Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
Scope and Sequence
Fourth-graders continue to safely conduct investigations, choose appropriate tools, measure, collect, formulate conclusions and communicate
findings. They draw inferences from simple experiments and study the physical and chemical changes of matter. Properties of materials and the
discovery of new materials formed by combining two or more materials are explored. Students expand the study of life cycles of plants by examining
characteristics, growth and functions. Students gather information on the weather and its patterns and how weather impacts the Earth’s surface, land,
air and water. They explore how utilizing technology affects human lives and how technology and inventions change to meet people’s needs.
Following is an outline of the major components of the science program you will be using this year.
The Lakewood City Schools Science Standards-Based Course of Study is aligned with:
The Ohio Department of Education’s
Academic Content Standards.
♦ Science and Technology Standard
♦ Scientific Inquiry Standard
♦ Scientific Ways of Knowing
♦ Earth and Space Science Standard
♦ Life Science Standard
♦ Physical Science Standard
♦
And is arranged by Teaching Units.
Benchmarks and Grade Level Indicators as well as additional local objectives are included with each Teaching Unit for teacher planning.
A list of Teaching Resources to be used with each Unit of Study.
♦ Discovery Works Textbook Modules: Life Cycles; Systems in Living Things; Matter, Energy and Forces; Properties of Matter; Weather and
Climate
♦ Delta and Carolina Biological Kits: Plant Growth and Development; States of Matter; Weather Instruments
♦ Milliken Teacher Resources: Plants; Environmental Issues; Physical and Chemical Changes; Weather; Nutrition
♦ Extreme Weather Series Literature
This is a functional and fluid document meant to be utilized by teachers. The inclusion of teacher notes is encouraged as a lesson is implemented.
Rev. 11/2/2006
1
Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
NATURE OF SCIENCE UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
By the end of the 3-5 program the student
will:
By the end of Fourth Grade, the student will:
No additional Lakewood Objectives
Science and Technology Standard
A. Describe how technology affects human
life.
Understanding Technology
1. Explain how technology from different areas (e.g.,
transportation, communication, nutrition, healthcare,
agriculture, entertainment and manufacturing) has improved
human lives.
2. Investigate how technology and inventions change to meet
peoples’ needs and wants.
B. Describe and illustrate the design process.
Abilities To Do Technological Design
3. Describe, illustrate and evaluate the design process used to
solve a problem.
Scientific Inquiry Standard
A. Use appropriate instruments safely to
observe, measure and collect data when
conducting a scientific investigation.
Doing Scientific Inquiry
1. Select the appropriate tools and use relevant safety
procedures to measure and record length, weight, volume,
temperature and area in metric and English units.
B. Organize and evaluate observations,
measurements and other data to formulate
inferences and conclusions.
2. Analyze a series of events and/or simple daily or seasonal
cycles, describe the patterns and infer the next likely
occurrence.
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2
After a brief introduction to the processes and
methods of science, objectives in this unit are
best taught as an integral part of the activities
and investigations that you do within the
Teaching Units such as Weather and Plants
Resources
• Houghton Mifflin Discovery Works
Textbook: Grade 4 Pages S 1-S 15
(Introduction to Book)
Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
NATURE OF SCIENCE UNIT
Lakewood Course of Study
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
C. Develop, design and safely conduct
scientific investigations and communicate
the results.
3. Develop, design and conduct safe, simple investigations or
experiments to answer questions.
4. Explain the importance of keeping conditions the same in an
experiment.
5. Describe how comparisons may not be fair when some
conditions are not kept the same between experiments.
6. Formulate instructions and communicate data in a manner
that allows others to understand and repeat an investigation
or experiment.
Scientific Ways of Knowing Standard
A. Distinguish between fact and opinion and
explain how ideas and conclusions change
as new knowledge is gained.
Nature of Science
1. Differentiate fact from opinion and explain that scientists do
not rely on claims or conclusions unless they are backed by
observations that can be confirmed.
B. Describe different types of investigations
and use results and data from
investigations to provide the evidence to
support explanations and conclusions.
3. Explain discrepancies in an investigation using evidence to
support findings.
Rev. 11/2/2006
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Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
NATURE OF SCIENCE UNIT
Lakewood Course of Study
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
C. Explain the importance of keeping records
of observations and investigations that are
accurate and understandable.
Nature of Science
2. Record the results and data from an investigation and make
a reasonable explanation.
