4th Grade Science
Structure & Function of Organisms
The student will investigate the structure and function of plant and animal cells. The student will study the basic parts of plants, investigate how plants produce food, and discover that plants and animals use food to sustain life.
Know that all organisms are made of one or more cells
⎯examine a variety of plant and animal cells (4-S[MH/Ch 1]I/IT)
⎯identify the function of specific plant and animal parts (4-S[MH/Ch 1-4]A/IT)
⎯recognize the basic structure of plant and animal cells (4-S[MH/Ch 1]A/IT)
⎯identify animal and plant cell structures and functions (4-S[MH/Ch 1-4]A/IT)
⎯use a hand lens to identify the parts of living things (4-S[MH/Ch 1-4]D/IT)
⎯compare and contrast plant and animal cells (4-S[MH/Ch 1]D/IT)
⎯draw and label the basic structures of plant and animal cells(4-S[MH/Ch 1]I/IT)
⎯explain the differences between plant and animal cell structures and functions (4-S[MH/Ch 1-4]D/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Create a graphic organizer that compares and contrasts the basic structures discovered in plant and animal cells with a microscope.
•Create a basic model of the cell that illustrates different cell structures and functions.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Compare basic structures of plant and animal cells.
Realize that plants and animals use food for energy
⎯explain that animals must obtain food and use food for energy (4-S[MH/Ch 3-4]D/IT)
⎯match the edible parts of plants with particular plant structures (4-S[MH/Ch 2]A/IT)
⎯illustrate and describe basic plant structures (4-S[MH/Ch 2]D/IT)
⎯classify edible plant parts according to plant structures (e.g. broccoli/flower; carrot/root) (4-S[MH/Ch 2]D/IT)
⎯create food chains found in a variety of ecosystems (4-S[MH/Ch 1 &2]D/IT)
Recognize the function of specific structures in organisms that allow them to obtain and use energy
⎯explain and compare how specific animals obtain oxygen (e.g., gills, lungs) (4-S[MH/Unit A, B, & D]D/IT)
⎯compare how various animals obtain and use food for energy (4-S[MH/Ch 1 Lesson 2, 4]A/IT)
⎯match the animal with their means of obtaining oxygen (4-S[MH/Unit A, B, & D]A/IT)
⎯investigate and identify materials that plants use to produce food for energy, growth and repair (4-S[MH/Ch 2]D/IT)
⎯explain how animals obtain and use food for energy (4-S[MH/Ch 2-4]D/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Create a food web that illustrates the energy relationships between plant and animals and the key issues or assumptions present in the model.
•Classify organisms as carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores.
•Identify how a variety of organisms meet their energy needs.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Determine how different organisms function within an environment in terms of their positions on an energy pyramid.
Ecology
The student will investigate how living things interact with one another and with nonliving elements of their environment. The student will understand that living things have characteristics that enable them to survive in their environment.
Investigate the relationships among organisms in a specific ecosystem
⎯examine and relate how plants and animals interact with each other and their environment (4-S[MH/Ch 1-4]I/IT)
⎯investigate and describe how plants and animals interact with each other in their environment (4-S[MH/Ch 1-4]I/IT)
⎯classify organisms as producers, consumers, and decomposers (4-S[MH/Ch 1 Lesson 4]I/IT)
⎯describe how plans and animals interact with respect to pollination and seed dispersal (4-S[MH/Ch 2 Lesson 7]I/IT)
⎯select plants and animals found in a specific environment. (4-S[MH/Ch 1-4]A/IT)
⎯recognize how plants and animals interact with each other in their environment (4-S[MH/Ch 1Lesson 4]A/IT)
⎯identify ways that organisms affect their environment (4-S[MH/Ch 1Lesson 4]A/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Analyze how an increase or decrease in competition or predation affects an ecosystem.
•Design a simple experiment to illustrate the effects of competition, predation, and interdependency among living things.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Recognize the impact of predation and competition on an ecosystem.
