Educational Modules

Standards Covered: 3-LS3-2 In this unit, students will learn how animal behaviors are influenced by both heredity and learning, and how environmental factors can affect traits. They will apply these concepts by exploring the process of training a dog to understand learned behaviors.

Standards Covered: 3.1.3.G In this unit, students will explore how different organisms survive in particular habitats by examining why some species thrive while others struggle. Through the story Pumpus Has a Homing Idea, students investigate how bats help farms by reducing insect pests and how habitat needs determine whether animals survive well, survive less well, or cannot survive in an environment at all. Students will construct arguments using evidence from observations, data, and the story to explain why bats are well-suited for this habitat-dependent role, and how providing the right environmental conditions—such as safe roosting spaces—supports species survival.

Standards Covered: 3.1.3.H In this unit, students investigate how environmental changes can disrupt ecosystems and explore solutions that support habitat resilience. Building from the story Pumpus Has a Filtering Idea, students observe how excessive algae growth reduces water quality and threatens aquatic life, then examine real-world strategies—such as floating gardens and natural filtration systems—that restore oxygen levels and improve habitat conditions. Through data analysis and evidence-based reasoning, students make claims about the effectiveness of these solutions and consider how changes in temperature, nutrients, and resource availability affect which organisms can survive, move, or decline in a given environment. Students also deepen their understanding of biodiversity and human impact by modeling how balanced ecosystems function and evaluating how innovative designs can mitigate environmental problems. This unit integrates engineering design, ecosystem dynamics, and environmental stewardship, empowering learners to argue from evidence about how thoughtful interventions can help organisms thrive when habitats change.

Standards Covered 3.1.3.E In this unit, students will investigate fossil findings to understand how animals from the past are classified based on physical traits and behaviors. They will learn to classify modern animals into major groups such as mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.

Standards Covered: 3.1.3.F In this unit, students build foundational understanding of natural selection by examining how variations in inherited traits can influence survival, mating success, and reproduction. Using Pumpus Has a Ribbiting Idea as the narrative anchor, students observe differences among frogs in color, croak pitch, and behavior, then analyze how these variations shape survival outcomes—such as camouflage helping darker frogs avoid predators or deeper croaks attracting more mates. Students gather and interpret evidence to construct explanations aligned with the Pennsylvania standard “Use evidence to construct an explanation for how variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.” The story also incorporates an authentic environmental problem—a shrinking pond—and guides students in designing a practical conservation solution. Through inquiry, modeling, and argumentation from evidence, students connect trait variation to population survival and understand why protecting habitats is essential for species resilience.

Standards Covered: 3-ESS3-1 In this unit, students will learn the differences between physical weathering and erosion, and how natural forces break down and move rocks. They will also explore terrace gardening as a real-world solution to reduce soil erosion on mountain slopes.

Standards Covered: SC.3.P.8.1, SC.3.P.8.2, and SC.3.P.8.3 In this unit, students will investigate the properties of solids and liquids by measuring and comparing their temperatures and physical characteristics. They will apply this knowledge to build a real-world clay pot refrigerator that keeps items like vegetables, milk, and cheese cool without electricity.

Standards Covered: SC.3.L.15.1 and SC.3.L.15.2 In this unit, students will investigate fossil findings to understand how animals from the past are classified based on physical traits and behaviors. They will learn to classify modern animals into major groups such as mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.

Standards Covered: 3.3.3.C In this unit, students investigate how natural hazards—particularly earthquakes—result from Earth’s processes and explore how engineering design can reduce their impact. Using the story Pumpus Has a Shaking Idea as a narrative anchor, students analyze how buildings respond to shaking, gather evidence about the effectiveness of base isolators, and test their own model structures using a classroom “shake table.” Through guided inquiry, students make claims about the merit of different design solutions based on observable performance, connecting directly to the PA standard on evaluating strategies that reduce hazard-related damage. By the end of the unit, students understand that while natural hazards cannot be prevented, thoughtful design and problem-solving can greatly improve community resilience.

Standards Covered: 3.3.3.A In this unit, students explore how scientists observe, measure, and record weather patterns by following Pumpus and his friends as they build their own weather station. Through hands-on tools—such as a wind vane, anemometer, thermometer, rain gauge, and a homemade barometer—students learn how each instrument collects data about temperature, wind, air pressure, and precipitation. Students then organize this weather data into tables and simple graphs to identify seasonal patterns and make predictions about future weather conditions. This real-world investigation helps students understand how weather is monitored over time and how data guides forecasting, fully aligning with Pennsylvania Grade 3 weather and climate standards.

Standards Covered: 3.3.3.B In this unit, students explore how climate varies around the world by following Pumpus and his friends as they prepare for a trip to Santiago, Chile. Using a mapping kit to measure latitude and compare distances from the equator, students learn how location influences typical weather patterns—such as temperature ranges, seasonal differences, and the intensity of sunlight—aligning with the Pennsylvania standard on obtaining and combining information to describe global climates. As students examine tropical, temperate, and polar regions through the friends’ travel adventure, they gain a deeper understanding of how climate describes long-term weather conditions and how these conditions vary across different parts of the world.

Standards Covered: Social Interactions & Group Behavior 3.1.3.B In this unit, students explore how seasonal changes affect Florida’s manatees and investigate why these gentle marine mammals gather in large groups near warm springs to survive the winter. Students examine how animals benefit from living in groups—such as finding food, staying warm, and protecting one another—while comparing these behaviors to animals in other regions. Building on their understanding of environmental challenges, students design a simple hydroponic system using recyclable materials to grow supplemental food for manatees facing a shortage of sea grass. Through this real-world problem-solving experience, students construct arguments about group behavior and survival while learning how humans can support vulnerable animal populations.

Standards Covered: 3-PS2-4 In this unit, students will investigate the physical properties of materials and explore how magnets attract certain objects and interact with each other. They will apply this knowledge by building a real-world electromagnet to observe how electricity can create a magnetic force.

Standards Covered: 3-PS2-3 In this unit, students will learn how electrically charged objects can attract or repel other objects without contact, exploring the principles of electrostatic forces. They will apply this knowledge by building a real-world “magic cleaning wand” that uses static electricity to attract and pick up small paper pieces.

Standards Covered: 3-LS2-1 In this unit, students will learn how energy flows from the Sun through producers to consumers and how living things rely on one another for food. They will address a real-world environmental issue by building a floating raft garden to absorb excess algae in a pond and help rescue the fish.

Standards Covered: S.3.16, S.3.17, and S.3.18 In this unit, students investigate how environmental changes can disrupt ecosystems and explore solutions that support habitat resilience. Building from the story Pumpus Has a Filtering Idea, students observe how excessive algae growth reduces water quality and threatens aquatic life, then examine real-world strategies—such as floating gardens and natural filtration systems—that restore oxygen levels and improve habitat conditions. Through data analysis and evidence-based reasoning, students make claims about the effectiveness of these solutions and consider how changes in temperature, nutrients, and resource availability affect which organisms can survive, move, or decline in a given environment. Students also deepen their understanding of biodiversity and human impact by modeling how balanced ecosystems function and evaluating how innovative designs can mitigate environmental problems. This unit integrates engineering design, ecosystem dynamics, and environmental stewardship, empowering learners to argue from evidence about how thoughtful interventions can help organisms thrive when habitats change.

Standards Covered: 3-LS4-3 In this unit, students will examine how environmental changes affect the survival of plants and animals, and how adaptations in behavior, life cycles, and physical traits help them thrive in various habitats. They will apply this understanding by building a bat house to attract bats as a natural solution for pest control in cornfields.

Standards Covered: 3-LS4-4 In this unit, students will compare seasonal changes in local plants and animals with those in other regions. They will apply this understanding to solve a real-world problem by building a hydroponic system using recyclable materials to grow lettuce and address food shortages for migrating animals.

Standards Covered: 3-PS2-2 In this unit, students will learn how motion involves changes in position and direction, and how speed is measured by distance over time. They will apply these concepts by building a real-world solar-powered lawn mower to observe how energy and motion work together.

Standards Covered: S.3.1 In this unit, students investigate how balanced and unbalanced forces affect the motion of objects by engaging with Pumpus and his friends as they design and test a handmade cart to transport a fallen pine tree. Building on the narrative, students observe how strength and direction of force influence speed, stopping, and turning, and they explore how wheels, axles, and pulleys reduce friction and change the net force acting on an object. Through hands-on investigations and measurements, students gather evidence of motion patterns and learn how changes in force can predict future motion. The unit emphasizes problem-solving, simple machines, and real-world applications while building conceptual understanding of balanced forces keeping an object at rest and unbalanced forces causing movement.

Standards Covered: S.3.2 In this unit, students explore how patterns of motion can be observed, measured, and used to predict future movement. Through a hands-on, narrative-based investigation inspired by Pumpus Has a Mowing Idea, students examine how forces act on objects and how consistent motion patterns help engineers design reliable machines. Learners observe changes in speed, direction, and path as Pumpus and his friends build a small motor-powered robot, then apply these ideas by making and communicating their own measurements to show how predictable patterns emerge over time. By analyzing their data, students build evidence-based claims about how regular past motion can be used to anticipate what an object will do next—directly supporting West Virginia’s science standard on using motion patterns to predict future movement.

Standards Covered: S.3.3 and S.3.4 In this unit, students investigate how magnetic forces act at a distance and explore cause-and-effect relationships between objects that are not touching. Building on the narrative structure of Pumpus Has a Magnetizing Idea, students observe how magnet orientation, distance, and material properties affect the strength and direction of magnetic interactions. They apply these scientific ideas to define a real-world design problem and work toward a solution using magnets—mirroring Pumpus’ engineering process as he solves a challenge with creativity and evidence-based reasoning. Through guided inquiry and hands-on investigations, students learn that magnetic forces can attract or repel without contact, and they use this understanding to plan, test, and revise simple magnetic devices that demonstrate how everyday problems can be solved with magnet-based technologies.

