Grade 4 Science Online Center

Grade 4 Science Standards & Practice

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Energy and Motion

A moving object has energy. When the same object moves faster, it can have more energy. You can gather evidence by observing what happens when it strikes or moves another object. Compare the same object under different conditions so your observations are useful.

Example

Imagine rolling the same toy car down a low ramp and then a higher ramp. Observe how far it moves a paper cup at the bottom. Describe the evidence before explaining the difference.

Try it

Draw both ramp setups. Label what you changed, what you observed, and what you kept the same.

How Energy Transfers

Energy can move from one place to another. A lamp transfers energy through light, a speaker through sound, and a warm object can transfer energy to a cooler object. Look for an observable change: something lights up, warms, moves, or makes a sound.

Example

A metal spoon left in a cup of warm water becomes warmer. The temperature change is evidence that energy moved from the water into the spoon.

Try it

List three familiar devices. For each, describe the change you can observe when the device is working.

Electric Circuits and Devices

A simple circuit connects a power source, wires, and a device such as a small bulb. The path must be complete for electric current to flow. An open switch breaks the path. A closed switch completes it. Use diagrams to show the connections rather than memorizing a picture.

Example

A bulb connected to only one battery terminal does not have a complete circuit. Connecting a return path to the other terminal can complete the circuit.

Try it

Draw a battery, bulb, and switch in a closed loop. Then draw the switch open. Use classroom low-voltage equipment only with adult guidance.

Waves, Sound, and Patterns

A wave is a repeating disturbance that can transfer energy. Wave diagrams show patterns such as the height of a wave and the distance between its peaks. A model helps explain the pattern, but it does not show every feature of a real wave.

Example

Ripples spread across a pond after a small disturbance. A floating leaf can move as the ripples pass, providing evidence of energy transfer.

Try it

Sketch two repeating wave patterns. Label the peaks and describe one way the patterns are alike and one way they differ.

Light and Seeing Objects

We see an object when light from a source reflects off the object and enters our eyes. A light source, an object, and an eye belong in a useful model of seeing. In a completely dark space, an ordinary object cannot be seen because no light from it reaches the eyes.

Example

A book becomes easier to see when a lamp shines on it. Light travels from the lamp to the book and then reflects toward your eyes.

Try it

Draw arrows showing the path from a lamp to a book and then to an eye. Never shine a bright light into anyone’s eyes.

Sending Information with Patterns

Patterns can carry information. A sender and receiver need to agree on what a pattern means. A flashing light, a series of taps, or a grid of symbols can represent a message. Compare possible codes for clarity and ease of use.

Example

One tap could mean yes and two taps could mean no. The pattern becomes meaningful only when both people know the code.

Try it

Create a code for three classroom messages. Write the key, send a message, and ask a partner to interpret it.

Plant and Animal Structures

Plants and animals have structures that help them survive, grow, and reproduce. Roots take in water, leaves capture light, and an animal’s outer covering may help protect it. Build an explanation by naming the structure, describing its function, and giving evidence.

Example

A bird’s beak helps it obtain food. Different beak shapes can work well for different kinds of food. The shape and the feeding behavior provide evidence for an explanation.

Try it

Choose a familiar plant or animal. Make a three-column chart: structure, function, and evidence you could observe.

Senses and Responses

Animals receive information through their senses. The brain processes that information, and the animal can respond. A useful model shows the information source, the sense involved, and the response. Avoid assuming that every animal senses the world in exactly the same way.

Example

A dog hears a familiar sound and turns its head toward it. The sound is the information, hearing is the sense, and turning is the response.

Try it

Describe an everyday sensory response. Organize it as information received, sense used, and action taken.

Rocks, Fossils, and Earth’s Past

Rock formations and fossils can provide clues about earlier environments. A fossil of a sea organism in rock far from today’s coast can be evidence that the area was once covered by water. Explain what the evidence supports without claiming that one clue tells the entire history.

Example

Similar fossil patterns in several rock layers can help scientists compare places and propose explanations for how a landscape changed.

Try it

Draw a simple rock-layer diagram with a fossil in one layer. Write an observation and a separate explanation based on that observation.

Weathering and Erosion

Weathering breaks rocks and other Earth materials into smaller pieces. Erosion moves material through processes involving water, wind, ice, or gravity. Measurements and repeated observations help you compare the effects of different conditions.

Example

Water flowing over loose soil carries some particles downhill. The movement of those particles is erosion. Cracks that break a rock into smaller pieces are an example of weathering.

Try it

Draw a before-and-after landscape. Use one color for material that broke apart and another for material that moved.

Resources, Hazards, and Solutions

People use natural resources for energy, materials, food, and water. Those choices can affect the environment. Natural processes can also affect communities. Compare solutions by explaining what problem each addresses and what evidence suggests it will help.

Example

Plants on a slope can help reduce soil movement. A drainage channel may redirect water. Compare what each solution is intended to do before deciding how it should be tested.

Try it

Choose a local resource or landscape problem. Describe one possible solution, one benefit, and one limitation.

Engineering and Fair Tests

Engineers work within criteria and constraints. Criteria describe what a design should accomplish; constraints are limits such as materials or time. A fair comparison keeps important conditions the same. Record what happened and use the results to improve the design.

Example

Two paper bridges must span the same gap and use the same amount of paper. Testing them under the same conditions makes the comparison more useful.

Try it

Write the goal and limits for a paper bridge. Sketch two designs and describe a fair way to compare them.