a pop-up book lift a paper shape?Machines
  2. How can a light beam help a door respond?Computing
  3. How does a hard kernel burst into fluffy popcorn?Materials & Matter
Unit 15Small structures do big jobs4 readings ⌄

A fluffy seed, a porous rock, crossing threads and an expanding fish connect familiar shapes with surprising effects.

  1. How does a dandelion’s fluffy parachute slow its fall?Organisms
  2. How can a rock with gas-filled spaces float?Materials & Matter
  3. How can over-and-under threads become cloth?Arts & Music
  4. How can a pufferfish make its body bigger?Organisms