Unit & Time Frame
1
Warren County Public Schools
4th Grade Science
Unit & Time Frame / Program of Studies / Core Content 4.1 / Student Learning Targets (I Can…) / Critical Vocabulary / ResourcesIntroduction/Review of Scientific Method Week 1
3 days / Scientific Method is integrated through all Core Content. / I can use the steps of the Scientific Method to conduct an experiment. / Hypothesis, observation, variables, investigate, experiment, results, conclusion, procedures / United Streaming – Everyday Science: Discovering the Scientific Method
www.scienceexplosion.com
Living & Nonliving Things
Week 1
2 days / SC-4-UD-U-1
Students will understand that things in the environment are classified as living, nonliving and once living. / SC-04-3.4.2
Students will understand that things in the environment are classified as living, nonliving and once living. Living things differ from nonliving things. Organisms are classified into groups by using various characteristics (e.g., body coverings, body structures). / I can classify living, nonliving and once living things. / Living, nonliving, once living, characteristic, classify / I Witness News Living Things video
United Streaming – Classification of Living Things
Life/
Biological
Animals
Week 2-4 / SC-4-UD-U-3
Students will understand that organisms have different structures that are used for different functions. Observations of the structures of a certain organism can be used to predict how that organism functions or where it might live.
SC-4-UD-S-2
Students will analyze the structures and related functions of a variety of plants and animals in order to establish classification schemes
SC-4-UD-S-5
Students will answer student-generated questions about the diversity of living things using information from a variety of print and non-print sources / SC-04-3.4.1
Students will:
compare the different structures and functions of plants and animals that contribute to the growth, survival and reproduction of the organisms;
make inferences about the relationship between structure and function in organisms.
Each plant or animal has structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing and talking. Evidence about the relationship between structure and function should be used to make inferences and draw conclusions.
DOK 3 / I can identify the basic needs of animals.
I can identify the structures (body parts) of an animal.
I can describe the functions of the different structures of an animal.
I can list examples of animal adaptations.
I can explain how animal adaptations increase their chances of survival.
I can identify what an animal needs to survive. / vertebrate, invertebrate, structure, function, cell, embryo, oxygen, carbon dioxide, environment, growth, survival, basic needs (food, water, shelter), adaptations (camouflage, mimicry, migration, hibernation), instinct, physical characteristic / United Streaming – Living Cell
Elementary Science Curriculum Module – It’s Alive: The Characteristics of Organisms
SC-4-UD-U-6
Students will understand that all living things are produced from other living things. They grow and then eventually die. Before they die most living things create offspring, allowing their kind to continue.
SC-4-UD-S-3
Students will investigate and compare life cycles, especially reproductive characteristics (e.g., gestational periods, germination rates, number of offspring) and life expectancies of plants and animals to make inferences and/or draw conclusions about their populations
SC-4-UD-S-5
Students will answer student-generated questions about the diversity of living things using information from a variety of print and non-print sources / SC-04-3.4.3
Students will compare a variety of life cycles of plants and animals in order to classify and make inferences about an organism.
Plants and animals have life cycles that include the beginning of life, growth and development, reproduction and death. The details of a life cycle are different for different organisms. Models of organisms’ life cycles should be used to classify and make inferences about an organism.
DOK 3 / I can explain models of various animal life cycles.
I can describe characteristics of the stages of different animal life cycles.
I can create questions about animals to research and find the answers. / Birth, growth, reproduction, death,
metamorphosis, egg, larva, pupa, adult / United Streaming - TLC Elementary School: Life Cycles
Read What Is a Life Cycle
Read Tale of the Tadpole
Read Magic School Bus Explore Animals
Elementary Science Curriculum Module – Life Goes Round: Life Cycles of Organisms
Delta Science Readers Grades 3-5 – Plant and Animal Life Cycles
SC-4-UD-U-4
Students will understand that offspring resemble their parents because the parents have a reliable way to transfer information to the next generation.
SC-4-UD-U-5
Students will understand that some likenesses between parents and offspring are inherited (e.g. eye color) and some likenesses are learned (e.g. speech patterns in people).
