Utah
Elementary Science Core Curriculum
Fourth
Grade
Adopted
by Utah State Board of Education
March
12, 2002
Science is a way of
knowing, a process for gaining knowledge and understanding of the natural
world. The Science Core Curriculum places emphasis on understanding and using
skills. Students should be active learners. It is not enough for students to
read about science; they must do science. They should observe, inquire,
question, formulate and test hypotheses, analyze data, report, and evaluate
findings. The students, as scientists, should have hands–on, active experiences
throughout the instruction of the science curriculum.
The Elementary Science
Core describes what students should know and be able to do at the end of each
of the K–6 grade levels. It was developed, critiqued, piloted, and revised by a
community of Utah science teachers, university science educators, State Office
of Education specialists, scientists, expert national consultants, and an
advisory committee representing a wide variety of people from the
community. The Core reflects the
current philosophy of science education that is expressed in national documents
developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the
National Academies of Science. This Science
Core has the endorsement of the Utah Science Teachers Association. The Core reflects high standards of
achievement in science for all students.
The Core is designed
to help teachers organize and deliver instruction.
The Science Core
Curriculum’s organization:
ü Each
grade level begins with a brief course description.
ü The
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (ILOs) describe the goals for science skills and
attitudes. They are found at the
beginning of each grade, and are an integral part of the Core that should be
included as part of instruction.
ü The
SCIENCE BENCHMARKS describe the science content students should know. Each grade level has three to five Science
Benchmarks. The ILOs and Benchmarks
intersect in the Standards, Objectives and Indicators.
ü A
STANDARD is a broad statement of what students are expected to understand.
Several Objectives are listed under each Standard.
ü An
OBJECTIVE is a more focused description of what students need to know and be
able to do at the completion of instruction. If students have mastered the
Objectives associated with a given Standard, they are judged to have mastered
that Standard at that grade level. Several Indicators are described for each
Objective.
ü An
INDICATOR is a measurable or observable student action that enables one to
judge whether a student has mastered a particular Objective. Indicators are not
meant to be classroom activities, but they can help guide classroom
instruction.
Eight Guidelines Were
Used in Developing the Elementary Science Core
Reflects the Nature of
Science: Science is a way of knowing, a process of
gaining knowledge and understanding of the natural world. The Core is designed
to produce an integrated set of Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) for students.
Please see the Intended Learning Outcomes document for each grade level core.
As described in these
ILOs, students will:
1.
Use science process and thinking skills.
2.
Manifest science interests and attitudes.
3.
Understand important science concepts and
principles.
4.
Communicate effectively using science language
and reasoning.
5.
Demonstrate awareness of the social and
historical aspects of science.
6.
Understand the nature of science.
Coherent:
The Core has been designed so that, wherever possible, the science ideas taught
within a particular grade level have a logical and natural connection with
each other and with those of earlier grades. Efforts have also been made to
select topics and skills that integrate well with one another and with other
subject areas appropriate to grade level. In addition, there is an upward
articulation of science concepts, skills, and content. This spiraling is intended to prepare
students to understand and use more complex science concepts and skills as they
advance through their science learning.
Developmentally
Appropriate: The Core
takes into account the psychological and social readiness of students. It
builds from concrete experiences to more abstract understandings. The Core
describes science language students should use that is appropriate to
each grade level. A more extensive
vocabulary should not be emphasized. In
the past, many educators may have mistakenly thought that students understood
abstract concepts (such as the nature of the atom), because they repeated
appropriate names and vocabulary (such as electron and neutron). The Core
resists the temptation to tell about abstract concepts at inappropriate grade
levels, but focuses on providing experiences with concepts that students can
explore and understand in depth to build a foundation for future science
learning.
Encourages Good
Teaching Practices: It
is impossible to accomplish the full intent of the Core by lecturing and having
students read from textbooks. The Elementary Science Core emphasizes student
inquiry. Science process skills are central in each standard. Good science encourages students to gain
knowledge by doing science: observing, questioning, exploring, making and
testing hypotheses, comparing predictions, evaluating data, and communicating
conclusions. The Core is designed to encourage instruction with students
working in cooperative groups.
Instruction should connect lessons with students’ daily lives. The Core
directs experiential science instruction for all students, not just those who
have traditionally succeeded in science classes. The vignettes listed on the
“Utah Science Home Page” at http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/science
for each of the Core standards provide examples, based on actual practice, that
demonstrate that excellent teaching of the Science Core is possible.