Standards Covered: S.3.5 This unit helps students develop a clear conceptual understanding of gravity as a force that always pulls objects toward Earth’s center. Using Pumpus Has a Pulling Idea as the narrative anchor, students analyze how Pumpus and his friends recognize that gravity is pulling the turtles downward into the trench and then engineer a pulley system to counteract gravitational pull. Teachers guide students through investigations measuring how objects fall, comparing force with and without support, and exploring how simple machines allow humans to work against gravity. Students construct explanations supported by observations and data, ultimately making evidence-based arguments that Earth’s gravitational force is always directed downward, affecting the motion and behavior of objects, animals, and designed solutions.

Standards Covered: SC.3.P.10.1 and SC.3.P.10.2 In this unit, students will learn to identify basic forms of energy—light, heat, sound, electrical, and mechanical—and how energy can cause motion or change. They will build a real-world model of a windmill to demonstrate how mechanical energy from wind can be converted into electrical energy.

Standards Covered: 3-LS4-1 In this unit, students will investigate fossil findings to understand how animals from the past are classified based on physical traits and behaviors. They will learn to classify modern animals into major groups such as mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.

Standards Covered: Growth & Development of Organisms - Life Cycles 3.1.3.A In this unit, students study the monarch butterfly’s life cycle and migration, discover why milkweed is essential for survival, and explore how environmental problems threaten monarch habitats. Students identify challenges, develop simple conservation solutions, and learn how their actions can support a species in need.

Standards Covered: 3-PS2-1 In this unit, students will explore gravity as a force that pulls objects toward Earth and learn how it can be overcome. They will demonstrate this by using a real-world pulley system to lift objects and observe how force and motion interact.

Standards Covered: 3.1.3.C & 3.1.3.D In this unit, students investigate how organisms inherit traits from their parents and why individuals within the same species can look or function differently. Through engaging stories and hands-on modeling inspired by Mendel’s pea experiments, students explore the processes of pollination, fertilization, seed dispersal, and germination in flowering plants. They also examine how environmental factors—such as sunlight, soil, and available nutrients—can influence the development of traits, reinforcing that characteristics arise from both inherited information and environmental interactions.

Standards Covered: Growth & Development of Organisms - Life Cycles S.3.9 and S.3.12 In this unit, students study the monarch butterfly’s life cycle and migration, discover why milkweed is essential for survival, and explore how environmental problems threaten monarch habitats. Students identify challenges, develop simple conservation solutions, and learn how their actions can support a species in need.

Standards Covered: S.3.10 In this unit, students investigate how organisms inherit traits from their parents and why individuals within the same species can look or function differently. Through engaging stories and hands-on modeling inspired by Mendel’s pea experiments, students explore the processes of pollination, fertilization, seed dispersal, and germination in flowering plants. They also examine how environmental factors—such as sunlight, soil, and available nutrients—can influence the development of traits, reinforcing that characteristics arise from both inherited information and environmental interactions.

Standards Covered: S.3.11 In this unit, students explore how animals receive information through their senses, how their brains process that information, and how they respond to it in purposeful ways. Using the story Pumpus Has a Fencing Idea, students analyze how Peanut the dog detects visual and auditory signals to change his behavior, modeling how sense receptors gather specific types of information and how the brain guides actions based on those signals. Through hands-on modeling and guided inquiry, students investigate light as a sensory input, examine how animals use memory and perception to stay safe, and apply these ideas to design their own simple “smart fence” or sensory alert system. This unit directly supports West Virginia's science standard to use a model to describe sensory information processing while helping students understand that animals rely on specialized senses, interpretation, and learned responses to navigate their environments.

Standards Covered: Social Interactions & Group Behavior S.3.6 In this unit, students explore how seasonal changes affect Florida’s manatees and investigate why these gentle marine mammals gather in large groups near warm springs to survive the winter. Students examine how animals benefit from living in groups—such as finding food, staying warm, and protecting one another—while comparing these behaviors to animals in other regions. Building on their understanding of environmental challenges, students design a simple hydroponic system using recyclable materials to grow supplemental food for manatees facing a shortage of sea grass. Through this real-world problem-solving experience, students construct arguments about group behavior and survival while learning how humans can support vulnerable animal populations.

Standards Covered: S.3.7 In this unit, students will explore how different organisms survive in particular habitats by examining why some species thrive while others struggle. Through the story Pumpus Has a Homing Idea, students investigate how bats help farms by reducing insect pests and how habitat needs determine whether animals survive well, survive less well, or cannot survive in an environment at all. Students will construct arguments using evidence from observations, data, and the story to explain why bats are well-suited for this habitat-dependent role, and how providing the right environmental conditions—such as safe roosting spaces—supports species survival.

Standards Covered: S.3.8, S.3.16, S.3.17, and S.3.18 In this unit, students investigate how environmental changes can disrupt ecosystems and explore solutions that support habitat resilience. Building from the story Pumpus Has a Filtering Idea, students observe how excessive algae growth reduces water quality and threatens aquatic life, then examine real-world strategies—such as floating gardens and natural filtration systems—that restore oxygen levels and improve habitat conditions. Through data analysis and evidence-based reasoning, students make claims about the effectiveness of these solutions and consider how changes in temperature, nutrients, and resource availability affect which organisms can survive, move, or decline in a given environment. Students also deepen their understanding of biodiversity and human impact by modeling how balanced ecosystems function and evaluating how innovative designs can mitigate environmental problems. This unit integrates engineering design, ecosystem dynamics, and environmental stewardship, empowering learners to argue from evidence about how thoughtful interventions can help organisms thrive when habitats change.

Standards Covered: SC.3.E.5.4 In this unit, students will explore gravity as a force that pulls objects toward Earth and learn how it can be overcome. They will demonstrate this by using a real-world pulley system to lift objects and observe how force and motion interact.

Standards Covered: 3-LS 1-1 and 3-LS4-2 In this unit, students will explore the life cycles of plants and animals, comparing complete and incomplete metamorphosis and types of seed-bearing plants. They will study the butterfly life cycle, focusing on monarch migration and the role of milkweed in their survival.

Standards Covered: SC.3.P.10.3 and SC.3.P.10.4 In this unit, students will learn how light travels in straight lines and how it can be reflected, refracted, or absorbed when interacting with different objects or materials. They will build a real-world model of a periscope to observe how mirrors reflect light to change its direction and extend vision.

Standards Covered: SC.3.P.11.1 and SC.3.P.11.2 In this unit, students will explore how friction produces heat and light by safely learning how to make fire through rubbing materials together. They will also develop basic navigation skills by using maps and a compass to understand direction and spatial awareness.

Standards Covered: 3.2.3.A In this unit, students explore how patterns of motion can be observed, measured, and used to predict future movement. Through a hands-on, narrative-based investigation inspired by Pumpus Has a Mowing Idea, students examine how forces act on objects and how consistent motion patterns help engineers design reliable machines. Learners observe changes in speed, direction, and path as Pumpus and his friends build a small motor-powered robot, then apply these ideas by making and communicating their own measurements to show how predictable patterns emerge over time. By analyzing their data, students build evidence-based claims about how regular past motion can be used to anticipate what an object will do next—directly supporting Pennsylvania’s science standard on using motion patterns to predict future movement.

Standards Covered: 3.2.3.B In this unit, students investigate how balanced and unbalanced forces affect the motion of objects by engaging with Pumpus and his friends as they design and test a handmade cart to transport a fallen pine tree. Building on the narrative, students observe how strength and direction of force influence speed, stopping, and turning, and they explore how wheels, axles, and pulleys reduce friction and change the net force acting on an object. Through hands-on investigations and measurements, students gather evidence of motion patterns and learn how changes in force can predict future motion. The unit emphasizes problem-solving, simple machines, and real-world applications while building conceptual understanding of balanced forces keeping an object at rest and unbalanced forces causing movement.

Standards Covered: 3.2.3.C and 3.2.3.D In this unit, students investigate how magnetic forces act at a distance and explore cause-and-effect relationships between objects that are not touching. Building on the narrative structure of Pumpus Has a Magnetizing Idea, students observe how magnet orientation, distance, and material properties affect the strength and direction of magnetic interactions. They apply these scientific ideas to define a real-world design problem and work toward a solution using magnets—mirroring Pumpus’s engineering process as he solves a challenge with creativity and evidence-based reasoning. Through guided inquiry and hands-on investigations, students learn that magnetic forces can attract or repel without contact, and they use this understanding to plan, test, and revise simple magnetic devices that demonstrate how everyday problems can be solved with magnet-based technologies.

Standards Covered: SC.3.N.1.1, SC.3.N.1.2, SC.3.N.1.3, SC.3.N.1.4, SC.3.N.1.5, SC.3.N.1.6, and SC.3.N.1.7 Students explore how plant structures function in growth, support, and reproduction, and explain how plants respond to light, heat, and gravity through observation, teamwork, and evidence-based explanations.

Standards Covered: SC.3.E.5.1, SC.3.E.5.3, and SC.3.E.5.5 In this unit, students will explore how stars differ in size and brightness and why they appear as points of light. They will build a real-world model of a Galilean telescope to investigate how telescopes reveal far more stars than the unaided eye can see.

Standards Covered: SC.3.L.14.1 and SC.3.L.14.2 In this unit, students will learn how plant structures support growth, food production, and response to stimuli like light, heat, and gravity. They will also explore sustainable gardening by growing plants in desert conditions using olla clay pots for efficient water use.

Standards Covered: 3-LS3-1 In this unit, students will explore how traits are inherited through basic Mendelian genetics using Mendel’s pea experiments. They will also learn about the processes of sexual reproduction in flowering plants, including pollination, fertilization, seed dispersal, and germination.

