About the Program

Mosaic is a K–5 supplemental instructional program that provides engaging and rigorous lessons and resources that integrate math, science, and technology while supporting English learners and academic language skills. Aligned with Texas standards and grounded in research, the inquiry-based activities and real-life scenarios make math and science exciting and relevant for students while building a strong foundation of skills and connections among concepts.

Units By Grade

The inquiry-based activities and real-life scenarios are research based and make math and science exciting and relevant for students while building a strong foundation of skills and connections among concepts. Each unit underwent extensive internal and external expert review for quality and accuracy of the content and instructional approaches for English language learners.

In addition to the integration of math, science, and technology, each module provides a materials list, handouts, resources, and frequently used Spanish and English translations as related to the lesson. Throughout all of the units, specific suggestions are imbedded within the unit on how to support English learners. Titles and brief descriptions for each unit follow:

Energize Your Five Senses

Kindergarten

This module uses the student's five senses to explore the different forms of energy the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) requires kindergarten students to learn. They explore the properties of light through jars filled with water and plastic prisms that make rainbows. Students explore capacity and heat energy with water and melting ice. And finally sound is explored with a homemade sound tube. They determine which of the five senses detect light, heat and sound; as well as how capacity changes when water changes from a liquid to a solid and back again.

Energy All Around Us: Light, Heat, and Sound

Grade 1

First grade students increase their understanding of energy by exploring properties of energy and how it is important in everyday life. Mathematics is integrated through the use of the length of the stride of tall and short students as non-standard units of measure as they explore properties of sound with a guitar made from a tissue box. Students also explore the properties of light energy through shadows and heat with a homemade plastic cup thermometer.

Changes in Light, Heat, and Sound Energy

Grade 2

The focus of this module is on how energy changes things when it is present in varying amounts, such as a little or a lot of heat energy. Mathematics is integrated in the units by introducing number lines and exploring how they can be read horizontally and vertically. This foundational skill is essential in mathematics and science to read and interpret scales such as those found on thermometers. The thermometers are then used to measure changes caused by heat energy.

Exploring Light, Thermal, Mechanical, and Sound Energy in Everyday Life

Grade 3

Energy exploration continues to facilitate students' knowledge about measurement with a scale that does not always start with a zero, volume and cubic units of measure, as well as standard units of measure. These skills are used to illustrate physical properties of energy and introduce mechanical energy. Flashlights are used to explore how light energy always travels in a straight line, metal pans are used to observe sound vibrations, heat energy is observed and measured after a lesson on how to read the scale on thermometers and how to measure the capacity of a container. Mechanical energy is introduced and exploration with swings on the playground and computer programs available through the internet.

Differentiating Among Light, Thermal, Mechanical, Sound and Electrical Energy

Grade 4

Exploration of light, thermal, mechanical and sound energy continues with the addition of electrical energy. Mathematics is integrated throughout with a focus on measurement. Students measure and record changes made by the different forms of energy as well as develop explanations on why they occurred. Potential and kinetic mechanical energy is explored and manipulated by a freely available internet program simulating an energy skateboard park. Students explore which materials are good conductors of heat energy and which are good insulators. In addition with wires and batteries student design electrical circuits to light short strings of Christmas lights. As a culmination project, in groups, students develop a presentation on the changes the five types of energy may cause.

Exploring the Uses of Light, Thermal, Mechanical, Sound, and Electrical Energy

Grade 5

Students continue to develop and deepen their understanding and application of measurement and energy. Proportional reasoning is introduced to explore different units used to measure heat, Celsius and Fahrenheit. Through computer generated simulations, the angle of light incidence and reflection are observed and measured. And static electricity is explored as another form of electrical energy. In group projects, students are assessed from stories that illustrate and measure the five forms of energy, the development of a school carnival booth with the five forms of energy or a written test using the state science assessment format.

About the Funder

The MOSAIC Project was made possible through a grant from the Sid W. Richardson Foundation of Fort Worth, Texas. Since 1947, the Foundation has generously supported education, healthcare, human services, and culture in Texas.