Grade 4 Vocabulary - EARTH SCIENCE
Watershed – land area that drains water and flows toward a river
(Genesee, Ohio, Delaware, Erie, Potomac, Susquehanna/Chesapeake
Bay watersheds)
Drainage Basin – another term for watershed
Estuary – body of water connecting fresh river water to salty ocean water.
Very rich in nutrients and important home to young fish and shellfish
Chesapeake Bay – Large estuary in our watershed which connects the
Susquehanna River to the Atlantic Ocean
Susquehanna River – the river in our area that collects our runoff and
pollution
Elevation – height of land above sea level
Topographic map – map showing elevation at various points
Divide – line of high land elevation where rainwater runs down one side or
the other (Appalachian Divide and Continental Divide)
Delta – sediment deposit where mouth of river meets ocean
Aquifer – underground body of water trapped between rocks capable of
supplying useful amounts of water to wells and springs
Groundwater – water that collects in an aquifer or cracks in underground
rocks below the Earth’s surface
Lentic Water – still water (pond, lake, ocean, iceberg)
Lotic Water – moving, flowing water (river, stream, spring)
Runoff – water coming off the land into the rivers, streams and ponds.
Often carries pollution and nutrients into the surface water
Surface water – water visible on the Earth’s surface (lakes, streams,
oceans, etc)
Flood plain – a strip of flat land bordering a stream or river that receives
the overflow of flood waters
Water cycle – continual path of water through time
Evaporation – physical change from liquid state to gas state
Condensation – physical change from the gas state to the liquid state
Precipitation – water in the atmosphere falling to Earth
Ex:
rain, snow, sleet or hail
Non-point Source Pollution (NPS) – comes from many different
sources throughout the watershed area
Point Source Pollution – comes from known location and one person or
group can be held responsible for its entry into the watershed
Grade 4 – RESOURCES (Earth)
C46-C51 - Relate permeability to ground water and runoff in the watershed
D4-D20 - Highlight: water found in different form and place, the water cycle
Magic School Bus: Waterworks
Understanding Your Watershed
Good Neighbors: Tackling Non-point Source Pollution in PA
Environmental Scenarios:
The Sewage Dumping Issue
The Park Sharks Issue
The Concious canoers Issue
The Going Organic Issue
The Builder’s Blunder Issue
The Phosphates in the Stream Issue
www.leo.lehigh.edu/envirosci/enviroissue/lawregs/scenarios/htm
Grade 4 – INTEGRATION (Earth)
Social Studies - PA geography and landforms, glacier formation and ice
age, Indian transportation and recreation
Reading – Magic School Bus: Waterworks by Joanna Cole
ISBN: 0-590-40360-5
Technology – Environmental Scenarios
Grade 4 – INVESTIGATIONS (Earth)
Lab C-48: Rate of Flow
Lab: Watersheds, Floods and Flood Plain
Computer Labs: Environmental Scenarios (See Resource Section)
Grade 4 Vocabulary – PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Matter – any material that has mass and takes up space
Atoms – smallest particle of matter that still has properties of that matter
Nucleus – center of an atom; contains protons and neutrons
Proton – positively charged particle within the atom’s nucleus
Neutron – neutrally charged particle within the atom’s nucleus
Electron – negatively charged particle circling the atom’s nucleus
Energy – not matter, has ability to do work
Conductor – material that allows the passage of electricity, sound, heat,
light energy through it
Insulator – material that does not allow the flow of energy through it
Heat – type of energy that can be felt because of temperature differences
Conduction – movement of heat by direct contact between materials
Convection – movement of heat in a liquid or gas through current flow
Radiation – movement of heat by waves through space
Temperature – measures the movement of particles within an object
Light – type of energy that can be seen
Spectrum – results from the separation of light into its color parts
ROY G BIV – stands for the colors found in a white light spectrum
Reflected – bouncing of waves off on object’s surface
Refracted – bending of waves as they go through an object
Prism – triangular, clear object which separates light into its spectrum
Transparent – describes a material that allows light to easily pass through
Translucent – describes a material that allows some light to pass through
Opaque – describes a material that does not allow the passage of light
Wavelength – distance between two corresponding points on a wave
Absorb – to pull in and hold
Sound – type of energy that can be heard
Vibration – continual back and forth motion of an object that creates sound
Decibels – unit to measure the loudness (volume) of sound
Pitch – the highness and lowness of sound
Electricity – flow of electrons
Static electricity – build up of electrical charge on an object
Current electricity – electricity which flows through a circuit
Circuit – path of electricity flow
Electromagnet – magnet created by circular electrical flow
Grade 4 – RESOURCES
(Physical)
E5-E13 - This should all be review from 2nd and 3rd grade
E30-E33 – Add parts of an atom
Science with Dr. T. Part 3: Atoms
F5-F17
Catch a Clue “Light Energy”
Catch a Clue “Sound”
F32-F81
Skip parallel and series circuits and electrical generation
F90-F98
Magnetism should be covered in 3rd grade
Catch a Clue “ Electricity”
Grade 4 – INTEGRATION (physical)
Reading
National Geographic: Light by Monica Halpern ISBN: 0-7922-8503-4
National Geographic: Sound by Liam Colling ISBN: 0-7922-8497-6
Magic School Bus: Electricity
ISBN: 0-590-44683-5
Social Studies: Life of Ben Franklin
Health: Study of Eye and Ear
Mathematics: Positive and Negative numbers
Music: Different Pitches
Grade 4 – INVESTIGATIONS (physical)
Lab: F-52 How do Mammals Keep Warm?