Standards Covered: SC.3.L.17.1 In this unit, students will learn how plants and animals respond to changing seasons and how to adapt growing practices year-round. They will choose seasonal vegetables to grow, build a small greenhouse, and learn to collect and store rainwater for sustainable gardening.

Standards Covered: SC.3.P.9.1 In this unit, students will explore the states of water—solid, liquid, and gas—and how water changes form through condensation. They will build a real-world model of a fog catcher to collect water droplets from fog using vertical nets, demonstrating an innovative solution to drought-related water scarcity.

Standards Covered: SC.3.N.3.1, SC.3.N.3.2, and SC.3.N.3.3 Students learn that scientific terms have specific meanings, models help explain natural phenomena, and all models have limitations. They explore how light travels by building a periscope model ("peek-a-scope") to observe how light reflects, and use it to view objects at different heights and distances—recording observations to understand how height and angle affect visibility.

Standards Covered: SC.3.E.6.1 and SC.3.E.5.2 In this unit, students will learn how the Sun emits radiant energy that can heat objects and how heat is lost without sunlight. They will build a real-world model of a solar oven to explore how sunlight can be captured and used as a heat source.

Standards Covered: 3-ESS2-1 In this unit, students will learn how factors like air temperature, pressure, humidity, wind, and precipitation determine local weather conditions. They will solve a real-world problem by building a barometer to measure atmospheric pressure and help predict rainfall.

Standards Covered: S.3.13 and S.3.14 In this unit, students explore how climate varies around the world by following Pumpus and his friends as they prepare for a trip to Santiago, Chile. Using a mapping kit to measure latitude and compare distances from the equator, students learn how location influences typical weather patterns—such as temperature ranges, seasonal differences, and the intensity of sunlight—aligning with West Virginia science standards on obtaining and combining information to describe global climates. As students examine tropical, temperate, and polar regions through the friends’ travel adventure, they gain a deeper understanding of how climate describes long-term weather conditions and how these conditions vary across different parts of the world.

Standards Covered: S.3.15 In this unit, students investigate how natural hazards—particularly earthquakes—result from Earth’s processes and explore how engineering design can reduce their impact. Using the story Pumpus Has a Shaking Idea as a narrative anchor, students analyze how buildings respond to shaking, gather evidence about the effectiveness of base isolators, and test their own model structures using a classroom “shake table.” Through guided inquiry, students make claims about the merit of different design solutions based on observable performance, connecting directly to the West Virginia science standards on evaluating strategies that reduce hazard-related damage. By the end of the unit, students understand that while natural hazards cannot be prevented, thoughtful design and problem-solving can greatly improve community resilience.

Standards Covered: 3-ESS2-2 In this unit, students will explore how temperature and humidity vary across environments like swamps, deserts, and mountains, and how climate zones are shaped by latitude, elevation, and nearby water bodies. They will solve a real-world problem by learning to measure latitude to better understand climate geography.

Standards Covered: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, and 3-5-ETS 1-3 In this unit, students will explore basic forms of energy—such as mechanical, electrical, and chemical—and how energy can cause motion or create change. They will solve a real-world problem by building a hydropower system using a waterwheel and dynamo to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Standards Covered: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, and 3-5-ETS 1-3 In this unit, students will learn to design and conduct scientific investigations by exploring conductivity through simple, series, and parallel paper circuits using a coin cell battery. They will solve a real-world problem by testing various materials to determine the best electrical conductor and applying scientific reasoning to support their conclusions.

Standards Covered: SC.4.L.16.2 and SC.4.L.16.3 In this unit, students will learn how animal behaviors are influenced by both heredity and learning, and how environmental factors can affect traits. They will apply these concepts by exploring the process of training a dog to understand learned behaviors.

Standards Covered: SC.4.P.8.2, SC.4.P.8.3, and SC.4.P.9.1 In this unit, students will learn about the properties and uses of water in its different states and explore how materials change through natural processes like decay. They will build a real-world drip irrigation system and use dry leaves as mulch to conserve water and sustain plant growth during dry conditions.

Standards Covered: SC.4.E.6.4 In this unit, students will learn the differences between physical weathering and erosion, and how natural forces break down and move rocks. They will also explore terrace gardening as a real-world solution to reduce soil erosion on mountain slopes.

Standards Covered: SC.4.P.8.1 SC.4.P.8.4 In this unit, students will investigate the physical properties of materials and explore how magnets attract certain objects and interact with each other. They will apply this knowledge by building a real-world electromagnet to observe how electricity can create magnetic force.

Standards Covered: SC.4.E.6.1 In this unit, students will learn to identify and classify the three main types of rocks—igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. They will explore how each type forms through processes like melting, layering, and heat and pressure.

Standards Covered: 4-PS3-4 In this unit, students will explore natural resources such as water, solar energy, and minerals. They will build a real-world model of a solar water heater to solve the practical challenge of heating water using renewable energy.

Standards Covered: 3.3.4.D This unit introduces students to the concept that all energy and fuels originate from natural resources and that each source carries different environmental impacts. Using Pumpus Has a Flowing Idea as a narrative anchor, students investigate how renewable resources—such as moving water—can be transformed into usable energy through devices like dynamos. They compare renewable and nonrenewable resources, analyze how human energy use influences ecosystems, and consider how engineering designs, like Pumpus’s waterwheel-powered generator, illustrate real-world solutions for reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Students synthesize information from text, hands-on activities, and simple models to understand why some energy sources can be replenished while others cannot, and how personal and community choices about energy use affect the planet.

Standards Covered: SC.4.E.5.1, SC.4.E.5.3, SC.4.E.5.4 In this unit, students will learn how Earth's rotation and revolution create patterns of day, night, and seasonal star movements. They will build a real-world sun clock to tell time using shadows while also learning basic geometry to draw circles, divide them into parts, find latitudes of locations, and use a compass for direction.

Standards Covered: 3.3.4.A This unit engages students in discovering how patterns in rock layers and fossils reveal changes in Earth’s landscapes over time. Using the narrative model from Pumpus Has a Plastering Idea, students investigate sedimentary rock formations, document fossils, and identify differences across layers to build evidence-based explanations of past environments. Students learn that the types and locations of fossils provide important clues about whether an area was once underwater, forested, or home to plants and animals no longer found there. Through activities such as creating plaster casts, examining real or replica fossils, and sequencing rock strata, students develop foundational skills in observation, inference, and scientific reasoning. The unit emphasizes how geologic forces, time, and environmental shifts shape the rock record—and how scientists use fossils to piece together Earth’s history.

Standards Covered: 3.3.4.B This unit helps students build a concrete understanding of weathering and erosion as they explore the ways water, ice, wind, vegetation, and gravity break down and transport Earth materials. Through the story Pumpus Has a Weathering Idea! students see how heavy rainfall on a mountainside garden leads to soil loss, bent plants, and landscape changes—mirroring real-world erosion patterns. Students then investigate how natural forces cause these changes over time and collect observational or measurement-based evidence to analyze erosion’s impact on land and living things. They test how vegetation, slope, and soil type influence erosion rates, and they evaluate how human-designed solutions such as terracing reduce soil loss and help stabilize habitats. This story-based anchor provides an accessible context for scientific inquiry, engineering design, and discussions on how living organisms—including humans—shape and are shaped by their environment.

Standards Covered: 3.3.4.C and 3.3.4.E This unit uses Pumpus Has a Shaking Idea! as an anchoring narrative to help students understand that Earth’s surface features occur in recognizable global patterns. Students analyze maps showing the distribution of mountain ranges, volcanoes, deep ocean trenches, mid-ocean ridges, and earthquake epicenters. Through guided map exploration, students discover that most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in narrow bands along plate boundaries and that major mountain chains often form where landmasses collide. Students interpret these data to explain how these patterns reflect Earth’s internal structure and dynamic processes. They then connect this understanding to engineering by examining why communities in earthquake-prone regions build differently and how design solutions—like base isolators in the story—address the specific hazards revealed by map patterns. The unit emphasizes data interpretation, geographic reasoning, and using evidence from maps to describe how Earth’s features are arranged across the planet.

Standards Covered: S.4.10 This unit engages students in discovering how patterns in rock layers and fossils reveal changes in Earth’s landscapes over time. Using the narrative model from Pumpus Has a Plastering Idea, students investigate sedimentary rock formations, document fossils, and identify differences across layers to build evidence-based explanations of past environments. Students learn that the types and locations of fossils provide important clues about whether an area was once underwater, forested, or home to plants and animals no longer found there. Through activities such as creating plaster casts, examining real or replica fossils, and sequencing rock strata, students develop foundational skills in observation, inference, and scientific reasoning. The unit emphasizes how geologic forces, time, and environmental shifts shape the rock record—and how scientists use fossils to piece together Earth’s history.

Standards Covered S.4.11 In this unit, students will investigate fossil findings to understand how animals from the past are classified based on physical traits and behaviors. They will learn to classify modern animals into major groups such as mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.

Standards Covered: S.4.12 This unit helps students build a concrete understanding of weathering and erosion as they explore the ways water, ice, wind, vegetation, and gravity break down and transport Earth materials. Through the story Pumpus Has a Weathering Idea! students see how heavy rainfall on a mountainside garden leads to soil loss, bent plants, and landscape changes—mirroring real-world erosion patterns. Students then investigate how natural forces cause these changes over time and collect observational or measurement-based evidence to analyze erosion’s impact on land and living things. They test how vegetation, slope, and soil type influence erosion rates, and they evaluate how human-designed solutions such as terracing reduce soil loss and help stabilize habitats. This story-based anchor provides an accessible context for scientific inquiry, engineering design, and discussions on how living organisms—including humans—shape and are shaped by their environment.

Standards Covered: S.4.13 In this unit, students explore how climate varies around the world by following Pumpus and his friends as they prepare for a trip to Santiago, Chile. Using a mapping kit to measure latitude and compare distances from the equator, students learn how location influences typical weather patterns—such as temperature ranges, seasonal differences, and the intensity of sunlight—aligning with West Virginia science standards on obtaining and combining information to describe global climates. As students examine tropical, temperate, and polar regions through the friends’ travel adventure, they gain a deeper understanding of how climate describes long-term weather conditions and how these conditions vary across different parts of the world.

