Science Resources
Science Resources
The Science Resources program at Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES is dedicated to supporting educators and students in exploring the wonders of science through hands-on learning and innovative resources. We provide districts with a wide range of curriculum-aligned materials, instructional tools, and professional development opportunities to enhance science education at all grade levels.
Our services include access to specialized science kits, lab materials, and digital resources that foster inquiry-based learning and align with state science standards. These resources are designed to engage students in critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world application of scientific principles.
Additionally, the Science Resources program offers expert guidance and support for implementing science curricula, including workshops and training for educators on effective teaching strategies, the latest in STEM education, and classroom integration of technology. Whether it’s enhancing a chemistry experiment or facilitating environmental science fieldwork, our team is here to provide the tools and expertise to help students thrive in the ever-evolving field of science.
By partnering with Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Science Resources, schools can ensure their students have access to high-quality, engaging science education that inspires curiosity and prepares them for future academic and career success.
Woz-Ed Science Kits
The Woz-Ed science kits offer an engaging, hands-on approach to STEM education across grade levels. These kits foster critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving through interactive lessons in science and technology. Each grade-specific kit is aligned with state standards and provides opportunities for students to explore various scientific concepts while applying the engineering design process.
- Kindergarten: Students will explore the Earth, climate, and weather throughout the year, while learning about bioengineering, focusing on how plants, animals, and humans interact with their environment. The final unit introduces the physics of push and pull forces. Students will create habitats for plants, design sun-blocking structures, and solve problems using force, promoting creativity and hands-on engagement.
- First Grade: First-grade students delve into the study of sunlight, seasons, photonics, acoustics, and biology. They will design and build clothing items suited for different seasons, experiment with light and sound, and develop solutions to human challenges by studying plants and animals. These activities cultivate scientific inquiry and collaborative problem-solving.
- Second Grade: In second grade, students investigate matter, weather, and ecosystems. They explore how weather and Earth’s events impact living organisms and conduct experiments to understand reversible and irreversible changes. Additionally, students research plant and animal interdependence, leading to the creation of new species adapted to specific habitats.
- Third Grade: Third-grade students broaden their understanding of global weather patterns, animal life cycles, and forces. They collect and analyze climate data, investigate why animals form groups, and explore magnetic forces while applying engineering principles to solve real-world problems related to hazardous weather and more.
- Fourth Grade: Focusing on conservation and adaptations, fourth graders study Earth’s systems, animal responses to environmental stimuli, and energy transfer. Through experiments and engineering challenges, students learn how to minimize human impact on the environment and understand the transformation of energy.
- Fifth Grade: In fifth grade, students explore Earth’s resources, environmental protection, and the solar system. They investigate the structures of matter, Earth’s place in the universe, and develop models and data displays to support scientific arguments, encouraging technological literacy and critical thinking.
Woz-Ed science kits provide an exciting and comprehensive STEM learning experience for all grade levels, promoting scientific exploration and engineering design through engaging, real-world applications.
Mystery Science
Mystery Science kits simplify the process of delivering high-quality science instruction by providing easy-to-use, inquiry-based lessons. Each kit contains all the materials needed for engaging students in hands-on experiments and activities that spark their natural curiosity. Designed for elementary grades, these kits guide students through scientific exploration and discovery, encouraging them to ask questions, make observations, and solve problems. Mystery Science kits are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), making them a valuable tool for teachers looking to create a fun, inquiry-driven classroom environment.
The Mystery Science curriculum for Kindergarten offers three distinct units: Plant and Animal Secrets, Weather Watching, and Force Olympics, each spanning 6-9 weeks. In Plant and Animal Secrets, students learn how animals and plants meet their survival needs through a series of engaging questions such as “Why do woodpeckers peck wood?” and “Where do animals live?” The unit encourages exploration of local wildlife while building an understanding of plant and animal life. In Weather Watching, students become little meteorologists, developing an appreciation for weather patterns as they tackle questions like “Have you ever watched a storm?” and “How can you get ready for a big storm?” They will also learn to predict weather changes based on observations. Lastly, Force Olympics introduces the concept of force through playful experimentation, where students answer questions like “How can you knock down a wall made of concrete?” and “What’s the biggest excavator?”
First Grade:
First graders explore Plant & Animal Superpowers, Spinning Sky, and Lights & Sounds, with each unit lasting 6-9 weeks. In Plant & Animal Superpowers, students discover how animals and plants possess special traits and behaviors that help them grow, addressing questions like “Why do birds have beaks?” and “Why don’t trees blow down in the wind?” The Spinning Sky unit takes students on a journey through the changing positions of the Sun, Moon, and stars, asking questions like “Why do stars come out at night?” and “Could a statue’s shadow move?” Finally, Lights & Sounds dives into the properties of light and sound, prompting students to explore questions such as “How do they make silly sounds in cartoons?” and “Can you see in the dark?”
Second Grade:
In second grade, students engage with Animal Adventures (3-6 weeks), Plant Adventures (6-12 weeks), Work of Water (4-8 weeks), and Material Magic (5-10 weeks). Animal Adventures introduces students to biodiversity and the concepts of habitat and species, answering questions like “Why do frogs say ‘ribbit’?” and “How could you get more birds to visit a bird feeder?” Plant Adventures helps students learn about plant life and survival, addressing “How did a tree travel halfway around the world?” and “Why do trees grow so tall?” Work of Water explores the powerful effects of water on the earth’s surface, with questions like “Why is there sand at the beach?” and “How can you stop a landslide?” Lastly, Material Magic dives into the properties of manmade materials, asking “Why do we wear clothes?” and “Could you build a house out of paper?”
