Science — Grade 4

The zoo is coming, the zoo is coming

The zoo is coming is a lesson that will give students an opportunity to write a letter to a fictional governor about the pros and cons of having a zoo come to their town.

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

By steven sather.

Embryology: Hatching baby chicks

This lesson integrates science, math, communication skills, arts, and social studies through hands-on activities. Students are directly involved in hatching baby chicks.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

By Ann White.

Diamante poetry using environments: Day two

This lesson will introduce and reinforce learners' understanding of habitat components within an environment. This lesson was designed to be used after the lesson "Animal environments: Day one."

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

By Cheri Cole.

Resources on the web

Which turtle for the tiger shark?

In this Xpeditions lesson, students consider the reasons for the significant difference in vulnerability between the turtle species in Western Australia's Shark Bay. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

What's happening to the emperor penguins?

In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students learn about emperor penguins' habitat and behaviors through Web sites such as National Geographic's "Creature Feature." (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

What do we know about nurse shark mating?

In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students use National Geographic articles to learn some basic information about nurse sharks and see photographs of scientists conducting nurse shark studies. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

A touch of class

This Science NetLinks lesson, the second of a two-part series on classification, extends the investigation of living organisms carried out in the first lesson by exposing students to the idea that a variety of plants and animals can be classified into one... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Social trade-offs

The purpose of this lesson, from Science NetLinks, is to make and evaluate decisions by weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each alternative. In the lesson, students practice the skill of decision-making through role-playing. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Responsible whale watching

This lesson, from Xpeditions, asks students to think critically about the positive and potentially negative aspects of whale-watching tours. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

Really wild animals: Will people change them forever?

This lesson from Xpeditions asks students to consider the ways in which human activities in the rain forest might affect the behaviors of some well-known African mammals, particularly in the Congo River Basin. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

People and endangered species

Students examine some endangered species and the ways that human activities contribute to species endangerment. Students are asked to devise their own species protection plans. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

Paperbag paleontology

Cornell Paleontologist John Chiment enlists the aid of younger school children in sorting through materials collected at a dig site and, in the process, demonstrates that anyone can “do science.” (Learn more)

Format: activity/lesson plan (grade K–5 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Paleoanthropology - What is bipedalism?

In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore the field of paleoanthropology. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 and 5 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

The ocean and human medicine

In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about two species of marine animal--Bugula neritina and the horseshoe crab and their medical benefits. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

Little Red Riding Hood Meets--A Golden Retriever?

In this lesson students will learn about how dogs evolved from wolves, and the similarities and differences between dogs and wolves. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provided by: National Geographic

Lighting up the sea

In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore the three light zones in the ocean and reasons for bioluminescence by conducting a simulation and viewing pictures of bioluminescent marine animals on the Web. Activities in this lesson engage students in development... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provided by: Xpeditions

Introducing biodiversity

In this Science NetLinks lesson, students use online resources to identify the basic components necessary for biodiversity and the critical and countless benefits of habitats, as well as the serious present and future threats to their ongoing existence. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Science)

Provided by: 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)

Provided by: 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)

Provided by: 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)

Provided by: National Geographic