Standards Covered: SC.4.E.5.5 In this unit, students will learn about the impact of space research and exploration on Florida’s economy, culture, and understanding of climate change. They will also explore how satellites are launched and used to track environmental changes, including ocean expansion and global climate patterns.

Standards Covered: 4-PS3-1 In this unit, students will learn how electricity flows through closed circuits and explore the differences between series and parallel circuits. They will solve a real-world problem by constructing paper circuits and identifying materials that conduct or insulate electrical current.

Standards Covered: 3.2.4.B In this unit, students investigate how energy moves from place to place through sound, light, heat, and electric currents by engaging with Pumpus and his friends as they solve a real-world problem during a camping trip. After forgetting their cooking pan, the characters design and build an earth oven, giving students a concrete, story-based model for observing how heat transfers from hot stones to food through conduction. Students analyze how energy changes form and travels—whether through moving objects, rising heat, or crackling sound from the fire—and use these observations as evidence to explain energy transfer in everyday situations. This unit helps students connect scientific ideas to hands-on experiences, reinforcing that energy is always present and can move or be transferred to cause changes in motion, temperature, and sound.

Standards Covered: 3.2.4.A In this unit, students explore how the speed of an object relates to the energy it possesses by investigating real-world energy transformations through the story Pumpus Has a Lighting Idea! As Pumpus and his friends design a windmill-powered lighting system during a backyard blackout, students observe how faster-moving wind increases the rotational speed of the fan blades, generating more mechanical energy and producing brighter electrical output. Through hands-on modeling, discussion, and evidence-based reasoning, learners examine how motion, speed, and energy are connected and apply these concepts by designing and testing simple devices that convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. This unit strengthens students’ ability to use evidence to explain energy relationships while encouraging creativity, problem-solving, and STEM engineering habits of mind.

Standards Covered: 3.2.4.D This unit helps students investigate how electrical energy can be transferred and transformed through circuits and devices, connecting directly to the Pennsylvania standard on applying scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another. Through Pumpus Has a Wiring Idea, students see how energy moves through a system and how changing the circuit design (from series to parallel) affects electrical flow and object performance. They examine the role of conductors and insulators, compare energy efficiency between incandescent bulbs and LEDs, and explore how electric currents can create light, heat, sound, or motion. Students then engage in hands-on engineering by building and improving their own energy-conversion devices—such as simple motors, light circuits, or buzzers—while evaluating how well each design meets criteria for safety, reliability, and efficiency. The unit builds foundational understanding of energy transfer and engineering problem-solving.

Standards Covered: S.4.1 In this unit, students explore how the speed of an object relates to the energy it possesses by investigating real-world energy transformations through the story Pumpus Has a Lighting Idea! As Pumpus and his friends design a windmill-powered lighting system during a backyard blackout, students observe how faster-moving wind increases the rotational speed of the fan blades, generating more mechanical energy and producing brighter electrical output. Through hands-on modeling, discussion, and evidence-based reasoning, learners examine how motion, speed, and energy are connected and apply these concepts by designing and testing simple devices that convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. This unit strengthens students’ ability to use evidence to explain energy relationships while encouraging creativity, problem-solving, and STEM engineering habits of mind.

Standards Covered: S.4.2 In this unit, students investigate how energy moves from place to place through sound, light, heat, and electric currents by engaging with Pumpus and his friends as they solve a real-world problem during a camping trip. After forgetting their cooking pan, the characters design and build an earth oven, giving students a concrete, story-based model for observing how heat transfers from hot stones to food through conduction. Students analyze how energy changes form and travels—whether through moving objects, rising heat, or crackling sound from the fire—and use these observations as evidence to explain energy transfer in everyday situations. This unit helps students connect scientific ideas to hands-on experiences, reinforcing that energy is always present and can move or be transferred to cause changes in motion, temperature, and sound.

Standards Covered: S.4.3 This unit helps students investigate how electrical energy can be transferred and transformed through circuits and devices, connecting directly to the West Virginia science standard on applying scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another. Through Pumpus Has a Wiring Idea, students see how energy moves through a system and how changing the circuit design (from series to parallel) affects electrical flow and object performance. They examine the role of conductors and insulators, compare energy efficiency between incandescent bulbs and LEDs, and explore how electric currents can create light, heat, sound, or motion. Students then engage in hands-on engineering by building and improving their own energy-conversion devices—such as simple motors, light circuits, or buzzers—while evaluating how well each design meets criteria for safety, reliability, and efficiency. The unit builds foundational understanding of energy transfer and engineering problem-solving.

Standards Covered: SC.4.L.17.2, SC.4.L.17.3, and SC.4.L.17.4 In this unit, students will learn how energy flows from the Sun through producers to consumers and how living things rely on one another for food. They will address a real-world environmental issue by building a floating raft garden to absorb excess algae in a pond and help rescue the fish.

Standards Covered: S.4.4, S.4.14, S.4.15, and S.4.16 This unit introduces students to the concept that all energy and fuels originate from natural resources and that each source carries different environmental impacts. Using Pumpus Has a Flowing Idea as a narrative anchor, students investigate how renewable resources—such as moving water—can be transformed into usable energy through devices like dynamos. They compare renewable and nonrenewable resources, analyze how human energy use influences ecosystems, and consider how engineering designs, like Pumpus’s waterwheel-powered generator, illustrate real-world solutions for reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Students synthesize information from text, hands-on activities, and simple models to understand why some energy sources can be replenished while others cannot, and how personal and community choices about energy use affect the planet.

Standards Covered: 3.2.4.C This unit helps students develop a foundational understanding of energy transfer through collisions by engaging them in a series of musical engineering challenges modeled after Pumpus Has a Composing Idea. Students construct simple instruments using everyday materials and investigate how vibrating objects produce sound, how the thickness or tension of a string affects the pitch, and how tapping or striking objects transfers energy that changes their motion. Students ask questions and predict outcomes about how energy moves during collisions—such as when a spoon strikes a jar or a finger plucks a string—and gather evidence to explain changes in pitch, loudness, and movement. Through inquiry, modeling, and design, students deepen their understanding that energy can be transferred by motion, sound, and physical contact, and that collisions always involve forces that change an object’s motion and release some energy to the surrounding air as sound and heat.

Standards Covered: S.4.14, S.4.15, and S.4.16 This unit introduces students to the concept that all energy and fuels originate from natural resources and that each source carries different environmental impacts. Using Pumpus Has a Flowing Idea as a narrative anchor, students investigate how renewable resources—such as moving water—can be transformed into usable energy through devices like dynamos. They compare renewable and nonrenewable resources, analyze how human energy use influences ecosystems, and consider how engineering designs, like Pumpus’s waterwheel-powered generator, illustrate real-world solutions for reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Students synthesize information from text, hands-on activities, and simple models to understand why some energy sources can be replenished while others cannot, and how personal and community choices about energy use affect the planet.

Standards Covered: SC.4.P.12.1 and SC.4.P.12.2 In this unit, students will learn how motion involves changes in position and direction, and how speed is measured by distance over time. They will apply these concepts by building a real-world solar-powered lawn mower to observe how energy and motion work together.

Standards Covered: 4-PS4-1 In this unit, students will explore basic forms of energy—especially sound—and learn how vibrations produce sound and affect pitch. They will build real-world instruments like a tissue box guitar, leaf flute, and glass jar xylophone to investigate how sound energy is created and used.

Standards Covered: SC.4.P.10.1, SC.4.P.10.2, SC.4.P.10.3, and SC.4.P.10.4 In this unit, students will explore basic forms of energy—especially sound—and learn how vibrations produce sound and affect pitch. They will build real-world instruments like a tissue box guitar, leaf flute, and glass jar xylophone to investigate how sound energy is created and used.

Standards Covered: 3.1.4.B In this unit, students explore how animals receive information through their senses, how their brains process that information, and how they respond to it in purposeful ways. Using the story Pumpus Has a Fencing Idea, students analyze how Peanut the dog detects visual and auditory signals to change his behavior, modeling how sense receptors gather specific types of information and how the brain guides actions based on those signals. Through hands-on modeling and guided inquiry, students investigate light as a sensory input, examine how animals use memory and perception to stay safe, and apply these ideas to design their own simple “smart fence” or sensory alert system. This unit directly supports the PA standard to use a model to describe sensory information processing while helping students understand that animals rely on specialized senses, interpretation, and learned responses to navigate their environments.

Standards Covered: 3.1.4.A In this unit, students will learn how plant structures support growth, food production, and response to stimuli like light, heat, and gravity. They will also explore sustainable gardening by growing plants in desert conditions using olla clay pots for efficient water use.

Standards Covered: SC.4.P.11.1 and SC.4.P.11.2 In this unit, students will learn how heat flows from hot to cold objects and how different materials conduct heat at varying rates. They will apply this knowledge by building a real-world earth oven using flat rocks to cook food, exploring heat transfer through hands-on experience.

Standards Covered: 4-LS1-1 In this unit, students will identify major human organs and describe their functions in systems like circulation, digestion, and movement. They will also learn to measure heartbeat using a stethoscope and plot graphs to analyze changes in heart rate under different conditions.

Standards Covered: SC.4.L.16.4 In this unit, students will explore the life cycles of Florida plants and animals, comparing complete and incomplete metamorphosis and types of seed-bearing plants. They will study the butterfly life cycle, focusing on monarch migration and the role of milkweed in their survival.

Standards Covered: 4-PS4-2 In this unit, students will learn how light travels in straight lines and how it can be reflected, refracted, or absorbed when interacting with different objects or materials. They will build a real-world model of a periscope to observe how mirrors reflect light to change its direction and extend vision.

