Wichita falls isD
Fourth Grade - Science
Unit 7: Earth’s Surface
Time Frame: 15 days
Objectives
Skills: The student will be able to…
• Understand the Big Idea- Earth consists of useful resources, and its surface is
constantly changing.
• Identify properties of soils, including color and texture, capacity to retain water,
and ability to support the growth of plants.
• 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.
• Investigate rapid changes in Earth’s surface such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes,
and landslides. (3.7B)*
• Know that Earth consists of useful resources and its surface is constantly changing.
• Examine properties of soils, including color and texture, capacity to retain water,
and ability to support the growth of plant.
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Unit Planner
TEKS
Supporting:
4.7A, 4.7C, 3.7B*
Other Standards: NONE
Process Skills: 4.1B, 4.2C, 4.7B,
4.2B, 4.2F, 4.4A
ELPS:
1C, 2C, 4C, 4F, 1D, 2D, 3E, 1F, 2I,
3H, 1A, 3B, 3D, 3G, 2E, 4E
Observe and identify slow changes to Earth’s surface caused by weathering,
erosion, and deposition from water, wind, and ice.
*Supporting Standards from Grade 3 must be incorporated into instruction as appropriate
throughout the school year.
Performance Indicators
By the end of the unit, the student will be able to…
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Identify natural resources used to make classroom item.
Classify each resource used as renewable or nonrenewable.
Explain orally the difference between weathering, erosion, and deposition; and identify an example of each process.
Using written expression, examine properties of different types of soil, including color, texture, capacity to retain
water, and ability to support plant growth.
Lesson Information
Activities
• Textbook: TE 289A – 342
• For each lesson there is an activity Options for Inquiry- this can be conducted at any
time before during or in response to the lesson.
• TE pp. 289D-289G (Lesson 3 use more than 1 type of soil)
• English Language Learners- instructional strategies are available in the TE pp. 395L395M
• The margins of the Teachers Edition (TE) are full of helpful information.
• Active Reading is encouraged throughout the lessons and reinforced in the margins
of the TE
• Lesson 1 pp. 291, 292, 294, 296, 298
Wichita Falls ISD (2014-2015)
4Sc Unit 7
Scientific Processes TEKS must be incorporated into
instruction as appropriate throughout the school year.
Vocabulary
Lesson 1
• Natural resources
• Renewable
resources
• Nonrenewable
resources
• Conservation
1
revised 8/28/14
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Lesson 2 pp. 305, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314
Lesson 3 pp. 323, 324, 326, 328
Worksheets
Located throughout the lessons in textbook
Digital Curriculum
Each lesson has an Online Resource available
Unit 7 Review (detailed description of answers located in the margins of the TE).
pp. 339-342
Unit 7 Test
Assessment Guide pp AG 104- AG 110
Below are additional/ useful information to include along with the ScienceFusion
Textbook.
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EXPLORE: Introduce the terms “renewable” and “nonrenewable”. Have students make
a T chart and go on a scavenger hunt. Students can classify items in the classroom, or
outside of the building, record this information in their interactive notebooks.
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EXPLAIN: Have students, as a teacher-led activity, draw and label all renewable and
nonrenewable resources in their interactive notebooks. Review conservation and
recycling.
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ELABORATE: “Shake, Rattle, and Flow” kit can be checked out from the Science
Resource Center. There is a coal activity that is very beneficial to the understanding of
this concept.
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ENGAGE: Teacher may choose to do a demonstration using this explanation of our soil
http://www.alabamaaitc.org/uploadedFiles/File/The_earth_as_an_ap ple.pdf or
students may view the video that explains it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDCLo1uR25c
EXPLAIN: Ability of soil to retain water – All supplies needed to demonstrate this are
available in “Tales from the Crust” kit that is available from the SRC. Also, the software
“Science Court: Soil” will reinforce all soil properties.
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EXPLAIN: Weathering, Erosion, Deposition – Show the class a power point explaining
types of weathering and erosion. Suggestion: Weathering and Erosion PowerPoint in
Unit 5 folder. Have a class discussion that involves the terms weathering, erosion, and
deposition. “River Cutters” kit from the SRC can help reinforce these terms. Also,
“Shake, Rattle, and Flow” science kit will address all of these.
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ELABORATE: FOSS kits “Earth Materials” and “Landforms” are great for this unit. They
are available through Region 9. Call 940-322-6928.
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ELABORATE: For this demonstration you will need a bucket full of sand, a scoop of
some sort, and an empty bucket. Place the empty bucket on one side of the room.
Place the bucket full of sand on the other. Ask kids one at a time to get a scoop of sand
while saying “weathering”. Then the student carries it to the other bucket while saying
“erosion”. Finally, the student pours the sand into the empty bucket while saying
“deposition”. Have each student do this.
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Show the video “Getting to Know: Soil” found in Discovery Education video, Soil Video.
Video Notes in Resource Folder.
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EVALUATE: Create a file folder booklet that illustrates one renewable resource and
one nonrenewable resource. Use the inside of the book to write the reasons why the
resource is renewable or nonrenewable. If the resource is nonrenewable, provide a
suggestion for the conservation of the resource.
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EVALUATE: The Changing Earth Test in Resource Folder.
Wichita Falls ISD (2014-2015)
4Sc Unit 7
Scientific Processes TEKS must be incorporated into
instruction as appropriate throughout the school year.
Lesson 2
• Weathering
• Erosion
• Deposition
• Sediment
Lesson 3
• Bedrock
• Humus
• Soil
• Soil horizon
• Soil profile
Students are to find and
list the yellow highlighted
terms from the lessons.
As they proceed through
the lessons and learn
about the terms, they
should add notes,
drawings, or sentences in
the extra space provided
in the interactive glossary.
Vocabulary Cards are
provided in the Fusion
Online Resource.
2
revised 8/28/14
Additional Information
Materials/Resources
• Refer to TE pp. 289D – 289H for Materials list
• Response to Intervention (RTI)- supplements are
available on p. 289K
Suggested Books for Supplemental Use:
o The Lorax by Dr. Suess,
o The Wump World by Bill
o Peet, Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg,
o Why Should I Recycle? By J. Green
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See Science Studies Weekly for other possible
activities.
Textbook Correlations:
• Texas ScienceFusion: grade 4 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Online: www-k6.thinkcentral.com
Notes from Council
• See Science Resource Center (SRC) for additional
options.
• http://www.wfisd.net/page/577
• FOSS kits- Region 9. Call 940-322-6928.
• Vocabulary booklets, word walls, wordles (see
www.wordle.com), word searches, or other
vocabulary activities need to be used throughout each
unit.
Misconceptions/Underdeveloped Concepts
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Students may think nonrenewable resources will never be replaced.
Students may think that the process of renewing resources is always a rapid one.
Parent Resources
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www.pencilpages.com/articles/make.html
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/actiongames/recycle-roundup/
www.kidsrecyclingzone.com/
www.planete-energies.com/en/energy-sources-/coal/the-formation-of-coal-56.html
www.fcs.uga.edu/green/r4.php
Wichita Falls ISD (2014-2015)
4Sc Unit 7
Scientific Processes TEKS must be incorporated into
instruction as appropriate throughout the school year.
3
revised 8/28/14