Lab: F-41 The Color Wheel
Lab: Make a Rainbow
Lab: F-53 How is Sound Made?
Lab: Different Pitches
Lab: Can you hear sound through solid, liquid, gas?
Lab: F-69 Static Electricity
Lab: F-77 Make a Simple Circuit
Lab: Make an Electromagnet
Grade 4 Vocabulary – ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Invasive Species – plant or animal that is not originally from the
geographic area
Native Species – plant or animal that is originally from the geographic
area
IPM – (Integrated Pest Management) using a variety of methods to control
pests and maintain a healthy environment
Pest- animal or insect which hurt, damage, or destroy plants or animals
Defoliation – falling off of leaves from trees and shrubs
Pesticide – a chemical poison used to kill pests
Herbicide – a chemical poison used to kill plants
Insecticide – a chemical poison used to kill insects
Toxic – used to describe a poisonous substance
Predator – hunts and kills animals for food
Prey – the animal that is hunted and killed for food
Grade 4 – RESOURCES
(Environmental)
Wildland Invasive Species Program
Where in the World Did They All Come From? Map
Invasive Species Fact Sheets: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Gypsy Moth
House Sparrow
Purple Loosestrife
Join Our Pest Patrol Book
Grade 4 – INTEGRATION
(Environmental)
Grade 4 – INVESTIGATIONS
(Environmental)
Computer Lab: Environmental Scenarios
The Farmer Frank Issue
The Snake Release Issue
www.leo.lehigh.edu/envirosci/enviroissue/lawregs/scenarios/htm
Grade 4 Vocabulary – LIFE SCIENCE
Ecosystem – the living and nonliving things in an environment
Wetlands- area of land covered with water-logged soil or a shallow layer of
water during some or all of the year
Food chain – path of food energy from the sun to producers to a series of
consumers in the ecosystem
Predator – the animal that kills and eats other animals in the food chain
Prey – the animal that is killed and eaten by the predator in the food chain
Species – group of organisms that can make and produce offspring
Habitat – the home of an organism
Consumer – an organism that gets food by eating other organisms
Herbivore – a consumer that eats only plants
Carnivore – a consumer that eats only animals
Omnivore – a consumer that eats both plants and animals
Scavenger – an organism that feeds on dead or decaying organisms
Producer – an organism that makes its own food
Decomposer – an organism that breaks down wastes and the remains of
other organisms
Adaptation – a special trait, body covering, behavior or action of an
organism that helps it survive
Camouflage – the blending of an animal’s color to its surrounding
Mimicry – when one organisms imitates the traits of another
Extinct – condition in which there are no more living members of the
species
Endangered – condition in which an organism is in danger of extinction
Threatened – condition in which a species my become endangered if
numbers continue to shrink
Acid Rain – harmful moisture that falls to Earth after being mixed with
wastes from burned fossil fuels
Grade 4 – RESOURCES
(Life)
A36-61
B64-73
The Young Scientist’s Introduction to the Wetlands
American Wetlands: A Reason to Celebrate
Wetlands: Natural and Necessary
A Wetland Habitat
Keeping Fit and Staying Alive: Bird Adaptations
Endangered and Threatened Species of Pennsylvania
www.dcnf.state.pa.us/wrcf/pubindex.aspx
Grade 4 – INTEGRATION
(Life)
Reading: Leveled Reader 3C
p20 A Kind of Miracle
p30 Be A Bird Watcher
Leveled Reader 96B Animals in City
Leveled Reader 98B Falcon Watch
Leveled Reader 100B Horned Lizards
Writing: PA Endangered/Threatened Species Report
www.dcnr.state.pa.us/wrcf/pubindex.aspx
Grade 4 – INVESTIGATIONS
(Life)
Lab A-55: What Causes ecosystems to change ?
Lab: Acid Action
Computer Lab: Environmental Scenarios
The Billy’s New Pet Issue
The Location for Learning Issue
www.leo.lehigh.edu/envirosci/enviroissue/lawregs/scenarios/htm