Standards Covered: 4-ESS2-2 and 4-ESS3-2 In this unit, students will analyze map data to identify patterns in Earth’s features such as mountains, volcanoes, and earthquake zones. They will solve a real-world problem by designing and building an earthquake-resistant house with base isolators to reduce the impact of seismic activity on humans.

Standards Covered: SC.4.N.1.1, SC.4.N.1.2, SC.4.N.1.3, SC.4.N.1.4, SC.4.N.1.5, SC.4.N.1.6, SC.4.N.1.7, and SC.4.N.1.8 In this unit, students will investigate how different watering methods affect plant growth and health by conducting team and individual experiments. They will practice the scientific process by making observations, comparing results, citing evidence, and using creativity to design and explain their investigations.

Standards Covered: SC.4.E.5.2 and SC.4.E.5.5 In this unit, students will explore the changing phases of the Moon over a month and understand the lunar cycle. They will build a moon phase calendar to track and visualize the Moon’s observable shape each night.

Standards Covered: SC.4.E.6.2 In this unit, students will learn to identify common earth-forming minerals by their physical properties such as hardness, color, luster, cleavage, and streak. They will also understand how these minerals contribute to the formation of different types of rocks.

Standards Covered: 4-ESS3-1 In this unit, students will explore basic forms of energy—such as mechanical, electrical, and chemical—and how energy can cause motion or create change. They will solve a real-world problem by building a hydropower system using a waterwheel and dynamo to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Standards Covered: SC.4L.16.1 In this unit, students will explore how traits are inherited through basic Mendelian genetics using Mendel’s pea experiments. They will also learn about the processes of sexual reproduction in flowering plants, including pollination, fertilization, seed dispersal, and germination.

Standards Covered: SC4.E.6.3 and SC.4.E.6.6 In this unit, students will explore Florida’s natural resources, including water, solar energy, and minerals. They will build a real-world model of a solar water heater to solve the practical challenge of heating water from an aquifer using renewable energy.

Standards Covered: 4-ESS1-1 In this unit, students will learn to identify and classify the three main types of rocks—igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. They will explore how each type forms through processes like melting, layering, and heat and pressure.

Standards Covered: SC.4.N.2.1 and SC.4.N.3.1 In this unit, students will explore how plants can grow without soil using a hydroponic floating garden system and the benefits it offers for plant growth. They will also learn how energy flows through a food chain and how humans and other living things impact the environment.

Standards Covered: SC.4.L.17.1 In this unit, students will compare seasonal changes in Florida’s plants and animals with those in other regions. They will apply this understanding to solve a real-world problem by building a hydroponic system using recyclable materials to grow lettuce and address the food crisis for migrating manatees.

Standards Covered: 4-LS1-2 In this unit, students will learn how animal behaviors are influenced by both heredity and learning, and how environmental factors can affect traits. They will apply these concepts by exploring the process of training a dog to understand learned behaviors.

Standards Covered: S.4.7 This unit introduces students to foundational concepts of light and vision by engaging them in a story-based inquiry aligned with West Virginia’s Grade 3 science standard on how reflected light enables objects to be seen. Using Pumpus Has a Peeking Idea, students follow Pumpus, Filberta, and Filbin as they engineer a “peek-a-scope” to observe a trapped bat inside a cave. This narrative context helps students understand that light must reflect from an object and enter the eye to form an image. Through guided investigations, students model how mirrors change the direction of light, explore how brightness affects visibility, and compare what can and cannot be seen under different lighting conditions. Students then apply these ideas as they build and test their own simple optical devices, strengthening their ability to engage in scientific modeling and explain cause-and-effect relationships between light, reflection, and vision.

Standards Covered: S.4.8 In this unit, students will learn how plant structures support growth, food production, and response to stimuli like light, heat, and gravity. They will also explore sustainable gardening by growing plants in desert conditions using olla clay pots for efficient water use.

Standards Covered: S.4.9 In this unit, students explore how animals receive information through their senses, how their brains process that information, and how they respond to it in purposeful ways. Using the story Pumpus Has a Fencing Idea, students analyze how Peanut the dog detects visual and auditory signals to change his behavior, modeling how sense receptors gather specific types of information and how the brain guides actions based on those signals. Through hands-on modeling and guided inquiry, students investigate light as a sensory input, examine how animals use memory and perception to stay safe, and apply these ideas to design their own simple “smart fence” or sensory alert system. This unit directly supports the West Virginia science standard for using a model to describe sensory information processing and helps students understand that animals rely on specialized senses, interpretation, and learned responses to navigate their environments.

Standards Covered: 4-PS3-2 and 4-PS3-3 In this unit, students will learn to identify basic forms of energy—light, heat, sound, electrical, and mechanical—and how energy can cause motion or change. They will build a real-world model of a windmill to demonstrate how mechanical energy from wind can be converted into electrical energy.

Standards Covered: 4-PS4-3 In this unit, students will explore how patterns can be used to transfer information through light and sound waves. They will solve a real-world problem by using Morse code to communicate in the forest and help rescue a lost dog.

Standards Covered: 3.2.4.F This unit introduces students to foundational concepts of light and vision by engaging them in a story-based inquiry aligned with Pennsylvania’s Grade 3 standard on how reflected light enables objects to be seen. Using Pumpus Has a Peeking Idea, students follow Pumpus, Filberta, and Filbin as they engineer a “peek-a-scope” to observe a trapped bat inside a cave. This narrative context helps students understand that light must reflect from an object and enter the eye to form an image. Through guided investigations, students model how mirrors change the direction of light, explore how brightness affects visibility, and compare what can and cannot be seen under different lighting conditions. Students then apply these ideas as they build and test their own simple optical devices, strengthening their ability to engage in scientific modeling and explain cause-and-effect relationships between light, reflection, and vision.

Standards Covered: 3.2.4.G This unit invites students to investigate how patterns can be used to transfer information, building foundational understanding for later learning about digital communication systems. Using the story Pumpus Has a Tapping Idea, students analyze how the characters use Morse Code—a system built on predictable patterns—to solve a real-world problem when technology fails. Students engage in hands-on activities to generate, test, and compare different methods of sending patterned messages through sound, vibration, or light. They examine how information must be encoded, transmitted, and decoded, and how reliability can vary across systems. The unit emphasizes creativity, engineering design, teamwork, and understanding modern communication by connecting historical techniques to present-day digital signals. By the end, students can justify which solution works best for transferring information under specific constraints.

Standards Covered: 3.2.4.E This unit introduces students to wave patterns by engaging them in a real-world problem: ducklings threatened by waves from nearby boat traffic. Building from the story Pumpus Has a Splashing Idea!, students observe wave motion, noting that waves are regular patterns caused when the water’s surface is disturbed. They explore amplitude and wavelength through hands-on modeling to understand that water particles move up and down in place even as wave energy travels forward. Using evidence from their observations, students then design and test a miniature wave breaker to reduce wave amplitude before it reaches the ducklings, applying scientific ideas about waves to engineering design. This unit reinforces the PA standard by having students develop a model of waves, describe their patterns, and connect these ideas to how waves can move objects in natural settings.

Standards Covered: S.4.5 This unit introduces students to wave patterns by engaging them in a real-world problem: ducklings threatened by waves from nearby boat traffic. Building from the story Pumpus Has a Splashing Idea!, students observe wave motion, noting that waves are regular patterns caused when the water’s surface is disturbed. They explore amplitude and wavelength through hands-on modeling to understand that water particles move up and down in place even as wave energy travels forward. Using evidence from their observations, students then design and test a miniature wave breaker to reduce wave amplitude before it reaches the ducklings, applying scientific ideas about waves to engineering design. This unit reinforces the West Virginia science standard by having students develop a model of waves, describe their patterns, and connect these ideas to how waves can move objects in natural settings.

Standards Covered: S.4.6 This unit invites students to investigate how patterns can be used to transfer information, building foundational understanding for later learning about digital communication systems. Using the story Pumpus Has a Tapping Idea, students analyze how the characters use Morse Code—a system built on predictable patterns—to solve a real-world problem when technology fails. Students engage in hands-on activities to generate, test, and compare different methods of sending patterned messages through sound, vibration, or light. They examine how information must be encoded, transmitted, and decoded, and how reliability can vary across systems. The unit emphasizes creativity, engineering design, teamwork, and understanding modern communication by connecting historical techniques to present-day digital signals. By the end, students can justify which solution works best for transferring information under specific constraints.

Standards Covered: 4-ESS2-1 In this unit, students will learn the differences between physical weathering and erosion, and how natural forces break down and move rocks. They will also explore terrace gardening as a real-world solution to reduce soil erosion on mountain slopes.

Standards Covered: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, and 3-5-ETS 1-3 In this unit, students will learn about the properties and uses of water in its different states and explore how materials change through natural processes like decay. They will build a real-world drip irrigation system and use dry leaves as mulch to conserve water and sustain plant growth during dry conditions.

Standards Covered: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, and 3-5-ETS 1-3 In this unit, students will learn how energy flows from the Sun through producers to consumers and how living things rely on one another for food. They will address a real-world environmental issue by building a floating raft garden to absorb excess algae in a pond and help rescue the fish.

Standards Covered: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, and 3-5-ETS 1-3 In this unit, students will learn how plant structures support growth, food production, and response to stimuli like light, heat, and gravity. They will also explore sustainable gardening by growing plants in desert conditions using olla clay pots for efficient water use.

Standards Covered: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, and 3-5-ETS 1-3 In this unit, students will explore how stars differ in size and brightness and why they appear as points of light. They will build a real-world model of a Galilean telescope to investigate how telescopes reveal far more stars than the unaided eye can see.

Standards Covered: 5-ESS2-1 In this unit, students will learn the differences between physical weathering and erosion, and how natural forces break down and move rocks. They will also explore terrace gardening as a real-world solution to reduce soil erosion on mountain slopes.

