JONES COUNTY SCHOOLS
CURRICULUM GUIDE
4th GRADE SCIENCE (Updated Summer, 2015)
QTR
1st
ALLOCATED STANDARDS
DAYS*
1 Day
14 ID’s
1 UA
LEARNING CONTENT AND
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
RESOURCES
WORD WALL
WORTHY
WORDS
Opening Day … Rules & Procedures
No Specific
Standards
Addressed
1st
THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS
Introduction to Science:
*What is Science?
*What are the tools scientists use?
*What are the essential skills that
scientists need for conducting
science (classifying, observing,
inferring, sequencing, graphing,
etc.)
Science
Method
Communicate
Sequence
Collaborate
Analyze
Classify
Control
Variable
Process
Technology
Conducting the Scientific Method.
15 ID’s
1 UA
1st
4.L.2.1
4.L.2.2
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY:
*What are the meanings of classify,
energy, consume, organisms, and
drive.
*How do living organisms derive
their food?
*How do plants and animals derive
their food?
Vitamins
Minerals
Exercise
Substance
Classify
Nutrition
Food guide
Pyramid
Derive
Organisms
Calories
Energy
*What are the meanings of vitamins,
minerals, exercise, development,
essential, healthy, body systems,
and maintenance?
*What is the role of vitamins for
humans?
Dietary
Consume
Ingest
Supplements
Maintenance
Body systems
*What foods do humans find
vitamins and minerals in?
*What is the importance of exercise
to humans?
15 ID’s
1 UA
4.E.1.1
4.E.1.2
EARTH & THE UNIVERSE:
*What are the meanings of rotation,
revolve, revolution, lights rays,
seasons, and axis.
*How long does a rotation and
revolution take of the Earth.
*How do the seasons occur?
1st
*What are the meanings of phases,
waxes, wanes, new moon, first
quarter, full moon, last quarter,
repeat, visible portion, shadow)
(Extensions: eclipse)
*What are the four phases of the
moon?
*How is the moon’s appearance
determined and what is the time
frame for this?
Orbit
Axis
Phases
Waxes
Wanes
New Moon
First Quarter
Full Moon
Last Quarter
Rotates
Revolves
Shadow
Seasons
Eclipse
Visible Portion
Revolution
Rotation
15 ID’s
1 UA
4.E.2.1
4.E.2.2
4.E.2.3
EARTH HISTORY:
*What are the meanings of fossils,
molds, casts, preserved, evidence,
lithosphere, Earth’s surface, Earth’s
crust, weathering, landslide,
earthquake, volcanic eruption.
*Why are fossils important as
evidence of Earth’s history?
*What are some ways that fossils
share characteristics?
*How are organisms of the past
similar or different to organisms of
today?
2nd
*How do living organisms today
leave fossil or fossil-like evidence?
*How do fossils provide indications
of environmental conditions from
the past?
*How has the surface of Earth
changed over time?
*Describe the difference between
drastic, slow, and rapid changes on
Earth’s surface.
*What are the natural occurrences
that can shape the surface of Earth.
*Describe the effect of water on
rocks on Earth’s surface.
Fossil
Molds
Casts
Preserved
Weathering
Landslide
Earthquake
Volcanic
Eruption
Organisms
Characteristics
Evidence
Earth’s surface
Lithosphere
Drastic
Rapid
Gravity
Pressure
Crust
25 ID’s
1 UA
4.L.1.1
4.L.1.2
4.L.1.3
4.L.1.4
ECOSYSTEMS:
*What is the meaning of behavior,
population, habitats, organism,
environment, beneficial, harmful,
response, surviving, advantageous,
frequented, decreased, disease,
scenario, stressed, reduced,
instinct, recycling, adapt, habitat,
variation.
*Why do some plants and animals
survive well in some environments
and other do not.
2nd
*What are some advantageous
situations in different
environments? Disadvantageous?
*What are the needs of an animal?
*What affect does the five senses
have within an environment?
*What are instinctive behaviors that
helps an animal survive?
*Explain the relationship between
the brain and survival in in an
environment.
*How do animals/human adapt to
live in an environment.
*Distinguish between learned and
innate adaptations.
Behavior
Population
Habitats
Adapt
Instinct
Ecology
Organisms
Environment
Beneficial
Harmful
Response
Survival
Advantageous
Frequented
Scenario
Adaptations
Habitat
Variation
Senses
Preserve
Conserve
Exhibit
20 ID’s
1 UA
4.P.2.1
4.P.2.2
4.P.2.3
MATTER: PROPERTIES & CHANGE
*What is the meaning of attract,
reaction, properties, hardness,
conduct, dissolve, evaporate, color
luster, streak, cleavage, Moh’s
Hardness Scale, mineral,
composition, metamorphic,
igneous, sedimentary, particles,
classify, transformed.
*What are the observable
properties of matter?
3rd
*How are samples of matter
described?
*How do you test for hardness,
flexibility, ability, conduction,
magnetism in samples of matter?
*What tests can be used to identify
minerals?
Composition
Metamorphic
Igneous
Sedimentary
Properties
Hardness
Luster
Streak
Cleavage
Color
Moh’s
Hardness Scle
Evaporate
Dissolve
Reaction
Attract
Flexibility
Mineral
Classify
Particles
Transformed
Conduct
Rock cycle
*How are rocks classified?
*What is the processes involved in
the rock cycle?
20 ID’s
1 UA
3rd
4.P.3.1
4.P.3.2
4.P.3.3
ENERGY: CONSERVATION &
TRANFORMATION
*What is the meaning of light, heat,
sound, electrical, energy.
*How does energy flow in a circuit?
Light Energy
Sound Energy
Heat Energy
Electrical
Energy
Magnetic
Energy
*What energy is generated from
within a circuit?
*How does light travel and what can
happen to light?
20 ID’s
1 UA
4.P.1.1
4.P.1.2
FORCES & MOTION
*What is the meaning of magnet,
north pole, south pole, metal,
attract, repulsion, force field,
discharge, electricity, electric
charge.
*What is the effect of a magnet and
materials made of iron?
4th
*How can you identify the force field
of a magnet?
*How does electric charges work on
an object?
*Provide an example of changes in
electrical charges.
4th
4th
20 ID’s
1 UA
END OF YEAR REVIEW
NORTH CAROLINA FINAL EXAM,
(if needed)
Motion
Change
Thermal
Circuit
Transfer
Refraction
Reflection
Absorption
Medium
Iron
Electricity
Electric charge
Metal
Force field
Repulsion
Discharge
Magnet
North pole
South pole
Attraction
Magnetism
*ALLOCATED DAYS
ID = Instructional Days
UA = Unit Assessment (via SchoolNet or Discovery Education)