Fourth Grade Science

Energy

It's Electrifying Webquest

Watch this video on Discovery Education
Circuits

Go to these sites and practice building a circuit
BBC Changing Circuits
Build Your Own Circuit World

Next, discover what materials conduct electricity and what materials are insulators by going to these sites:
BBC Circuits and Conductors
Who Can Resist

Then, download this page, "save as" to your U Drive Fourth Grade Science Folder, and follow the directions.
Conductors and Insulators

Recycling

Water Cycle

Matter

Biomes

Biome Topics

All Biomes

Deciduous Forest

Rainforest

Tundra

Aquatic

Grassland

Desert

Biome Webquest

Introduction to Biomes
How do energy and matter flow through Biomes?

The world is mad up of many different biomes. Biomes are large regions of the world with similar plants, animals, and other living things that are adapted to the climate and other conditions. A biome is made of many similar but smaller ecosystems. Biomes are classified by their climate and average temperature and precipitation. Ecosystems contain interactions between the living things and the nonliving things in a certain area. In an ecosystem, the plants, animals, and other organisms rely on each other and on the physical environment - soil, water, and nutrients, for example. An ecosystem is often much smaller than a biome, although the size can vary. For example, the deciduous forest is the larger biome, but a pond is an ecosystem in the biome, with many plants, animals, and non-living components.

At any given time, ecosystems may get out of balance and will adapt or change. There are many different classifications of biomes, but we will focus on five major biomes:

1) Tundra
2) Rain Forest - tropical and temperate
3) Desert
4) Grasslands - tropical and temperate
5) Aquatic - the oceans

Activities:

1. Before you watch a video from Discovery Education, read the questions below. When you find the answer, stop the video and write the answer on your Research Form - DE Video Questions

Biomes Introduction

What are some abiotic factors in a biome?

What are biotic factors in a biome?

Then answer these questions from this video:
Ecosystems and Biomes

What are ecosystems?

What are biomes?

What is a food chain?

What is the food web?

2. Using the Energy Transfer in Ecosystems sheet, trace out how energy passes from one individual in the biome to another on the smartboard:

Energy Transfer in Ecosystems

3. Access this website - Ecosystems: StudyJams. View the following activities and take the test: Ecosystems and Biomes. If you get 5 of the 7 correct, you can look at these activities: Changes in Ecosystems, Food Chain, and Food Web.

Task

A travel agency is trying to boost travel to different parts of the world by increasing the advertising and selling vacations for nature lovers to explore different biomes. You have been hired to make a presentation to sell a travel package for naturalists to explore and learn more about your biome!

Process

Each team will be assigned a biome by the teacher. It is the team's job to research the biome and gather facts and information about that biome and compare it to the forest biome which you have already studied. Each member of the team will become an expert in a particular aspect of the biome. Together the team will also explore how all the different parts of the biome work together and rely on each other. Compare your biome to the deciduous forest biome.

Research Notes Graphic Organizer Example

NoodleTools Log In

1. Biome Map: Each team will work on the map together. Then, color the blank world map to show where different biomes are located. (Use the Biomes of the World link for reference). Be sure to create a key for your colored map and write the definition of "biome" on the map.

Blank World Map

Biomes of the World

2. Biome Web Research: First, the class will research one example biome with your teacher to understand the process. Then, the class will be divided into teams with each student on the team assigned to research one of the major biomes. Your research includes a biome description, climate, plants, animals, and adaptations made by living things in the biome. You will also explore the impact humans have had on the biome and the plants and animals in the biome. You will plan your research and record data using the Research Notes Graphic Organizer. Biome information can be found using your textbook, encyclopedias, and other non-fiction books and the Internet links below.

You will use a citation sheet to record your resources. Click on it and choose "save as." Put your Resource Citation Sheet in your User Drive in your Science Folder.

Resource Citation Sheet

The expert areas for each biome are:

Botanist - Plant (Flora) Expert: Your job is to explore what kinds of plants are in your biome. List 10 common plants including some of the largest, smallest, and most unusual. Pick three of the plants to learn more about. For these plants, find what animals eat them, how they interact with other plants and animals, and what adaptations (changes) they have made to live in the biome. While using the sources, find images of your plants, writing down where the picture is. You may also draw a plant.

Zoologist - Animal (Fauna) Expert: What kinds of animals are in your biome? List 10 common animals in your biome including some of the largest, smallest, and most unusual. Pick three of them to learn more about. What part of the food chain are they? What plants or other animals do they depend on? What adaptations does the animal have to live in the biome? While using the sources, find images of your animals, writing down where the picture is. You may also draw the animal.

