Beach Postcards

The place where water meets the land is called a beach wrack. (F)
Rivers carry rocks to the ocean. (T)
All beaches have sand. (F)
Some sand is made of bones. (T)
Waves help make sand. (T)

Earthworms Underground

Earthworms breathe through their skin. (T)
Earthworms eat living and dead organisms. (F)
Earthworms’ skin has tiny hairs on it. (T)
If a small part of an earthworm’s tail is pulled off, it will die. (F)
Earthworms lay eggs. (T)

Gary’s Sand Journal

Shoreline scientists study sand on a beach. (T)
Scientists use evidence to answer questions they have. (T)
Round sand grains are evidence that the sand is new. (F)
Some grains of sand are bigger than others. (T)
Black sand usually comes from a mountain. (F)

Handbook of Forest Floor Animals

(for the section on Beetles)
Beetles often live on rotting wood. (T)
Ladybugs are beetles. (T)
Beetles have skeletons inside them. (F)
Beetles eat plants. (F)
Beetles can make a bad smell that warns predators away. (T)

(for the section on Snails and Slugs)
Slugs have shells. (F)
Snails and slugs use slime to help them move. (T)
Snails hear very well. (F)
Some snails and slugs live in water, and others live on land. (T)
Snails eat dead plants. (T)
Slugs do not have mouths. (F)

Handbook of Interesting Ingredients

Baking soda does not make bubbles. (F)
Cornstarch can be an ingredient in food. (T)
Flour can make a mixture sticky. (T)
Oil helps ingredients in a mixture stay dry. (F)
Salt can be good for cleaning things. (T)
Sugar is made from plants. (T)

Handbook of Sandy Beach Organisms

(for the section on Birds)
Some birds eat other birds. (T)
Many birds live at the shoreline. (T)
Gulls will eat almost anything. (T)
Birds that live at the shoreline fly slower than other birds. (F)

(for the section on Crabs and Beach Hoppers)
All crabs have eight legs. (F)
Sand crabs are not really crabs. (T)
Fiddler crabs live by themselves. (F)
Sand crabs burrow into the sand. (T)
Beach hoppers can jump very far. (T)

Into the Soil

Dirt and soil mean the same thing. (T)
Soil is everywhere on earth. (T)
People do not need soil. (F)
Lots of animals live underground. (T)
All soil is dry. (F)

Jelly Bean Scientist

Jelly beans can have flavors like apple, popcorn, lemon, dirt, and grass. (T)
Jelly beans are called “beans” because they are made using beans. (F)
Real fruit is sometimes used to flavor jelly beans. (T)
Jelly beans are a mixture of different ingredients. (T)
Scientists use machines to test the taste of new jelly beans. (T)

Jess Makes Hair Gel

Hair gel is a kind of food. (F)
You can use hair gel to make your hair stand up in spikes. (T)
When you design something, you should always follow the same steps. (F)
Only scientists can design things. (F)
Recording the results of your investigations is important. (T)

My Nature Notebook

You can study one small spot in the woods for a long time. (T)
Things in nature never change. (F)
When a leaf falls to the ground, it stays there forever. (F)
Footprints are evidence that an animal has been walking on the soil. (T)
You can write down what you observe about nature. (T)

My Sea Otter Report

A report should try to explain everything about a topic. (F)
The first sentence in a report should say what the report is about. (T)
Reference books are a good place to find information about a topic. (T)
Sea otters use their teeth to break open shells. (F)
The last sentence in a report should bring the report together. (T)

Shoreline Scientist

Wind, ice, and rain make rocks into sand. (T)
Rocks from mountains can be carried to the ocean by rivers. (T)
Dams help sand to reach the beaches. (F)
In some places, beaches are getting smaller. (T)
Shoreline scientists study sand and rocks at beaches. (T)

Snail Investigations

Doing an investigation can help answer a question. (T)
Snails like smooth surfaces more than rough surfaces. (T)
Snails do not climb on things. (F)
Snails sometimes eat paper. (T)
Asking an expert is not a good way to find out about something. (F)

Solving Dissolving

When you stir sugar in water, it disappears. (F)
If something is soluble, it dissolves in liquid. (T)
A solution is the answer to a problem. (T)
You can dissolve 50 tablespoons of sugar in a cup of water. (T)
Wood dissolves in water. (F)

Talking with a Habitat Scientist

A habitat is a place where you live. (T)
People are a part of your habitat. (T)
Some animals depend on soil, but others don’t. (F)
Soil can be a part of an animal’s habitat. (T)
Scientists can help save animals and plants. (T)

The Black Tide

People use oil to make things like plastic. (T)
Ships that carry oil are usually very small. (F)
Strong storms can break up ships and cause oil spills. (T)
Nets can keep all of the oil from reaching the shore. (F)
People can clean up oil spills very quickly. (F)
To help prevent oil spills, people can use less oil. (T)

Walk in the Woods

Soil does not have living things in it. (F)
An animal can become part of the soil. (T)
Earthworms are bad for the soil. (F)
All kinds of trash can break down and become part of the soil. (F)
Scientists ask questions about the world. (T)

What Are Roots?

Some plants do not have roots. (F)
Roots soak up water. (T)
All plants live in the soil. (F)
Roots are all one size. (F)
Roots grow all the time. (T)

What Belongs on a Beach?

Rocks belong on a beach. (T)
Marine litter gets to the beach through storm drains. (T)
Marine litter kills a lot of marine animals. (T)
Cutting up plastic that holds soda cans together can help marine animals. (T)
Ocean currents can carry marine litter to lots of places. (T)

What If Rain Boots Were Made of Paper?

Most rain boots are made of paper. (F)
If pans were made of rubber, they would melt. (T)
Cloth makes good bottles. (F)
Gum used to be made of rubber. (T)
One property of something is the way it smells. (T)

What Lives on a Sandy Beach?

Organisms cannot survive under the sand. (F)
Olive snails live in the ocean. (F)
Male fiddler crabs have one claw that is bigger than the other. (T)
Sea turtles lay their eggs in the ocean. (F)
Some animals live in the ocean and on the beach. (T)
Striped mullets are fish that can jump out of the water. (T)

What’s Stronger? The Forces That Cause Erosion

Erosion is when earth materials stay in one place. (F)
Only rocks are an earth material. (F)
It can take many years for rocks to become sand. (T)
Wind can move rocks and soil to different places. (T)
Erosion is always happening. (T)

Without Soil

If there was no soil on Earth, there would still be lots of plants. (F)
Animals depend on the soil. (T)
It takes only a few months for soil to form.
Soil always stays in the same place. (F)
People can make sure that soil is around for a long time. (T)