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How the World Works
The living world consists of plants, microorganisms, and wildlife. They interact not only with each other but also with the physical world around them. They have to acquire food and water, and throughout their lives they recycle the nutrients that they consume. It is important to understand how the physical environment works and shapes the lives of plants, animals, and microbes. In this unit, we will explore one of the most important cycles: the water cycle. Students will learn what produces rain, where it falls, how it is stored, how it affects living processes, and why it must be conserved. Students will also learn about the power of wind and how it generates energy, as well as about the importance of sun and rain in the lives of plants and animals.
Lessons Within This Unit
Unit 4: How The World Works
Lesson 1 of 4
Lesson 1: The Water Cycle
Students will understand the true complexity of the water cycle and humanity’s relationship with it, while gaining awareness of how little of Earth’s water we can use and how we can conserve it.
2 weeks
Unit 4: How The World Works
Lesson 2 of 4
Lesson 2: The Power of Wind
Students will learn about the nature of wind, its causes and powerful capabilities, how it affects plants and animals, and how humans use it.
2 weeks
Unit 4: How The World Works
Lesson 3 of 4
Lesson 3: The Sun
Students will understand the sun as a powerful and mysterious force by examining the ways animals interact with it and by studying human mythology surrounding it.
2 weeks
Unit 4: How The World Works
Lesson 4 of 4
Lesson 4: Rain
Students will analyze how rain interacts with the surface of the ground, and how interactions among humans, plants, and the surface of the ground determine water quality and runoff.
2 weeks