Embedded Files
The students enjoy Mystery Science experiments!!
The students enjoy Mystery Science experiments!!
There are four areas of science 4th graders will explore within both online curriculum tools.
Earth's Features & Processes - The Birth of Rocks Unit
Animal & Plant Adaptations Unit
Human Body, Vision, & the Brain - Human Machine Unit
Energy & Energy Transfer - Energizing Everything Unit
Sound, Waves, & Communication - Waves of Sound Unit
Electricity, Light, & Heat Unit
After we complete a chapter in our textbook, we review as a class before a chapter assessment. Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that allows students to review any area of learning. The students absolutely love it!! Below are the review games for you to review at home as well. Just click on the link.
Mystery Science - The Birth of Rocks Kahoot! review game
Mystery Science - Human Machine Unit Kahoot! review game
Mystery Science - Animal & Plant Adaptations Unit Kahoot! review game
https://create.kahoot.it/creator/a943f61c-85fe-4718-a0e0-34913b5dadb1
Mystery Science - Energizing Everything Unit Kahoot! review game
Mystery Science - Waves of Sound Unit Kahoot! review game
https://create.kahoot.it/creator/bc3fce56-f7ab-4417-ad19-68d5ef0372d7
Mystery Science - Electricity, Light, & Heat Unit Kahoot! review game
The Birth of Rocks Unit
The Birth of Rocks Activity #1 - Could a volcano pop up where you live?
The students will map out all of the volcanoes throughout the world, determined where the Ring of Fire is, and learn that a volcano will most likely not pop up near Mendota.
The Birth of Rocks Activity #2 - Why do some volcanoes explode?
The students will have fun with "lava" in the classroom. They will investigate both a thick and thin texture to decide which lava belonged to which type of volcano.
The Birth of Rocks Activity #3 - Will a mountain last forever?
Weathering and erosion will be explored in the lesson. The students shake sugar cubes in a container and investigate what is happening throughout the process. The class will discuss how the sugar cubes are much like rocks that fall from a mountain.
The Birth of Rocks Activity #4 - What did your town look like 100 million years ago?
The students will explore what can be found underneath our soil. The students will discuss how they were buried and why they were discovered where they were.
The Birth of Rocks Activity #5 - How Can I Survive a Landslide?
The students will brainstorm ideas on how they could protect a house from a landslide.
Human Machine Unit
Human Machine #1 - Why do your biceps bulge?
This is definitely the most popular activity in Mystery Science. The students will discover why bones move. They will recreate a finger, moving it with a string. "Bob" even visited the classroom as a visual to showcase the bone portion of the activity.
Human Machine #2 - What do blind people see?
The students will identify the parts of an eye with a cool experiment using a magnifying sheet and the outdoor view.
Human Machine #3 - How can some animals see in the dark?
The students will explore the reason why nocturnal animals' eyes see better at night than nonnoctural animals. The students did an amazing job with nocturnal animal reports.
Human Machine #4 - How does your brain control your body?
Each student will test just how quickly he/she reacts to the message from the brain to grab onto the ruler that is falling. It's always a lot of fun!!
Waves of Sound Unit
Waves of Sound #1 - How do you send a secret code?
The students will create sound and visual codes to share with the class to determine what snack they are choosing from the snack code form.
Waves of Sound #2 - How does sound travel?
4-4 explored the effectiveness of communication with string telephones. They investigated how sound travels from the cup, through the string, and to the other cup.
Waves of Sound #3 - How does sound travel?
4-4 explored how sound travels in order for us to hear it. The students below acted out the process.
Waves of Sound #4 - Why are there high sounds and low sounds?
4-4 explored why sounds are different and how they look when measured.
Plant & Animal Adapt Unit
Plant & Animal Adaptations #1 -
Plant & Animal Adaptations #2 -
Plant & Animal Adaptations #3 -
Electricity, Light, & Heat Unit
Electricity, Light, & Heat #1 - What's the best way to light up a city?
In groups, students determined what type of natural resource would best suit the city of Boulderville, Colorado. All of them determined that out of sun energy, water energy, and wind energy, Boulderville would work best with water energy since a large river runs through it and contains ample land for a man-made lake.
Electricity, Light, & Heat #2 - What if there were no electricity?
The students had a great discussion about how things were without electricity, and how much they appreciate it. We talked about how dreadful it is when the electricity goes out in a storm. In groups, students created light by using a LED light bulb and a battery. They learned that energy doesn't happen without a "path" for the energy to transfer. They loved it!!
Energizing Everything Unit
Energizing Everything #1 - How is your body similar to a car?
The students will create roller coaster rides and spun them using rubber bands. We will discuss how using our energy to turn the bands allows the ride to spin. We will learn that the more energy we release, the more action we receive.
Energizing Everything #2 - What makes roller coasters go so fast?
As an entire class, we will explore different ideas as to how to build a roller coaster that would be fun, yet the riders wouldn't get eaten by an alligator at the end of it. We will figure a way to give it speed and allow it to slow down.
Energizing Everything #3 - Why is the first hill of a roller coaster always the highest?
There wasn't an activity correlated with the lesson. We will discuss a ramp from the previous lesson and discussed why the high hill at the beginning is necessary in ours and all others.
Energizing Everything #4 - Could you knock down a building using only dominoes?
With a partner, students will work together to build a chain reaction ramp. We will identify the importance of energy's transfer as the marble moved.
SIMPLE MACHINE VOCABULARY
SIMPLE MACHINE VOCABULARY
The students did an incredible job showcasing their Simple Machine Valentine Box Projects. I asked if they could just stand up with their project and identify the simple machines. They could even bring up a friend to help them if needed. There were some amazing ideas!! I hope it was a fun and enjoyable family project.
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