Comprehensive: The Elementary Science
Core does not cover all topics that have traditionally been in the elementary
science curriculum; however, it does provide a comprehensive background in
science. By emphasizing depth rather than breadth, the Core seeks to empower
students rather than intimidate them with a collection of isolated and
eminently forgettable facts. Teachers are free to add related concepts and
skills, but they are expected to teach all the standards and objectives
specified in the Core for their grade level.
Feasible: Teachers and others who are familiar with
Utah students, classrooms, teachers, and schools have designed the Core. It can be taught with easily obtained
resources and materials. A Teacher Resource Book (TRB) is available for
elementary grades and has sample lessons on each topic for each grade level.
The TRB is a document that will grow as teachers add exemplary lessons aligned
with the new Core. The middle grade
levels have electronic textbooks available at the Utah State Office of
Education’s “Utah Science Home Page” at http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/science.
Useful and
Relevant: This
curriculum relates directly to student needs and interests. It is grounded in
the natural world in which we live. Relevance of science to other endeavors
enables students to transfer skills gained from science instruction into their
other school subjects and into their lives outside the classroom.
Encourages Good
Assessment Practices: Student achievement of the standards and
objectives in this Core are best assessed using a variety of assessment
instruments. One’s purpose should be clearly in mind as assessment is planned
and implemented. Performance tests are
particularly appropriate to evaluate student mastery of science processes and
problem-solving skills. Teachers should use a variety of classroom assessment
approaches in conjunction with standard assessment instruments to inform their
instruction. Sample test items, keyed to each Core Standard, may be located on
the Utah Science Home Page. Observation of students engaged in science
activities is highly recommended as a way to assess students’ skills as well as
attitudes in science. The nature of the
questions posed by students provides important evidence of students’
understanding of science.
Elementary school
reaches the greatest number of students for a longer period of time during the
most formative years of the school experience. Effective elementary science
instruction engages students actively in enjoyable learning experiences. Science instruction should be as thrilling
an experience for a child as seeing a rainbow, growing a flower, or holding a
toad. Science is not just for those who have traditionally succeeded in the
subject, and it is not just for those who will choose science–related careers.
In a world of rapidly expanding knowledge and technology, all students must
gain the skills they will need to understand and function responsibly and
successfully in the world. The Core provides skills in a context that enables
students to experience the joy of doing science.
Fourth
Grade Science Core Curriculum
The theme for the fourth
grade Science Core curriculum is Utah natural history. Students will learn about Utah environments
including; weather, water cycle, rocks, fossils, soils, plants and
animals. Understanding the concepts of cycles
is an essential component of science literacy and is introduced at this grade
level. Emphasis should be placed on
skills to classify many things. Students should come to value and use science
as a process of obtaining knowledge based on observable evidence, and their curiosity
should be encouraged and sustained as they develop the abilities associated
with inquiry in science.
Good science instruction
requires that attention be paid to providing students with hands–on science
investigations in which student inquiry is an important goal. Their curiosity should be encouraged and
sustained. Teachers should provide opportunities for all students to experience
many things. Fourth graders should feel the excitement of a rainstorm, hunt for
fossils in rocks, observe the patterns in a spider web, and teach their parents
to recognize the song of the lark. They should have many opportunities to
observe and predict, to infer and to classify. They should come to enjoy
science as a process of learning about their world.
Science
Core concepts should be integrated with concepts and skills from other
curriculum areas. Reading, writing and mathematics skills should be emphasized
as integral to the instruction of science.
Technology issues and the nature of science are significant components
of this Core. Personal relevance of
science in students’ lives is always an important part of helping students to
value science and should be emphasized at this grade-level.
This
Core was designed using the American Association for the Advancement of
Science’s Project 2061: Benchmarks For Science Literacy and the
National Academy of Science’s National Science Education Standards as
guides to determine appropriate content and skills.
The
fourth grade Science Core has three online resources designed to help with
classroom instruction; they include Teacher Resource Book –a set of
lesson plans, assessment items and science information specific to fourth
grade; the Sci-ber Text –an electronic science text book specific to the
Utah Core; and the science test item pool.
