Science Standards

National Science Education Standards

Source: http://newton.nap.edu/html/nses

Science as Inquiry Standards
K-4:
Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
Understandings about scientific inquiry

Life Science Standards
K-4:
Characteristics of organisms
Life cycles of organisims
Organisms and environments

5-8:
Structure and function in living system
Regulation and behavior
Populations and ecosystems

Science and Technology Standards
K-4:
Ability to distinguish between natural objects and objects made by humans
Abilities of technological design
Understanding about science and technology

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Standards
K-4:
Personal Health
Characteristics and changes in populations
Changes in environments
Science and technology in local challeneges

History and Nature of Science Standards
K-4:
Science as a human endeavor



Wisconsin Model Academic Standards - Fourth Grade Benchmarks

Source: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/standards

Science Standards

Science Connetions:
A.4.1 When conducting science investigations, ask and answer questions that will help decide the general areas of science being addressed

A.4.2 When faced with a science-related problem, decide what evidence, models, or explanations previously studied can be used to better understand what is happening now

A.4.3 When investigating a science-related problem, decide what data can be collected to determine the most useful explanations

A.4.4 When studying science-related problems, decide which of the science themes are important

A.4.5 When studying a science-related problem, decide what changes over time are occurring or have occurred

Nature of Science:
B.4.1 Use encyclopedias, source books, texts, computers, teachers, parents, other adults, journals, popular press, and various other sources, to help answer science-related questions and plan investigations

B.4.2 Acquire information about people who have contributed to the development of major ideas in the sciences and learn about the cultures in which these people lived and worked

B.4.3 Show* how the major developments of scientific knowledge in the earth and space, life and environmental, and physical sciences have changed over time

Science Inquiry:
C.4.1 Use the vocabulary of the unifying themes to ask questions about objects, organisms, and events being studied

C.4.2 Use the science content being learned to ask questions, plan investigations, make observations, make predictions, and offer explanations

C.4.3 Select multiple sources of information to help answer questions selected for classroom investigations

C.4.4 Use simple science equipment safely and effectively, including rulers, balances, graduated cylinders, hand lenses, thermometers, and computers, to collect data relevant to questions and investigations

C.4.5 Use data they have collected to develop explanations and answer questions generated by investigations

C.4.6 Communicate the results of their investigations in ways their audiences will understand by using charts, graphs, drawings, written descriptions, and various other means, to display their answers

C.4.7 Support their conclusions with logical arguments

C.4.8 Ask additional questions that might help focus or further an investigation

Life and Environmental:
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANISMS
F.4.1 Discover* how each organism meets its basic needs for water, nutrients, protection, and energy* in order to survive

F.4.2 Investigate* how organisms, especially plants, respond to both internal cues (the need for water) and external cues (changes in the environment)

LIFE CYCLES OF ORGANISMS
F.4.3 Illustrate* the different ways that organisms grow through life stages and survive to produce new members of their type

ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT
F.4.4 Using the science themes*, develop explanations* for the connections among living and non-living things in various environments

Science Applications:
G.4.1 Identify* the technology used by someone employed in a job or position in Wisconsin and explain* how the technology helps

G.4.2 Discover* what changes in technology have occurred in a career chosen by a parent, grandparent, or an adult friend over a long period of time

G.4.3 Determine what science discoveries have led to changes in technologies

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives:
H.4.1 Describe* how science and technology have helped, and in some cases hindered, progress in providing better food, more rapid information, quicker and safer transportation, and more effective health care

H.4.2 Using the science themes*, identify* local and state issues that are helped by science and technology and explain* how science and technology can also cause a problem

H.4.3 Show* how science has contributed to meeting personal needs, including hygiene, nutrition, exercise, safety, and health care

H.4.4 Develop* a list of issues that citizens must make decisions about and describe* a strategy for becoming informed about the science behind these issues

English Language Standards

Writing:
B.4.1 Create or produce writing to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
* Write nonfiction and technical pieces (summaries, messages, informational essays, basic directions, instructions, simple reports) that convey essential details and facts and provide accurate representations of events and sequences
* Write expressive pieces in response to reading, viewing, and life experiences (narratives, reflections, and letters) employing descriptive detail and a personal voice
Write in a variety of situations (timed and untimed, at school and at home) and adapt strategies, such as revision and the use of reference materials, to the situation
* Use a variety of writing technologies, including pen and paper as well as computers
* Write for a variety of readers, including peers, teachers, and other adults, adapting content, style, and structure to audience and situation

