Mystery Science is a unique, standards-aligned science curriculum for grades K-5 designed to help students stay curious! Mystery Guides lead engaging, open-and-go lessons with step-by-step, hands-on activities that explore scientific phenomena using common classroom items.
Lesson + Activity
Standards Aligned
Grade 1Why do the stars come out at night?
Grade 2Why do frogs say “ribbit?”
Grade 3Where can you find whales in a desert?
Grade 4Why do some volcanoes explode?
Grade 5What do fireworks, rubber, and Silly Putty have in common?
The Anchor Layer gets kids excited to make more real-world connections throughout a science unit.
The Anchor Phenomenon introduces students to a mysterious real-world occurrence. Students develop an explanation for it before any instruction takes place.
Anchor Connections follow each unit lesson. Students apply what they learned to each lesson to revise their initial explanations of the anchor phenomenon.
The Performance Task is a culminating activity to wrap up the whole unit. Kids apply everything they learned from the unit’s lessons to a new and fun project.
Mystery Science is designed for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). We cover key performance expectations for K-5 science.
Not in an NGSS state? No worries. We’ve created state-specific alignments, too! Download your state alignment for Mystery Science by selecting your state.
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Explore our core and supplemental science curriculum resources to use in harmony with Mystery Science and create an engaging learning experience that gets students curious!