Issuu

4 STEMscopes Georgia Student Notebook

I belong to:

a part of STEMscopes NGSS

Georgia_4th_Book.indd 1

4th grade Notebook

My teacher is:

developed by Accelerate Learning, Inc. & Rice University

(800) 531-0864

6/22/17 11:02 AM

GEORGIA Student Notebook – Fourth Grade ISBN: 978-1-946725-74-5

Published by Accelerate Learning Inc., 5177 Richmond Ave, Suite 800, Houston, TX 77056. Copyright © 2017, by Accelerate Learning Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written consent of Accelerate Learning Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. To learn more, visit us at www.acceleratelearning.com

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 1

12/18/25 2:34 PM

GEORGIA

This Student Notebook is designed to be used as a companion piece to our online curriculum. The pages of this book are organized and follow the 5E model.

Student Handout

ENGAGE

A short activity to grab students’ interest

Student Journal

EXPLORE

A hands-on activity in which students get experience with the concept being taught

STEMscopedia

EXPLAIN

A reference material that includes parent connections, technology, and science news

Reading Science A reading passage about the concept that includes comprehension questions

ELABORATE Math Connection

A set of grade-level appropriate math problems that address the concept

Writing Science

EVALUATE

A writing prompt based on the concept studied in which the students can demonstrate what they have learned

Only student pages are included in this book and directions on how to use these pages are found in our online curriculum. Use the URL address and password provided to you by your district to access our full curriculum.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 2

12/18/25 2:34 PM

Fourth Grade Science Notebook Table of Contents

Lesson

Page

Earth and Space Science 4E1A

4E1B

4E1C

4E1D

4E2A

4E2B

105

4E2C

125

4E3A

147

Technology in Astronomy Attributes of Stars Comparing Stars and Planets Planets in the Solar System Day and Night Phases of the Moon Seasons Properties of Water © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 3

iii

12/18/25 2:34 PM

Fourth Grade Science Notebook Table of Contents

Lesson

Page Earth and Space Science

4E3B

165

4E4AD

187

4E4BC

211

Water Cycle Measuring Weather and Climate Predicting Weather Life Science 4L1B

233

4L1CD

253

Food Chains and Webs Environments and Communities Physical Science 4P1A

275

4P1BC

295

Materials and Light Reflection Refraction iv

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 4

12/18/25 2:34 PM

Fourth Grade Student Notebook Table of Contents

Lesson

Page Physical Science

4P2A

319

4P2B

341

4P3AB

361

4P3C

381

Sound and Vibration Communication Force and Motion Simple Machines Appendix

Glossary

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 5

403

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 6

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4th Grade Earth and Space Science

4E1A

Technology in Astronomy

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 1

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 2

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Studying Objects in Outer Space Part I: Research Use the space below to list facts you want to include and plan your group’s presentation.

_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 3

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Explore Student Journal Part II: Refracting Telescopes Record the information you gathered from the presentation in the table below. What was new about this invention?

What major discoveries happened using this technology?

Part III: Reflecting Telescopes Record the information you gathered from the presentation in the table below. What was new about this invention?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 4

What major discoveries happened using this technology?

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Explore Student Journal Part IV: Radio Telescopes Record the information you gathered from the presentation in the table below. What was new about this invention?

What major discoveries happened using this technology?

Part V: Hubble Space Telescope Record the information you gathered from the presentation in the table below. What was new about this invention?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 5

What major discoveries happened using this technology?

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Explore Student Journal Part VI: Gathering Samples Record the information you gathered from the presentation in the table below. What was new about this process?

What major discoveries happened using this technology?

Reflection 1.

Look at the timeline. Which new invention do you think had the most impact? Explain.

Why are more discoveries being made now than in the 1600s?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 6

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: TECHNOLOGY IN ASTRONOMY 4E1A

Reflect Astronomy is the oldest science. Humans have always looked up at the night sky and wondered about what they saw. In ancient times, celestial objects seemed to hold great power over civilizations. People not only studied the sky to track the Sun and Moon for planting seasons, they also worshipped the Sun, Moon, and stars. They observed celestial movements and recorded them very carefully on bones, stones, parchment, and the walls of caves and dwellings. How do you think ancient sky watchers were affected by not having modern technology to explore space? Early Tools of Astronomy

The Anasazi, who lived in the southwest, drew a bright star in 1054.This was the earliest record of a star that exploded as a supernova.