Recognize that organisms are able to change their environment
⎯provide evidence and give examples of environmental changes caused by living things (4-S[MH/Ch 1Lesson 4]A/IT)
⎯group organisms according to the specific environment that they inhabit (4-S[MH/Ch 1]A/IT)
⎯explain how organisms can affect their environment (4-S[MH/Ch 1Lesson 4]A/IT)
⎯communicate ways to reuse or recycle materials to reduce environmental impacts (4-S[MH/Ch 1- 4]A/IT
Realize that plants and animals can be grouped according to similarities and differences in their characteristics
⎯classify animals according to their characteristics and types (4-S[MH/Ch 1- 4]I/IT)
⎯match a plant or animal adaptation to a particular environmental condition (4-S[MH/Ch 1- 4]A/IT)
⎯compare and contrast groups of organisms according to their major features (4-S[MH/Ch 1- 4]A/IT)
⎯match the form of structures found in living things to their function (4-S[MH/Ch 1- 4]A/IT)
Determine that adaptations help organisms to survive in their environments
⎯illustrate adaptations that enable organisms to survive(4-S[MH/Ch 4 Lesson 6]D/IT)
⎯describe similarities and differences among organisms (4-S[MH/Ch 1- 4]D/IT)
⎯classify animals according to their characteristics (4-S[MH/Ch 1- 4]D/IT)
⎯compare the characteristics of amphibians, reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals (4-S[MH/Ch 1- 4]D/IT)
⎯compare specific structures with their functions in various organisms (4-S[MH/Ch 1- 4]D/IT)
⎯create and use a system for classifying objects or organisms (4-S[MH/Ch 1- 4]D/IT)
⎯predict the consequences of a human action on the environment (4-S[MH/Ch 1- 4]D/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Classify animals according to their physical adaptations for obtaining food (teeth types, beaks, etc), oxygen (gills, lungs) and surviving within an environment (body type, speed, coloration and mimicry).
•Describe how certain animal behaviors enable them to survive in their environment (e.g., migration, defense, locomotion, and hibernation)
•Distinguish between innate and learned behaviors.
•Investigate tropisms that plants exhibit in response to their environment.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Determine how a physical or behavioral adaptation can enhance the chances of survival.
Life Cycles & Biological Change
The student will understand the basic principles of inheritance. The student will understand that living things have characteristics that enable them to survive in their environment
Realize that certain characteristics are passed from parents to offspring
⎯compare the traits of offspring with those of the parent (4-S[MH/Ch 3-4]D/IT)
⎯distinguish offspring from the parent (4-S[MH/Ch 3-4]A/IT)
⎯recognize the relationship between reproduction and the survival of a species (4-S[MH/Ch 3-4]A/IT)
Investigate the life cycles of different organisms
⎯describe the life cycle of an animal (i.e., frog, mealworm) (4-S[MH/Ch 4]D/IT)
⎯investigate and describe traits that organisms share with their parents (4-S[MH/Ch 3-4]D/IT)
⎯illustrate life cycles of various organisms (4-S[MH/Ch 4]D/IT)
⎯explore the different ways that plants reproduce (4-S[MH/Ch 2]D/IT)
⎯study the parts of a flower and describe how these are related to plant reproduction (4-S[MH/Ch 2]D/IT)
⎯explain the difference between an animal that is hatched and one that is born alive (4-S[MH/Ch 3-4]D/IT)
⎯select the illustration that depicts the life cycle of a specific organism (4-S[MH/Ch 3-4]A/IT)
⎯explain the function of the flower in plant reproduction (4-S[MH/Ch2]D/IT)
⎯distinguish between single cell and multicellular organisms (4-S[MH/Ch 3-4]D/IT)
⎯identify photosynthesis as the food manufacturing process in plants (4-S[MH/Ch 2]D/IT)
⎯identify what plants need (i.e., water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide) to manufacture food (4-S[MH/Ch 2]D/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Design a simple demonstration that illustrates the relationship between reproduction and survival of the species.
•Study the life cycles of a variety of organisms and determine whether these processes involve complete or incomplete metamorphosis.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Draw conclusions about the relationship between reproduction and the survival of the species.
•Distinguish between complete and incomplete metamorphosis.
Recognize that fossils show connections between organisms that lived in the past and those that live in the present
⎯examine fossils and explain how they provide information about the types of organisms that lived in the past (4-S[MH/Ch 3-4]D/IT)
Recognize that extinction of organisms has occurred in the past and still occurs today
⎯identify animal and plant populations as thriving, threatened, endangered, or extinct (e.g. elephants, sea turtles, dodo bird, dinosaur) (4-S[MH/Ch 1]A/IT)
⎯match fossil evidence with organisms that are alive today (4-S[MH/Ch 1 &5]A/IT)
⎯infer possible causes of extinction (4-S[MH/Ch 1 &5]A/IT)
⎯make inferences about plant and animal extinction from fossil evidence (4-S[MH/Ch 5]D/IT)
⎯compare the relative age of fossils in rock (4-S[MH/Ch 5]D/IT)
⎯classify certain animal and plant populations as thriving, threatened, endangered, or extinct(4-S[MH/Ch1]D/IT)
⎯predict how human decisions have caused the extinction of some species (4-S[MH/Ch 1 & 5]D/IT)
⎯identify environmental changes caused by living things (4-S[MH/Ch 1-5]D/IT)
⎯predict the effects of human actions and/or natural disasters on the environment (4-S[MH/Ch 1-5]D/IT)
⎯compare the traits of offspring with those of the parent (4-S[MH/Ch 2]D/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Gather fossil information to draw conclusions about organisms that exist today.