B.4.2 Plan, revise, edit, and publish clear and effective writing.
* Produce multiple drafts, including finished pieces, that demonstrate the capacity to generate, focus, and organize ideas and to revise the language, organization, and content of successive drafts in order to fulfill a specific purpose for communicating with a specific audience

Oral Language:
C.4.1 Orally communicate information, opinions, and ideas effectively to different audiences for a variety of purposes.
* Identify and discuss criteria for effective oral presentations, including such factors as eye contact, projection, tone, volume, rate, and articulation
*Speaking from notes or a brief outline, communicate precise information and accurate instructions in clearly organized and sequenced detail
*Distinguish between fact and opinion and provide evidence to support opinions

C.4.2 Listen to and comprehend oral communications.
* Follow basic directions
* Identify and summarize key points of a story or discussion

C.4.3 Participate effectively in discussion.
* Volunteer relevant information, ask relevant questions, and answer questions directly
* Use appropriate eye contact and other nonverbal cues
* Use appropriate strategies to keep a discussion going
* Reflect on the ideas and opinions of others and respond thoughtfully
* Ask for clarification and explanation of unfamiliar words and ideas
* Summarize information conveyed through discussion

Media and Technology:
E.4.1 Use computers to acquire, organize, analyze, and communicate information.
* Operate common computer hardware and software
* Use basic word-processing, graphics, and drawing programs
* Create, store, and retrieve electronic files
* Access information using electronic reference resources, such as library catalog, encyclopedias, almanacs, and indexes

E.4.3 Create products appropriate to audience and purpose.
* Write news articles appropriate for familiar media
* Create simple advertising messages and graphics appropriate for familiar media

Research and Inquiry:
F.4.1 Conduct research and inquiry on self-selected or assigned topics, issues, or problems and use an appropriate form to communicate their findings.
* Propose research by formulating initial questions, narrowing the focus of a topic, identifying prior knowledge, and developing a basic plan for gathering information
* Conduct research by identifying, locating, exploring, and effectively using multiple sources of information appropriate to the inquiry, including print, nonprint, and electronic sources
* Recognize, record, organize, and acknowledge information pertinent to a project, accurately blending discoveries into answers
* Present the results of inquiry, reporting and commenting on the substance and process of learning, orally and in writing, using appropriate visual aids

Mathematical Standards

Mathematical Processes:
A.4.1 Use reasoning abilities to
* perceive patterns
* identify relationships
* formulate questions for further exploration
* justify strategies
* test reasonableness of results

A.4.2 Communicate mathematical ideas in a variety of ways, including words, numbers, symbols, pictures, charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, and models*

A.4.3 Connect mathematical learning with other subjects, personal experiences, current events, and personal interests
* see relationships between various kinds of problems and actual events
* use mathematics as a way to understand other areas of the curriculum (e.g., measurement in science, map skills in social studies)

A.4.4 Use appropriate mathematical vocabulary, symbols, and notation with understanding based on prior conceptual work

Number Operations and Relationships:
B.4.1 Represent and explain whole numbers*, decimals, and fractions with
* physical materials
* number lines and other pictorial models*
* verbal descriptions

B.4.3 Read, write, and order whole numbers*, simple fractions (e.g., halves, fourths, tenths, unit fractions*) and commonly-used decimals (monetary units)

Measurement:
D.4.1 Recognize and describe measurable attributes*, such as length, liquid capacity, time, weight (mass), temperature, volume, monetary value, and angle size, and identify the appropriate units to measure them

D.4.2 Demonstrate understanding of basic facts, principles, and techniques of measurement, including
* appropriate use of arbitrary* and standard units (metric and US Customary)
* appropriate use and conversion of units within a system (such as yards, feet, and inches; kilograms and grams; gallons, quarts, pints, and cups)
* judging the reasonableness of an obtained measurement as it relates to prior experience and familiar benchmarks

D.4.4 Determine measurements directly* by using standard tools to these suggested degrees of accuracy

Alegbraic Relationships:
F.4.3 Work with simple linear patterns and relationships in a variety of ways, including
* recognizing and extending number patterns
* describing them verbally
* representing them with pictures, tables, charts, graphs
* recognizing that different models* can represent the same pattern or relationship
* using them to describe real-world phenomena

Social Studies

Geography:
A.4.5 Use atlases, databases, grid systems, charts, graphs, and maps to gather information about the local community, Wisconsin, the United States, and the world

A.4.9 Give examples to show how scientific and technological knowledge has led to environmental changes, such as pollution prevention measures, air-conditioning, and solar heating