Sky watchers built huge stone structures aligned (lined up) with the Sun, Moon, and planets. When people began to depend on agriculture, they needed to know the exact course of the seasons to help them decide when to plant and when to harvest. Ancient Europeans, Egyptians, Celts, and Mayans built huge stone structures not only for their religion, but also as tombs for royalty and tools to study the sky. They aligned these structures to the seasonal risings and settings of the Sun, Moon, planets, and some bright stars. Native Americans constructed stone circles for similar purposes.

Stonehenge (England) aligned with Sun’s position

Pyramids (Egypt) aligned with certain stars

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 7

Pyramid (Yucatan) aligned with planet Venus

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: TECHNOLOGY IN ASTRONOMY

Developed about 400 A.D., the astrolabe marked the angle from the horizon to a celestial object. By 1650, it was used widely in Europe.

Used in the 16th century before telescopes, a quadrant was a giant curved wall that also marked angles in the sky. In this image, Dutch astronomer Tycho Brahe catalogued positions of stars and motions of planets. His was the most accurate data at the time.

Try Now Make Your Own Astrolabe To find the angle of an object in the sky, you need: • Plastic protractor with a hole on straight edge • Large plastic drinking straw • String or heavy thread • Weight such as a washer or heavy paper clips • Tape Tie the string with a weight through the hole in the protractor. Tape the straw along the straight edge. To find the angle of an object in the sky, hold the astrolabe with one hand in front of your eye. Slowly pivot the astrolabe upward until you see the object through the straw. Allow the weight to hang freely. Press the string against the astrolabe to keep it in that position. Subtract the angle your read from 90 degrees. That is the angle from the horizon. In this example, the angle or altitude above the horizon is 20 degrees. Galileo (in grey) shows telescope to church officials.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 8

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: TECHNOLOGY IN ASTRONOMY

The Telescope Changes Everything Prior to the 17th century, all observations were made with the naked eye. Humans could see only the Sun, Moon, stars, and five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter) in the sky. The universe was very small to ancient observers. In 1609, a Dutch lens maker, Hans Lippershey, invented a telescope to observe ships among other things. Telescopes gather light from distant objects and magnify them. In 1610, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei improved the telescope and turned it toward the sky. What he discovered forever changed our view of the universe. Since then, we have found other planets and moons in our solar system and galaxies beyond our own among many other things. Look Out! Do not confuse “astronomy” with the term “astrology.” Astronomy is the science that studies objects and events in our universe. Astronomers noted how the Sun moved through 13 constellations called the zodiac constellations. Astrology, however, is not a science. It is a false belief that the positions of objects along the zodiac have power over people’s lives. Based on the zodiac, astrologers try to make predictions or “horoscopes” about the events in your life. Types of Telescopes A refracting telescope uses lenses to bend, gather, and focus light. Galileo’s refractor magnified the image much more that the human eye could see (20 power). Never before seen individual stars in the Milky Way, craters on the Moon, and moons orbiting Jupiter came into view. Although inventors soon made bigger diameter refractors (up to 40 inches in diameter) that showed bigger images, the large lenses sagged and distorted the images.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 9

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: TECHNOLOGY IN ASTRONOMY

In 1671, Isaac Newton used mirrors instead of lenses to gather light, and thereby created the first reflecting telescope. He used a small lens, called an eyepiece, to focus the light that entered the open end of a tube and reflected off a mirror at the opposite end, bounced off a secondary mirror, and went out an eyepiece. In reflecting telescopes, the mirrors can be supported underneath, while lenses in refracting telescopes can only be supported around the edge. This lets them sag and distort the light passing through them. Therefore, the mirrors in reflecting telescopes can be made as large as you want. Their images are clear and not distorted.

