Science

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    In fourth grade, your child will study four different areas of Science via kits that have been established through the Battle Creek Area Math and Science Center. These kits focus on hands-on experiments that enable students to learn by "doing". This year's kits are titled:

        ENERGY TRANSFER (Physical Science)
    This unit concentrates on heat, magnetism and electricity as energy transfers. The interaction of magnetic materials is explored through investigation. Students explore electrical circuits and apply their knowledge to build an electromagnet. 

    Some of the BIG ideas that your child will be learning through the experiments in this kit include:
    • Objects and substances are classified by their physical properties
    • Energy is a concept that can be described in many forms, including heat and electricity
    • Evidence of energy is change
    • Electrical charge moves in a complete circuital path
    • Magnetism is a physical property of matter
    • Heat can transfer from one substance to another

    At the completion of this unit, students will be able to:

    • collect, measure, record, and present data on heat, electricity, and magnetism
    • use a Celsius scale to measure temperature and temperature change
    • construct charts and graphs of data that provide evidence of change
    • generate a list of different examples of heat energy and electrical energy
    • identify changes that relate to energy
    • demonstrate heat energy through friction/rubbing
    • demonstrate heat energy through electricity flowing through a wire
    • construct a simple electromagnet
    • classify materials that are magnetic and nonmagnetic
    • classify materials that are conductors and nonconductors of electricity
    • demonstrate how the strength of a magnet affects the attraction or repulsion of magnetic materials over a distance
    • describe magnetic attraction and repulsion as a push or a pull
    • identify like and unlike poles and describe their effect on one another

    Watch for more detailed information on the following Science Areas as the year progresses:

      STATES OF MATTER (Physical Science)

    In this unit, students explore the physical properties of solids, liquids, and gases through measurement, observation, and investigation and apply what they discover to heat transfer and energy. 



          A VIEW FROM THE EARTH (Earth Science)
    Students make long-term observations of the position of the sun and moon in the sky to develop an understanding of relative distances, the appearance of movement across the sky, and relate it to day and night, Earth’s orbit, the spin of the Earth, and the visible shape of the moon. 



      ORGANISMS IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT (Life Science)

    Students take a deeper look into the requirements of plants and animals to survive, the roles animals play in their environments, and how some animals and plants have variations that give them an advantage for survival. Students apply what they know and explore the effect of change on the environment. The unit concludes with a look into fossils and evidence of environment and changes in the history of the Earth.