What science will students learn this year?

Students explore how sound and light work, how plants and animals use their bodies to survive, and how the sun and moon move in patterns across the sky. Most of the year is hands-on, with students watching, testing, and explaining what they notice.

How can families support science learning at home?

Step outside and notice things together. Watch where the moon sits at bedtime, listen for sounds that make a window buzz, or see what happens when a flashlight hits a clear cup versus a book. A few minutes of wondering out loud goes a long way.

What does it mean that sound can make things vibrate?

Sound is made when something shakes back and forth, like a guitar string or vocal cords. Loud sounds can also shake other objects. Hold a piece of paper near a speaker and students can feel it buzz.

Why are students learning that objects need light to be seen?

Students are building the idea that we see things because light bounces off them into our eyes. A simple test at home: sit in a dark closet for a minute, then crack the door. Talk about what becomes visible and why.

How should the year be sequenced across these topics?

A common path is sound and light in the fall, life science in winter, and sun, moon, and daylight patterns in spring so students can compare seasons firsthand. Sky observations work best when started early and revisited monthly.

Which ideas usually need the most reteaching?

Two stick points show up every year. Students often think we see objects because our eyes send something out, and they confuse baby animals looking like their parents with being identical. Plan extra observation time for both.

What should a design challenge look like at this age?

Keep it concrete and short. For the communication-over-distance task, students might build a string-and-cup phone or a flashlight signal code. The goal is testing, adjusting, and explaining what worked, not a polished final product.

How can a parent help with the plant and animal unit?

Look at family photos together and talk about what students share with parents and what is different. On a walk, point out a duck following its mother or a bird carrying food to a nest. These count as real observations.

How do I know students are ready for next year?

By spring, students should plan a simple test, record what they see, and explain results using evidence from the activity. They should describe patterns in the sky, in animal behavior, and in how light and sound act on objects.

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year science becomes about finding patterns and testing ideas. Students plan small experiments with sound and light, like plucking a rubber band or shining a flashlight through different materials to see what happens. They watch how baby animals look like their parents but not exactly, and notice how plants and animals use their parts to survive. By spring, students can track the sun and moon over weeks and explain a pattern they noticed.

Sound and light
Patterns in the sky
Plants and animals
Parents and offspring
Simple experiments
Daylight and seasons

Source: Louisiana Louisiana Student Standards

Year at a glance

How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.

1
Sound and how it travels
Students explore how sound is made by things that shake or buzz. They test how a plucked string, a drum, or their own voice creates sound, and they notice how sound can make other objects move too.
2
Light and what we can see
Students figure out that objects are only visible when light shines on them. They test what happens when light hits clear, cloudy, or solid materials, and notice shadows and reflections along the way.
3
Designing a way to communicate
Students use what they know about light and sound to build a simple tool that sends a message across the room. Think flashlight signals, string phones, or homemade noisemakers.
4
How living things survive
Students look at how animals and plants use their bodies to stay safe, find food, and grow. They borrow ideas from nature to design something that solves a human problem, like a backpack inspired by a turtle shell.
5
Parents, babies, and patterns
Students notice how baby animals and young plants look like their parents but are not identical. They also study how parents care for their young, from a mother bird feeding chicks to a puppy following its mom.
6
Sun, moon, and seasons
Students watch the sky over time and track patterns in the sun, moon, and stars. They also notice how daylight gets longer in summer and shorter in winter, connecting what they see outside to the time of year.

Mastery Learning Standards

The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 1.

Physical Science

Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials…

1-PS4-1

Students learn that sound comes from things that vibrate, like a plucked rubber band or a drum being struck. They also discover that a loud sound can make nearby objects shake in return.
Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects can be…

1-PS4-2

Students learn that objects are only visible when light hits them. They observe everyday objects in dark and lit spaces to figure out why turning off the lights makes things disappear.
Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects…

1-PS4-3

Students shine a beam of light and place different objects in its path to see what happens. They find out whether each material blocks the light, lets it pass through, or somewhere in between.
Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound…

1-PS4-4

Students build a simple device that sends a message using light or sound. The project shows how people share information across a distance when they can't just talk face to face.

