Fourth Grade Curriculum
Energy Every Day, Everywhere
How does the energy of an object or system change? In this set of five lessons, students explore a toy car launcher system, asking questions and constructing explanations about how the energy of objects and systems can be transferred and/or transformed. Students explore how energy transfers and changes occur in all interactions, moving from object to object and from place to place. Students also figure out that energy transfers out of systems through sound, light, or heat.
Earth’s Changing Surface
What can cause Earth’s surface to look the way it does? In this set of six lessons, students begin by observing and wondering about changes to the Mississippi River Delta over thousands of years. Over the course of the lesson set, students explore changes to the Earth’s surface over time and figure out that at any given point in time, Earth’s surface is both building up and wearing down. Students conduct investigations to learn more about the processes that lead to these changes.