Because Newtonian telescopes have eyepieces on their sides, large ones are hard to manage. A more streamline reflector, called a Cassegrain, also uses two mirrors, but the light is sent out the middle of the bottom of the telescope. These are commonly used in research observatories around the world. They can be made quite compact for home use. To make telescopes even more precise and easier to use, companies now make electronic “smart” telescopes with computerized programs that allow you to find objects using a small handheld control panel. The telescope automatically moves to the right position for your viewing. What Do You Think? Visit a local astronomy club’s public observing night called a “star party,” where you can see the Moon, planets, nebulas, and distant galaxies. Many club members are eager for you to look through their scopes and to explain to you what you are seeing. Also visit planetariums located in your area. Planetariums project a starry sky and show onto a dome. Which would you like to visit: an astronomy club star party or planetarium show? Why?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 10

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: TECHNOLOGY IN ASTRONOMY

Observing the Sky in Visible and Invisible Wavelengths Telescopes designed to see the sky in visible wavelengths of light are continually being improved. People built larger telescopes, along with special buildings to house them, called observatories. In the 19th century, a new tool, called a spectroscope, was invented. It attached to the telescope to analyze the light coming from the Sun and other stars. A spectroscope produces a spectrum when it separates light into its individual wavelengths. A prism is one way to separate the colors. We can discover the composition of many objects in the universe—including distant stars—simply by analyzing the visible light these objects emit. Scientists compare the unique colors (spectrum) given off by burning known elements to the colors given off by a star. This is spectroscopy, the study of the electromagnetic spectrum to determine an object’s composition. Today of course, the information needed to analyze light coming through telescopes is stored on computers. Burning elements in order to get this information is a thing of the past. The entire spectrum of electromagnetic radiation emitted by any object is made up of wavelengths of visible and invisible light.

By the 20th century, astronomers had built telescopes to study wavelengths other than visible light, beginning with radio waves coming from planets, comets, giant clouds of gas and dust, pulsars, and black holes among other things. Radio telescopes use huge bowl-shaped antennas called dishes to gather radio waves. These dishes can be linked to form one gigantic telescope, such as New Mexico’s Very Large Array (VLA).

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 11

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: TECHNOLOGY IN ASTRONOMY

Look at the image of a galaxy (below left) taken by a telescope in visible wavelengths. Can you see a jet of light emitted on the right side? Now compare that to a radio image of that same galaxy taken by the VLA. The jet of light is coming from the center of the galaxy. Scientist think it could be powered by a black hole. What do you think?

Orbiting Observatories Scientists realized images from land-based observatory telescopes are limited because of disturbances in our atmosphere. An orbiting telescope would see an image unaffected by the air’s shimmering fluctuations and would open up study of wavelengths that the atmosphere absorbed. Examples are NASA’s four great observatories in space: • Hubble Space Telescope (HST): In 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope, a giant reflector, was launched into Earth’s orbit; it is still taking spectacular images of the cosmos in visible, infrared, and ultraviolet wavelengths. Among other things, the HST has discovered that the universe is expanding faster and faster every day; it has found planets beyond our solar system; it has discovered the presence of black holes in the centers of many galaxies. • Chandra X-Ray Observatory: This observatory has studied violent processes in the Universe, including gamma-ray bursts, black holes, quasars, and supernova explosions (1991-present). • Spitzer Space Telescope: This telescope has gathered infrared waves from dense gas and dust that block our view of star formation, from the centers of galaxies, and from new planetary systems (2003-present). • The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO): Deployed from a space shuttle in 1991, the CGRO recorded bursts of gamma radiation, perhaps when extremely distant neutron stars merge into black holes. Such a burst of gamma radiation emits more energy in a few seconds than the Sun will emit in 10 billion years (1991– 2000).

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 12

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: TECHNOLOGY IN ASTRONOMY

Space Probes Unmanned space probes, launched by rockets, have journeyed to the planets, to many moons and to several comets, and asteroids in our solar system. All of the bodies they have visited provided new insights into how the solar system formed and how it is evolving. Since the 1950s, probes have toured the solar system on a variety of research missions. Some gathered data at a distance using cameras, spectroscopes, and other instruments while in orbit. Others have landed to collect data. Some of the more famous missions were: Magellan to Venus, Pathfinder and Curiosity Rovers on Mars, Cassini-Huygens to Saturn, Voyager 1 and 2 to the gas giants and beyond, and New Horizons to Pluto (arrived 2015).

