Science — Grade 4

American black bear

The students will examine the structural characteristics, behavior, and habitat of the American Black Bear necessary for survival.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Computer Technology Skills and Science)

By Shanda Myers.

Animal adaptation

This lesson focuses on the adaptations, body structures, and behavior of animals. The students will explore animal growth and adaptations of animals. This lesson is designed to be taught during the reading of Stone Fox.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts, English Language Development, and Science)

By Jennifer Fessler and Karen Wright.

Animal environments: Day 2

Students will group animals using common characteristics. Students will develop an understanding of animal adaptations. This lesson is one in a series of lessons: Understanding Animal Adaptation: Day 1; Animal Environments: Day 2; Diamante Poetry Using Environments: Day 3. This is lesson two.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

By Cheri Cole.

Animal report

After studying the various animal groups, students write a report about an animal of their choosing using well-formed paragraphs.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Information Skills, English Language Arts, and Science)

By Kay Sims.

Incredible insect mouths

This lesson shows children that insects have different kinds of mouths. It also notes the kinds of foods that different insects eat. It is a hands-on experiment type of lesson in which the children act as insects and use different tools for their “mouths.”

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Science)

By Kelly Stewart.

The Pit

The Pit is a game that can be played to review any topic. It matches picture game cards to target vocabulary on a game board. This particular lesson focuses on classification of animals.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Development and Science)

By Eileen Carter and Tracey Casto.

Polar bears and their adaptations

In this introductory activity, students will be introduced to the concept of adaptation by exploring how a polar bear's body adapts to survive in the harsh environment in which it lives.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Science)

By Heather Spradling.

Shells and more

This activity involves identifying objects from the beach using a guide book and then placing the information into a prepared table.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Science)

By Shelli Luna.

Lesson plans on the web

Alligators and crocodiles

This lesson introduces students to the American alligator, the Nile crocodile, and SuperCroc. Students will learn about each species' geographical range, habitat, diet, and behaviors and design zoo habitats for the animals. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Animal adaptations

Students participate in classroom discussions about animals. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 English Language Arts and Science)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Are sharks as dangerous as we think they are?

Students conduct research to address the question: “Are sharks as dangerous as we think they are?” They present their findings in oral presentations. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Bird beaks

In this Science NetLinks lesson, students explore the relationship between a bird's beak and its ability to find food and survive in a given environment. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Chimps, humans, thumbs, and tools

In this Xpeditions lessons, students discuss the chimpanzee studies done by Jane Goodall and Elizabeth Lonsdorf. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Cicada invasion

In this lesson, from Science NetLinks, students consider how some animals, periodical cicadas, survive well in a particular environment due to the species' life cycle. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Classification of living organisms

Students use internet resources to understand that a great variety of kinds of living things can be sorted into groups in many different ways. Students will realize that there are many ways to classify things and that classification schemes vary with purpose. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Crane Cam: Conservation and community

In this Xpeditions lesson, students examine the intended and unintended consequences of human environmental intervention. They study crane activity in the Platte River Valley and research the effects of human intervention on bird populations. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Does the hammer help?

Students consider the significance of the hammerhead shark's “hammer.” They ompare the way hammerhead sharks and white sharks swim then click through an interactive shark diagram to learn about sharks' senses. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

Ferocious felines

In this Xpeditions lesson, students study the biota of the Kalahari Desert and the importance of the lion's role as predator within this ecosystem. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science and English Language Arts)

Provider: National Geographic

Geographical dog show

Students learn the theories of how dogs were domesticated from wolves and the reasons why people subsequently bred dogs living in different places to do different tasks. They will focus on specific breeds of their choice and will conclude by designing a class-wide “geographical dog show.” (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provider: National Geographic

How do leopard seals hunt?

In this lesson from Xpeditions, students brainstorm the hunting behaviors of animals in general and leopard seals in particular and read some basic information about leopard seals. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science and English Language Arts)

Provider: National Geographic