Third Grade:
Third graders are introduced to Animals Through Time (8-16 weeks), Power of Flowers (4-8 weeks), Stormy Skies (4-8 weeks), and Invisible Forces (5-10 weeks). In Animals Through Time, students explore how animals and their habitats have evolved, addressing “Where can you find whales in the desert?” and “How do we know what dinosaurs looked like?” Power of Flowers investigates plant reproduction and domestication, exploring questions like “Why do plants give us fruit?” and “How could you make the biggest fruit in the world?” Stormy Skies helps students learn to predict weather by studying clouds and wind, answering “Where do clouds come from?” and “How can we predict when it’s going to storm?” In Invisible Forces, students experiment with forces like friction and magnetism, asking “What makes bridges so strong?” and “How can you unlock a door using a magnet?”
Fourth Grade:
Fourth graders dive into Human Machine (4-8 weeks), Birth of Rocks (4-8 weeks), Waves of Sound (3-6 weeks), and Energizing Everything (8-16 weeks). In Human Machine, students explore the human body as a machine, addressing questions like “Why do your biceps bulge?” and “How does your brain control your body?” Birth of Rocks teaches students how rocks tell stories about the earth’s history, answering “Could a volcano pop up where you live?” and “Will a mountain last forever?” Waves of Sound explores the physical properties of sound, with questions like “How far can a whisper travel?” and “Why are some sounds high and others low?” Lastly, Energizing Everything dives into energy transfer and motion, asking “What makes roller coasters go so fast?” and “Could you knock down a building using only dominoes?”
Fifth Grade:
Fifth graders study Web of Life (6-12 weeks), Watery Planet (4-8 weeks), Spaceship Earth (8-16 weeks), and Chemical Magic (5-10 weeks). In Web of Life, students learn about ecosystems and energy transfer, addressing questions like “Why do fallen leaves go?” and “Why did the dinosaurs go extinct?” Watery Planet explores water as a precious resource, with questions like “How much water is in the world?” and “Can we make it rain?” Spaceship Earth takes students on a journey through astronomy, investigating “How fast does the Earth spin?” and “Why do the stars change with the seasons?” Finally, Chemical Magic introduces chemical reactions with questions like “Are magic potions real?” and “Could you transform something worthless into gold?”
For more information about the Mystery Science curriculum and access to grade-level planning guides.
Advancing STEM
The Advancing STEM curriculum kits provide a comprehensive approach to integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the classroom. These kits are designed for upper elementary and middle school students, offering a range of projects that challenge students to apply STEM concepts to real-world scenarios. From building structures to designing simple machines, the Advancing STEM curriculum promotes teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Each kit is aligned with NGSS and provides educators with step-by-step instructions to facilitate deep learning experiences in science and engineering.
Kindergarten:
The four Advancing STEM curriculum units for Kindergarten thoroughly cover every New York State Standard at this grade level, ensuring a comprehensive exposure to science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. Throughout the school year, students will explore the changes to their environment in Spot the Differences: Changes to the Environment, discover the fundamentals of force and motion in Push, Pull, Go (Carolina Biological Company), examine the interactions between plants, animals, and the sun in One Under the Sun: Plant and Animal Interactions with the Sun and Their Environment, and investigate weather patterns in Eyes to the Sky: Investigating Weather Patterns.
First Grade:
In Grade 1, the Advancing STEM curriculum offers four units that ensure students engage with all New York State Standards, focusing on key science and engineering practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. Students will explore how organisms function and thrive in Exploring Organisms (Carolina Biological Company), examine patterns in the sky in It’s Just a Phase: Patterns in the Sky, discover sound properties in Lend Me Your Hears: Discovering Sound Properties, and investigate light in Watt’s So Bright?: Discovering Light Properties.
Second Grade:
The second-grade Advancing STEM curriculum units provide in-depth exposure to science concepts aligned with New York State Standards. Students will explore the properties of matter in Matter Matters, learn about maps, models, and landforms in A Bird’s Eye View Over Land and Water: Models, Maps, and Patterns, understand the interdependence between plants and animals in Lean on Me: How Plants and Animals Depend on Each Other, and investigate erosion processes in Weathering the Change: Erosion Processes.
Third Grade:
For Grade 3, the Advancing STEM curriculum includes four comprehensive units designed to cover New York State Standards and ensure students develop essential skills in science and engineering. The units include Forced to Stick with It: Motion and Magnetism, which focuses on forces and magnetism, The Circle of Life: Life Cycles and Traits, which covers the life cycles of various organisms, Weather Around the World: Data Trends, Climate, Water Cycle, and Hazards, which explores weather patterns and natural hazards, and I Will Survive: Organisms Surviving in Different Environments, which examines how organisms adapt to different environments.
Fourth Grade:
The fourth-grade Advancing STEM curriculum features four units that align with New York State Standards, covering critical topics and scientific practices. The units are: Plant and Animal Structures, which explores the internal and external structures of organisms, Makin’ Waves: Patterns of Waves and Information Transfer, which investigates wave patterns and information transmission, Full of Potential: The Effects of Energy, which examines energy forms and transfers, and Centuries of Change: Processes that Shape the Earth, which covers the geological processes that shape our planet.
Fifth Grade:
Fifth-grade students will engage in four comprehensive Advancing STEM units aligned with New York State Standards, providing a thorough understanding of key scientific concepts. These units include Survival: A Study of Photosynthesis and Ecosystems, which delves into the processes of photosynthesis and ecosystem interactions, Models of the Earth: Earth’s Systems and Water Resource, which explores Earth’s systems and water resources, Chemistry in the Kitchen: Structures and Properties of Matter, which investigates chemical properties and reactions, and Among the Stars: Earth and Space Systems, which covers space systems and Earth’s place in the universe.
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