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 13

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: TECHNOLOGY IN ASTRONOMY

What Do You Know? 1. Early sky watchers observed and recorded the position and motion of objects in the sky because they A.

Needed to follow seasonal changes for planting their crops.

Worshipped objects in the sky.

Tried to use the astronomical bodies to make predictions about their lives.

All of the above

2. Many modern astronomical instruments are on orbiting space observatories like the picture below because… A.

Our atmosphere distorts or blocks many wavelengths of light from distant objects.

It is cheaper to built a space observatory than a land-based observatory.

The observatories are closer to the object than on Earth.

We cannot use any telescopes on EarthWhy do astronomers use spectroscopes to analyze light from distant objects? 3. The spectrum of rainbow colors is pretty to look at. A.

Spectroscopes make the image bigger just like a magnifying glass does.

The colored lines in the spectrum are unique to each element, which reveals the

composition of the distant object.

The spectroscope reveals the size of the distant object.

4. If you were interested in building your own telescope out of a tube with lenses, which type of telescope would you be constructing? A.

Reflecting

Refracting

Cassegrain

None of the above

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 14

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: TECHNOLOGY IN ASTRONOMY

Connecting With Your Child Astronomy Tools Timeline To help your child understand how the technology or tools of astronomers have changed over the centuries, assist in making a timeline. Use the information in this document, from online sources, and from your local library to complete the timeline. Your child will need a stack of large index cards, clothespins, and a long string. On each index card, your child will need to put the following information: • • • • • •

Date or Date range (1960 or 1960–1980) Name of tool Inventor (if known) Where used Brief information about the tool and its uses Picture or drawing of tool

After researching each tool and completing each card, your child should hang a long string (depending on the number of cards) along the front of a bookcase or in a hallway. Hang each index card with a clothespin on the string in chronological order from the oldest to the most recent. Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • How did that tool work? • What discoveries were made using that tool? • What were the limitations of that tool? • How did those discoveries change our ideas about the universe? • Has your child actually seen this tool in person or in a movie? Has your child used this tool? What did he or she think about that?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 15

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 16

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Reading Science Name:

Date:

The Hubble Space Telescope 1.

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is the most famous telescope in the world. It takes pictures, and these pictures help scientists learn about space. The telescope was launched in 1990. The HST circles Earth and orbits at about 362 miles above the planet. It is a large telescope and weighs 12 ¼ tons.

The HST has a 2.4 meter primary mirror. The primary mirror collects the light that the telescope photographs. It also has five scientific tools. These tools help scientists to study space. The tools use different kinds of light to gather images of space. First, light is reflected on the primary mirror. The primary mirror reflects the light onto a smaller mirror called the secondary mirror. The smaller mirror sends the images to scientific tools such as cameras. The scientific tools send the images to another satellite. The satellite then sends the images back to Earth. Scientists view the images on computers.

The HST circles Earth one time every 96 minutes. It takes pictures of space continually as it orbits. The HST has sent back a great amount of information to Earth and has made over one million observations. It has also sent back more than 570,000 images to Earth. It has helped scientists learn about space.

The HST is powered by two large solar panels. The telescope has sensory boards. These boards lock onto guide stars. These guide stars help the telescope point in one direction or another for long periods so that it can take clear pictures. The designers of the telescope had to think about how it would be repaired if it had problems, which it did. The HST was planned so that it can be repaired in space.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 17

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Reading Science 5.

The telescope had problems when it was first launched. The pictures that it took were blurry. Astronauts visited the telescope in 1993 and modified the optical system so that the images were no longer blurry. Other missions were done to service the telescope as well. The last mission was in 2009.

Scientists have said that they plan to use the telescope until the parts stop working. It was only intended to run until 2014; however, scientists think it could now run until 2018. They plan to keep the space telescope running in order to learn as much as they can about space.