Standard	Definition	Code
Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials…	Students learn that sound comes from things that vibrate, like a plucked rubber band or a drum being struck. They also discover that a loud sound can make nearby objects shake in return.	1-PS4-1
Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects can be…	Students learn that objects are only visible when light hits them. They observe everyday objects in dark and lit spaces to figure out why turning off the lights makes things disappear.	1-PS4-2
Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects…	Students shine a beam of light and place different objects in its path to see what happens. They find out whether each material blocks the light, lets it pass through, or somewhere in between.	1-PS4-3
Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound…	Students build a simple device that sends a message using light or sound. The project shows how people share information across a distance when they can't just talk face to face.	1-PS4-4

Physical Science

Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials…

1-PS4-1

Students learn that sound comes from things that vibrate, like a plucked rubber band or a drum being struck. They also discover that a loud sound can make nearby objects shake in return.
Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects can be…

1-PS4-2

Students learn that objects are only visible when light hits them. They observe everyday objects in dark and lit spaces to figure out why turning off the lights makes things disappear.
Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects…

1-PS4-3

Students shine a beam of light and place different objects in its path to see what happens. They find out whether each material blocks the light, lets it pass through, or somewhere in between.
Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound…

1-PS4-4

Students build a simple device that sends a message using light or sound. The project shows how people share information across a distance when they can't just talk face to face.

Standard	Definition	Code
Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials…	Students learn that sound comes from things that vibrate, like a plucked rubber band or a drum being struck. They also discover that a loud sound can make nearby objects shake in return.	1-PS4-1
Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects can be…	Students learn that objects are only visible when light hits them. They observe everyday objects in dark and lit spaces to figure out why turning off the lights makes things disappear.	1-PS4-2
Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects…	Students shine a beam of light and place different objects in its path to see what happens. They find out whether each material blocks the light, lets it pass through, or somewhere in between.	1-PS4-3
Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound…	Students build a simple device that sends a message using light or sound. The project shows how people share information across a distance when they can't just talk face to face.	1-PS4-4

Life Science

Use tools and materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking…

1-LS1-1

Students look at how animals and plants use their body parts to survive, then design something that copies that idea. A bird's wing, a beaver's teeth, or a leaf's shape could inspire a simple solution to a real problem.
Read grade-appropriate texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of…

1-LS1-2

Students look at books and videos to find patterns in how animal parents care for their young. They notice which behaviors, like feeding or protecting, help offspring survive.
Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and…

1-LS3-1

Students look at pictures or real examples of baby animals and plants alongside their parents, then explain what looks the same and what looks different. A puppy resembles its mother but isn't a perfect copy.

Standard	Definition	Code
Use tools and materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking…	Students look at how animals and plants use their body parts to survive, then design something that copies that idea. A bird's wing, a beaver's teeth, or a leaf's shape could inspire a simple solution to a real problem.	1-LS1-1
Read grade-appropriate texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of…	Students look at books and videos to find patterns in how animal parents care for their young. They notice which behaviors, like feeding or protecting, help offspring survive.	1-LS1-2
Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and…	Students look at pictures or real examples of baby animals and plants alongside their parents, then explain what looks the same and what looks different. A puppy resembles its mother but isn't a perfect copy.	1-LS3-1

Life Science

Use tools and materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking…

1-LS1-1

Students look at how animals and plants use their body parts to survive, then design something that copies that idea. A bird's wing, a beaver's teeth, or a leaf's shape could inspire a simple solution to a real problem.
Read grade-appropriate texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of…

1-LS1-2

Students look at books and videos to find patterns in how animal parents care for their young. They notice which behaviors, like feeding or protecting, help offspring survive.
Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and…

1-LS3-1

Students look at pictures or real examples of baby animals and plants alongside their parents, then explain what looks the same and what looks different. A puppy resembles its mother but isn't a perfect copy.