SC-4-UD-S-4
Students will identify, observe and compare some characteristics of organisms that are passed from the parents (e.g., color of flower petals) and others that are learned from interactions with the environment (e.g., learning to ride a bike)
SC-4-UD-S-5
Students will answer student-generated questions about the diversity of living things using information from a variety of print and non-print sources / SC-04-3.4.4
Students will identify some characteristics of organisms that are inherited from the parents and others that are learned from interactions with the environment.
Observations of plants and animals yield the conclusion that organisms closely resemble their parents at some time in their life cycle. Some characteristics (e.g., the color of flowers, the number of appendages) are passed to offspring. Other characteristics are learned from interactions with the environment, such as the ability to ride a bicycle, and these cannot be passed on to the next generation. Explorations related to inherited versus learned characteristics should offer opportunities to collect data and draw conclusions about various groups of organisms.
DOK 2 / I can identify similar characteristics inherited from parents to off-spring.
I can give examples of instincts and learned behaviors.
I can compare animals based on their behaviors. / Inherited, instinct, learned behavior, migration, hibernation, characteristics traits
Life/
Biological
Plants
Week 5-7 / SC-4-UD-U-3
Students will understand that organisms have different structures that are used for different functions. Observations of the structures of a certain organism can be used to predict how that organism functions or where it might live.
SC-4-UD-S-2
Students will analyze the structures and related functions of a variety of plants and animals in order to establish classification schemes
SC-4-UD-S-5
Students will answer student-generated questions about the diversity of living things using information from a variety of print and non-print sources / SC-04-3.4.1
Students will:
compare the different structures and functions of plants and animals that contribute to the growth, survival and reproduction of the organisms;
make inferences about the relationship between structure and function in organisms.
Each plant or animal has structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing and talking. Evidence about the relationship between structure and function should be used to make inferences and draw conclusions.
DOK 3 / I can identify the basic needs of plants.
I can identify the structures (parts) of a plant.
I can describe the functions of the different structures of plants.
I can describe how plants make their own food through photosynthesis.
I can list examples of plant adaptations.
I can explain how seeds scatter.
I can explain how plant adaptations increase their chances of survival.
I can identify what a plant needs to survive. / Cell, seed, embryo, flower, fruit, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrient, photosynthesis, germinate, pollination, roots, leaves, stems, flowering plants, transpiration, dormancy, water, sunlight / Elementary Science Curriculum Module – It’s Alive: The Characteristics of Organisms
SC-4-UD-U-6
Students will understand that all living things are produced from other living things. They grow and then eventually die. Before they die most living things create offspring, allowing their kind to continue.
SC-4-UD-S-3
Students will investigate and compare life cycles, especially reproductive characteristics (e.g., gestational periods, germination rates, number of offspring) and life expectancies of plants and animals to make inferences and/or draw conclusions about their populations
SC-4-UD-S-5
Students will answer student-generated questions about the diversity of living things using information from a variety of print and non-print sources / SC-04-3.4.3
Students will compare a variety of life cycles of plants and animals in order to classify and make inferences about an organism.
Plants and animals have life cycles that include the beginning of life, growth and
development, reproduction and death. The details of a life cycle are different for different organisms. Models of organisms’ life cycles should be used to classify and make inferences about an organism.
DOK 3 / I can explain the plant life cycle.
I can describe characteristics of the stages of a plant life cycle.
I can create questions about plants to research and find the answers. / reproduction, life cycle, seed, sprout, seedling (young plant), adult plant / Delta Science Readers Grades 3-5 – Plant and Animal Life Cycles
SC-4-UD-U-4
Students will understand that offspring resemble their parents because the parents have a reliable way to transfer information to the next generation.
SC-4-UD-U-5
Students will understand that some likenesses between parents and offspring are inherited (e.g. eye color) and some likenesses are learned (e.g. speech patterns in people).
