we make good students great! -2018 science- grade 4 · we make good students great! -2018 science-...

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Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 4

Cycle 3 43 Days The recommended number of days/lessons is less than the number of

days in the grading cycle to accommodate differentiated instruction, extended learning time, and assessments days. Jan 8-Mar 9, 2018

Unit # of Days/Lessons

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills/Student Expectations (TEKS/SEs) The student will:

Unit 11: Classifying Natural Resources In this unit, students explore natural resources and classify them as renewable and nonrenewable natural resources as well as determine how they can be conserved.

10

50-minute lessons

Suggested Pacing:

________-________

Unit 11: Classifying Natural Resources (10 lessons) Ⓢ 4.7C identify and classify Earth's renewable resources, including air, plants, water, and animals; and nonrenewable resources, including coal, oil, and natural gas; and the importance of conservation

SPIRAL- 4.7A examine properties of soils, including color and texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of plants; 4.1B make informed choices in the use and conservation of natural resources and reusing and recycling of materials such as paper, aluminum, glass, cans, and plastic **The majority of the TEKS for this cycle are supporting TEKS for the 5th grade Science STAAR. This information for the most part is grade specific and is not repeated in the 5th grade content.**

Sample Test Item 4.7C Resources

Notes to Teacher • Renewable resources include air, plants, water, and animals, which are generally replaceable within a lifetime.

• Nonrenewable resources include coal, oil, and natural gas, which cannot be replaced within a lifetime.

• We should make responsible decisions to conserve both renewable and nonrenewable resources.

Academic Vocabulary

threatened nonrenewable resource conservation coal oil

endangered renewable resource natural gas extinct

Vertical Alignment 3rd Grade 3.7D explore the characteristics of natural resources that make them useful in products and materials such as clothing and furniture, and how resources may be conserved

Before After

5th Grade 5.7C identify alternative energy resources such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biofuels

https://newmansciencehelp.weebly.com/uploads/2/1/7/8/21787294/science_staar_release_4.7c__1_.pptx.pdf

NIA|


2017-2018

Science- Grade 4

Science Background Information

Natural Resources are substances that exist naturally on Earth and are used by humans for consumption (eating and drinking), for production (making useful things), or for producing energy. Fourth graders will categorize natural resources according to the ability to replace them within a lifetime. For example, because milk from cows, paper from trees, and water from tide movements are replaceable within a lifetime, these resources are considered renewable. Caution: Although air, plants, water, and animals are considered replaceable within a lifetime, humans have misused resources through overconsumption and pollution, which profoundly affects the renewability of these resources. Nonrenewable resources are materials in which there is a finite or fixed amount, and once they are consumed, they cannot be replaced by Earth in any reasonable amount of time. Coal, oil, and natural gas are used to make other products, and fossil fuels are burned to produce energy for vehicles, machines, homes, and businesses. Coal - Besides burning coal in electric power plants or in furnaces, coal is used in a surprising number of products, such as pavements, insecticides, medicines, and explosives. Because coal was formed from the decay and deep burial of ancient swamp plants that took hundreds of millions of years to convert into coal, this popular resource is not renewable. Petroleum Oil and Natural Gas - In addition to various grades of vehicle fuels and oil, petroleum oil is also converted into thousands of products, such as plastics, lubricants, wax, roofing materials, etc. Natural gas is used to fuel furnaces and cook food, powers some buses and cars, and is a major product used in manufacturing fertilizers and ammonia. Millions of years of heat and pressure were necessary to convert microscopic marine organisms buried under layers of ocean floor into pockets of oil and natural gas that have become major sources for modern energy consumption. Once used, however, these fossil fuels are gone forever. With the coming of the Industrial Age and the huge demand of large quantities of fossil fuels for production, humans began polluting nature faster than nature could cleanse itself. In addition, overconsumption of natural resources was not prevented. Today, three conservation words empower us to protect and manage nonrenewable and renewable resources: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

