Science — Grade 4

Lesson plans on the web

Biological clocks

Students will be introduced to the concept of biological clocks in a tangible, hands-on way. The teacher will then lead them to identify internal clues they experience at different times of the day and talk about their own biological clocks. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 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

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

Folktales and ecology: Animals and humans in cooperation and conflict

Students study relationships between humans and animals in folktales in order to highlight issues concerning ecology and the environment. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Science)

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

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)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

It takes a rookery

In this Xpeditions activity, students explore the notion of "community." They first study emperor penguin and other animal communities then apply what they have learned to determine how they can better participate in their own communities. (Learn more)

Format: activity (grade 4 Science)

Provider: 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)

Provider: National Geographic

Punching shrimp

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, you'll hear about the mantis shrimp, a small crustacean that preys on snails. (Learn more)

Format: activity (grade 4 Science)

Provider: 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)

Provider: National Geographic

Sable Island's seals, sharks, and sand lances

In this Xpeditions lesson, students discuss the concept of competition in nature and learn about competition between two seal species on Sable Island. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provider: 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 or more categories. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 Science)

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

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)

Provider: 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)

Provider: National Geographic