Fifth Grade Science

Energy

Science Content

Cluster 1:  What is Energy?

• Energy takes many forms, including heat, light, electrical, motion, elastic, gravitational, sound, and chemical.
• We can observe energy all around us.

Cluster 2:  Energy Transfers

• Energy can move, or transfer, from place to place.
• Sometimes energy changes form as it transfers.
• Energy can be harnessed for useful purposes.
• Machines help us use energy transfers to perform useful tasks.

Cluster 3:  Heat Energy Transfers

• Warmer things lose heat, or transfer heat energy to cooler things until they both become the same temperature.
• The transfer of heat energy can occur by direct contact or through space.
• Some materials conduct heat energy more easily than others.
• A conductor is a material that allows heat energy to travel through it.
• An insulator is a material that slows the transfer heat energy.

Cluster 4:  Air and Wind

• Not all energy transfers are desirable. Often energy is “wasted” or transferred to non-useful forms.
• Some things transfer energy more efficiently than others.
• Efficient machines waste less energy.

Force and Motion

Science Content

• Every force is part of an interaction between two objects.
• Forces are pushes and pulls that can be contact or non-contact forces.
• Motion is described relative to something else (point of reference).
• A change in motion is due to unbalanced forces.
• No change in motion and an object at rest are due to balanced forces.

Human Body in Motion
(fall, 2010)

Science Content

Cluster 1:  Mechanics of Movement

• To move, many parts of our bodies must work together.
• Muscles move our skeletons by pulling on bones that meet at joints.
• Nerves carry signals to move parts of the body.

Cluster 2:  Body Basics

• The human body is made of many different types of cells.
• Bones and muscles are made of unique cells important for movement.
• To produce energy needed for movement and to function properly, all cells need a constant supply of oxygen, nutrients, and water.
• Each type of cell has unique characteristics for performing a specific job.

Cluster 3:  Supporting Active Muscle Cells

• To produce energy needed for movement, our muscle cells need a constant supply of oxygen, nutrients, and water.