The HST is an iconic telescope. It has helped scientists learn much more about space. The HST is able to get close images of objects, and those images are better than what is viewable by telescopes on Earth. Scientists look forward to seeing what else they can learn from the HST during its lifetime.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 18

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Reading Science 1.

The author wrote this passage to– A.

inform the reader about space.

persuade the reader that the Hubble Space Telescope is the best space tool.

explain how the Hubble Space Telescope operates.

describe the images the Hubble Space Telescope sends back to Earth.

What evidence from the passage helps the reader to know what primary means? A.

Mirror

Main

Smaller

Light

A synonym for iconic is– A.

famous.

popular.

unimportant.

dreadful.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 19

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Reading Science 4.

The passage is mostly about– A.

images from the Hubble Space Telescope.

the Hubble Space Telescope’s impact on learning about space.

the size of the Hubble Space Telescope.

how the Hubble Space Telescope was put into space.

What text feature could be added after paragraph two to aid the reader’s understanding? A.

Graph

Map

Caption

Diagram

The reader can tell an optical system is– A.

light.

a solar panel.

the light path through the telescope.

a tool that sends images.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 20

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Math Connection Name:

Date:

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large observatory in space that will add to the discoveries made by the Hubble Space Telescope. The JWST will be able to find older galaxies and look inside dust clouds to see where stars are still forming. 1.

The Hubble Telescope is 14 feet in diameter. The JWST is about three times larger. What is the diameter of the JWST? Draw a picture to help solve this problem. __________________________

The Hubble Telescope is about 43 feet long, while the JWST is 70 feet long at its widest point. How much longer is the JWST than the Hubble Telescope? _________________

Since light takes time to travel, the farther away an object is, the further back in time we can see. Telescopes that can see longer wavelengths can see further back in time. Telescope Hubble JWST

Wavelength in Microns 0.1–0.8 0.6–28

Which telescope can see further back in time? _______________ 4.

The mirror on a telescope is a light-collecting area that allows the telescope to see back in time. The JWST will have a mirror with a diameter of 6.5 meters. The Hubble Telescope has a mirror with a diameter of 2.4 meters. Compare the two diameters using <, >, or =. 6.5 _______ 2.4

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 21

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Math Connection 5.

The Hubble Telescope orbits Earth at a distance of 570 kilometers above it. The JWST will not orbit Earth. It will be at a distance of 1,500,000 kilometers away. How do you say the distance from the JWST to Earth in word form? a. fifteen million b. one million five hundred thousand c. one million five thousand

On Earth, we also have some very powerful telescopes called the Keck I and Keck II. They are located at the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. These telescopes have helped us discover exoplanets, how stars form, black holes, and the makeup of the universe. 6.

The Keck telescopes have a mirror with a diameter of 10 meters. If the JWST has a mirror with a diameter of 6.5 meters, how much longer is the diameter of the Keck telescope? _______________ meters

The two Keck telescopes each have a mirror made up of 36 hexagonal pieces. How many hexagonal pieces do the two telescopes have altogether? ___________________

The Keck I telescope made its first observation in May 1993. How many years old is the Keck I telescope today? ___________________

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 22

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Writing Science Name:

Date:

READ the information in the box. Scientists use many instruments to study living and nonliving things. For example, a microscope is an instrument used to look at objects that are too small to see with the naked eye. These instruments help scientists to make predictions, conduct experiments, and find answers to their questions.

THINK about how scientists study planets, stars, and other objects in our solar system. WRITE about the tool scientists use to study objects in space. What is it called? What does it look like? What are scientists who study space called? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 23

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1A Technology in Astronomy

Writing Science Topic:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 24

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4th Grade Earth and Space Science

4E1B

Attributes of Stars

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 25

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 26

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1B Attributes of Stars

Student Handout Name:

Date:

Which Is Brighter? 1.

Draw a sketch of what you see in front of you. The “X” represents the wall where you are sitting.

X 2.

Order the lamps from least to most bright.

Your teacher will move the lamps to a new location. Draw a sketch of what you see in front of you. The “X” represents the wall where you are sitting.

X 4.