•Classify organisms as endangered or extinct.
•Analyze the common causes of extinction and explain how human actions sometimes result in the extinction of a species.
Possible State Assessment Questions
•Infer the possible causes of a species becoming endangered species or becoming extinct.
Forces & Motion
Forms of Energy
The student will investigate the effects of force on the movement of objects. The student will investigate the interactions of matter.
Recognize that gravity is the force that pulls objects toward the earth
⎯describe how gravitational forces operate in nature (4-S[MH/Ch 12]DIT)
⎯demonstrate push and pull as forces that move objects (4-S[MH/Ch 12]DIT)
⎯recognize the effects of gravity (4-S[MH/Ch 7,8,9, 10]A/IT)
Recognize and study the relationship between force and motion (4-S[MH/F]I)
⎯explain and determine how speed affects distance traveled over time (4-S[MH/Ch 9]A/IT)
⎯explore simple machines and use them for simple tasks(4-S[MH/Ch 10]A/IT)
⎯recognize simple machines (i.e., inclined plane, lever, and pulley) (4-S[MH/Ch 10]A/IT)
Recognize that the motion of objects is affected by friction (4-S[MH/F]I)
⎯identify factors that affect the amount of friction (4-S[MH/CH 9 & 10]I/B)
⎯investigate and identify sources of friction and their effect on motion (4-S[MH/Ch1]I/B)
⎯Select factors that have the greatest effect on the motion of an object (4-S[MH/Ch 9 & 10]A/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Identify the position of objects relative to fixed reference points.
•Design an investigation that demonstrates factors that affect the speed and distance traveled by an object in motion.
•Complete a coordinate graph to describe the relative positions of objects.
•Plan and execute an investigation that demonstrates how friction affects the movement of an object.
•Design and implement an investigation to determine that the speed of an object is equal to the distance traveled over time.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Describe the position of an object relative to fixed reference points.
•Identify factors that influence the motion of an object.
•Determine the relationship between speed and distance traveled over time.
Know that energy exists in many forms
⎯identify different forms of energy (4-S[MH/Ch 12]A/IT)
⎯distinguish between the volume and pitch of sound (4-S[MH/Ch 12]D/IT)
⎯recognize the various materials that conduct heat (4-S[MH/Ch 12]D/IT)
Recognize the characteristics of light energy and sound energy
⎯describe how light behaves when it strikes different surfaces (4-S[MH/Ch 12]D/IT)
⎯explain how the volume and pitch of sound are controlled (4-S[MH/Ch 12]D/IT)
⎯investigate methods that differentiate between the volume and pitch of a sound (4-S[MH/Ch 12]D/IT)
Recognize the basic concept of electricity
⎯construct, describe, and select a simple electrical circuit A (4-S[MH/Ch 12]A/IT)
⎯categorize materials as conductors or insulators (4-S[MH/Ch12]I/IT)
⎯examine and identify materials used for insulation (4-S[MH/Ch 12]D/IT)
⎯construct and compare parallel and series electrical circuits (4-S[MH/Ch 12]D/IT)
⎯recognize that various materials conduct heat (4-S[MH/Ch 12]A/IT)
⎯distinguish between the volume and the pitch of sound (4-S[MH/Ch 12]A/IT)
⎯differentiate between potential and kinetic energy (4-S[MH/Ch 12]A/IT)
⎯identify the poles of a magnet (4-S[MH/Ch 12]A/IT)
⎯identify ways that energy is transferred (4-S[MH/Ch 12]A/IT)
⎯identify the description of a magnetic field (4-S[MH/Ch 12]A/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Design an investigation to demonstrate how different forms of energy can release heat or light.
•Describe how energy is transferred in an electrical circuit that includes a variety of electrical devices.
•Design an experiment to investigate how different surfaces determine if light will be reflected, refracted, or absorbed
•Gather information about a variety of materials to determine whether they are translucent, transparent, or opaque.
•Translate the data into a table, graph, or diagram.
•Explore the interactions between an electrically charged object and other materials.
•Design an experiment to investigate how a simple electromagnet affects common objects.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Identify different forms of energy, such as heat, light, and chemical.
