Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, Grade Four

(1) Scientific processes. The student conducts field and laboratory investigations following home and school safety procedures and environmentally appropriate and ethical practices. The student is expected to:

(A) demonstrate safe practices during field and laboratory investigations

(B) make wise choices in the use and conservation of resources and the disposal or recycling of materials.

(2) Scientific processes. The student uses scientific inquiry methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to:

EOW-82. Science Fair Panic, part 1 - scientific method, science fair projects
EOW-82. Science Fair Panic, part 2 - scientific method, science fair projects
EOW-82. Science Fair Panic, part 3 - scientific method, science fair projects
EOW-82. Science Fair Panic, part 4 - scientific method, science fair projects
EOW-86. The Hottest Part of a Flame - scientific observation, combustion, energy

(A) plan and implement descriptive investigations including asking well-defined questions, formulating testable hypotheses, and selecting and using equipment and technology;

(B) collect information by observing and measuring

(C) analyze and interpret information to construct reasonable explanations from direct and indirect evidence

(D) communicate valid conclusions

(E) construct simple graphs, tables, maps, and charts to organize, examine, and evaluate information.

(3) Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information
EOW-82. Science Fair Panic, part 1 - scientific method, science fair projects

(B) draw inferences based on information related to promotional materials for products and services
EOW-106. Just a Suggestion

(C) represent the natural world using models and identify their limitations

(D) evaluate the impact of research on scientific thought, society, and the environment

(E) connect Grade 4 science concepts with the history of science and contributions of scientists.

(4) Scientific processes. The student knows how to use a variety of tools and methods to conduct science inquiry. The student is expected to:

(A) collect and analyze information using tools including calculators, safety goggle, microscopes, cameras, sound recorders, computers, hand lenses, rulers, thermometers, meter sticks, timing devices, balances, and compasses

(B) demonstrate that repeated investigations may increase the reliability of results.

(5) Science concepts. The student knows that complex systems may not work if some parts are removed. The student is expected to:

(A) identify and describe the roles of some organisms in living systems such as plants in a schoolyard, and parts in nonliving systems such as a light bulb in a circuit

(B) predict and draw conclusions about what happens when part of a system is removed.

(6) Science concepts. The student knows that change can create recognizable patterns. The student is expected to:

(A) identify patterns of change such as in weather, metamorphosis, and objects in the sky.
EOW-9. Finding Your Way - Rotation of the Earth
BCIS-Erosion - forces of erosion, origin of soil
BCIS-Water Cycle - states of matter, evaporation, condensation, weather

(B) illustrate that certain characteristics of an object can remain constant even when the object is rotated like a spinning top, translated like a skater moving in a straight line, or reflected on a smooth surface

(C) use reflections to verify that a natural object has symmetry.

(7) Science concepts. The student knows that matter has physical properties. The student is expected to:

(A) observe and record changes in the states of matter caused by the addition or reduction of heat
EOW-5. Crushed Can - Atmospheric pressure, states of matter
EOW-29. Why We Sweat - energy, states of matter, evaporation
EOW-70. Ice Cream Science - states of matter, heat
BCIS-Water Cycle - states of matter, evaporation, condensation, weather
EOW-81. Hydrothermal Quartz - minerals, solutions, boiling point
EOW-97. Wonderful water - chemistry, water, polar and non polar, change of state

(B) conduct tests, compare data, and draw conclusions about physical properties of matter including states of matter, conduction, density, and buoyancy.
EOW-8. Cartesian Diver - density, pressure and volume, properties of liquids and gases
EOW-58. Density Column - density, floating and sinking
EOW-39. Wrong Way Balloon - inertia, density
EOW-Simple Circuit - Circuits, conductors, insulators
EOW-Bird on a Wire - electricity, circuits, safety

(8) Science concepts. The student knows that adaptations may increase the survival of members of a species. The student is expected to:

(A) identify characteristics that allow members within a species to survive and reproduce

(B) compare adaptive characteristics of various species
EOW-12. Seed Search - seed dispersal
EOW-59. Nature Watching - animal behavior, processes of science

(C) identify the kinds of species that lived in the past and compare them to existing species.

(9) Science concepts. The student knows that many likenesses between offspring and parents are inherited or learned. The student is expected to:

(A) distinguish between inherited traits and learned characteristics

(B) identify and provide examples of inherited traits and learned characteristics.

(10) Science concepts. The student knows that certain past events affect present and future events. The student is expected to:

(A) identify and observe effects of events that require time for changes to be noticeable including growth, erosion, dissolving, weathering, and flow
BCIS-Erosion - forces of erosion, origin of soil
BCIS-Continuous Change - geologic time, erosion, geologic processes
BCIS-Fast and Slow Change - geologic time, plate tectonics, geologic processes

(B) draw conclusions about "what happened before" using fossils or charts and tables.

(11) Science concepts. The student knows that the natural world includes earth materials and objects in the sky. The student is expected to:

(A) test properties of soils including texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support life

(B) summarize the effects of the oceans on land

(C) identify the Sun as the major source of energy for the Earth and understand its role in the growth of plants, in the creation of winds, and in the water cycle
BCIS-Water Cycle - states of matter, evaporation, condensation, weather
EOW-92. Taking a Marshmallow Apart - photosynthesis
EOW-Solar Power - energy, solar, reflection, refraction