Fourth Grade Videos
I hope you enjoy these videos from our school year.
2021 - 2022
On this page are videos from some of this year's science lessons. Students will be reflecting on inquiry-based observations, activities, investigations and experiments in order to increase their understanding of science instruction. Interpreting, analyzing, and interacting with science is a critical aspect in the classroom and can be seen in these videos. It is my intention that these videos spark conversations at home about science and what we are learning in the classroom.
*FYI - THIS WEB PAGE IS BEST VIEWED FROM A LAPTOP OR DESKTOP - WHEN VIEWING FROM A MOBILE DEVICE SOME IMAGES MAY APPEAR TO BE CUT OFF. Some formats that I use to create these videos give me control over the music volume when students are talking and some do not. I apologize if some students are harder to hear.
Science Topic: ECOSYSTEMS
LEARNING GOAL: After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to: Identify the fundamental structure and function of an ecosystem, identify biomes, compare and contrast ecosystems, connect their learning to real-world ecosystem challenges, and create a board game that reflects a significant understanding of essential concepts of the lessons.
Stop Motion - Clay Animation - ECOSYSTEMS
The girls worked in groups and made background images for their stop motion, clay animation, ecosystem project. They then created animals and plants that live in that environment and demonstrated the food chain (or food web) for that ecosystem. The girls could have used several more days but they did an AMAZING job with the time that they had.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Dissecting Owl Pellets
We have been learning about owls in science class. This week we are dissecting owl pellets to learn about the food chain. The girls examined the bones they found and used referencing guides to determine what kind of food it ate. We will continue to work in our owl pellet journals in the days to come. My favorite quote of the day, "This is the coolest thing I have ever done!"
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Science Topic: PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL CHANGES
LEARNING GOAL: Throughout these lessons, students will learn about and be able to identify properties of and changes in matter as physical or chemical. Students will be able to compare and contrast the chemical behavior and physical properties of common substances. Students will be able to record and interpret data obtained from experimentation.
Solid, Liquid, & Gas - (Root-Beer Float)
We are learning about the states of matter. Our experiment today shows how you can have a solid, a liquid, and a gas all at the same time in one drink. (Ice cream - SOLID, root-beer - LIQUID, carbonated bubbles - GAS) The girls loved sampling all three forms of matter in science class today. :)
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Science Topic: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN S.T.E.A.M.
LEARNING GOAL: Throughout these lessons during the month of February (African American History Month) and leading into March (Women's History Month), 4th grade students will learn about some African American Women in the S.T.E.A.M. fields. The girls will be assigned a person, conduct research, and create a digital presentation. They will present their work to the class. Students have the option to work on an additional project about a woman of their choice (see details at the bottom of this page).
African American Women in S.T.E.A.M.
During part of the month of February (Black History Month) and leading into March (Women's History Month), we took some time to research African American Women in the S.T.E.A.M. fields. The girls worked hard to research an assigned woman and create a digital poster sharing the information they learned. They presented their findings to their class.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
4th Grade ROBOTICS COMPETITION
We are so proud of the girls' hard work in robotics, an optional 4th grade club. Not only did they learn about robotics and building, but they also practiced leadership skills such as cooperation and collaboration, resilience and problem solving. Congratulations girls!
A BIG thank you to all of the parents, siblings, friends, teachers, administrators, and judges who came to support these girls!
Please watch this video featuring the: Lower School Robotics Club 2021 /2022- Making K'nextions
Science Topic: METRIC MEASUREMENT
LEARNING GOAL: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to: explain what the metric system is and identify the appropriate metric units of measurement for distance, weight, volume, and time.
Measurement Mania
In connection with the 4th grade math curriculum, the 4th grade scientists are experimenting with different types of measurements. The girls measured and recorded the temperature of hot and cold liquids, the volume of liquids, the length of objects, the amount of time it takes to do tasks, the volume of solids, and the weight of several objects. They also classified objects and made detailed observations using a hand lens and a flip-top magnifier. I am so proud of their hard work and their diligence following directions. Well done!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Science Topic: CHANGING EARTH
LEARNING GOAL: Throughout these lessons, students will discover that the surface of the Earth is constantly changing. Earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and flooding can make changes quickly while other changes, like weathering and erosion happen over longer periods of time. Students will learn how these "forces of nature" affect their lives.
Excavating Gems
As we continue to learn about the rock cycle, we pretended to be gemologists - a person who studies gems. The girls were each given a larger stone to excavate their gems. They each had a pick to dig deeper and a brush to uncover the gems more carefully. We used a chart in class to determine which gems were uncovered. We used goggles to protect our eyes and our lab coats to protect our uniforms.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Starburst Lab (The Rock Cycle)
The girls used Starburst candies to demonstrate the stages of the rock cycle. We started by weathering the "rock" (Starburst) into smaller pieces. We used that sediment and applied pressure to create sedimentary rocks that shows the different layers of sediment. We then added some heat and more pressure to mold the sedimentary rock into metamorphic rock. We then heated the metamorphic rock to create "magma" which cooled and became igneous rock. We could then break the igneous rock into sediment pieces and continue the rock cycle. The science classroom smelled great today and we had a great time!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Making a Shield Volcano
Fourth graders learned how a shield volcano is formed by creating our own models. We began with flat land (a tin tray) and a volcanic creator (bottle cap). We added baking soda and vinegar to create the first eruption. The girls traced the outline of the lava eruption and replaced it with play-dough to simulate how lava turns into new land. We repeated these steps several times simulating multiple eruptions in the same place over time. After each eruption, the lava flow is replaced with a different color play-dough. After several eruptions a shield volcano is formed. At the end we cut into the shield volcano to see the layers beneath the surface. I also took a small sample out of each slice as scientists often do to see how it is possible for one volcano to have different layers in different locations...no two samples are exactly the same.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Cornmeal Erosion
Throughout this week, the girls have been experimenting with cornmeal landforms to demonstrate erosion and design ways to protect the land from erosion. The girls are using the knowledge they have been learning about in class to create a structure to protect their cornmeal landforms from erosion. The two different videos are from two different experiments. This was really great work, girls!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Water Weathering
Students explored the concept of water weathering. The students used sugar cubes to simulate rocks that are weathered by water. They put drops of colored water on their "rocks" and observed the changes.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video
Sugar Shake
To study weathering, students used sugar cubes to represent rocks. We colored an edge to see what the "rock" looked like to start and then we shook the sugar cubes in a container. We paused after every 40 shakes to observe any physical changes. Did the color on any of the edges wear off? We shook 200 times total and recorded our observations.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
First Day of Science:
Shrinky Dink Experiment
Question: What will happen when you put a sheet of plastic into an oven? Watch and find out!!! We used special shrinky dink paper for this experiment and we talked about how melting the plastic to make it smaller would be helpful in recycling. We also talked about single use plastic vs. multi-use plastic. The students watched as their creations twisted, curled, and shrank in the oven and they were able to take home their creations today. Please enjoy this video from our time in science .
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.