Elementary Science Grade 4

Segment One

• The Law of Gravity
• The Sun and other stars
• Distance affects the appearance of objects
• Fixed points of light
• Uses of a telescope
• Light, heat, sound, electrical, and mechanical energy
• Energy causes motion and change
• Balanced and unbalanced forces
• Cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions
• How heat is created
• Objects that give off both light and heat
• Radiant heat from the sun
• When the sun is not present, heat may be lost
• Weather conditions of each season
• Climate regions of the world
• Sources of light energy
• How light travels from one medium to another
• Reflected, refracted, and absorbed light
• Relationship between light and heat
• Asking questions to solve problems
• Scientists use models to help understand and explain how things work
• Recording examples
• Explaining what empirical evidence includes
• Measurements can be used as information
• Observations or measurements can be used to explain natural phenomena
• Conducting investigations
• Organizing observations
• Recording observations from investigations using pictures, writing, or charts and graphs
• Making inferences based on observations
• Comparing observations made by different groups using the same tool
• Using observations to make predictions on a pattern
• Constructing an argument
• Words in science can have different meanings
• Scientists work together
• Scientists compare their work to other scientists

Segment Two

• Physical properties of materials and objects 
• Mass of a solid
• Volume of a liquid
• Measuring and comparing the temperatures of liquids and solids
• Solid, liquid, and gas as the three states of matter
• Properties of each state of water
• Change in state involves a change in temperature
• Parts of plants and their roles
• Plant reproduction
• How plants make their own food
• How plants respond to heat, light, and gravity
• Flowering and non-flowering plants
• Seed-producing and spore-producing plants
• Use of fossils as evidence
• Physical characteristics and behaviors of animals
• Classifying animals into major groups using their physical characteristics and behaviors
• How plants and animals respond to seasons
• Variations may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing
• Organisms have unique and diverse life cycles
• Investigating a question
• Recording observations from an investigation using pictures, writing, or charts and graphs
• Comparing observations made by different groups using the same tool
• Making inferences based on observations
• Explaining differences in observations and results
• Giving examples of empirical evidence
• Asking questions about the natural world
• Comparing the use of words in everyday language to their scientific meaning
• Scientists work together to form ideas
• Scientists compare their work to other scientists
• Constructing an argument with evidence
• Making a claim
• Developing models

Students will need the following materials: printer, cell phone or scanner, notebook, pencils, erasers, scissors, crayons, glue, tape, ruler, printer paper, colored-paper, and lab materials.

Besides engaging students in challenging curriculum, the course guides students to reflect on their learning and evaluate their progress through a variety of assessments. Assessments can be in the form of practice lessons, multiple-choice questions, writing assignments, projects, oral assessments, and discussions. Core courses will use the state-approved grading scale and Special Area courses will use an S or U grading scale.

To achieve success, students are expected to submit work in each course weekly. Students can learn at their own pace; however, “any pace” still means that students must make progress in the course every week. To measure learning, students complete self-checks, practice lessons, multiple choice questions, projects, discussion-based assessments, and discussions. Students are expected to maintain regular contact with teachers; the minimum requirement is monthly. When teachers, students, and parents work together, students are successful.