Georgia Grade 4 science standards

S4E1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to compare and contrast the physical attributes of stars and planets. a. Ask questions to compare and contrast technological advances that have changed the amount and type of information on distant objects in the sky. b. Construct an argument on why some stars (including the Earth’s sun) appear to be larger or brighter than others. c. Construct an explanation of the differences between stars and planets. d. Evaluate strengths and limitations of models of our solar system in describing relative size, order, appearance and composition of planets and the sun.

Lessons: Sun, Earth and Moon (How far away is the Sun, really?) (partly)

Practice: Sun, Earth and Moon workbook · Stars and the Night Sky workbook

S4E2 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to model the effects of the position and motion of the Earth and the moon in relation to the sun as observed from the Earth. a. Develop a model to support an explanation of why the length of day and night change throughout the year. b. Develop a model based on observations to describe the repeating pattern of the phases of the moon (new, crescent, quarter, gibbous, and full). c. Construct an explanation of how the Earth’s orbit, with its consistent tilt, affects seasonal changes.

Lessons: Sun, Earth and Moon (Why does the Moon change shape?, Why are there seasons, and why do some places barely have them?)

Practice: Sun, Earth and Moon workbook · The Reason for the Seasons: Tilt, Daylight and the Solstice workbook · Stars and the Night Sky workbook

S4E3 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to demonstrate the water cycle. a. Plan and carry out investigations to observe the flow of energy in water as it changes states from solid (ice) to liquid (water) to gas (water vapor) and changes from gas to liquid to solid. b. Develop models to illustrate multiple pathways water may take during the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, and precipitation).

Lessons: Earth and Sky at Home (How does a cloud form?) (partly) · Winter Science at Home (Can you make frost in a can?) (partly) · Our Living Planet (Where does rain come from?) (partly) · Solids, Liquids and Gases (Where does a puddle go?) (partly)

Practice: Our Living Planet workbook · The Water Cycle, Start to Finish workbook · Weather Detectives workbook

S4L1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem. a. Develop a model to describe the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in a community. b. Develop simple models to illustrate the flow of energy through a food web/food chain beginning with sunlight and including producers, consumers, and decomposers. c. Design a scenario to demonstrate the effect of a change on an ecosystem. d. Use printed and digital data to develop a model illustrating and describing changes to the flow of energy in an ecosystem when plants or animals become scarce, extinct or over- abundant.

Lessons: Food Webs: Who Eats Whom? (Where does a plant get its food?, What would happen if the wolves disappeared?, Who cleans up?) (partly)

Practice: Food Webs: Who Eats Whom? workbook · Our Living Planet workbook

S4P1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the nature of light and how light interacts with objects. a. Plan and carry out investigations to observe and record how light interacts with various materials to classify them as opaque, transparent, or translucent. b. Plan and carry out investigations to describe the path light travels from a light source to a mirror and how it is reflected by the mirror using different angles. c. Plan and carry out an investigation utilizing everyday materials to explore examples of when light is refracted.

Lessons: Earth and Sky at Home (Where do rainbows come from?) (partly) · Bouncing Light: Mirrors, Water and Colour (How can a mirror steer a beam of light?, Why does a pencil look broken in water?) (partly)

Practice: Grade 4 Light and Colour

S4P3 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the relationship between balanced and unbalanced forces. a. Plan and carry out an investigation on the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on an object and communicate the results. b. Construct an argument to support the claim that gravitational force affects the motion of an object. c. Ask questions to identify and explain the uses of simple machines (lever, pulley, wedge, inclined plane, wheel and axle, and screw) and how forces are changed when simple machines are used to complete tasks.

Lessons: Build It, Launch It (Can you drop an egg without breaking it?, What makes a paper plane fly farthest?) (partly) · Pushes, Pulls and Magnets (Why does a ball stop rolling?) (partly) · Forces at Work: Gravity, Resistance, Levers and Pulleys (Do heavy things really fall faster?, How can a small push lift a big load?) (partly)

Practice: Forces at Work: Gravity, Resistance, Levers and Pulleys workbook · Build It, Launch It workbook · Pushes, Pulls and Magnets workbook · The Solar System: Gravity, Orbits and Scale workbook