SC-4-UD-S-4
Students will identify, observe and compare some characteristics of organisms that are passed from the parents (e.g., color of flower petals) and others that are learned from interactions with the environment (e.g., learning to ride a bike)
SC-4-UD-S-5
Students will answer student-generated questions about the diversity of living things using information from a variety of print and non-print sources / SC-04-3.4.4
Students will identify some characteristics of organisms that are inherited from the parents and others that are learned from interactions with the environment.
Observations of plants and animals yield the conclusion that organisms closely resemble their parents at some time in their life cycle. Some characteristics (e.g., the color of flowers, the number of appendages) are passed to offspring. Other characteristics are learned from interactions with the environment, such as the ability to ride a bicycle, and these cannot be passed on to the next generation. Explorations related to inherited versus learned characteristics should offer opportunities to collect data and draw conclusions about various groups of organisms.
DOK 2 / Characteristics, traits
Ecosystems
Week 8-9 / SC-4-ET-U-1
Students will understand that ecosystems are defined by the relationships that occur within them. These relationships can be determined through observation of the organisms and their environment.
SC-4-ET-S-1
Students will observe/construct, analyze patterns and explain basic relationships of plants and animals in an ecosystem (e.g., food webs)
SC-4-ET-S-2
Students will analyze food webs in order to draw conclusions about the relationship between the sun’s heat and light and sustaining most life on Earth / SC-04-4.6.1
Students will analyze patterns and make generalizations about the basic relationships of plants and animals in an ecosystem (food chain).
Plants make their own food. All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that eat the plants. Basic relationships and connections between organisms in food chains, including the flow of energy, can be used to discover patterns within ecosystems.
DOK 2 / I can explain the role of the sun in continuing life on earth.
I can identify the differences between producers, consumers and decomposers.
I can define the types of consumers (carnivores, herbivores, omnivores).
I can determine the type of consumer by the shape of teeth.
I can describe the relationship among the different plants and animals (organisms) in a food chain.
I can explain how a change in the ecosystem can change the pattern of a food chain. / Producer, consumer, decomposer, food web, energy pyramid, food chains, omnivores, carnivores, herbivores, predator, prey, interdependence / United Streaming - Food Chain Mystery
Read Over the Steamy Swamp
Read Web of Life (Ranger Rick Series)
Magic School Bus Video “Hops Home”
Elementary Science Curriculum Module – Friend or Foe? Organisms and Their Environment
Delta Science Readers Grades 3-5 – Food Chains and Webs
SC-4-I-U-1
Students will understand that all living things depend on their environment and other organisms within it for their survival. Certain patterns of behavior or physical features may help an organism survive in some environments yet perish in others.
SC-4-I-U-2
Students will understand that environmental relationships extend beyond food (e.g. shelter, seed transport).
SC-4-I-S-1
Students will observe, document and explain the cause and effect relationships existing between organisms and their environments
SC-4-I-S-2
Students will use evidence and observations to make predictions/draw conclusions about how changes in the environment affect the plants’ and animals’ ability to survive
SC-4-I-S-6
Students will use evidence (obtained through investigative and/or non investigative research) to support or defend positions on real world environmental problems / SC-04-4.7.1
Students will make predictions and/or inferences based on patterns of evidence related to the survival and reproductive success of organisms in particular environments.
The world has many different environments. Distinct environments support the lives of different types of organisms. When the environment changes some plants and animals survive and reproduce and others die or move to new locations. Examples of environmental changes resulting in either increase or decrease in numbers of a particular organism should be explored in order to discover patterns and resulting cause and effect relationships between organisms and their environments (e.g., structures and behaviors that make an organism suited to a particular environment). Connections and conclusions should be made based on the data.
DOK 3 / I can explain the relationship between plants and animals (organisms) and their environment.
I can describe the characteristics of different environments.
I can explain how an organism’s basic needs are met in one of the many environments of the world.
I can explain how a change in the environment can effect ecosystems. / Ecosystems, habitat, population, community, adaptations, camouflage, mimicry, environment, climate, shelter, niche, environmental changes, environmental influences, habitats (desert, woods, freshwater, tundra, ocean) / United Streaming - Animals Around Us: Animal
Adaptations: What Are They?