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2017-2018

Science- Grade 4

Fossil Fuel (Nonrenewable Resources) Conservation - Examples of conserving nonrenewable fossil fuel resources are carpooling, more fuel-efficient vehicles, hybrid, or electric cars, high-efficiency rated appliances, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL bulbs), or switching to alternative energy sources, such as solar energy. Renewable Resources Conservation - Examples of conserving renewable resources, such as water are lawn-watering ordinances, recycling and purifying waste water, improving water pollution laws, or encouraging efficient irrigation methods. To conserve air, people could use more efficient filters on polluting factories, reduce car emissions, and create

better laws that govern clean air. To conserve plants, create laws that protect our Earth’s rain forests, encourage tree planting at home, schools, and businesses, or reduce and recycle paper products.

Essential Questions

• What are renewable resources and what makes them renewable?

• What are nonrenewable resources and what makes them nonrenewable?

• What are responsible decisions concerning the conservation of renewable and nonrenewable resources?

—Inquiry Questions—

• How can resources be conserved?

• Are both renewable and nonrenewable resources limited? Explain.

• Which methods work best in coal mining and oil spill investigations?

Key Science Concepts

• Renewable resources include air, plants, water, and animals, which are generally replaceable within a lifetime.

• Nonrenewable resources include coal, oil, and natural gas, which cannot be replaced within a lifetime.

• We should make responsible decisions to conserve both renewable and nonrenewable resources.

Science Websites

• http://www.ecofriendlykids.co.uk/naturalresourcesearth.html

• https://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=nonrenewable_home-basics

• https://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=renewable_home-basics

http://www.ecofriendlykids.co.uk/naturalresourcesearth.html

https://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=nonrenewable_home-basics

https://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=renewable_home-basics

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2017-2018

Science- Grade 4





Unit 12: Predicting Weather and Its Processes In this unit, students will explore will record weather change using metric tools and make predictions using weather maps.

8-9

50-minute lessons

Suggested Pacing:

________-________

Unit 12: Predicting Weather and Its Processes (8-9 lessons) Ⓢ 4.8A measure and record changes in weather and make predictions using weather maps, weather symbols, and a map key

SPIRAL- 4.2B collect and record data by observing and measuring, using the metric system, and using descriptive words and numerals such as labeled drawings, writing, and concept maps **The majority of the TEKS for this cycle are supporting TEKS for the 5th grade Science STAAR. This information for the most part is grade specific and is not repeated in the 5th grade content.**

Sample Test Item • 4.8A Weather

Notes to Teacher • Students should be given opportunities to use tools to collect weather data.

• Students should understand that weather maps are useful for making predictions.

• Students might think that weather and climate are the same thing, but in fact they are different.

Academic Vocabulary

weather hail sleet snow rain

cloudy high pressure precipitation stationary front weather symbol

rain gauge low pressure fog weather map map key

air pressure meteorologist wind vane warm front cold front

Vertical Alignment 3rd Grade 3.8.A observe, measure, record and compare day-to-day weather changes in different locations at the same time that include air temperature, wind direction and precipitation

Before After

5th Grade 5.8A differentiate between weather and climate

https://newmansciencehelp.weebly.com/uploads/2/1/7/8/21787294/science_staar_release_4.8a.pptx.pdf

