Elementary Science Topics: What to Teach in an Elementary Science Curriculum

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If you want to design your own homeschool elementary science curriculum, it can be a little overwhelming thinking about all of the elementary science topics that need to be taught. It has been a long time since our own elementary science classes, so it is extremely unlikely we remember more than a few fun projects or science experiments.

When my kids were in elementary school grades some years I bought a science curriculum and in other years I put together a collection of science unit studies that functioned as a curriculum.

When I put together my own elementary science curriculums I based the learning objectives on public school standards. I know that as homeschoolers we do not need to follow our state public school standards. However, my homeschool goal has always been to provide a better educational experience than my kids would have gotten in our local school. I wanted my kids to learn everything they would have been taught at the school down the road and more. The only way to guarantee that was happening was to know what was being taught in the public schools.

I don’t think purchasing an elementary science curriculum is always necessary. Some of our best elementary science lessons were ones I put together for my kids. However, purchasing a science curriculum saves time.

I think a solid science curriculum is beneficial at the high school level, but isn’t totally necessary at the elementary level as long as kids have parents who have the time and energy to research and plan lessons for all of the elementary science topics.

what to teach in an elementary science curriculum written above science experiments

Elementary Science Topics: What to Teach in an Elementary Science Curriculum

How I Created This List

First, I researched the elementary science standards of North Carolina (where I currently live) and Louisiana (where I taught). I made note of all of the elementary science content standards and goals.

I wanted to make sure that this list was complete, so I looked at the best states for education for grades K – 12. Based on a few ranking lists, New Jersey and Massachusetts seem to be tied for first place. Then I researched the state science standards in New Jersey and Massachusetts and added any topics or learning goals that were missing from the list.

If you ever want to look at the public school learning standards for your state, try Googling ‘your state + standards of learning’.

These are the elementary science topics or objectives that make up the elementary science learning objectives in these states.

Please note that these goals are for kindergarten – fifth grade. It is 6 years’ worth of material. Do not panic thinking that you need to teach it all in one grade level or school year! You have a lot of flexibility in how you design your science program and teach these topics.

Some families might want to teach topics from life science, Earth science, physics, and engineering each year. Other families might prefer to teach one topic thoroughly each year. You can do whatever works best for your family. If you try something and it isn’t working, it is okay to change directions.

The disciplinary core ideas of an elementary science program are life science, earth science, physical science, and engineering. These topics will make up the majority of your science lesson plans.

LIFE SCIENCE TOPICS FOR ELEMENTARY K-5 WRITTEN IN FRONT OF A CLOSE UP PHOTO OF A LEAF

Life Science

  • All living things need food, water, and air to grow
  • Draw a food chain flow chart
  • Plants need water and sunlight to grow
  • Plants and animals can change their environment
  • Animal body features that support survival (beak shape, coloring, warm fur, large ears, etc.)
  • Parts of a plant
  • Identify similarities and differences between individual plants and animals of the same kind
  • Plants depend on animals for pollination
  • Reproduction is needed for the continuation of a species
  • Plant and animal life cycles
  • Basic understanding of photosynthesis
  • Behavior of animal parents and their offspring
  • Characteristics of an organism can be inherited from parents or from the environment. Distinguish between inherited and environmental
  • Being part of a group helps animals survive
  • Observe and compare different types of life in various habitats (temperate forest, desert, tropical rain forest, grassland, arctic, and aquatic)
  • Analyze how changes in an environment may impact a species’ ability to survive
  • Some plants and animals have gone extinct
  • Understand basic systems of human anatomy
EARTH SCIENCE TOPICS FOR ELEMENTARY K-T WRITTEN ABOVE A CHILD HOLDING A GLOBE

Earth Science

  • Features of the sun
  • Observe phases of the moon
  • Use a model to demonstrate Earth’s relationship to the sun, moon, and other planets
    Related: DIY Edible Solar System Cookie Model
  • The sun, moon, and stars’ movement can be predicted and observed, described, and predicted
  • Sunrise and sunset have seasonal patterns
  • Seasonal changes on Earth
  • Weather is a combination of temperature, precipitation, wind, and sunlight
  • Record weather conditions
  • Use a weather forecast to prepare for local weather conditions
  • Use data to predict typical weather patterns during a specific season in an area
  • Types of severe weather
    Related: How To Teach Kids About Tornadoes
  • Blowing wind and flowing water can change the shape of the land
  • Investigate and compare ways to prevent wind from changing the shape of the land
  • Water can be found in oceans, lakes, rivers, and ponds. It may be solid (ice) or liquid.
  • Describe the water cycle
  • Graph the relative amounts of fresh water and salt water in bodies of water on Earth
  • Design and test a simple system to filter particles out of water
  • Map the shape of different landforms and bodies of water
    Related: How to Make a Rice Krispies Map
  • Reduce, reuse, and recycle to conserve natural resources
  • Identify renewable and nonrenewable resources
  • Fossils provide evidence about organisms that lived in the past
    Related: Educational Fossil Activities
  • Rock formations show changes due to Earth’s forces
  • Describe and classify types of rocks based on hardness, color, flexibility, texture, and absorbency
  • Rocks, soils, and sediments are broken down through mechanical weathering and moved around through erosion
  • Related: Rock Activities for Middle School (These ideas work for elementary grades too.)
  • The location of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns
  • Understand producers, consumers, and decomposers
physical science topics for elementary k-5 written above two magnets