Order the lamps from the least to the most bright based on how they look to you. Did the appearance of each lamp change for you? Why do you think this is?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 27

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 28

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1B Attributes of Stars

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Star Model Draw a blueprint of your model. Include labels and the scale you will use to build it

What are some reasons your model may not be completely correct?

Do you think each star looks the same from Earth? Explain your answer.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 29

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1B Attributes of Stars

Explore Student Journal 3.

Which of the four stars would appear to be the brightest from Earth? Why?

Which stars would appear to be the least bright from Earth? Why?

Which of the four stars is the largest? When looking at it from Earth, does this mean it would be the brightest? Why or why not?

Look at your model of the stars from Earth’s location. Use your observations to write a scientific explanation about why some stars appear brighter and larger than others.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 30

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: ATTRIBUTES OF STARS 4E1B

Reflect Think about the night sky. What can you see? Stars might be one of the first things to come to A star is an mind. There are too many stars for scientists to object in the count them all. There are probably billions and sky made of hot billions of stars in the universe. Do all stars look gases that gives exactly the same? off its own light. It might be hard to tell the differences among stars from here on Earth, but they are all very different. No two stars are the same. We classify stars by their size, color, brightness, mass, and surface temperature. Look Out! Size Scientists often describe a star’s size as a ratio to the size of the Sun. For instance, when scientists compare a star’s radius, the Sun’s radius is called 1 solar radius, so a star with a measurement of 0.75 solar radius is equal in size to three-fourths of the Sun.

radius: the distance from the center of a shpere to its surface; half its diameter

Stars can appear smaller due to their distance from Earth. Although the Sun appears much larger than the stars we see at night, it is not the largest star. The farther away a star is from Earth, the smaller it will appear. The distance of a star from Earth is measured in light years. The Sun is the closest star to Earth, which makes it appear to be the largest. The picture below shows the size of our Sun compared to one of the largest stars, VY Canis Majoris, if you could put them side by side. You can see that our Sun is not nearly as large as it appears when we are looking at it from here on Earth. The Sun looks so much larger because it is so much closer to us than VY Canis Majoris. VY Canis Majoris Sun

radius

What is a light year? It is the distance light can travel, when moving in a straight line, in one year. It is equal to 9,500,000,000,000 km (or 9.5 x 1012 km)

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 31

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: ATTRIBUTES OF STARS

Distance to Earth Solar Radius

Sun 149,600,000 km (0.1496 billion km) 1 solar radius

VY Canis Majoris ~4,900 light years (46,550,000 billion km) >1,800 solar radii

Reflect Color and Surface Temperature A star’s color can tell scientists about its surface temperature. The hottest stars appear blue in color, and the coolest stars are red. Stars with mid-range temperatures are white, yellow, and orange. The Sun is the closest star in our solar system and appears yellow. However, in reality, the Sun is white because it emits visible light in every color, and white is what you get when you combine all those colors. The Sun looks yellow to us here on Earth because Earth’s atmosphere and the human eye change its apparent color.

Coolest stars

Hottest stars

The Sun’s temperature is about 5,800 K (Kelvin). The Kelvin temperature scale is related to the Celsius scale: 1 Kelvin equals 272°C. Red stars typically have temperatures less than 3,500 K, while blue stars can reach temperatures of over 30,000 K! Most stars in the universe are red. Brightness A star’s absolute brightness, also called luminosity, is the total amount of energy (or light) emitted by a star. It is related to a star’s mass and surface temperature. A greater mass relates to a greater brightness—more energy and light given off by the star. A hotter temperature also means greater luminosity. This is different from a star’s apparent brightness, which is affected by how far a star is from Earth. A star closer to Earth will look brighter to us than another star farther away from Earth with the same mass and surface temperature. luminosity: the amount of energy or light given off by a star