NIA|


2017-2018

Science- Grade 4


The amount of rainfall is measured by a rain gauge read in hundredths of an inch. The water level is read at the bottom of the meniscus (curved surface of water in a tube). Most rain gauges have numbers divided into tenths of inches. If the rain gauge is filled to the .50 line that means that .5 of one inch or one-half inch of rain has fallen. Larger lines are inches, so if the line reads .50 above the 1-inch line, then one and a half inches of rain has fallen. Wind is blowing air. It is created when there is a difference in air pressures in an area. Hot air rises. Cool air is heavier and sinks. An area of high air pressure is caused by a large amount of cool air. An area of low air pressure is the result of a lot of hot air. Air moves from high pressure (cool air) to low pressure (hot air). This movement of air is what we know as wind. The speed of wind is determined by how great the difference is in temperature between the two areas of air pressure. The spin of the Earth also causes the air masses to move from west to east in the United States. Wind socks indicate wind direction and relative wind speed. If the wind sock is limp, there is no wind; however, if the wind sock is blown straight out, then the wind is strong. Meteorologists use anemometers made of spinning cups that accurately record wind speed. A weather vane shows the direction from which the wind blows. Temperature is measured by Celsius and Fahrenheit thermometers. Although Celsius temperature is used in the laboratory, traditionally Fahrenheit temperature is reported on weather maps in the United States. The condition of the air outdoors, such as temperature, cloud cover, wind speed, and rainfall, called weather is caused by the Sun’s uneven heating of Earth. Air is heated to different temperatures in different geographical locations. Because the weight of our air (atmospheric pressure) varies with the air temperature, the air is constantly moving from a high-pressure location to a low-pressure location, which brings wind and weather changes. These conditions are reported on a weather map. Cold and warm fronts are where cold and warm air masses meet and cause significant weather. When cold and warm air masses collide, the weather brings temperature changes, clouds, winds, and various forms of precipitation. A cold front occurs when a cold air mass quickly shoves a warm air mass upward, signaled by cumulus (huge puffy) clouds that turn dark (cumulonimbus) and that can bring severe weather, such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, or snowstorms. Generally, with the passage of a cold front, the temperature and humidity decrease, clear skies follow as the pressure rises, and the wind shifts. A cold front is symbolized on a weather map with a blue curved line with triangles pointing to the direction the front is moving. A warm front is a warm air mass that moves up and over a cold air mass, bringing strings of cirrus (wispy) clouds and then nimbostratus (low, dark layered) clouds that overcast the sky with long periods of rain and drizzle. With the passage of a warm front, the temperature and humidity increase, the pressure rises, and although the wind shifts, it is not as pronounced as with a cold frontal passage. A warm front is symbolized on a weather map with a red curved line with semi-circles pointing to the direction the front is moving. Weather maps can report local, state, national, or global weather conditions.

NIA|


2017-2018

Science- Grade 4

Weather maps might have official coded “weather station symbols used by meteorologists (scientists who study weather) or more simple graphics, such as those used on television or newspaper weather reports. Fourth-grade students just use simple graphics for clouds, rain, snow, and sunshine instead of the coded “weather station symbols. Weather maps should have a key or explanation of the graphics or symbols. In addition to cold or warm front lines on a weather map, students will see “L for low pressure and “H for high pressure. A red line with red semi-circles on one side indicate a warm front, while a blue line with blue triangles on one side indicates a cold front. Meteorologists study the data from weather instruments to make decisions about the upcoming weather. Predicting weather is not an exact science, but some generalizations can help students estimate future weather. Weather generally moves from west to east so that conditions to the west will likely move into Texas. For example, if Phoenix, Arizona, to the west experiences heavy rains, then parts of Texas are likely to receive that weather the next day as the weather moves to the east. It is a rule that high pressure good-weather areas move into low pressure bad-weather areas. Cloud cover also helps to identify incoming weather: cumulonimbus clouds indicate a cold front is coming and thunderstorms will soon follow; cirrus clouds followed by nimbostratus clouds indicate a warm front is coming and light rain and drizzle will be around for a couple of days. As soon as a cold front or warm front moves on, bad weather will be pushed away by a high-pressure air mass that brings good weather. With modern radar instruments, meteorologists can be more precise at predicting weather, but that prediction is never a guarantee.

Essential Questions

• What tools can be used to gather weather information and how should we record the data?

• How does a weather map indicate weather conditions?

• How can we use weather maps to make predictions about weather changes?


• What conditions are measured to predict and report the weather? What is a prediction?