This pool includes multiple-choice questions, performance tasks, and
interpretive items aligned to the standards and objectives of the fourth grade
Science Core. These resources are all
available on the Utah Science Home Page.
http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/science
SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS:
The
hands–on nature of this science curriculum increases the need for teachers to
use appropriate precautions in the classroom and field. Teachers must adhere to
the published guidelines for the proper use of animals, equipment, and
chemicals in the classroom. These
guidelines are available on the Utah Science Home Page.
Intended
Learning Outcomes for Fourth Grade Science
The
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) describe the skills and attitudes students
should learn as a result of science instruction. They are an essential part of the Science Core Curriculum and
provide teachers with a standard for evaluation of student learning in
science. Instruction should include
significant science experiences that lead to student understanding using the
ILOs.
The main intent of science
instruction in Utah is that students will value and use science as a process of
obtaining knowledge based upon observable evidence.
By the end of fourth grade students will be able to:
1. Use Science Process and
Thinking Skills
2. Manifest Scientific
Attitudes and Interests
3. Understand Science Concepts
and Principles
4. Communicate Effectively
Using Science Language and Reasoning
Science
Benchmark
Matter on Earth cycles from one form to
another. The cycling of matter on Earth
requires energy. The cycling of water
is an example of this process. The sun
is the source of energy for the water cycle.
Water changes state as it cycles between the atmosphere, land, and
bodies of water on Earth.
STANDARD
I: Students will understand that water
changes state as it moves through the water cycle.
Objective
1: Describe the
relationship between heat energy, evaporation and condensation of water on
Earth.
a. Identify
the relative amount and kind of water found in various locations on Earth
(e.g., oceans have most of the water, glaciers and snowfields contain most
fresh water).
b. Identify
the sun as the source of energy that evaporates water from the surface of
Earth.
c. Compare
the processes of evaporation and condensation of water.
d. Investigate
and record temperature data to show the effects of heat energy on changing the
states of water.
Objective 2: Describe the water cycle.
a. Locate
examples of evaporation and condensation in the water cycle (e.g., water
evaporates when heated and clouds or dew forms when vapor is cooled).
b. Describe
the processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation as they relate to
the water cycle.
c. Identify
locations that hold water as it passes through the water cycle (e.g., oceans,
atmosphere, fresh surface water, snow, ice, and ground water).
d. Construct
a model or diagram to show how water continuously moves through the water cycle
over time.
e. Describe
how the water cycle relates to the water supply in your community.
|
Science language students should use: |
vapor, precipitation, evaporation, clouds,
dew, condensation, temperature, water cycle |
Science Benchmark
Weather
describes conditions in the atmosphere at a certain place and time. Water, energy from the sun, and wind create
a cycle of changing weather. The sun's
energy warms the oceans and lands at Earth's surface, creating changes in the
atmosphere that cause the weather. The
temperature and movement of air can be observed and measured to determine the
effect on cloud formation and precipitation.
Recording weather observations provides data that can be used to predict
future weather conditions and establish patterns over time. Weather affects many aspects of people's
lives.
STANDARD II:
Students will understand that the elements of weather can be observed,
measured, and recorded to make predictions and determine simple weather
patterns.
Objective 1: Observe, measure, and record the basic
elements of weather.
a. Identify
basic cloud types (i.e., cumulus, cirrus, stratus clouds).
b. Observe,
measure, and record data on the basic elements of weather over a period of time
(i.e., precipitation, air temperature, wind speed and direction, and air
pressure).
c. Investigate
evidence that air is a substance (e.g., takes up space, moves as wind,
temperature can be measured).
d. Compare
the components of severe weather phenomena to normal weather conditions (e.g.,
thunderstorm with lightning and high winds compared to rainstorm with rain
showers and breezes).
Objective 2: Interpret recorded weather data for simple
patterns.
a. Observe
and record effects of air temperature on precipitation (e.g., below freezing
results in snow, above freezing results in rain).
b. Graph
recorded data to show daily and seasonal patterns in weather.
c. Infer
relationships between wind and weather change (e.g., windy days often precede
changes in the weather; south winds in Utah often precede a cold front coming
from the north).
Objective 3: Evaluate weather predictions based upon
observational data.
a.