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 32

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: ATTRIBUTES OF STARS

Mass Similar to a star’s size, a star’s mass is also usually reported as a ratio with the Sun’s mass, called solar mass. The Sun is the most massive object in our solar system with a mass of 1.989 x 1030 kg (over 300,000 times the mass of Earth). The star VY Canis Majoris is estimated to have a solar mass of 25 (so it is about 25 times larger than the Sun in terms of mass). Because of differing density, two stars of the same size will not necessarily have the same mass. Try Now We use telescopes to see objects in space. You will construct your own telescope to observe the stars in the night sky. Here are the materials you will need: Two lenses of different strengths Paper towel roll One sheet of black construction paper Tape Steps: 1. Roll your sheet of construction paper into a tube similar to the paper towel roll. Use tape to keep the paper in a rolled up position. 2. Take one of your lenses, the one weaker in strength, and carefully tape it to the end of the rolled up sheet of paper. This will be your eyepiece. The eyepiece is the side you will look into. 3. Take your stronger lens and carefully tape it to one of the ends of the paper towel roll. 4. Gently put the rolled up construction paper tube inside the other end of the paper towel roll. 5. You now have your own telescope to experiment with.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 33

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: ATTRIBUTES OF STARS

What Do You Think? Have you ever been outside in the country during the night? If so, what did the sky look like? Did it look different than the sky you would see in a city? In the country, stars in the sky appear brighter and clearer, and there appears to be more of them. In a city, light pollution makes it harder to see all of the stars in the sky. The night sky can look very different depending on where you are when you’re looking at it. What do you know? Read the statements below and write true or false. If the statement is false, rewrite the statement to make it true. _____ 1. The Sun is the largest star. ______________________________________ _____ 2. The coolest stars are red. _______________________________________ _____ 3. The brighter the star, the bigger it is. _______________________________ _____ 4. All stars are made out of gases and are the same size and color. _______________________________________ _____ 5. Telescopes are instruments used by astronomers to help see objects in space. ______________________________________

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 34

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: ATTRIBUTES OF STARS

Look at the table below, which shows information about four different stars. Use the table to answer the questions that follow. Star

Color

Age (millions of years)

Distance from Earth (light years)

Yellow

10,000

22.1

Blue

40,000

15.6

White

6,000

6.2

Red

4,000

8.7

1. Which star is the brightest? How do you know? ____________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 2. Which star is the hottest? _____________________________________________

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 35

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: ATTRIBUTES OF STARS

Connecting With Your Child Stargazing Stargazing is a fun family activity to do in your own backyard, and the best part is that it’s free!

Discuss the following questions with your child:

• What patterns do the stars form? • Do all stars look the same? How are they different? Before you begin stargazing with your child, you might find it beneficial to search • How are stars different from planets? • Do any stars in the night sky appear the Internet for some printable materials larger than our Sun? at home, such as: • Do the stars change location? What causes stars to appear to move? star map – a map of the night sky star clock – uses the stars to tell the time star wheel – used to help you navigate the night sky Any of the stargazing materials listed above will help guide you and your child when observing Earth’s night sky. Take time to learn together how to use each of these materials. With some practice, you and your child will quickly become expert stargazers!

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 36

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1B Attributes of Stars

Reading Science Name:

Date:

Stargazing 1.

When the sun sets, take a look at the night sky. A clear night will allow you to see stars spread out across the black sky. You might notice that some stars are dimmer or brighter than others. You might ask yourself, Why are some brighter than others?

Scientists have observed the night sky for many years. They have found out that how bright a star appears to our eyes depends on how big the star is, how hot it is, and how close it is to Earth. If two stars The Orion Constellation are the same size and temperature, the star that is Photo from: www.astro.wisc. closer will appear bigger and brighter. If two stars are edu the same size and the same distance, the hotter one will appear brighter. The Sun is the closest star to Earth. That is why it looks so enormous compared to the other stars in the sky. During the day, we cannot see the other stars in the sky because the Sun’s light causes the sky to glow blue. This blue light blocks out the other stars’ light.

Scientists report that there are somewhere between 200–400 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy alone. There are believed to be at least 100 billion galaxies in the universe. This means many more stars!

Stars have different colors. The stars rank in color from colder stars to the hottest stars. The order of colors from coolest stars to hottest is: red, orange, yellow, white, and finally a blue star is the hottest star.

Stars are not only classified by their brightness or color, but also by their size. Some stars are considered dwarf stars. The most common stars are red dwarfs. They are half the size of the Sun. They create energy very slowly, which is why they are so cool. In contrast, stars that are about 100 times larger than the Sun are known as giants. Even bigger stars are called supergiants. Some supergiants are 1,500 times larger than the Sun. Those are huge stars!