Standard	Definition	Code
Use tools and materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking…	Students look at how animals and plants use their body parts to survive, then design something that copies that idea. A bird's wing, a beaver's teeth, or a leaf's shape could inspire a simple solution to a real problem.	1-LS1-1
Read grade-appropriate texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of…	Students look at books and videos to find patterns in how animal parents care for their young. They notice which behaviors, like feeding or protecting, help offspring survive.	1-LS1-2
Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and…	Students look at pictures or real examples of baby animals and plants alongside their parents, then explain what looks the same and what looks different. A puppy resembles its mother but isn't a perfect copy.	1-LS3-1

Earth and Space Science

Use observations of the sun, moon

1-ESS1-1

Students watch how the sun moves across the sky each day, how the moon changes shape over a month, and where stars appear at night. Over time, they notice these patterns repeat and can predict what comes next.
Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight…

1-ESS1-2

Students track how daylight changes across seasons, noticing that summer days are longer and winter days are shorter. They connect those patterns to the time of year.

Standard	Definition	Code
Use observations of the sun, moon	Students watch how the sun moves across the sky each day, how the moon changes shape over a month, and where stars appear at night. Over time, they notice these patterns repeat and can predict what comes next.	1-ESS1-1
Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight…	Students track how daylight changes across seasons, noticing that summer days are longer and winter days are shorter. They connect those patterns to the time of year.	1-ESS1-2

Earth and Space Science

Use observations of the sun, moon

1-ESS1-1

Students watch how the sun moves across the sky each day, how the moon changes shape over a month, and where stars appear at night. Over time, they notice these patterns repeat and can predict what comes next.
Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight…

1-ESS1-2

Students track how daylight changes across seasons, noticing that summer days are longer and winter days are shorter. They connect those patterns to the time of year.

Standard	Definition	Code
Use observations of the sun, moon	Students watch how the sun moves across the sky each day, how the moon changes shape over a month, and where stars appear at night. Over time, they notice these patterns repeat and can predict what comes next.	1-ESS1-1
Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight…	Students track how daylight changes across seasons, noticing that summer days are longer and winter days are shorter. They connect those patterns to the time of year.	1-ESS1-2

Common Questions

What science will students learn this year?
Students explore how sound and light work, how plants and animals use their bodies to survive, and how the sun and moon move in patterns across the sky. Most of the year is hands-on, with students watching, testing, and explaining what they notice.
How can families support science learning at home?
Step outside and notice things together. Watch where the moon sits at bedtime, listen for sounds that make a window buzz, or see what happens when a flashlight hits a clear cup versus a book. A few minutes of wondering out loud goes a long way.
What does it mean that sound can make things vibrate?
Sound is made when something shakes back and forth, like a guitar string or vocal cords. Loud sounds can also shake other objects. Hold a piece of paper near a speaker and students can feel it buzz.
Why are students learning that objects need light to be seen?
Students are building the idea that we see things because light bounces off them into our eyes. A simple test at home: sit in a dark closet for a minute, then crack the door. Talk about what becomes visible and why.
How should the year be sequenced across these topics?
A common path is sound and light in the fall, life science in winter, and sun, moon, and daylight patterns in spring so students can compare seasons firsthand. Sky observations work best when started early and revisited monthly.
Which ideas usually need the most reteaching?
Two stick points show up every year. Students often think we see objects because our eyes send something out, and they confuse baby animals looking like their parents with being identical. Plan extra observation time for both.
What should a design challenge look like at this age?
Keep it concrete and short. For the communication-over-distance task, students might build a string-and-cup phone or a flashlight signal code. The goal is testing, adjusting, and explaining what worked, not a polished final product.
How can a parent help with the plant and animal unit?
Look at family photos together and talk about what students share with parents and what is different. On a walk, point out a duck following its mother or a bird carrying food to a nest. These count as real observations.
How do I know students are ready for next year?
By spring, students should plan a simple test, record what they see, and explain results using evidence from the activity. They should describe patterns in the sky, in animal behavior, and in how light and sound act on objects.