• What is the difference between in high pressure and low pressure?


• Tools such as rain gauges, wind socks, and thermometers can be used to gather weather data and can be recorded on tables, graphs, and weather maps.

• A weather map contains symbols and a map key indicating weather conditions.

• We use the information on weather maps to make predictions about weather changes.

Science Websites

• http://www.weatherwizkids.com/

• https://weather.com/

• https://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/

https://weather.com/

https://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/

NIA|


2017-2018

Science- Grade 4





Unit 13: The Water Cycle In this unit, students will explore the processes of the water cycle.

7

50-minute lessons

Suggested Pacing:

________-________

Unit 13: The Water Cycle (7 lessons) Ⓢ 4.8B describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process SPIRAL- 4.5B predict the changes caused by heating and cooling such as ice becoming liquid water and condensation forming on the outside of a glass of ice water. 4.7A examine properties of soils, including color and texture, capacity

to retain water, and ability to support the growth of plants. **The majority of the TEKS for this cycle are supporting TEKS for the 5th grade Science STAAR. This information for the most part is grade specific and is not repeated in the 5th grade content. **

Sample Test Item 4.8B Water Cycle

Notes to Teacher • Students should be given opportunities to notice the cyclical nature of the water cycle.

• Students should understand that the Sun provides the heat energy for evaporation but is also responsible for the heating of air to cause wind in the process of moving clouds or water vapor.

• Students might think that salt water in the ocean retains its salt when evaporated, but in fact, it leaves the salt behind.

Academic Vocabulary

accumulation evaporation runoff collection groundwater

water cycle condensation precipitation transpiration water vapor

aquifer reservoir sun surface water

Vertical Alignment 3rd Grade 3.8B describe and illustrate the Sun as a star composed of gases that provides light and heat energy for the water cycle

Before After

5th Grade 5.8B describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of the Earth through the water cycle, and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process

https://newmansciencehelp.weebly.com/uploads/2/1/7/8/21787294/science_staar_release_4.8b__1_.pptx.pdf

NIA|


2017-2018

Science- Grade 4


The water cycle involves all the changes to water as it moves up in the air and then back down to Earth. This is a continuous cycle. Seventy-five percent of the surface of our blue planet is covered with either fresh or salt water, which the Sun constantly evaporates into a gas (water vapor). The water vapor rises high above Earth where cooler temperatures cause condensation (gaseous water vapor changes back to liquid water droplets). This condensation takes the form of clouds. When the clouds become too saturated and heavy, water droplets are formed from precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls from clouds in the sky). The water from the precipitation runs off into bodies of water to start the cycle all over again. Life cannot exist without water. In nature, water is the lifeblood of organisms. Through water, nutrients are distributed within an organism and waste products are removed. Most of the content of our bodies is water, and without it, an organism can live only a very short time. But even beyond the sustaining of life, we use water in countless ways. Scientists tell us that there is a finite (set) amount of water on the planet, and the total amount has changed little over eons of time. However, the form or state of the water is constantly changing from gas to liquid to solid in the water cycle. During the water cycle, the Sun evaporates water into an invisible gas called water vapor. Students cannot see water vapor, but they can feel the moisture in the air, called humidity, which makes the air feel muggy and damp. When the humidity rises and meets cold temperatures from above, the water vapor droplets condense into various cloud shapes, like the water droplets forming on a cold can of soda. When that cloud becomes too heavy with water vapor, those droplets are pulled by gravity down to Earth as precipitation (rain, hail, sleet, or snow). All of the precipitation that hits Earth’s surface seeps into the soil as groundwater, and as runoff into lakes, rivers, and oceans, or collects as ice on glaciers. When the Sun shines on rivers, lakes, oceans, or glaciers, the Sun’s heat makes the surface molecules of water move faster and faster until they escape into the air as water vapor. This uneven heating of Earth’s surface causes winds that move the air moisture around. This moist air rises and carries water vapor upward until it meets cooler temperatures from above, clouds form, precipitation falls, and the cycle starts anew. None of that would happen without the energy of the Sun.