Identify
and use the tools of a meteorologist (e.g., measure rainfall using rain gauge,
measure air pressure using barometer, measure temperature using a thermometer).
b. Describe
how weather and forecasts affect people's lives.
c. Predict
weather and justify prediction with observable evidence.
d. Evaluate
the accuracy of student and professional weather forecasts.
e. Relate
weather forecast accuracy to evidence or tools used to make the forecast (e.g.,
feels like rain vs. barometer is dropping).
|
Science language students should use: |
atmosphere, meteorologist, freezing, cumulus,
stratus, cirrus, air pressure, thermometer, air temperature, wind speed,
forecast, severe, phenomena, precipitation, seasonal, accuracy, barometer,
rain gauge, components |
Science Benchmark
Earth materials
include rocks, soils, water, and gases.
Rock is composed of minerals.
Earth materials change over time from one form to another. These changes require energy. Erosion is the movement of materials and weathering
is the breakage of bedrock and larger rocks into smaller rocks and soil
materials. Soil is continually being formed
from weathered rock and plant remains.
Soil contains many living organisms.
Plants generally get water and minerals from soil.
STANDARD
III: Students will understand the basic
properties of rocks, the processes involved in the formation of soils, and the
needs of plants provided by soil.
Objective 1: Identify basic properties of minerals and
rocks.
a. Describe
the differences between minerals and rocks.
b. Observe
rocks using a magnifying glass and draw shapes and colors of the minerals.
c. Sort
rocks by appearance according to the three basic types: sedimentary, igneous
and metamorphic (e.g., sedimentary–rounded-appearing mineral and rock particles
that are cemented together, often in layers; igneous–with or without observable
crystals that are not in layers or with or without air holes or glasslike;
metamorphic –crystals/minerals, often in layers).
d. Classify
common rocks found in Utah as sedimentary (i.e., sandstone, conglomerate,
shale), igneous (i.e., basalt, granite, obsidian, pumice) and metamorphic (i.e.,
marble, gneiss, schist).
Objective 2: Explain how the processes of weathering and
erosion change and move materials that become soil.
a. Identify
the processes of physical weathering that break down rocks at Earth's surface
(i.e., water movement, freezing, plant growth, wind).
b. Distinguish
between weathering (i.e., wearing down and breaking of rock surfaces) and
erosion (i.e., the movement of materials).
c. Model
erosion of Earth materials and collection of these materials as part of the
process that leads to soil (e.g., water moving sand in a playground area and
depositing this sand in another area).
d. Investigate
layers of soil in the local area and predict the sources of the sand and rocks
in the soil.
Objective
3: Observe
the basic components of soil and relate the components to plant growth.
a. Observe
and list the components of soil (i.e., minerals, rocks, air, water, living and
dead organisms) and distinguish between the living, nonliving, and once living
components of soil.
b. Diagram
or model a soil profile showing topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock, and how the
layers differ in composition.
c. Relate
the components of soils to the growth of plants in soil (e.g., mineral
nutrients, water).
d. Explain
how plants may help control the erosion of soil.
e. Research
and investigate ways to provide mineral nutrients for plants to grow without
soil (e.g., grow plants in wet towels, grow plants in wet gravel, grow plants
in water).
|
Science language students should use: |
mineral, weathering, erosion, sedimentary,
igneous, metamorphic, topsoil, subsoil, bedrock, organism, freeze, thaw,
profile, nonliving, structural support, nutrients |
Science Benchmark
Fossils are
evidence of living organisms from the past and are usually preserved in
sedimentary rocks. A fossil may be an
impression left in sediments, the preserved remains of an organism, or a trace
mark showing that an organism once existed.
Fossils are usually made from the hard parts of an organism because soft
parts decay quickly. Fossils provide
clues to Earth's history. They provide
evidence that can be used to make inferences about past environments. Fossils can be compared to one another, to
living organisms, and to organisms that lived long ago.
STANDARD
IV: Students will understand how
fossils are formed, where they may be found in Utah, and how they can be used
to make inferences.
Objective 1: Describe Utah fossils and explain how they
were formed.
a. Identify
features of fossils that can be used to compare them to living organisms that
are familiar (e.g., shape, size and structure of skeleton, patterns of leaves).
b. Describe
three ways fossils are formed in sedimentary rock (i.e., preserved organisms,
mineral replacement of organisms, impressions or tracks).
c. Research
locations where fossils are found in Utah and construct a simple fossil map.