Geographer - Map and Area Weather Expert: Learn where your biome is located on the planet. List all the continents where you find this biome. For aquatic, list the different oceans and large bodies of fresh water around the world. Find what landforms are in the biomes. Write what the climate is like in all the areas that your biome is in. Find the latitudes of the biome. How does the location and climate affect the plants and animals? Make a detailed map coloring in your biome.

Conservationist - Ecology Expert: Find the human impact on the biome and how it affects the plants and animals. What are some ways that the biome has changed because of people. Have people helped or hurt the animals and plants in the biome? Has the food chain been affected by humans? Are these things people are doing to help the animals and plants in the biome?

Your group will need to work closely together to share your information.

Putting It All Together

Answer these questions together:

How do the plants and animals interact with each other?

What is the food chain in your biome?

How does the climate and location affect what the plants and animals do?

What have humans done to change the environment of the habitat?

3. Create Presentation: As a group the team will create a presentation that showcases their biome as a location for naturalists to visit to learn about the plants and animals there. Using your choice of the presentation tools provided, create a presentation showcasing your biome including all your research. Presentation could include text, audio, images, and video about your biome. Work together as a group to compile the presentation. The Rubric below will help you decide what to include. Include an Energy Producers and Consumers Illustration in your presentation:

Energy Producers and Consumers

Evaluation

Grading Rubric will be applied by teachers, and other teams will rate to add to your score.

Rubric

Conclusion

Teams will present their presentations to the other teams and to their teacher.


Sample PowerPoint

Weebly Student Access

Sample Weebly Website

Discovery Ed Videos

LBH Biome Links

Forces and Motion

I Like to Move It Move It Webquest

Forces and Motion Webquest - Grade 4

Introduction
What is your favorite ride at an amusement park? One of the most popular rides at any amusement park is the roller coaster. People are attracted to roller coasters because of the height, length, and speed at which roller coasters travel. Can you design a new coaster for Six Flags that will be original and creative, yet thrilling and exciting at the same time?

Watch the following video: Roller Coasters. You will need to enter the Flanders username and password.

Task
Six Flags wants to build a new roller coaster, but needs to know what forces affect roller coasters in order to build a safe ride for its customers. You have been hired by Six Flags to research information about forces and motion, and then to come up with an idea for a new coaster. After researching, you will test your coaster design ideas on specially designed websites. When you have finalized your design, you will submit this idea with a labeled sketch or drawing.

Process:

STEP 1 Research about Forces and Motion

1. Open this answer sheet. Save it in your science folder. Go to "Understanding" to learn what forces such as gravity and friction are. As you read, answer the questions on the answer sheet. (worth 3 points each):

STEP 2 Experiments with Forces and Motion

Continue your research about forces and motion by completing three online science experiments. Read through the directions carefully on each site, and then complete the activities.

1. Experiment #1: Pushes and Pulls
A simple demonstration of how pushes and pulls affect how far an object will travel.

  • In this experiment, read through the directions at the top of the box. Don't forget to hit the light blue Reset button after each action you do.
  • When finished with the whole activity, take the Quiz by pressing the yellow Quiz button near the bottom right hand corner of the demonstration box. Raise your hand when you are finished so that your teacher can see your score and record it on your answer sheet. This quiz is worth 10 total points.

Pushes and Pulls

2. Experiment #2: Forces and Movement

  • Read through the directions at the top of the box. Don't forget to hit the light blue Reset button after each action you do.
  • When finished, take the Quiz by pressing the yellow Quiz button near the bottom right hand corner of the demonstration box. Raise your hand when you are finished so that your teacher can see your score and can record it on your answer sheet. This quiz is worth 10 total points.

Forces and Movement

3. Experiment #3: Friction

  • Click on. Read through the directions at the top of the box. Don't forget to hit the light blue Reset button after each action you do.
  • When finished, take the Quiz by pressing the yellow Quiz button near the bottom right hand corner of the demonstration box. Raise your hand when you are finished so that your teacher can record your score on your answer sheet. This quiz is worth 10 total points.

Friction

STEP 3 Test Your Knowledge

Before you can begin to think about your roller coaster design, you will do some web activities to increase your knowledge about the requirements of a roller coaster from a physics standpoint. Each activity is worth 1 point. Follow these steps:

1. Activity 1: Design a Roller Coaster

At the site below, read and scroll down the page and click on the graphic that says, "Design a Roller Coaster." You must work on this activity until your coaster is correctly constructed. You will know it is correct when you get two thumbs up. Go back and make changes if you do not get it right the first time. Once you get two thumbs up, your coaster is complete. Raise your hand and show your teacher your score. Then you are ready to move onto activity 2.