Standards Covered: SC.5.E.5.1, SC.5.E.5.2, and SC.5.E.5.3 In this unit, students will explore the structure of the Solar System by comparing the properties of inner and outer planets and identifying key celestial objects like moons, asteroids, and comets. They will build a real-world model of a Galilean telescope to observe and better understand Earth’s place in the Solar System.

Standards Covered: 5-PS 1-2 and 5-PS 1-4 In this unit, students will investigate how temperature influences physical and chemical changes, with a focus on decomposition. They will apply this understanding by building a real-world compost bin, learning what materials can or can't be composted, and exploring the science behind composting.

Standards Covered: SC.5.P.9.1 In this unit, students will investigate how temperature influences physical and chemical changes, with a focus on decomposition. They will apply this understanding by building a real-world compost bin, learning what materials can or can't be composted, and exploring the science behind composting.

Standards Covered: SC.5.P.8.1 and SC.5.P.8.4 In this unit, students will explore the basic properties of solids, liquids, and gases, and understand that all matter is made of tiny, unseen particles. They will apply this knowledge to solve a real-world problem by building an apple sorter that categorizes apples by size—small, medium, and large—using measurement skills.

Standards Covered: 3.3.5.E This unit immerses students in how human actions shape the health of ecosystems and how science-based community efforts can reduce negative impacts. Inspired by Pumpus Has a Rescuing Idea, students explore how pollution, habitat changes, and resource shortages—such as the loss of seagrass for manatees—are linked to human activities in agriculture, construction, and everyday life. As students learn how a retention pond helps prevent pollutants from entering waterways, they see a real example of how communities use scientific knowledge to protect Earth’s resources. They then apply this understanding by designing their own hydroponic growing system using recyclable materials, modeling how people can take positive action to support wildlife during seasonal challenges. Throughout the unit, students collect information, evaluate solutions, and construct explanations that align with the Pennsylvania standard: “Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect Earth’s resources and environment.”

Standards Covered: 3.3.5.F The Exploring Idea story provides a model of student-driven environmental problem solving. Pumpus and his friends recognize a real environmental issue (coastal erosion due to rising sea levels), gather information, develop a technological solution (a satellite), and use the data to promote awareness and community action. These actions mirror the Pennsylvania standard requiring students to generate and design solutions to environmental issues. The story also naturally integrates matter cycling, as coastal changes are tied to atmospheric CO₂ levels, water movement, biological systems, and human impacts. Students can extend this narrative by analyzing how climate change affects the movement of gases, water, and organic matter through ecosystems—and how informed actions can reduce negative impacts.

Standards Covered: 5-ESS 1-2 In this unit, students will learn how Earth's rotation and revolution create patterns of day, night, and seasonal star movements. They will build a real-world sun clock to tell time using shadows while also learning basic geometry to draw circles, divide them into parts, find latitudes of locations, and use a compass for direction.

Standards Covered: 3.3.5.B In this unit, students follow Pumpus and his friends as they solve a real-world problem by building a sundial when their watch stops working during a fishing trip. This storyline provides a meaningful entry point to the Pennsylvania standard requiring students to represent data in graphs to reveal patterns of daily changes in shadows, day and night, and seasonal star visibility. Students replicate Pumpus’s investigation by constructing sundials, observing how shadow length and direction shift throughout the day, and graphing these changes to identify patterns. Lessons then extend into why these patterns occur—connecting the shadow data to Earth’s rotation on its axis and observations of seasonal star patterns to Earth’s revolution around the sun. Through hands-on modeling, data interpretation, and story-based inquiry, students develop an evidence-based explanation of how Earth’s movements create predictable daily and seasonal cycles.

Standards Covered: 3.3.5.A This unit engages students in understanding why the Sun appears brighter and larger than other stars by connecting scientific investigation to the narrative of Pumpus Has a Gazing Idea. Students follow Pumpus, Filberta, and Filbin as they build a simple telescope to observe stars and planets, giving context for how lenses bend light and help us gather information about far-away objects. Through guided exploration, students analyze patterns in star brightness and distance, comparing the Sun—our closest star—to the countless stars that appear faint because they lie incredibly far away. Students model how light travels, record observational data from sky simulations or digital tools, and construct arguments explaining why proximity—not size or power—determines how bright a star appears from Earth. The unit also emphasizes scientific thinking, note-taking, collaboration, and the role of historical figures like Galileo to anchor learning in real discoveries. By the end, students clearly articulate why the Sun dominates our sky while distant stars twinkle faintly, supporting claims with evidence gathered from models, observations, and the story’s problem-solving process.

Standards Covered: S.5.8 This unit uses Pumpus Has a Raining Idea to help students build conceptual understanding of global water distribution and its real-world impacts on communities. As students follow Pumpus and his friends through a drought investigation, they examine evidence showing that nearly all of Earth’s water is salty ocean water, most freshwater is locked in ice or underground, and only a tiny fraction exists in lakes, rivers, wetlands, and the atmosphere. Students model these reservoirs using scaled water measurements and construct graphs to visualize the dramatic differences in quantity. Through classroom discussions and data interpretation, students explain why freshwater is limited and why drought affects surface reservoirs so quickly. The story’s problem—low lake levels—provides an authentic context for students to evaluate strategies that reduce evaporation and protect freshwater resources, reinforcing the West Virginia science standards around evidence-based explanation, mathematical modeling, and human-environment interactions.

Standards Covered: S.5.9 The Exploring Idea story provides a model of student-driven environmental problem solving. Pumpus and his friends recognize a real environmental issue (coastal erosion due to rising sea levels), gather information, develop a technological solution (a satellite), and use the data to promote awareness and community action. These actions mirror the West Virginia science standard requiring students to generate and design solutions to environmental issues. The story also naturally integrates matter cycling, as coastal changes are tied to atmospheric CO₂ levels, water movement, biological systems, and human impacts. Students can extend this narrative by analyzing how climate change affects the movement of gases, water, and organic matter through ecosystems—and how informed actions can reduce negative impacts.

Standards Covered: S.5.10 In Pumpus Has a Weathering Idea, rainfall (hydrosphere) from the atmosphere interacts with the mountain slope (geosphere) and affects the plants growing there (biosphere). Students observe how water flowing downhill can remove soil, how weather conditions determine the rate of erosion, and how living things—like Pumpus’s garden—respond to these changes. The terrace solution modeled in the story demonstrates how altering landforms can change water pathways and support plant health by slowing runoff and allowing water to soak into the soil. This storyline gives students a clear, concrete example of Earth’s systems working together and provides an excellent platform for developing models that show the interconnected nature of landforms, weather, water movement, and living organisms.

Standards Covered: S.5.11 This unit introduces students to the concept that all energy and fuels originate from natural resources and that each source carries different environmental impacts. Using Pumpus Has a Flowing Idea as a narrative anchor, students investigate how renewable resources—such as moving water—can be transformed into usable energy through devices like dynamos. They compare renewable and nonrenewable resources, analyze how human energy use influences ecosystems, and consider how engineering designs, like Pumpus’s waterwheel-powered generator, illustrate real-world solutions for reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Students synthesize information from text, hands-on activities, and simple models to understand why some energy sources can be replenished while others cannot, and how personal and community choices about energy use affect the planet.

Standards Covered: 3.3.5.C In Pumpus Has a Weathering Idea, rainfall (hydrosphere) from the atmosphere interacts with the mountain slope (geosphere) and affects the plants growing there (biosphere). Students observe how water flowing downhill can remove soil, how weather conditions determine the rate of erosion, and how living things—like Pumpus’s garden—respond to these changes. The terrace solution modeled in the story demonstrates how altering landforms can change water pathways and support plant health by slowing runoff and allowing water to soak into the soil. This storyline gives students a clear, concrete example of Earth’s systems working together and provides an excellent platform for developing models that show the interconnected nature of landforms, weather, water movement, and living organisms.

Standards Covered: 3.3.5.D This unit uses Pumpus Has a Raining Idea to help students build conceptual understanding of global water distribution and its real-world impacts on communities. As students follow Pumpus and his friends through a drought investigation, they examine evidence showing that nearly all of Earth’s water is salty ocean water, most freshwater is locked in ice or underground, and only a tiny fraction exists in lakes, rivers, wetlands, and the atmosphere. Students model these reservoirs using scaled water measurements and construct graphs to visualize the dramatic differences in quantity. Through classroom discussions and data interpretation, students explain why freshwater is limited and why drought affects surface reservoirs so quickly. The story’s problem—low lake levels—provides an authentic context for students to evaluate strategies that reduce evaporation and protect freshwater resources, reinforcing the PA standards around evidence-based explanation, mathematical modeling, and human-environment interactions.

Standards Covered: S.5.12, S.5.15, S.5.16, and S.5.17 This unit engages students in analyzing how different materials behave and how their properties influence practical design decisions—mirroring Pumpus’ creation of a “trickler-sprinkler” in Pumpus Has a Growing Idea. Students investigate soil, water, mulch, and plant materials, measuring and comparing their behaviors to determine which materials best support controlled watering and moisture retention. Through structured investigations, students heat, cool, mix, and separate materials and measure their weights before and after changes. They graph their data to provide evidence that the total amount of matter remains constant, even when materials appear to break down, spread out, evaporate, or dissolve. Students apply these findings to evaluate and justify material choices in their own small-scale irrigation prototypes, strengthening their understanding of conservation of matter and the role of data in engineering.

Standards Covered: 3.1.5.B This unit uses the Pumpus Has a Filtering Idea story to help students understand the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. Students examine a real-world problem—an algae-filled pond where fish struggle to survive—and explore how nutrient cycling and oxygen exchange support healthy ecosystems. The floating garden model provides a concrete way to illustrate how plants absorb nutrients from waste, release oxygen back into the water, and contribute to a balanced food web. Students learn that all animals rely on plants for energy either directly or indirectly and that matter continuously cycles through organisms and the environment. Classroom investigations and discussions guide students to map food webs, trace matter from source to consumer, and explain how organisms obtain and release gases, water, and nutrients as they live, grow, and decompose. This unit emphasizes evidence-based reasoning aligned with the PA standards by requiring students to develop models showing how matter cycles in interconnected systems.

