Your fourth grade science lessons should inspire your children to love science! The topics taught become a launchpad for your child’s curiosity, turning them into investigators and problem-solvers.
Scientific inquiry and investigation
Engineering & technology
Changes in matter and energy
Solar System & Universe
Living things, life cycles, and food webs
Fourth graders explore three different branches of science this year: physical science, life science, and earth & space science. When homeschooling, you have the freedom to focus on the concepts that you choose, but some of the most common topics covered in fourth grade science curriculum are:
What Science Should a 4th Grade Know?
4th Grade Science Goals/Objective
By the end of their fourth grade year, your student should be much more than an observer of science–he/she should be an active participant. An effective 4th grade science curriculum builds on the knowledge your student has gained in the previous school years to focus on deeper understanding of scientific concepts. It also connects those concepts to other areas of the curriculum such as math and literacy.
Some of the specific goals to reach for in fourth grade science include:
Representing data in tables and graphical displays.
Formulate predictions in the realm of science based on observed cause and effect relationships.
Participate in scientific activities and learning practices, using scientific language and tools.
Comparing and contrasting attributes of things with a focus on communicating the similarities and differences.
Exploring the components of various systems and explaining the relationships between them.
Fourth grade science students are becoming more sophisticated in their ability to explain and describe scientific concepts. They will speculate about the observations they make. They will also connect the topics they are learning about to their own experiences.
When choosing your ideal fourth grade science program, you will want to make sure that your curriculum uses hands-on, student-centered, and inquiry-based approaches to keep your student engaged and motivated to learn.