The K–5 lab map
One lab for every standard, Kindergarten to Grade 5
Think of it as a periodic table of elementary science: a lab for each NGSS* performance expectation, colored by physical, life, and earth and space science. Kindergarten is ready to play. The rest are planned, and topics may still change.
KKindergartenReady now
1Grade 1Planned
1-PS4-1SvSound & Vibration1-PS4-2DbThe Dark Box1-PS4-3LbLight Blockers1-PS4-4SgSignal Senders1-LS1-1CnCopy Nature1-LS3-1BpBabies & Parents1-ESS1-1SkSky Patterns1-ESS1-2DhDaylight Hours
2Grade 2Planned
2-PS1-1MtMaterial Tests2-PS1-2BmBest Material2-PS1-3BrBuild & Rebuild2-PS1-4HcHeat & Cool2-LS2-1FpFour Pots2-LS2-2SeSeed Spreaders2-LS4-1HsHabitat Survey2-ESS1-1FsFast & Slow Earth2-ESS2-1EsErosion Stoppers2-ESS2-2MmMap Maker
3Grade 3Planned
3-PS2-1TwTug of War3-PS2-2PePendulum Patterns3-PS2-3IfInvisible Forces3-PS2-4MgMagnet Makers3-LS1-1LcLife Cycles3-LS3-1FtFamily Traits3-LS3-2GrGrown Different3-LS4-1FdFossil Dig3-LS4-3CgCamouflage Game3-ESS2-1SnSeason Grapher3-ESS3-1StStorm Shield
4Grade 4Planned
4-PS3-1CrCrash Ramps4-PS3-2CbCircuit Builder4-PS3-4EcEnergy Converter4-PS4-1WtWave Tank4-PS4-2HwHow We See4-PS4-3ScSecret Codes4-LS1-1AsAnimal Senses4-ESS1-1CwCanyon Walls4-ESS2-1SmStream Table4-ESS3-2QpQuake Proof
5Grade 5Planned
5-PS1-1TpTiny Particles5-PS1-2MkMass Keeper5-PS1-3MpMystery Powders5-PS1-4MxMix or Make?5-PS2-1GvGravity Drop5-LS1-1PmPlant Mass5-LS2-1JeJar Ecosystem5-ESS1-1SdStar Distance5-ESS1-2ShShadow Tracker5-ESS2-2WaWater World
Physical scienceLife scienceEarth & space science
Planned - topics may change
Kindergarten
ages 5–6 · 8 labs · ready now
- K-PS2-1* Push the Ball! Soft and hard pushes, and changing a ball's direction.
- K-PS2-2* Ramps & Bumpers Build a ramp or a bumper to change a ball's speed or direction.
- K-PS3-1* Sun & Shade How warm sand, water and rock get in the sun and in the shade.
- K-PS3-2* Shade Builders Build a shade that keeps an ice cube from melting.
- K-LS1-1* What Living Things Need Plants with and without water or light, and feeding classroom pets.
- K-ESS3-1* Habitat Match-Up A habitat model: who lives where, and why.
- K-ESS2-1* Weather Watchers A month of weather, a picture graph, and morning vs. afternoon.
- K-ESS2-2* Nature Detectives How a beaver changes a stream, and other evidence of animals changing their world.
Grade 1
ages 6–7 · 8 labs · planned
- 1-PS4-1* Sound & Vibration Sound makes things vibrate: a drum with rice on it, a tuning fork.
- 1-PS4-2* The Dark Box Can you see anything without light?
- 1-PS4-3* Light Blockers Shine light through glass, paper, foil and a mirror.
- 1-PS4-4* Signal Senders Build a light or sound signal to talk across a distance.
- 1-LS1-1* Copy Nature Design gear inspired by animal body parts.
- 1-LS3-1* Babies & Parents Like their parents, but not the same: young and adult animals and plants.
- 1-ESS1-1* Sky Patterns The sun's path across a day, and the moon's phases over a month.
- 1-ESS1-2* Daylight Hours How the hours of daylight change through the seasons.