Design a Roller Coaster

2. Activity 2: Funderstanding Roller Coaster

Hint: The first hill must be the tallest one.
The site loads very slowly, so you will need to be patient! Make adjustments to the current coaster using the buttons. Once you create a coaster that is able to make it through the loop, your coaster is complete. Raise your hand and show your teacher your coaster. Then you are ready to move onto activity 3.

Funderstanding Roller Coaster

3. Activity 3: Make Tracks

Build and test your roller coaster. Once you have gotten your coaster to go all the way through and the coaster train car to stay on the track, your coaster is complete and you are ready to begin step 4. Be sure to raise your hand and show your teacher your completed coaster before moving on to the next step.

Make Tracks

4. Activity 4: Build a Disney Coaster

Build a Disney Coaster. Design a fun coaster that is also safe! Choose "Try it" and explore the construction process. You will not complete it but get to try some of the features. Score 1 on your answer sheet.

Build a Disney Coaster

STEP 4 Design Your Coaster

Now that you have successfully researched and understand about forces such as gravity and friction, you will apply what you have learned to designing a roller coaster. You will draw a sketch of the track layout and train design for your roller coaster. In the first space, draw the complete track layout. It should be very neat. In the second space, draw a close up of the roller coaster train. It should also be very neat. Label parts of your drawings to make them very clear to your teacher. You may use any of the websites in STEP 3 to help you design your coaster.

Your sketch is worth 31 total points. Remember to include the following on your sketch:

  • Your name
  • The name of your roller coaster
  • A labeled drawing or sketch of the roller coaster and coaster train. Include a key if needed.
  • Be neat!

Evaluation

The WebQuest is worth a maximum of 100 points. The points can be earned as follows.

  • The Research questions (36 points)
  • Online Quizzes (30 points)
  • The Activities (3 points)
  • The Coaster Sketch (31 points)

Conclusion

You have learned a lot about forces such as gravity and friction by completing this WebQuest. Now that you have a good idea bout what forces are you may want to expand your knowledge with the web sites included below so that maybe one day you will be able to design the fastest roller coaster in the world!

Magnets and Springs

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/physical...

Forces in Action

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_...

Build Your Own Paddleboat

https://omsi.edu/exhibitions/engineerit/game_paddl...

Original Webquest by Mrs. Nase of Georgia (edited by K. Buff, Lockhart Elem)

Understanding

The world is filled with motion. Some motions just happen: the Earth revolves around the Sun, snowflakes fall to the ground, waves surge across the sea.
Other motions are under our control. We walk. We pick up things. We ride our bikes. But whether the movement is a planet revolving or you playing a game, the motion happens because of force.

Just What is Force?
Force is just a fancy word for pushing or pulling. If I push on something or pull on it, then I am applying a force to it. Forces make things move or, more accurately, makes things change their motion. Two natural forces that affect most of the motion we see are the force of gravity and electromagnetic forces.
Gravity is a force that pulls objects towards each other, like a person towards the ground.
Magnetism produces a force that can either pull two magnets together or push them apart, depending on how they're lined up.

Motion is all about forces. Forces act upon an object to get it moving, or to change its motion. So how is all of this motion measured? Scientists use some terms when they look at motion. How fast an object moves, its speed or velocity , can be influenced by forces. (Note: Even though the terms 'speed' and 'velocity' are often used at the same time, they actually have different meanings.)

Mass is another big idea in motion. Mass is the amount of something there is or how much matter it contains. It is measured in grams (or kilograms). A car has a greater mass than a baseball.

What is Inertia?
Inertia is actually not a force at all, but a property that all things have because they have mass. The more mass something has the more inertia it has. You can think of inertia as a property that makes it hard to push something around.
So, if an object is moving - its inertia (mass) will tend to keep it in motion, and if something is at rest, its inertia will tend to keep it at rest.

What is Friction?
Friction is a force that holds back the movement of a sliding object. When any two things rub against each other there is friction, like your two hands rubbing together, or your skis rubbing on the snow. When you rub your hands together they get warmer because of the friction. When you are ice skating, the friction between your skate blades and the ice melts little tracks of water in the ice because of the heat it makes.
The objects sliding against each other can be solid things, or they can be gases , like friction with the air slowing down your car, or liquids, like friction with the water slowing down a boat. Air resistance is a friction between an object and the air as it moves through the air.

What is Gravity?
Gravity produces a force that pulls objects toward one another. It is the force that keeps the Earth revolving around the sun and it's what pulls you to the ground when you trip.

References:

physics4kids.com
www.idahoptv.org
historyforkids.org

Amusement Park Physics

DE Videos

Outside the Classroom

EcoSystems

Electricity

Endangered Animals

Simple Machines