Standards Covered: 5-ESS3-1 In this unit, students will learn about the impact of space research and exploration on the economy, culture, and our understanding of climate change. They will also explore how satellites are launched and used to track environmental changes, including ocean expansion and global climate patterns.

Standards Covered: SC.5.P.10.3 In this unit, students will learn how electrically charged objects can attract or repel other objects without contact, exploring the principles of electrostatic forces. They will apply this knowledge by building a real-world “magic cleaning wand” that uses static electricity to attract and pick up small paper pieces.

Standards Covered: SC.5.P.11.1 and SC.5.P.11.2 In this unit, students will learn how electricity flows through closed circuits and explore the differences between series and parallel circuits. They will solve a real-world problem by constructing paper circuits and identifying materials that conduct or insulate electrical current.

Standards Covered: 5-LS2-1 In this unit, students will learn how energy flows from the Sun through producers to consumers and how living things rely on one another for food. They will address a real-world environmental issue by building a floating raft garden to absorb excess algae in a pond and help rescue the fish.

Standards Covered: 3.2.5.G This unit helps students build a conceptual model of how energy flows from the Sun to plants and then to animals, supporting the PA standard on energy in food. Using the story Pumpus Has a Tracking Idea, students observe how a rescued baby squirrel grows stronger as it consumes food, linking nutritional energy back to plants and ultimately to sunlight. The story integrates biological structures (teeth, stomach, intestines) to show how animals process food for repair, growth, motion, and warmth. Students also examine data from a tracking device—movement patterns, location, heartbeat—allowing them to analyze how energy use changes as the squirrel becomes active in its natural environment. Teachers can extend the unit with investigations such as food-energy diagrams, modeling the Sun → plant → animal energy pathway, and interpreting basic biological data to reinforce energy transfer concepts.

Standards Covered: S.5.15, S.5.16, and S.5.17 This unit engages students in analyzing how different materials behave and how their properties influence practical design decisions—mirroring Pumpus’ creation of a “trickler-sprinkler” in Pumpus Has a Growing Idea. Students investigate soil, water, mulch, and plant materials, measuring and comparing their behaviors to determine which materials best support controlled watering and moisture retention. Through structured investigations, students heat, cool, mix, and separate materials and measure their weights before and after changes. They graph their data to provide evidence that the total amount of matter remains constant, even when materials appear to break down, spread out, evaporate, or dissolve. Students apply these findings to evaluate and justify material choices in their own small-scale irrigation prototypes, strengthening their understanding of conservation of matter and the role of data in engineering.

Standards Covered: SC.5.L.15.1 and SC.5.L.17.1 In this unit, students will examine how environmental changes affect the survival of plants and animals, and how adaptations in behavior, life cycles, and physical traits help them thrive in various habitats. They will apply this understanding by building a bat house to attract bats as a natural solution for pest control in cornfields.

Standards Covered: SC.5.P.13.1, SC.5.P.13.2, SC.5.P.13.3, and SC.5.P.13.4 In this unit, students will explore how forces like pushes, pulls, gravity, and mass affect an object’s motion and how balanced and unbalanced forces work. They will solve a real-world problem by constructing a wooden-wheeled cart from natural materials to transport a Christmas tree, applying their understanding of force and motion.

Standards Covered: SC.5.P.10.1 and SC.5.P.10.2 In this unit, students will explore basic forms of energy—such as mechanical, electrical, and chemical—and how energy can cause motion or create change. They will solve a real-world problem by building a hydropower system using a waterwheel and dynamo to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Standards Covered: 3.1.5.A This unit introduces students to the foundational life science concept that plants acquire the materials needed for growth chiefly from air and water, aligning directly with the Pennsylvania standard. Through the story Pumpus Has a Watering Idea! students explore a real-world problem—helping a garden survive drought—and examine how an olla irrigation system provides a steady water supply to plant roots. Building on this narrative, students engage with scientific ideas about water movement through soil, root absorption, xylem transport, and photosynthesis as the process that converts carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil into plant food. The story’s detailed explanations of how plants draw water upward, take in carbon dioxide through their leaves, and rely on sunlight as an energy source provide a rich context for guided inquiry. Students model plant systems, observe water absorption, track plant growth, and collect evidence showing that soil itself does not become plant matter—air and water do. By the end of the unit, learners are prepared to construct and justify arguments about how plants grow, supported by data, vocabulary, diagrams, and hands-on experiments.

Standards Covered: SC.5.L.14.2 In this unit, students will compare how plants and animals use different structures—like stems, skeletons, or exoskeletons—for support and function. They will apply this knowledge by building a real-world robotic hand using cardboard, straws, and strings to solve the problem of plucking apples from tall trees.

Standards Covered: 5-PS2-1 In this unit, students will explore gravity as a force that pulls objects toward Earth and learn how it can be overcome. They will demonstrate this by using a real-world pulley system to lift objects and observe how force and motion interact.

Standards Covered: SC.5.L.14.1 In this unit, students will identify major human organs and describe their functions in systems like circulation, digestion, and movement. They will also learn to measure heartbeat using a stethoscope and plot graphs to analyze changes in heart rate under different conditions.

Standards Covered: S.5.5 This unit introduces students to the foundational life science concept that plants acquire the materials needed for growth chiefly from air and water, aligning directly with the West Virginia science standards. Through the story Pumpus Has a Watering Idea! students explore a real-world problem—helping a garden survive drought—and examine how an olla irrigation system provides a steady water supply to plant roots. Building on this narrative, students engage with scientific ideas about water movement through soil, root absorption, xylem transport, and photosynthesis as the process that converts carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil into plant food. The story’s detailed explanations of how plants draw water upward, take in carbon dioxide through their leaves, and rely on sunlight as an energy source provide a rich context for guided inquiry. Students model plant systems, observe water absorption, track plant growth, and collect evidence showing that soil itself does not become plant matter—air and water do. By the end of the unit, learners are prepared to construct and justify arguments about how plants grow, supported by data, vocabulary, diagrams, and hands-on experiments.

Standards Covered: S.5.6 This unit helps students build a conceptual model of how energy flows from the Sun to plants and then to animals, supporting the science standard on energy in food. Using the story Pumpus Has a Tracking Idea, students observe how a rescued baby squirrel grows stronger as it consumes food, linking nutritional energy back to plants and ultimately to sunlight. The story integrates biological structures (teeth, stomach, intestines) to show how animals process food for repair, growth, motion, and warmth. Students also examine data from a tracking device—movement patterns, location, heartbeat—allowing them to analyze how energy use changes as the squirrel becomes active in its natural environment. Teachers can extend the unit with investigations such as food-energy diagrams, modeling the Sun → plant → animal energy pathway, and interpreting basic biological data to reinforce energy transfer concepts.

Standards Covered: S.5.7 This unit uses the Pumpus Has a Filtering Idea story to help students understand the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. Students examine a real-world problem—an algae-filled pond where fish struggle to survive—and explore how nutrient cycling and oxygen exchange support healthy ecosystems. The floating garden model provides a concrete way to illustrate how plants absorb nutrients from waste, release oxygen back into the water, and contribute to a balanced food web. Students learn that all animals rely on plants for energy either directly or indirectly and that matter continuously cycles through organisms and the environment. Classroom investigations and discussions guide students to map food webs, trace matter from source to consumer, and explain how organisms obtain and release gases, water, and nutrients as they live, grow, and decompose. This unit emphasizes evidence-based reasoning aligned with the West Virginia science standards by requiring students to develop models showing how matter cycles in interconnected systems.

Standards Covered: 3.2.5.D This unit engages students in analyzing how different materials behave and how their properties influence practical design decisions—mirroring Pumpus’s creation of a “trickler-sprinkler” in Pumpus Has a Growing Idea. Students investigate soil, water, mulch, and plant materials, measuring and comparing their behaviors to determine which materials best support controlled watering and moisture retention. Through structured investigations, students heat, cool, mix, and separate materials and measure their weights before and after changes. They graph their data to provide evidence that the total amount of matter remains constant, even when materials appear to break down, spread out, evaporate, or dissolve. Students apply these findings to evaluate and justify material choices in their own small-scale irrigation prototypes, strengthening their understanding of conservation of matter and the role of data in engineering.

Standards Covered: 3.2.5.E This unit uses the story Pumpus Has a Composting Idea to guide students in exploring what happens when substances are mixed and whether the result is a new substance with different properties. As Pumpus and his friends investigate why their garden plants are struggling, they create and test a composting system, allowing students to observe physical changes (shredding, mixing, moistening) and chemical changes (decomposition and transformation into nutrient-rich compost). Teachers can use this narrative to anchor discussions about evidence of chemical reactions—such as changes in color, odor, temperature, and material composition—and to differentiate between mixtures and the formation of new substances. Students learn that decomposition produces a material with new properties, aligning with Pennsylvania’s expectations for investigating chemical change. Optional extensions include modeling the decomposer food web, comparing compost at different stages, and analyzing how environmental factors (heat, moisture, surface area) influence the rate and outcome of decomposition.

Standards Covered: 3.2.5.B This unit engages students in observing and measuring material properties to determine how and why certain materials function in specific ways. Using Pumpus Has a Cooling Idea as a narrative anchor, students examine the clay-pot “zeer” cooler built by the characters and investigate how properties such as porosity, texture, hardness, absorbency, and temperature change make clay, sand, and cloth effective for evaporative cooling. Students will collect and record temperature data, compare environmental conditions to cooler conditions, and investigate how different materials behave under the same heat exposure. Through hands-on testing and evidence gathering, students practice identifying materials based on measurable properties and communicate their findings with written and visual data representations. This unit emphasizes scientific thinking, problem-solving, and material selection grounded in observable evidence—mirroring engineering practices embedded in the story.

