CKSci Grade 5 – Science in Action: Rowan and Gianna
Focus:
In this unit, students explore the young lives and current professional careers of two researchers, Rowan and Giann. Rowan studies chemical engineering. She understands chemical reactions and then figures out how to scale them up so she can make things that benefit people. Gianna engineers materials and systems that can help heal spinal cord injuries. She is also a musician who loves to play the oboe. Students start out by reading incidents of the young lives of each of these people and they then see the current, active lives of both. They see how inspiration, experiences, and challenges in life can lead to decisions that led to exciting, rewarding careers in science through a person’s life. Students will also learn how scientists from the past inspired these researchers. Along the way students learn scientific facts that are an integral part of the lives of these science researchers.
- Who are some of the people that inspired these two researchers when they were young?
- What experiences first awakened scholarly interest in these two people?
- How did going to school help both people recognize their interests and achieve their goals?
- How did going to college help these researchers become mature thinkers?
- What is biochemistry and why does an engineer need to know it?
- Can a fuel to make engines run really be made from vegetable oil?
- How does being a chemical engineer differ from being a chemist?
- How does knowing math and computer science help an engineer?
- Can a person be both a scientist and a musician?
- What is an artificial knee?
Number of Lessons: 4
Instruction Time:
- Each Chapter is designed to be completed in one 30-45-minute class period.
- Some single-day activities and performance tasks might require setting aside a longer block of time.
- This Unit should be completed in about 4-6 classroom days.
- A complete list of Materials needed to complete the unit is provided in Online Resources.
- Activity pages and answers are included in the Teacher Guide.
- Online Resources contain a wealth of additional teacher support.
Additional Search Terms:
acidic • alkaline • orbit • ecosystem • native plants • pollution • runoff • problem • solution • biodiesel fuel • chemical engineer • chemist • chemical reaction • renewable resources • veterinarian • data • algorithm • robotics
