Fourth Grade Science

Nature’s Recyclers

Science Content

Cluster 1:  Organic Remains

• Nature’s waste and remains don’t just pile up. They decompose.

Cluster 2:  Nature’s Recyclers

• Nature’s recyclers—scavengers, fungi, and bacteria—feed on dead organisms and waste. They carry out the process of decomposition.

Cluster 3:  Recycling Nutrients

• Nature’s recyclers return nutrients to the soil (or water) for use by plants and other organisms.

Matter

Science Content

Cluster 1:  Properties of Matter

• Matter commonly exists in one of three states: solid, liquid, or gas.
• Some properties help us classify matter as solid, liquid, or gas.
• All matter takes up space (has a volume) and has mass (which we usually measure by weight).
• Materials can be described in terms of their properties (e.g., size, weight, color, density).
• Properties can be measured using tools.
• When recording measurements, always include the unit of measurement.
• When you change the shape of a solid or a liquid, its weight and volume remain the same.
• Investigative questions, predictions, clear procedures, observations, and conclusions are basic elements of scientific investigations.
• Field guides are used to identify rocks and learn more about their properties.

Cluster 2:  Changing States of Matter

• Matter can change between states.
• Temperature affects the change of matter from one state to another.
• Even if matter is not visible, it still exists.
• Weight does not change between solid and liquid states.
• Water that has evaporated is water vapor in the air.
• Water condenses on cold surfaces.
• In a fair test, the experimenter changes one variable while keeping all other variables the same.

Cluster 3:  Mixing Matter

• When you mix materials together, the result weighs the same as the sum of the parts.
• A mixture can often be separated by the properties of the different materials. Sometimes when you mix materials together, you get a new material with different properties.

Watery Earth

Science Content

Cluster 1:  Water Is a Resource

• A natural resource is something we get from our environment to meet our wants and needs.
• Water is a natural resource that is essential for life.
• Living things use and need water in different ways.
• Humans have devised methods to access and clean water.
• Most people in the United States use more water than they need to survive.

Cluster 2:  Water Follows a Cycle

• Water covers about two-thirds of Earth’s surface.
• Nearly all of the world’s water is contained in the salty oceans.
• Most of Earth’s fresh water is stored underground and in glaciers and polar ice caps; a tiny fraction is in the air.
• A small fraction of Earth’s fresh water is accessible by humans.
• Earth’s water circulates around the water cycle through these processes: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and percolation.

Cluster 3:  Taking Care of Water Resources

• Since there is a limited supply of water on Earth, we should conserve and protect it.
• We can conserve water by using less of it and by using it more efficiently.
• We can protect water by preventing pollutants from entering the water cycle, and by cleaning water that has been polluted.
• Pollutants are often difficult to remove from water.
• Water pollution can harm living organisms and their habits.