Objective 2: Explain how fossils can be used to make
inferences about past life, climate, geology, and environments.
a. Explain
why fossils are usually found in sedimentary rock.
b. Based
on the fossils found in various locations, infer how Utah environments have
changed over time (e.g., trilobite fossils indicate that Millard County was
once covered by a large shallow ocean; dinosaur fossils and coal indicate that
Emery and Uintah County were once tropical and swampy).
c. Research
information on two scientific explanations for the extinction of dinosaurs and
other prehistoric organisms.
d. Formulate
questions that can be answered using information gathered on the extinction of
dinosaurs.
|
Science language students should use: |
infer, environments, climate, dinosaur,
preserved, extinct, extinction, impression, fossil, prehistoric, mineral,
organism, replacement, trilobite, sedimentary, tropical |
Science Benchmark
Utah has
diverse plant and animal life that is adapted to and interacts in areas that
can be described as wetlands, forests, and deserts. The characteristics of the
wetlands, forests, and deserts influence which plants and animals survive best
there. Living and nonliving things in
these areas are classified based on physical features.
STANDARD
V: Students will understand the
physical characteristics of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts and identify
common organisms for each environment.
Objective
1:
Describe the physical characteristics of Utah's wetlands, forests, and
deserts.
a. Compare
the physical characteristics (e.g., precipitation, temperature, and surface
terrain) of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts.
b. Describe
Utah’s wetlands (e.g., river, lake, stream, and marsh areas where water is a
major feature of the environment) forests (e.g., oak, pine, aspen, juniper
areas where trees are a major feature of the environment), and deserts (e.g.,
areas where the lack of water provided an environment where plants needing
little water are a major feature of the environment).
c. Locate
examples of areas that have characteristics of wetlands, forests, or deserts in
Utah.
d. Based
upon information gathered, classify areas of Utah that are generally identified
as wetlands, forests, or deserts.
e. Create
models of wetlands, forests, and deserts.
Objective 2: Describe the common plants and animals found
in Utah environments and how these organisms have adapted to the environment in
which they live.
a. Identify
common plants and animals that inhabit Utah's forests, wetlands, and deserts.
b. Cite
examples of physical features that allow particular plants and animals to live
in specific environments (e.g., duck has webbed feet, cactus has waxy coating).
c. Describe
some of the interactions between animals and plants of a given environment
(e.g., woodpecker eats insects that live on trees of a forest, brine shrimp of
the Great Salt Lake eat algae and birds feed on brine shrimp).
d. Identify
the effect elevation has on types of plants and animals that live in a specific
wetland, forest, or desert.
e. Find
examples of endangered Utah plants and animals and describe steps being taken
to protect them.
Objective 3: Use a simple scheme to classify Utah plants
and animals.
a. Explain
how scientists use classification schemes.
b. Use
a simple classification system to classify unfamiliar Utah plants or animals
(e.g., fish/amphibians/reptile/bird/mammal, invertebrate/vertebrate,
tree/shrub/grass, deciduous/conifers).
Objective 4: Observe and record the behavior of Utah
animals.
a. Observe
and record the behavior of birds (e.g., caring for young, obtaining food,
surviving winter).
b. Describe
how the behavior and adaptations of Utah mammals help them survive winter
(e.g., obtaining food, building homes, hibernation, migration).
c. Research
and report on the behavior of a species of Utah fish (e.g., feeding on the
bottom or surface, time of year and movement of fish to spawn, types of food
and how it is obtained).
d. Compare
the structure and behavior of Utah amphibians and reptiles.
e. Use
simple classification schemes to sort Utah's common insects and spiders.
|
Science language students should use: |
wetland, forest, desert, adaptation,
deciduous, coniferous, invertebrate, vertebrate, bird, amphibian, reptile,
fish, mammal, insect, hibernation, migration |
|
Common plants: |
sagebrush, pinyon pine, Utah juniper, spruce,
fir, oak brush, quaking aspen, cottonwood, cattail, bulrush, prickly pear
cactus |
|
Common animals: |
jackrabbit, cottontail rabbit, red fox,
coyote, mule deer, elk, moose, cougar, bobcat, deer mouse, kangaroo rat,
muskrat, beaver, gopher snake, rattlesnake, lizard, tortoise, frog,
salamander, red–tailed hawk, barn owl, lark, robin, pinyon jay, magpie, crow,
trout, catfish, carp, grasshopper, ant, moth, butterfly, housefly, bee, wasp,
pill bug, millipede |