•Determine the correct path of energy in a simple electrical circuit that contains a number of electrical devices.
•Determine which surfaces reflect, refract, or absorb light.
•Determine whether a material is transparent, translucent, or opaque.
•Determine how an electrically charged material interacts with other objects.
Matter
The student will investigate the characteristic properties of matter. The student will investigate the interactions of matter.
Recognize that matter has predictable properties and is composed of basic units, some too small to be seen with the naked eye
⎯describe and compare observations made of objects using the naked eye, magnifying glass, and microscope (4-S[MH/Ch 10 &11]AM/IT)
⎯describe matter by its observable physical properties (i.e., color, shape, texture, weight, volume, and length) (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]AM/IT))
⎯describe how various types of matter change their state (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]M/IT)
Recognize conditions that are associated with different states of matter
⎯select an object according to its observable physical properties (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]A/IT)
⎯identify states of matter (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]A/IT))
⎯determine how various types of matter change state (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]A/IT)
⎯compare and classify objects according to observable properties (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]M/IT)
⎯observe the properties of a substance and infer its state (4-S[MH/Ch 11]M/IT)
⎯relate the effects of adding heat energy to water (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11,12]M/IT)
⎯demonstrate how various types of matter change state (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]M/IT)
⎯choose features associated with physical changes (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11& 12]A/IT)
⎯identify characteristics of different types of mixtures (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]A/IT)
⎯determine methods for separating mixtures (4-S[MH/Ch10& 11]A/IT)
⎯determine the appropriate metric unit of measurement for specific properties of matter (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]M/IT)
⎯distinguish between physical and chemical changes (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]M/IT)
⎯identify a substance as an acid (i.e., vinegar or lemon juice) or a base (i.e., soap or baking soda) (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]M/IT)
⎯describe the types of changes that result from interactions of matter (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]M/IT)
⎯identify conditions associated with a physical change (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]M/IT)
⎯investigate and record physical changes that occur in substances (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]M/IT)
⎯observe and classify a variety of mixtures (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]M/IT)
⎯demonstrate the separation of mixtures (4-S[MH/Ch 10&11]M/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Use appropriate tools to measure and compare the physical properties of various solids and liquids.
•Compare the causes and effects of various physical changes in matter.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Choose an appropriate tool for measuring a specific physical property of matter.
•Determine the mass, volume, and temperature of a substance or object using proper units of measurement.
•Interpret the causes and effects of a physical change in matter.
Earth Features & Resources
Recognize that the earth’s geological features change
Know that the earth is composed of different layers
⎯observe and describe how wind and water change the earth’s geological features (4-S[MH/Ch 6]I/IT)
⎯identify the layers of the earth (4-S[MH/Ch 5-7]A/IT)
⎯determine how wind and water change the earth’s geological features (4-S[MH/Ch 6]A/IT)
⎯use maps to identify specific geological features (4-S[MH/Ch 6]I/IT)
⎯classify landforms and bodies of water according to their geological features (4-S[MH/Ch 6]I/IT)
⎯explain how beaches are affected by erosion and deposition (4-S[MH/Ch 6]I/IT)
⎯use a model or an illustration to determine the relative age of the earth’s layers from their position (4-S[MH/Ch 6]I/IT)
⎯provide examples of how the earth’s surface is changed through erosion and sedimentation (4-S[MH/Ch 6]I/IT)
⎯make a model that depicts the earth’s layers (4-S[MH/Ch 5&6]I/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Prepare a demonstration to illustrate how wind and water affect the earth’s surface features.
•Design an investigation to demonstrate how erosion and sedimentation change the earth’s surface.
•List factors that determine the appropriate use of an earth material.
•Use data from a variety of informational texts to analyze and evaluate man’s impact on non-renewable resources over time.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Design a simple model to illustrate how wind and water can alter the earth’s surface.
•Analyze how different earth materials are utilized to solve human problems or improve the quality of life.
