Grade 04 Science - EC: S4.A.2.1.3

Continuum of Activities

The list below represents a continuum of activities: resources categorized by Standard/Eligible Content that teachers may use to move students toward proficiency. Using LEA curriculum and available materials and resources, teachers can customize the activity statements/questions for classroom use.

This continuum of activities offers:

Instructional activities designed to be integrated into planned lessons
Questions/activities that grow in complexity
Opportunities for differentiation for each student’s level of performance

Related Academic Standards / Eligible Content

S4.A.2.1.3 S4.A.2.1.3

Observe a natural phenomenon (e.g., weather changes, length of daylight/night, movement of shadows, animal migrations, growth of plants), record observations, and then make a prediction based on those observations.

Activities

Define an observation.
What are five tools you can use to make an observation?
What is data?

Look at the chart below. At what time do you think the sun will set on Saturday evening?

Day of the Week	Time of Sunset
Sunday	8:32pm
Monday	8:31pm
Tuesday	8:30pm
Wednesday	8:29pm
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

Look at the chart below. Which plant do you think will grow the most? Why?

	Hours of Sunlight Each Day	Amount of Water Each Day
Plant 1	8 hours	20mL
Plant 2	4 hours	10mL
Plant 3	2 hours	5mL

Each night for two weeks, go outside at the same time. Look for the moon. Create a data table and draw a picture to show the shape of the moon. Then, based on your observations, predict what the moon will look like for the next three days. Explain your reasoning.
On a sunny day, find an object outside such as a tree, a basketball post, or a swing set. Go outside each hour or every other hour during the school day to observe the movement of the shadow. Predict where the shadow of the object would be before 9:00am and after 3:00pm. Explain your reasoning.

Answer Key/Rubric

An observation is information gathered using your senses.
Answers include, but are not limited to: hand lens, ruler, beaker, balance scale, microscope, senses
Data is information gathered from observations or an experiment.
8:26pm (Sunset decreases by 1 minute each night)
Student is able to make an accurate prediction and explain and support their reasoning using prior knowledge of plant growth.
Student should have correctly documented the shape of the moon each night for the week, and should follow the same pattern as the lunar calendar. Student is able to make an accurate prediction based on the collected data and support their reasoning using prior knowledge of the moon’s phases.
Use the following rubric to grade the student's understanding:

Needs Improvement or Reinforcement	Basic Understanding	Mastery
Student is unable to create a data table and cannot make a prediction based on the data collected.	Student is able to make an accurate prediction based on the collected data and explain their reasoning.	Student is able to make an accurate prediction based on the collected data and support their reasoning using prior knowledge of the movement of the sun.