Essential Questions

• What is the water cycle?

• How does water move through the water cycle above and on the surface of the Earth?

• What is the major source of energy that moves water through the water cycle?


• What happens to water that does not fall in lakes, rivers, and streams?

• What role do plants and animals play in the water cycle?

• Where does the water cycle begin and end? Explain your thinking.

NIA|


2017-2018

Science- Grade 4


• Water on the Earth is continuously moving through the water cycle.

• Water moves through the water cycle in the atmosphere as humidity, clouds, and precipitation. Water also moves in oceans, rivers, lakes, and glaciers.

• The Sun is the major source of energy that moves water through the water cycle.

Science Websites

• https://climate.nasa.gov/quizzes/water-cycle/

• http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/facilities/multimedia/uploads/alberta/watercycle.html

• https://www3.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_watercycle.html

• http://www.arcticclimatemodeling.org/lessons/acmp/acmp_k4_WaterCycle_WaterCycleGame.pdf

https://climate.nasa.gov/quizzes/water-cycle/

http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/facilities/multimedia/uploads/alberta/watercycle.html

https://www3.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_watercycle.html

http://www.arcticclimatemodeling.org/lessons/acmp/acmp_k4_WaterCycle_WaterCycleGame.pdf

NIA|


2017-2018

Science- Grade 4





Unit 14: Exploring Natural Cyclical Events In this unit, students will explore the causes of the night/day cycle, seasons, and ocean tides.

10

50-minute lessons

Suggested Pacing:

________-________

Unit 14: Exploring Natural Cyclical Events (10 lessons) Ⓢ 4.8C collect and analyze data to identify sequences and predict patterns of change in shadows, tides, seasons, and the observable appearance of the Moon over time

SPIRAL- 4.2D analyze data and interpret patterns to construct reasonable explanations from data that can be observed and measured **The majority of the TEKS for this cycle are supporting TEKS for the 5th grade Science STAAR. This information for the most part is grade specific and is not repeated in the 5th grade content. **

Sample Test Item 4.8C Patterns

Notes to Teacher • Students should be given opportunities to collect real data and notice observable patterns.

• Students should understand that patterns such as tides are due to the position of the Moon.

• Students might think that the Moon appearing to change shape is due to the Earth’s shadow, but in fact, is caused by the relative position of the Moon and the Sun.

• Students should be analyzing their data collected in order to make predictions on what patterns of tides, moon phases, shadows, and seasons will come next.

Academic Vocabulary

high tide low tide neap tide Waning Crescent Waning Gibbous

New Moon pattern lunar cycle First Quarter Moon Waxing Crescent

Full Moon Moon season Third Quarter Moon Waxing Gibbous

gravity moon phases shadow lunar eclipse solar eclipse

Vertical Alignment 3rd Grade 3.8C construct models that demonstrate the relationship of the Sun, Earth, and Moon including orbits and positions

Before After

5th Grade 5.8C demonstrate that Earth rotates on its axis once approximately every 24 hours causing the day/night cycle and the apparent movement of the Sun across the sky

https://newmansciencehelp.weebly.com/uploads/2/1/7/8/21787294/4.8c_moon_phases.pdf

NIA|


2017-2018

Science- Grade 4


From the structure of the atom to the structure of the Universe, humans discovered regularity in the laws of nature. Natural patterns were observed and recorded by ancient cultures who believed powerful gods caused the movement of the Sun, shifting shadows, eclipses of the Sun or Moon, tides, seasonal landscape, and moon phases. Today, we know that all of these phenomena are the direct result of repeated patterns of positions between Earth, the Sun, and the Moon. For example, some ancient people thought an eclipse of the Sun represented a mythical character taking bites out of the Sun. Actually, eclipses are simply caused by one celestial body casting a shadow on another celestial body. The Moon blocking the Sun casts a shadow on a small path on Earth, which people see as a solar eclipse. When Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon, people see a lunar eclipse. Printed and computerized sundials, sunrise-sunset tables, tidal charts, seasonal almanacs, and moon phase and eclipse calendars are evidence of the predictability of these events.