Ethical Practices
4. Explain why keeping records of observations and
investigations is important.
D. Explain that men and women of diverse
countries and cultures participate in….
Rev. 11/2/2006
No indicators present for this benchmark
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Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL CHANGES UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
By the end of the 3-5 program, the student will:
By the end of Fourth Grade, the student will:
Lakewood students will do the following in
order to master the Grade Level Indicators:
Physical Sciences Standard
A. Compare the characteristics of simple physical
and chemical changes.
Nature of Matter
1. Identify characteristics of a simple physical change
(e.g., heating or cooling can change water from one
state to another and the change is reversible).
2. Identify characteristics of a simple chemical change.
When a new material is made by combining two or
more materials, it has chemical properties that are
different from the original materials (e.g., burning
paper, vinegar and baking soda).
Objectives in italics go beyond Ohio
Requirements
• Determine the following characteristics of
simple physical changes through
experimentation:
° May change in size
° May change in shape (configuration)
° May change in the state of matter of a
substance
° Does not produce or become a new
substance
• Determine the following characteristics of
simple chemical changes, through
experimentation:
° Difficult to reverse the change
° Involve change in the properties of the
material
° Often give off heat on their own
• Explain how different materials can be
made from the same basic substances (e.g.,
bread, cake, cookies made from flour and
sugar).
Rev. 11/2/2006
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Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL CHANGES UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
• Explain that all materials are composed of
fundamental parts that are too small to be
seen without magnification.
• Observe physical and chemical changes
and infer characteristics of them from
investigations.
• Distinguish between changes that are
physical only versus changes that are both
chemical as well as physical:
° Physical Only (e.g., salt dissolved in
water, ripping paper, condensation of
water, breaking glass, evaporation of
water)
° Chemical As Well As Physical (e.g.,
recycling objects, digesting food,
burning a candle, indicator solutions
used to identify acids and bases)
B. Identify and describe the physical properties of
matter in its various states.
Nature of Matter
3. Describe objects by the properties of the materials
from which they are made and that these properties
can be used to separate or sort a group of objects (e.g.,
paper, glass, plastic and metal).
• Experiment to determine the reactivity of
substances in daily life (e.g., antibacterial
hand gel and killing bacteria, vinegar and
baking soda, nail polish and remover, red
plaque disclosing tablets).
4. Explain that matter has different states (e.g., solid,
liquid and gas) and that each state has distinct physical
properties.
• Describe the energy flow or force that can
cause a physical change (e.g., breaking a
Rev. 11/2/2006
6
Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL CHANGES UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
D. Summaraize the way changes in temperature
can be produced and thermal energy transfered
Nature of Energy
5. Compare ways the temperature of an object can be
changed (e.g., rubbing, heating and bending of metal).
Lakewood Course of Study
substance, melting with heat, dissolving in
liquid, freezing water).
• Identify properties of the different states of
matter (i.e., gases, liquids and solids) that
indicate a physical change.
• Explore real-world examples of physical
changes (e.g., evaporation, condensation,
melting, change in volume due to
temperature).
Resources
• Houghton Mifflin Science DiscoveryWorks
2003 Textbook: Unit C; Ch. 1
Unit B; Ch. 1-3
° Textbook per student
° 1 Teaching Guide by unit per teacher
° 1 Teacher’s Resource Book by unit per
teacher
• Physical and Chemical Changes Teacher
Resource (Milliken)-1 teacher resource per
teacher
• States of Matter Kit (Delta)-1 kit per 2
teachers and 1 teacher’s guide contained
within the kit per 2 teachers
Additional Resources
• Videotapes Bill Nye the Science Guy
° Chemical Reactions
° Phases of Matter
Rev. 11/2/2006
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Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
LIFE CYCLES AND ADAPTATIONS OF
PLANTS UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
By the end of the 3-5 program, the student will:
By the end of Fourth Grade, the student will:
Lakewood students will do the following in
order to master the Grade Level Indicators:
Objectives in italics go beyond Ohio
Requirements
Life Sciences Standard
A. Differentiate between the life cycles of
different plants and animals.
Heredity
1. Compare the life cycles of different plants including
germination, maturity, reproduction and death.
• Illustrate the life cycle of a plant, including
germination and pollination
5. Describe how organisms interact with one another in
various ways (e.g., many plants depend on animals for
carrying pollen or dispersing seeds).
