SCIENCE 🦋
GRADE 4 STEELS curriculum framework

ANIMAL & PLANT ADAPTATIONS

STANDARD 3.1.4.A

• Construct an argument hat plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

BIG IDEA

• Organisms have characteristic structures, functions, and behaviors that allow them to grow, reproduce, and die. 

CORE IDEAS

• Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction

SYSTEMS & SYSTEM MODELS

• A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.

HUMAN BODY, VISION & THE BRAIN

STANDARD 3.1.4.B

• Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.

BIG IDEA

• Animals have external and internal sensory receptors that detect different kinds of information that then gets processed by the brain.

CORE IDEAS

• Different sense receptors are specialized for particular kinds of information, which may be then processed by the animal’s brain. Animals are able to use their perceptions and memories to guide their actions. 

SYSTEMS & SYSTEM MODELS

• A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions.

ENERGY

STANDARD 3.2.4.A

• Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.

BIG IDEA

• Energy can be modeled as either motions of particles or as being stored in force fields.

CORE IDEAS

• The faster a given object is moving, the more energy it possesses.

ENERGY & MATTER

• Energy can be transferred in various ways and between objects.

ENERGY & ENERGY TRANSFER

STANDARD 3.2.4.B

• Make and communicate observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

BIG IDEA

• The total change of energy in any system is always equal to the total energy transferred into or out of the system.

CORE IDEAS

• Energy can be moved from place to place by moving objects or through sound, light, or electric currents. Energy is present whenever there are moving objects, sound, light, or heat. When objects collide, energy can be transferred from one object to another, thereby changing their motion. In such collisions, some energy is typically also transferred to the surrounding air; as a result the air gets heated and sound is produced.

PATTERNS

• Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort, classify, and analyze simple rates of change for natural phenomena. Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified. Connections to 

ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY & APPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE

• Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology Knowledge of relevant scientific concepts and research findings is important in engineering

ENERGY TRANSFER

STANDARD 3.2.4.C

• Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.

BIG IDEA

• Forces between objects can result in transfer of energy between these objects.

CORE IDEAS

• Energy can be moved from place to place by moving objects or through sound, light, or electric currents. Energy is present whenever there are moving objects, sound, light, or heat. When objects collide, energy can be transferred from one object to another, thereby changing their motion. In such collisions, some energy is typically also transferred to the surrounding air; as a result the air gets heated and sound is produced. When objects collide, the contact forces transfer energy so as to change the objects’ motions.

PATTERNS

• Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort, classify, and analyze simple rates of change for natural phenomena. Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified. Connections to 

ENERGY & MATTER

• Energy can be transferred in various ways and between objects.

ENERGY TRANSFER

STANDARD 3.2.4.D

• Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

BIG IDEA

• Producing energy useful in everyday life means to convert some available energy into a desired form, which is then delivered to users

CORE IDEAS

• Energy can also be transferred from place to place by electric currents, which can then be used locally to produce motion, sound, heat, or light. The currents may have been produced to begin with by transforming the energy of motion into electrical energy. The expression “produce energy” typically refers to the conversion of stored energy into a desired form for practical use.

CONNECTIONS TO NATURE OF SCIENCE

• Science is a Human Endeavor. Most scientists and engineers work in teams. Science affects everyday life.

SOUNDS WAVES

STANDARD 3.2.4.E

• Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move.

BIG IDEA

• Waves are repeating patterns of motion that transfer energy and information without transferring matter.

CORE IDEAS

• Waves, which are regular patterns of motion, can be made in water by disturbing the surface. When waves move across the surface of deep water, the water goes up and down in place; there is no net motion in the direction of the wave.

PATTERNS

• Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort, classify, and analyze simple rates of change for natural phenomena.

LIGHT WAVES

STANDARD 3.2.4.F

• Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen.

BIG IDEA

• Electromagnetic radiation (e.g., radio, microwaves, light) can be modeled as a wave pattern of changing electric and magnetic fields that interact with matter. 

CORE IDEAS

• An object can be seen when light reflected from its surface enters the eyes.

CAUSE & EFFECT

• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified.

WAVES & COMMUNICATION

STANDARD 3.2.4.G

• Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information.

BIG IDEA

• Useful modern technologies and instruments have been designed based on an understanding of waves and their interactions with matter.

CORE IDEAS

• Digitized information can be transmitted over long distances without significant degradation. High-tech devices, such as computers or cell phones, can receive and decode information—convert it from digitized to voice–and vice versa.

PATTERNS

• Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort and classify designed products.

Earth'S FEATURES & PROCESSES

STANDARD 3.3.4.A

• Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.

BIG IDEA

• We can infer Earth’s planetary history by features we observe today. 

CORE IDEAS

• Local, regional, and global patterns of rock formations reveal changes over time due to earth forces, such as earthquakes. The presence and location of certain fossil types indicate the order in which rock layers were formed.

PATTERNS

• Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation. 

CONNECTIONS TO NATURE OF SCIENCE

• Scientific knowledge assumes an order and consistency in natural systems.

Earth'S PROCESSES: EROSION

STANDARD 3.3.4.B

• Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.

BIG IDEA

• Changes we observe on Earth are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling between interconnected systems (the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere).

CORE IDEAS

• Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around. Living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions.

CAUSE & EFFECT

• Cause and EfCause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change.

Earth'S FEATURES & PROCESSES: VOLCANOES

STANDARD 3.3.4.C

• Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features

BIG IDEA

• Plate tectonics explains the past and current movements and features of the rocks at Earth’s surface. 

CORE IDEAS

• The locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans. Major mountain chains form inside continents or near their edges. Maps can help locate the different land and water features areas of Earth. 

PATTERNS

• Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation.

Earth'S FEATURES: NATURAL RESOURCES

STANDARD 3.3.4.D

• Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.

BIG IDEA

• All materials, energy, and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources, some of which are renewable over time and others are not.

CORE IDEAS

• Energy and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources, and their use affects the environment in multiple ways. Some resources are renewable over time, and others are not.

CAUSE & EFFECT

• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change. 

CONNECTIONS TO ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY & APPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE

• Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology Knowledge of relevant scientific concepts and research findings is important in engineering

Earth'S PROCESSES: NATURAL DISASTERS

STANDARD 3.3.4.E

• Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.

BIG IDEA

• Natural processes can cause sudden or gradual changes to Earth’s systems, some of which may adversely affect humans.

CORE IDEAS

• A variety of hazards result from natural processes (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions). Humans cannot eliminate the hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts.

• Designing Solutions to Engineering Problems- Testing a solution involves investigating how well it performs under a range of likely conditions.

CAUSE & EFFECT

• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change.