Physical Science

  • Pushes and pulls can have different directions and strengths
  • Pushing or pulling an object can change the speed or direction
  • When objects collide, they change directions
  • The faster an object is moving, the more energy it has
  • An object at rest has balanced forces
  • Understand gravity
  • Energy can be transferred through sound, light, heat, and electric currents
  • Magnetic forces can attract or repel
  • Develop a model of mechanical waves
  • Build a device that will allow light or sound to send a signal over a distance (drums, Morse code, etc.)
  • Demonstrate the relationship between sound and vibrations
  • Understand light and shadows
  • Identify characteristics of the states of matter – solid, liquid, and gas
  • Measure and graph the weights (masses) of substances before and after a phase change (example – water to ice) to show the conservation of mass
  • Heating and cooling a substance can cause changes
  • Conduct an experiment to see if combining two substances creates a new substance (chemical reaction) or not (mixture)
  • Effects of friction
engineering topics for elementary k-5 written above two puzzle pieces

Engineering

  • Asking questions and defining problems
  • Develop and use models
  • Plan and carry out investigations
  • Analyze and interpret data
  • Use mathematical and computational thinking
  • Construct explanations and design solutions
  • Make a drawing to represent a potential solution to a problem
  • Design two solutions to a problem and analyze data comparing the solutions

Tips to Teach Elementary Science

Elementary students really benefit from differentiated instruction. They are able to fully understand new material when it is presented in a variety of ways.

I like to teach elementary science using a variety of instructional materials:

  • Hands-on activities
  • Natural scientific inquiry (what are they naturally curious about)
  • Interesting books
  • Field trips
  • Videos

You probably noticed that elementary science lessons focus on a few areas:

  • Plants and animals
  • The environment
  • The solar system
  • Rock cycle
  • Water cycle
  • States of matter
  • Motion and forces
  • Engineering through problem-solving

You are not limited to only teaching these topics in an elementary science course. You can certainly go further on any science concepts that your kids find interesting. Homeschooling gives you the flexibility to create a science education that is tailored to your students.

elementary science curriculum options written above a science kit

Elementary Science Curriculum Options

If you do not have the time or energy to create your own elementary science lessons that cover all of the standard elementary science topics, you can use a published elementary science curriculum. Some of my favorite elementary science curriculum options include:

Pandia Press

Pandia Press offers secular curriculum for homeschool families. Level 1 is intended for elementary science lessons, while Level 2 was created for middle school and high school students. The curricula are available as digital or printed books.

The Level 1 elementary science topics include:

Rabbit Trails Through Science

Rabbit Trails Through Science teaches elementary science topics by combining high-quality children’s literature with hands-on activities. This elementary science curriculum features a Christian world-view. The curriculum is designed to be able to work with all elementary grade levels so that you don’t need a separate science curriculum for each grade level. The elementary science topics are organized in unit studies and include:

Rabbit Trails Through Homeschool frequently runs sales, so I recommend checking the Homeschool Deals page before ordering. If the unit you are considering is not on sale, you can use the code: organized to save 10%.

Related: Rabbit Trails Through Homeschool Review: Gentle Teaching

Noeo Science

Noeo Science publishes elementary and middle school science curricula. The main feature of their elementary science curriculum is that it includes everything you need to teach: a teacher’s manual, books, and hands-on experiments. The science lessons are truly open-and-go. The parent company, Logos Press, is a Christian company, but Noeo leaves religious instruction out of the lesson plans. Level 1 curricula is for lower elementary and Level 2 curricula is for upper elementary grades. The elementary science topics include:

Core Knowledge Science

Core Knowledge produces high-quality elementary and middle school science curricula. The most distinguishing feature of the curriculum is that everything is free. You can download the teacher’s guide and student book instantly from the website. The teacher’s guide contains detailed lesson plans and worksheets. Core Knowledge organizes its curriculum as unit studies sorted by grade level, but I think you have some flexibility in the elementary science lessons. The elementary science topics for each grade level include:

  • Kindergarten
    • Pushes and Pulls
    • Needs of Plants and Animals
    • Changing Environments
    • Weather Patterns
    • Our Five Senses
    • Computers All Around Us
  • First Grade
    • Sun, Moon, and Stars
    • Plant and Animal Survival
    • Exploring Light and Sound
    • Simple Machines
    • Human Body Systems
    • Helpful Computers
  • Second Grade
    • Properties of Matter
    • Organisms and Their Habitats
    • Exploring Land and Water
    • Electricity and Magnetism
    • Human Cells and Digestion
    • Using Computers
  • Third Grade
    • Investigating Forces
    • Life Cycles, Traits, and Variations
    • Habitats and Change
    • Weather and Climate
    • Human Senses and Movement
    • Codes and Computers
  • Fourth Grade
    • Energy Transfer and Transformation
    • Investigating Waves
    • Structures and Functions of Living Things
    • Processes That Shape Earth
    • Using Natural Resources for Energy
    • Human Respiration and Circulation
    • Problem Solving and Computers
  • Fifth Grade
    • Investigating Matter
    • Energy and Matter in Ecosystems
    • Modeling Earth’s Systems
    • Protecting Earth’s Resources
    • Astronomy Space Systems
    • Human Hormones and Reproduction
    • Designing Computer Programs

I hope this post helped you research elementary science topics to create your own elementary science lessons or find an elementary science curriculum for your homeschool.

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Welcome! My name is Jennifer. I am a teacher at heart. Before my children were born I was a public school teacher. Now, I am a homeschooling mom of two.