Standards Covered: 3.2.5.C This unit introduces students to the idea that materials can be identified, compared, and selected using observable and measurable properties, directly aligning with the Pennsylvania standard on using data to determine how materials should be used. Through the lens of the Pumpus “Boxing Idea” story, students explore how measurements such as length, width, height, and diameter support classification, sorting, and decision-making in real-world contexts. Students will engage in hands-on investigations where they collect and analyze data, interpret patterns, and justify choices about materials or objects based on evidence. Teachers guide students in understanding that accurate measurement is essential for problem-solving—whether sorting apples, designing containers, or selecting materials for a task. The unit emphasizes mathematical reasoning, practical applications, teamwork, and the process of using data to make informed choices.

Standards Covered: 3.2.5.A This unit uses the Collecting Idea storyline to help students understand that all matter—even gases—is made of particles too small to see, and that these particles behave in predictable ways. As Pumpus and his friends investigate a foggy, water-scarce environment, they observe condensation, water vapor movement, and the formation of droplets on a fog-catching net. Students learn that fog is composed of tiny liquid water droplets suspended in air and that water vapor, although invisible, can be detected through changes such as condensation and collection. They build and test models showing how matter moves between states and how particle-level explanations help explain real-world phenomena like drought, fog formation, and water capture systems. This unit weaves together scientific modeling, engineering design, and environmental problem-solving as students reason about how unseen particles can be observed through their measurable effects.

Standards Covered: SC.5.P.8.2 and SC.5.P.8.3 In this unit, students will learn how to separate mixtures of solids based on observable properties like size, shape, color, and magnetism. They will solve a real-world problem by designing and building a coin sorter that uses these properties to organize coins efficiently.

Standards Covered: 3.2.5.F This unit helps students develop a clear conceptual understanding of gravity as a force that always pulls objects toward Earth’s center. Using Pumpus Has a Pulling Idea as the narrative anchor, students analyze how Pumpus and his friends recognize that gravity is pulling the turtles downward into the trench and then engineer a pulley system to counteract gravitational pull. Teachers guide students through investigations measuring how objects fall, comparing force with and without support, and exploring how simple machines allow humans to work against gravity. Students construct explanations supported by observations and data, ultimately making evidence-based arguments that Earth’s gravitational force is always directed downward, affecting the motion and behavior of objects, animals, and designed solutions.

Standards Covered: 5-ESS1-1 In this unit, students will explore how stars differ in size and brightness and why they appear as points of light. They will build a real-world model of a Galilean telescope to investigate how telescopes reveal far more stars than the unaided eye can see.

Standards Covered: 5-PS3-1 and 5-LS1-1 In this unit, students will learn how plant structures support growth, food production, and response to stimuli like light, heat, and gravity. They will also explore sustainable gardening by growing plants in desert conditions using olla clay pots for efficient water use.

Standards Covered: SC.5.N.1.1 In this unit, students will learn to design and conduct scientific investigations by exploring conductivity through simple, series, and parallel paper circuits using a coin cell battery. They will solve a real-world problem by testing various materials to determine the best electrical conductor and applying scientific reasoning to support their conclusions.

Standards Covered: 5-PS 1-3 In this unit, students will learn to identify common earth-forming minerals by their physical properties, such as hardness, color, luster, cleavage, and streak. They will also understand how these minerals contribute to the formation of different types of rocks.

Standards Covered: S.5.13 This unit engages students in understanding why the Sun appears brighter and larger than other stars by connecting scientific investigation to the narrative of Pumpus Has a Gazing Idea. Students follow Pumpus, Filberta, and Filbin as they build a simple telescope to observe stars and planets, giving context for how lenses bend light and help us gather information about far-away objects. Through guided exploration, students analyze patterns in star brightness and distance, comparing the Sun—our closest star—to the countless stars that appear faint because they lie incredibly far away. Students model how light travels, record observational data from sky simulations or digital tools, and construct arguments explaining why proximity—not size or power—determines how bright a star appears from Earth. The unit also emphasizes scientific thinking, note-taking, collaboration, and the role of historical figures like Galileo to anchor learning in real discoveries. By the end, students clearly articulate why the Sun dominates our sky while distant stars twinkle faintly, supporting claims with evidence gathered from models, observations, and the story’s problem-solving process.

Standards Covered: S.5.14 In this unit, students follow Pumpus and his friends as they solve a real-world problem by building a sundial when their watch stops working during a fishing trip. This storyline provides a meaningful entry point to the West Virginia science standard, requiring students to represent data in graphs to reveal patterns of daily changes in shadows, day and night, and seasonal star visibility. Students replicate Pumpus’s investigation by constructing sundials, observing how shadow length and direction shift throughout the day, and graphing these changes to identify patterns. Lessons then extend into why these patterns occur—connecting the shadow data to Earth’s rotation on its axis and observations of seasonal star patterns to Earth’s revolution around the sun. Through hands-on modeling, data interpretation, and story-based inquiry, students develop an evidence-based explanation of how Earth’s movements create predictable daily and seasonal cycles.

Standards Covered: 5-PS1-1 In this unit, students will explore the states of water—solid, liquid, and gas—and how water changes form through condensation. They will build a real-world model of a fog catcher to collect water droplets from fog using vertical nets, demonstrating an innovative solution to drought-related water scarcity.

Standards Covered: S.5.1 This unit introduces students to the idea that materials can be identified, compared, and selected using observable and measurable properties, directly aligning with the West Virginia science standard on using data to determine how materials should be used. Through the lens of the Pumpus “Boxing Idea” story, students explore how measurements such as length, width, height, and diameter support classification, sorting, and decision-making in real-world contexts. Students will engage in hands-on investigations where they collect and analyze data, interpret patterns, and justify choices about materials or objects based on evidence. Teachers guide students in understanding that accurate measurement is essential for problem-solving—whether sorting apples, designing containers, or selecting materials for a task. The unit emphasizes mathematical reasoning, practical applications, teamwork, and the process of using data to make informed choices.

Standards Covered: S.5.2 This unit uses the Collecting Idea storyline to help students understand that all matter—even gases—is made of particles too small to see, and that these particles behave in predictable ways. As Pumpus and his friends investigate a foggy, water-scarce environment, they observe condensation, water vapor movement, and the formation of droplets on a fog-catching net. Students learn that fog is composed of tiny liquid water droplets suspended in air and that water vapor, although invisible, can be detected through changes such as condensation and collection. They build and test models showing how matter moves between states and how particle-level explanations help explain real-world phenomena like drought, fog formation, and water capture systems. This unit weaves together scientific modeling, engineering design, and environmental problem-solving as students reason about how unseen particles can be observed through their measurable effects.

Standards Covered: S.5.3, S.5.15, S.5.16, and S.5.17 This unit engages students in analyzing how different materials behave and how their properties influence practical design decisions—mirroring Pumpus’ creation of a “trickler-sprinkler” in Pumpus Has a Growing Idea. Students investigate soil, water, mulch, and plant materials, measuring and comparing their behaviors to determine which materials best support controlled watering and moisture retention. Through structured investigations, students heat, cool, mix, and separate materials and measure their weights before and after changes. They graph their data to provide evidence that the total amount of matter remains constant, even when materials appear to break down, spread out, evaporate, or dissolve. Students apply these findings to evaluate and justify material choices in their own small-scale irrigation prototypes, strengthening their understanding of conservation of matter and the role of data in engineering.

Standards Covered: S.5.4 This unit uses the story Pumpus Has a Composting Idea to guide students in exploring what happens when substances are mixed and whether the result is a new substance with different properties. As Pumpus and his friends investigate why their garden plants are struggling, they create and test a composting system, allowing students to observe physical changes (shredding, mixing, moistening) and chemical changes (decomposition and transformation into nutrient-rich compost). Teachers can use this narrative to anchor discussions about evidence of chemical reactions—such as changes in color, odor, temperature, and material composition—and to differentiate between mixtures and the formation of new substances. Students learn that decomposition produces a material with new properties, aligning with expectations in the West Virginia science standards for investigating chemical change. Optional extensions include modeling the decomposer food web, comparing compost at different stages, and analyzing how environmental factors (heat, moisture, surface area) influence the rate and outcome of decomposition.

Standards Covered: SC.5.N.2.1 and SC.5.N.2.2 In this unit, students will explore how mechanical energy can be converted into electrical energy by building a hydropower system using a waterwheel and dynamo. They will conduct investigations to determine the most efficient renewable energy source for lighting an LED and identify the best conductors of electricity, using evidence-based conclusions.

Standards Covered: 5-ESS2-2 In this unit, students will explore the water cycle, the different states of water, and how the ocean connects Earth’s water sources through evaporation and precipitation. They will apply this knowledge to solve a real-world problem by using aquatic plants to minimize water loss from reservoirs during hot summers.

Standards Covered: SC.5.E.7.1 and SC.5.E.7.2 In this unit, students will explore the water cycle, the different states of water, and how the ocean connects Earth’s water sources through evaporation and precipitation. They will apply this knowledge to solve a real-world problem by using aquatic plants to minimize water loss from reservoirs during hot summers.

Standards Covered: SC.5.E.7.3 and SC.5.E.7.4 In this unit, students will learn how factors like air temperature, pressure, humidity, wind, and precipitation determine local weather conditions. They will solve a real-world problem by building a barometer to measure atmospheric pressure and help predict rainfall.

Standards Covered: SC.5.E.7.5, SC.5.E.7.6, and SC.5.E.7.7 In this unit, students will explore how temperature and humidity vary across environments like swamps, deserts, and mountains, and how climate zones are shaped by latitude, elevation, and nearby water bodies. They will solve a real-world problem by learning to measure latitude to better understand climate geography.