Oceans: Mysteries of the Deep

Dive below the surface to study reefs, species, zones, currents, and human reliance on the seas.

Did you know

• Tides are driven in part by lunar gravity
• Most life on earth is aquatic
• The longest mountain chain is underwater
• The Dead Sea is about five times saltier than the ocean
• Leatherback turtles can migrate ten thousand miles
• Kelp can exceed two hundred feet in length
• Currents move clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere

Catholic permeation: biblical miracles at sea, Baptism, Our Lady Star of the Sea, saintly fishermen.

Earth: Exploring Our Home

Tour tectonic plates, seasons, atmosphere, weather, and climate to grasp the design of our home.

Did you know

• Earth orbits the sun at about 67,000 miles per hour
• Mammoth Cave spans more than 80 square miles
• The magnetic field enables compasses to work
• Undersea mountain ranges are vast
• The exosphere is more than 6,000 miles thick

Catholic permeation: Pentecost, biblical events in the desert, St. Damien of Molokai, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and other witnesses.

Chemistry and Physics: Elements and Forces of the World

From the Scientific Method to motion, waves, atomic theory, and reactions, students see the balance and order in creation.

Did you know

• Early studies of motion focused on the planets
• Hydrodynamic drag explains why water resists us more than air
• Light travels around 300,000,000 m/s while sound is about 340 m/s
• Echoes reflect better off hard surfaces
• White surfaces reflect the spectrum while black absorbs it
• Electricity is named from the Greek word for amber

Catholic permeation: Transubstantiation, sacred music, and grace that heals the disorder introduced by sin.

Animals: Creatures of the Wild

Habitats, food chains, cooperation, migration, hibernation, and more.

Did you know

• Spiders consume more than 400 million tons of insects yearly
• Honey bees perform a dance to communicate
• The olm can go ten years without food
• Snapping turtles bait fish by using their tongue
• A bald eagle could see print from across a football field
• Arctic terns migrate over 40,000 miles annually
• Cheetahs can exceed 60 miles per hour
• Certain ants count steps to navigate home

Catholic permeation: St. Francis and animals, St. Brendan and whales, St. Modomnoc and bees, Genesis and the serpent, stewardship of creation.

Plants: Wonders of Nature

Habitats, photosynthesis, crops and air, beauty, and biodiversity.

Did you know

• There are about 375,000 described plant species
• Chlorophyll reflects green light
• Shepherd plant roots can go over 200 feet deep
• Methuselah bristlecone pine is nearly five thousand years old
• More than a third of land is grass species
• Some giant kelp grow one hundred feet from the ocean floor
• Carrots are roots
• Corn can be refined into biofuels

Catholic permeation: Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Parable of the Sower, St. Patrick and the clover, Catholic contributors to science.

Space: A Tour of the Cosmos

Planets, astronomy history, astronauts, galaxies, and beyond.

Did you know

• Astronomy may be the first science by historical evidence
• Molecular clouds are stellar nurseries
• A day on Mercury is longer than its year
• Venus rotates opposite most planets
• Olympus Mons on Mars is nearly 15 miles high
• Jupiter's Great Red Spot is larger than Earth
• Astronaut means star sailor in Greek

Catholic permeation: St. Joseph of Cupertino, Catholic astronomers, biblical sky signs, alignment of doctrine with sound cosmology.

Ecosystems and Species: The Web of Nature

Ecology, adaptation, competition and cooperation, species to biomes.

Did you know

• Some mantises and spiders mimic flowers
• Certain plants sweat much like animals
• Wood frogs survive frozen winters and thaw in spring
• Tropical dry forests swing from heavy rain to near drought
• Fat tailed dwarf lemurs store energy in their tails

Catholic permeation: Desert Fathers, Mendel and genetics, Augustine on animals, creation points to God.

Cells and Systems: Living Machines

Cells and DNA, body systems, senses, nutrition, and exercise.

Did you know

• One chromosome stretched out is about six feet long
• Skin is the largest organ
• Adults typically have 206 bones
• The body has more than 600 muscles
• Hemoglobin gives blood its red color
• Taste and smell are deeply connected

Catholic permeation: St. Peregrine and St. Damian, Eucharistic miracles, Jesus heals the blind and deaf, Ezekiel and the dry bones, virtues as spiritual muscles.

Ready for classroom integration

Printable one sheet for administrators, teachers, and parents.