B. Analyze plant and animal structures and
functions needed for survival and describe the
flow of energy through a system that all
organisms use to survive.
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Diversity and Interdependence of Life
2. Relate plant structures to their specific functions (e.g.,
growth, survival and reproduction).
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• Describe the parts of a plant and their
relationships to producing a single plant by
a single seed (e.g., pistil, stamen, petal,
sepal, and ovary).
• Investigate the physical attributes of living
things and describe how plants adapt and
survive (e.g., coloration, covering, barks,
spines, poisons, thorns, shapes of leaves,
water conservation).
• Design a simple investigation to show that
plant growth is affected by the quantities of
nutrients, light, and water available.
• Determine how gravity can affect the
growth of a plant.
Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
LIFE CYCLES AND ADAPTATIONS OF
PLANTS UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
• Research plants’ adaptations to their
specific environment in which they live.
3. Classify common plants according to their
characteristics (e.g., tree leaves, flowers, seeds, roots
and stems).
• Explore collections of plants that show the
diversity of living things according to
habitats and biomes (e.g., deserts, marshes,
oceans, rainforests, farms, savannas) and
how they support the basic needs of
organisms for survival
• Identify a living organism’s need for:
° Source of food or energy
° Water
° Gases to take in
° Environment that will allow for survival
(e.g., protection, light, temperature,
natural defenses, shelter)
.
C. Compare changes in an organism’s
ecosystem/habitat that affect its survival.
Rev. 11/2/2006
4. Observe and explore that fossils provide evidence
about plants that lived long ago and the nature of the
environment at that time.
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• Recognize relationships between human
activity and the environment, both positive
and negative, in terms of:
° Pollution (air, water, soil)
Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
LIFE CYCLES AND ADAPTATIONS OF
PLANTS UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
° Conservation of resources (including
plant and animal species)
° Erosion
° Agricultural activities
• Determine how soil, water and air pollution
affect living organisms related to the
process of photosynthesis, life cycles of
organisms, components of habitat (i.e.,
food, water, shelter, and space), and the
ecological system as a whole.
• Describe how ecological systems react and
adapt to stress or negative impacts on the
environment (e.g., drought, acid rain,
floods, housing/commercial land
development, strip mining, deforestation,
farming, mining).
Rev. 11/2/2006
10
Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
LIFE CYCLES AND ADAPTATIONS OF
PLANTS UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
Resources
• Houghton Mifflin Science DiscoveryWorks
2003 Textbook: Unit A; Ch. 2
° Textbook per student
° 1 Teaching Guide by unit per teacher
° 1 Teacher’s Resource Book by unit per
teacher
• Plants Teacher Resource (Milliken)-1
teacher resource per teacher
• Environmental Issues Teacher Resource
(Milliken)-1 teacher resource per teacher
• Plant Growth and Development (Carolina
Biological)-1 kit per 2 teachers and 1
teacher’s guide contained within the kit per
2 teachers
• Flower Model- Carolina
Additional Resources
• Videotapes Bill Nye the Science Guy
° Plants
° Flowers
° Deserts
° Wetlands
° Lakes and Ponds
° Rivers and Streams
° Forests
° Pollution Solution
Rev. 11/2/2006
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Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
WEATHER AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE
EARTH’S SURFACE UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
By the end of the 3-5 program the student will:
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
By the end of Fourth Grade, the student will:
Lakewood students will do the following in
order to master the Grade Level Indicators:
Objectives in italics go beyond Ohio
Requirements
Earth and Space Sciences Standard
B. Summarize the processes that shape the Earth’s
surface and describe evidence of those
processes
Rev. 11/2/2006
8. Describe how wind, water and ice shape and reshape
Earth’s land surface by eroding rock and soil in some
areas and depositing them in other areas producing
characteristic landforms (e.g., dunes, deltas and glacial
moraines).
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• Identify and show evidence of changes in
the earth’s surface (e.g., erosion,
weathering, volcanoes, floods, ozone,
atmospheric gas exchanges) through
multimedia (e.g., pictures, models,
experiments, videos).
• Identify evidence of changes in the earth’s
surface from analyzing:
° “Before and after” illustrations of the
earth’s surface
° Descriptions of events that would cause
erosion, deposition, change in position,
or other changes
° Fossil record
• Provide examples of changes in the earth’s
surface.
