Fourth Grade Videos

I hope you enjoy these videos from our school year.

2022 - 2023

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.

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.  

*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video.

Science Topic:  CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL 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.

Exploring Mystery Powders

Over the course of several lab periods, the girls explored the properties of different powders.  They compared and contrasted characteristics of salt, cornstarch, baking soda, and alum.  They tested for solubility,  as well as for interactions with vinegar, iodine, and cabbage juice.  We also used cabbage juice as an indicator for acids, bases, or neutrals.  We tested vinegar, soda, water, baking soda, milk, soapy water, lemon juice, and hand sanitizer.  The girls loved seeing the rainbow of colors and recording their findings in their lab journals.

*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video.

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. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this 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.

Jammies and Gemstones:

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.  Since Mrs. Hicke's class did this activity on Pajama Dress Down Day - we called it Jammies and Gemstones. :)

*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this 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. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this 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. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video.

Cornmeal Erosion

Throughout this week, the girls are 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. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video.

Sugar Shake

To study weathering, students used sugar cubes to represent rocks. We colored all 12 edges 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. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video.

First Day of Science:

Wiggle Worm Experiment

Question:  How can I make a worm move? Watch and find out!!!   The students made their own paper "worms" and measured how long they were.  They watched as the worms they created twisted, curled, and grew as they dropped water on top.  They measured the worm again to see how much it grew. 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. I love feedback...please let me know if you enjoy this video.