Recognize that the earth’s materials have a variety of practical uses
⎯classify earth materials according to their use (4-S[MH/Ch 5 &6]I/IT)
Know the basic characteristics of soils
⎯choose the appropriate use for an earth material (4-S[MH/Ch 6]A/IT)
⎯identify the basic characteristics of soil (4-S[MH/Ch 6]A/IT))
⎯distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources (4-S[MH/Ch 6]A/IT)
⎯recognize specific geological features (4-S[MH/Ch 5&6]A/IT)
⎯identify renewable and non-renewable resources (4-S[MH/Ch 6]A/IT)
⎯investigate and describe the uses of earth materials (4-S[MH/Ch 6]A/IT)
⎯explain how large boulders become smaller rocks (4-S[MH/Ch 6]A/IT)
⎯distinguish among the components of soil (4-S[MH/Ch 6]A/IT)
⎯describe methods for conserving or reusing a natural resource (4-S[MH/Ch 6]A/IT)
⎯construct a chart that differentiates between renewable and non-renewable (4-S[MH/Ch 6]A/IT)
Space, Weather, & Climate
The student will investigate the structure of the universe. The student will investigate the relationships among atmospheric conditions, weather, and climate
Know the objects in space have identifiable characteristics, such as appearance, location, and apparent motion
⎯identify and order the planets in the solar system by their distance from the sun (4-S[MH/Ch 7]M/IT)
Investigate the patterns of movement of objects in space
⎯recognize that the length and position of a shadow are related to the location of the sun (4-S[MH/Ch 7]A/IT)
⎯demonstrate how the earth rotates and revolves (4-S[MH/Ch 7]M/IT)
⎯simulate the changing shape of the moon (4-S[MH/Ch 7]M/IT)
⎯illustrate and distinguish among the components of the solar system (i.e. stars, planets, asteroids, meteors) (4-S[MH/Ch 7]M/IT)
⎯depict planets according to their distance from the sun (4-S[MH/Ch 7]M/IT)
⎯use appropriate instruments to study objects in the sky (4-S[MH/Ch 7]M/IT)
⎯model the positional relationship between the earth/sun and the earth/moon (4-S[MH/Ch 7]M/IT)
⎯design a model that illustrates a lunar eclipse (4-S[MH/Ch 7]M/IT)
⎯distinguish among the planets according to specific characteristics (4-S[MH/Ch 7]I/IT)
⎯determine the order of the planets according to their distance from the sun (4-S[MH/Ch 7]A/IT)
⎯identify the phases of the moon in the correct sequence (4-S[MH/Ch 7]A/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Chart the movements of the sun, moon, and earth to develop an explanation for the phases of the moon and solar and lunar eclipses.
•Sequence the phases of the moon in the correct order.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Organize the phases of the moon in the correct sequence.
•Infer that the moon’s phases are caused by the revolution of the moon and earth around the sun.
Recognize that atmospheric conditions vary and can be measured
⎯identify and use the proper tools to measure atmospheric conditions (i.e., barometer, thermometer, anemometer, and rain gauge) (4-S[MH/Ch 9]D/IT)
Recognize that landforms and bodies of water affect the weather and climate
⎯describe how oceans affect weather and climate. (4-S[MH/Ch 8&9]D/IT)
Recognize the basic features of the water cycle
⎯identify the cloud type(s) associated with specific weather conditions (4-S[MH/Ch 9]A/IT)
⎯choose the appropriate instrument for measuring a given atmospheric condition (4-S[MH/Ch 9]A/IT)
⎯identify the basic features of the water cycle (4-S[MH/Ch 9]A/IT)
⎯observe and describe how wind and water change the earth’s geological features. (4-S[MH/Ch8-9]A/IT)
⎯observe and classify cloud types according to particular weather conditions (4-S[MH/Ch 9]D/IT)
⎯use tools for measuring and collecting atmospheric data (4-S[MH/Ch 9]D/IT)
⎯illustrate how oceans affect weather and climate (4-S[MH/Ch 9]D/IT)
⎯investigate and describe how weather affects people around the world (4-S[MH/Ch 9]D/IT)
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Prepare a model that illustrates the basic features of the water cycle.
•Use long-term weather data to distinguish between weather and climate.
•Use an illustration of the water cycle to make a prediction or draw conclusions about the water cycle is affected by weather and climate.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Identify the basic features of the water cycle and describe its importance to life on earth.
•Distinguish between weather and climate.
Embedded Inquiry, Technology, and Engineering for Science
Checks for Understanding (Formative/Summative Assessment)
•Identify specific investigations that could be used answer a particular question and identify reasons for the selection.
•Identify tools needed to investigate specific questions.
•Maintain a science journal that includes observations, data, diagrams, and interpretations.
•Analyze and communicate findings from multiple investigations of similar phenomena to reach a conclusive explanation.
•Explain how different inventions and technologies impact people and other living organisms.
•Design a tool or a process to address an identified problem caused by human activity.
•Determine criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of a solution a specified problem.
•Evaluate an invention that solves a problem and determines ways to improve the design.
Possible State Assessment Question(s):
•Select an investigation that could be used to answer a specific question.
•Select a tool, technology, or invention that was used to solve a human problem.
•Recognize the connection between a scientific advance and the development of a new tool or technology.