• Compare and contrast the causes of changes
in the earth’s surface, including:
° Wind
° Water
° Glaciers
° Gravity
° Plant or animal activity
Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
WEATHER AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE
EARTH’S SURFACE UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
9. Identify and describe how freezing, thawing and plant
growth reshape the land surface by causing the
weathering of rock.
10. Describe evidence of changes on Earth’s surface in
terms of slow processes (e.g., erosion, weathering,
mountain building and deposition) and rapid processes
(e.g., volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and landslides).
D. Analyze weather and changes that occur over a
period of time.
Rev. 11/2/2006
Earth Systems
1. Explain that air surrounds us, takes up space, moves
around us as wind, and may be measured using
barometric pressure. (ES-4-1)
• Investigate relationships between air
pressure, temperature, and volume that
correspond to weather changes, as well as
other daily life occurrences.
2. Identify how water exists in the air in different forms
(e.g., in clouds, fog, rain, snow and hail). (ES-4-2)
3. Investigate how water changes from one state to
another (e.g., freezing, melting, condensation and
evaporation). (ES-4-3)
• Describe the water cycle (i.e., evaporation,
condensation and precipitation).
• Determine the effect of air temperature in
and below clouds on what form
precipitation will take (i.e., snow, hail,
sleet, and rain).
4. Describe weather by measurable quantities such as
• Make measurements using standard units
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Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
WEATHER AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE
EARTH’S SURFACE UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
temperature, wind direction, wind speed, precipitation
and barometric pressure. (ES-4-4)
5. Record local weather information on a calendar or map
and describe changes over a period of time (e.g.,
barometric pressure, temperature, precipitation
symbols and cloud conditions). (ES-4-5)
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14
(e.g., degrees Celsius, degrees Fahrenheit,
inches/cm of rain, inches/cm of snow)
through the use of weather instruments
(e.g., barometers, anemometers,
weathervanes, rain gauges, thermometers).
• Construct weather instruments (e.g., rain
gauges, barometers, wind vanes) to
investigate changes in weather over time.
• Associate high-pressure systems with clear
skies (symbol “H” on a weather map means
“high pressure” which indicates “clear
skies”).
• Record weather data through charts, graphs,
computer programs, etc.
• Select and use information from a weather
map, consistently observed phenomena, or
from stated conditions (e.g., time,
temperature) to make observations and
predictions about the weather.
• Interpret weather maps and reports from
daily newspapers using a key (weather
symbols).
• Recognize relationships between colliding
warm and cold fronts and how they cause
storms, precipitation, or cloudy skies.
Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
WEATHER AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE
EARTH’S SURFACE UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
6. Trace how weather patterns generally move from west
to east in the United States. (ES-4-6)
7. Describe the weather which accompanies cumulus,
cumulonimbus, cirrus and stratus clouds. (ES-4-7)
Rev. 11/2/2006
15
• Describe general west-to-east movement of
weather in the continental United States.
• Associate low-pressure systems with
cloudy weather and/or storms.
• Determine the relationship between latitude
and general temperature or weather
patterns (e.g., changing seasons in different
states, weather near equator versus Arctic
zone).
• Classify severe weather conditions (e.g.,
floods, tornadoes, lightning, hurricanes)
and communicate safety precautions to be
implemented during these storms.
Lakewood City Schools Standards-Based Science Course of Study
Fourth Grade
WEATHER AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE
EARTH’S SURFACE UNIT
3-5 Benchmarks
Grade Level Indicators
Lakewood Course of Study
Resources
• Houghton Mifflin Science DiscoveryWorks
2003 Textbook Unit E; Ch. 1-4:
° Textbook per student
° 1 Teaching Guide by unit per teacher
° 1 Teacher’s Resource Book by unit per
teacher
• Land and Water Kit (Carolina Biological)-1
kit per 2 teachers and 1 teacher’s guide
contained within the kit per 2 teachers
• Weather Teacher Resource (Milliken)-1
teacher resource per teacher
• Weather Instruments (Delta)-1 kit per 2
teachers and 1 teacher’s guide contained
within the kit per 2 teachers
• Extreme Weather Series Literature
(PowerKids Press)-Each LRC Professional
Library has 1 copy of the following titles:
° Blizzards
° Electrical Storms
° Heat Waves and Droughts
° Hail
° Tornadoes
° Tropical Storms and Hurricanes
Additional Resources
• Videotape Bill Nye the Science Guy
° Water Cycle
° Storms
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