Grade 2
ages 7–8 · 10 labs · planned
- 2-PS1-1* Material Tests Hard, bendy, absorbent, see-through - and which ones sink or float.
- 2-PS1-2* Best Material Pick the best material for the job: an umbrella, a sponge, a bridge.
- 2-PS1-3* Build & Rebuild Take an object apart and build something new from the same pieces.
- 2-PS1-4* Heat & Cool Melt, freeze and cook: which changes can be undone?
- 2-LS2-1* Four Pots Do plants need light and water? Four pots over two weeks.
- 2-LS2-2* Seed Spreaders Model how animals spread seeds and pollinate flowers.
- 2-LS4-1* Habitat Survey Count the living things in different habitats.
- 2-ESS1-1* Fast & Slow Earth Some changes take seconds (a volcano), some take ages (a canyon).
- 2-ESS2-1* Erosion Stoppers Protect a hill from rain and wind.
- 2-ESS2-2* Map Maker Map the land and water of an area.
Grade 3
ages 8–9 · 11 labs · planned
- 3-PS2-1* Tug of War Balanced and unbalanced forces on carts and ropes.
- 3-PS2-2* Pendulum Patterns Use a pattern in motion to predict what happens next.
- 3-PS2-3* Invisible Forces Magnets and static electricity acting without touching.
- 3-PS2-4* Magnet Makers Solve a problem with magnets: a latch, a sorter.
- 3-LS1-1* Life Cycles Butterfly, frog and bean plant, in time-lapse.
- 3-LS3-1* Family Traits Measure how traits vary in a group.
- 3-LS3-2* Grown Different The same plant grown in sun and in shade.
- 3-LS4-1* Fossil Dig What lived here long ago?
- 3-LS4-3* Camouflage Game Which animals survive best where they live? (3-LS4-2 and 3-LS4-3)
- 3-ESS2-1* Season Grapher Graph a season's weather and find the pattern.
- 3-ESS3-1* Storm Shield Design protection from a flood or a storm.
Grade 4
ages 9–10 · 10 labs · planned
- 4-PS3-1* Crash Ramps Ramp height, speed and collisions. (4-PS3-1 and 4-PS3-3)
- 4-PS3-2* Circuit Builder Bulbs, buzzers and motors: energy moving as light, sound, heat and motion.
- 4-PS3-4* Energy Converter Build a windmill or a solar oven.
- 4-PS4-1* Wave Tank Amplitude and wavelength in a wave tank.
- 4-PS4-2* How We See Light bouncing off objects into the eye.
- 4-PS4-3* Secret Codes Send messages with patterns, like Morse code.
- 4-LS1-1* Animal Senses Animal structures and senses. (4-LS1-1 and 4-LS1-2)
- 4-ESS1-1* Canyon Walls Read the rock layers and fossils in a canyon wall.
- 4-ESS2-1* Stream Table Weathering and erosion by water, ice and wind.
- 4-ESS3-2* Quake Proof Design a building that survives an earthquake.
Grade 5
ages 10–11 · 10 labs · planned
- 5-PS1-1* Tiny Particles Particles too small to see: dissolving sugar, spreading scent.
- 5-PS1-2* Mass Keeper Weigh before and after melting, dissolving and fizzing.
- 5-PS1-3* Mystery Powders Identify powders by their properties.
- 5-PS1-4* Mix or Make? A new substance, or just a mixture? (Chromatography fits here.)
- 5-PS2-1* Gravity Drop Gravity pulls everything down, toward Earth's center.
- 5-LS1-1* Plant Mass Where does a plant's mass come from? Air and water.
- 5-LS2-1* Jar Ecosystem Decomposers and matter cycling in a sealed jar.
- 5-ESS1-1* Star Distance Why the sun looks brighter than other stars.
- 5-ESS1-2* Shadow Tracker Shadows over a day, and the stars by season.
- 5-ESS2-2* Water World Where all of Earth's water is.
Hear when a new grade is ready
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