Long-Term Plan- 4th Grade Science

Quarter 1:
Unit 1- Practice of Science
Unit 2- Characteristics of Scientific
Unit 3- Properties of Matter
Unit 4- Changes in Matter

Unit 1: Practice of Science Unit Length:16-17 Days

Essential Questions  How can what we know about science help us understand the natural world and scientific process?
 Why do scientists have to be creative when designing an experiment?
 What answers might a scientist use to support a conclusion?
 Why is it important to share information from an investigation?
 Explain the difference between inference and observation.
 Explain the difference between hypothesis and a prediction.
 Why must scientists share their results as evidence?
 What is the relationship between theory and hypothesis?
 How do scientists use scientific tools for recording their data?
Standards  SC.4. N.1.1- Raise questions about the natural world, use appropriate reference materials that
support understanding to obtain information, conduct individual and team investigations through
free exploration and systematic investigations, and generate appropriate responses based off
investigation.
 SC.4. N.1.3- Explain that science does not always follow a rigidly defined method ("the scientific
method") but that science does involve the use of observations and empirical evidence.
 SC.4. N.1.4- Attempt reasonable answers to scientific questions and cite evidence in support.
 SC.4. N.1.8- Recognize that science involves creativity in designing experiments.
 SC.4. N.1.6- Keep records that describe observations made, carefully distinguishing actual observations
from ideas and inferences about the observations
 SC.4. N.1.7- Recognize and explain that scientists base their explanations on evidence.
  SC.4. N.1.5- Compare the methods and results of investigations done by other classmates.
 SC.4. N.1.2- compare the observations made by different groups using multiple tools and seek
reasons to explain the differences across groups.
Objectives  Identify what science is and questions science can and cannot answer.
 Identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigation and observation.
 Develop, design, implement, and execute investigations called experiments that will answer a
question, have a dependent and independent variable, and allow students to form a conclusion,
 Form a hypothesis and form conclusions based on data obtained during investigations
 Make adjustments based on suggestions from others or from errors in other investigations.
 Apply the steps of the scientific investigations, forming a hypothesis, making observations, by using
their senses
 Conclude that sharing ideas and conclusions is a source of new information and knowledge
 Form opinions, new ideas, and conclusions based off investigations done by other classmates
 Recommend future investigations based on findings
 Use data to form conclusions while investigating
 Use tools and technology to collect and analyze data and form conclusions
 Participate in discussing and analyzing others results and conclusions based on collected data
 To identify and use the appropriate tools for a given measurement with precision
 Practice proper methods for obtaining data and making accurate records
Labs/Projects  Apple observation experiment
 Scientific tools scavenger hunt
 Football throw data collection

Unit 2: Science Focuses on the Natural World Unit Length: 3 days

Essential Questions  How do scientists use observations to explain occurrences in the natural world?
Standards  SC.4. N.2.1- Explain that science focuses solely on the natural world.
 SC.4. N.3.1- explain that models can be three dimensional, two dimensional, an explanation in your
mind, or a computer model
Objectives  Define science and what is can and cannot answer
 Identify various fields of science such as biology, chemistry, geology, zoology, etc.
 Compare and contrast various fields of science and relate them to the natural world
Labs/Projects  N/A

Unit 3: Properties of Matter Unit Length: 15 days

Essential Questions  What are the three main states of matter?
 What are the physical properties of matter?
 How do you demonstrate that the mass of a whole object is equal to the sum of its part?
 Why do magnets attract and repel some materials?
 What is magnetism?
Standards  SC.4. P.8.2- Identify properties and common uses of water in each of its states.
 SC.4. P.8.1- Measure and compare objects and materials based on their physical properties
including: mass, shape, volume, hardness, texture, odor, taste, and attraction to magnets.
 SC.4. P.8.3- Explore the law of conservation of mass by demonstrating that mass of a whole object is
always the same as the sum of the masses parts.
 SC.4. P.8.4- Investigate and describe that magnets can attract magnetic materials and attract and
repel other magnets
Objectives  To understand the 3 states of matter and how the arrangements of particles determine the state
 To understand the physical properties of matter and how they are measured and observed.
 Use tools and technology to obtain the mass of various objects
 Describe the sum of the mass of individual parts of an object and how it is equal to the total mass
  Investigate the north and south poles of magnets and use manipulatives to identify which pole
attracts and which pole repels a second magnet.
 Define magnetic field and relate this definition to how magnets attract or repel objects
 Experiment with magnets and materials such as steel, nickel, and iron to conclude which materials
magnets attract and repel.
Labs/Projects  Volume Lab
 Solid, Liquid, Gas Cootie Catcher
 Candy bar lab
 Magnetic Attraction Lab

Unit 4: Changes in Matter Unit Length: 10 days

Essential Questions  What are physical and chemical changes?
 What is the difference between a physical and a chemical change?
 How does temperature affect a physical change?
 How does temperature affect a chemical change?
Standards  SC.4. P.9.1- Identify some familiar change in materials that results in other materials with different
characteristics, such as decaying animal or plant matter, burning, rusting, and cooking.

Objectives  Understand the difference between a physical and chemical change

 Observe and discuss the changes in matter (food) that result cooking
 Compare iron nails that have rusted with ones that have not
 Observe fresh leave and those that are decaying and suggest the changes that are occurring
Labs/Projects  Alka Seltzer Lab
 5 chemical reactions experiment