Shadows and seasons depend on the position of Earth in relation to the Sun, while the tides are based on the relative positions of Earth, the Moon and the Sun. Shadows are caused by objects blocking light. Students will explore how the longest shadows on Earth are cast when the Sun is low on the horizon and how the shortest shadows are cast when the Sun is overhead at noon. Long shadows result when the light source is behind a tall object so that the full length of the object blocks the light. Short shadows result when the light source is above a tall object where only the top of the object blocks light. The pattern of the Sun’s apparent movement across the sky casting a shifting shadow on a sundial is a method carried over from long ago used today on modern sundials for telling time.

Tides are caused by the tug of the Moon’s gravitational pull on the oceans as the Moon moves around Earth. When the Moon is in a straight line with Earth and the Sun, the oceans on that line are pulled, causing high tides where the ocean levels rise along the coastline. As the Moon continues to revolve around Earth, the angle changes between Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, causing the ocean levels on different parts of Earth to change to low tides. Because Earth revolves on its axis daily, there are two low and two high tides each day along coastlines. Moon phases are seen because the Moon is lit from different angles as Earth travels around the Sun. From a new moon phase to the next new moon phase, it takes about 29 days. The full moon is visible all night, whereas the new moon, which rises and sets during the day, is not visible because the Sun is so bright. Waxing means growing in illumination. Waning means shrinking in illumination. Gibbous means almost full. Remember that the waning crescent moon looks like a forward “C” and the waxing crescent moon looks like a backwards “C”.

NIA|


2017-2018

Science- Grade 4

Essential Questions

• How do shadows change during the seasons?

• How do the tides change in relation to the position of the Earth and Moon?

• What is the sequence of the Moon’s appearance each month?


• How are Moon phase, seasons, tides, and shadows similar? How are they different?

• How can patterns in these cycles be used to predict the future?


• We can collect and analyze data to predict patterns of change observable on Earth.

• Shadows and seasons depend on the position of the Earth in relation to the Sun, while the tides are based on the relative positions of the Earth, Sun, and Moon.

• The Moon’s appearance changes in the same pattern each month and can be predicted.

Science Websites

• http://sunshine.chpc.utah.edu/Labs/LunarPhases/lunar_phases_main.html

• http://sciencenetlinks.com/media/filer/2011/10/14/moon_challenge.html

• http://www.noaa.gov/resource-collections/tides

• https://www.edumedia-sciences.com/en/media/97-tides

• https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/astronomy/moon-flip-book

http://sunshine.chpc.utah.edu/Labs/LunarPhases/lunar_phases_main.html

http://sciencenetlinks.com/media/filer/2011/10/14/moon_challenge.html

http://www.noaa.gov/resource-collections/tides

https://www.edumedia-sciences.com/en/media/97-tides

https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/astronomy/moon-flip-book

NIA|


2017-2018

Science- Grade 4





Review Assess Reteach Extend

50-minute lessons

Suggested Pacing:

________-________

Review//Assess//Reteach//Extend Spiral back to all previous taught TEKS from the 1st-3rd Nine Weeks

Past Assessments 1st Nine Weeks Assessment 2nd Nine Weeks Assessment

https://newmansciencehelp.weebly.com/uploads/2/1/7/8/21787294/4th_grade_science_1st_nine_weeks_2017.pdf

https://newmansciencehelp.weebly.com/uploads/2/1/7/8/21787294/2nd_nine_weeks_assessment_not_available.pdf

we make good students great! -2018 science- grade 4 · we make good students great! -2018 science-...

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