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 37

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1B Attributes of Stars

Reading Science 6.

Stars have been important in human history. They have been used in religious practices. They have also been grouped into patterns called asterism. Sometimes these patterns are called constellations. However, connecting the stars is like a dot-to-dot picture. Some asterisms are easy to find and some are not. The most recognizable asterisms is the Big Dipper, or Ursa Major. It forms a ladle. The Big Dipper served an important part in American history.

Another pattern you may see is called Orion. Orion can easily be found by looking for the three stars that are close together. This makes up his “belt.” The rest of Orion can be found from around his belt using a star chart.

The night sky is full of stories and amazing science. Looking up at it on a clear night leaves much to the imagination of our enormous universe.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 38

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1B Attributes of Stars

Reading Science 1.

A student looks through a telescope and sees a blue light coming from a tiny star far away. The student can tell this star is – A.

cool.

a dwarf.

a supergiant.

a very hot star.

Which detail supports the main idea of the passage? A.

The night sky is full of stories and amazing science.

Stars can be different colors, which are often seen when looking through a telescope.

Scientists have observed the night sky for many years.

You might notice that some stars are dimmer or brighter than others.

The author organized the text by – A.

comparing and contrasting star colors.

sequencing how the human eye sees a star.

describing the features of stars.

describing why we have stars and their effects on Earth.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 39

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1B Attributes of Stars

Reading Science 4.

Which detail supports that stars can be small in size? A.

The constellations are pictures that are seen in the sky with the stars.

A red star is a star with a low temperature.

The most common star is the red dwarf.

They are half the size of the sun and create energy very slowly.

The author included the photo of Orion mainly to – A.

show the reader the names of the stars in Orion.

show the reader the formation of Orion in the sky.

show Orion in relation to the other stars.

show the location of Orion’s belt.

Another title for the passage would be – A.

The Wondrous Night Sky.

Stars in Many Colors.

A Star is Born.

Sky Pictures.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 40

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1B Attributes of Stars

Math Connections Name:

Date:

The color of a star is determined by the temperature on its surface. Hotter stars are blue, and cooler stars are red. The chart below shows the temperature ranges of stars and their colors. Temperaute in Kelvin

Color

>30,000 K

Blue

10,000–30,000 K

Blue-white

7,500–10,000 K

White

6,000–7,500 K

Yellow-white

5,200–6,000 K

Yellow

3,700–5,200 K

Orange

2,400–3,700 K

Red

The Sun has a surface temperature of 5,800 K. What is the color of the Sun? _____________________

The surface temperature of Betelgeuse is 2,400 K. • Is it hotter or colder than the Sun? _____________________ • What color is Betelgeuse? _______________

What is the difference between the surface temperature of the Sun and Betelgeuse? ________________

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 41

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1B Attributes of Stars

Math Connections The distance of stars is measured in light years from the Sun. The apparent magnitude of a star is a measure of its brightness as seen from Earth. The table below compares the distance and magnitude of several stars. Star Name Proxima Centauri Sirius Mintaka Denebola Betelguese

Distance in Light Years 4.2 8.6 900 36 430

Apparent Magnitude

Diameter in km

11.0 -1.46 2.25 2.11 0.42

200,000 2,300,000 11,479,050 2,406,000 1,643,000,000

How much farther away is Mintaka than Denebola?_________ light years

The smaller the apparent magnitude, the brighter the star. Which star in the chart above is the brightest?_________________

One of the supergiant stars, Betelgeuse, has a diameter of 1,643,000,000 miles. What digit is in the ten millions place? _____________

Round the distance of the star Sirius to the nearest whole number. _________

How much farther is Betelgeuse from the Sun than Mintaka? _____________

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 42

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1B Attributes of Stars

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the picture of stars in the night sky.

THINK about what makes stars different from each other. WRITE about how astronomers classify stars. How are size, brightness, and distance used to describe stars? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 43

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1B Attributes of Stars

Writing Science Topic:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 44

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4th Grade Earth and Space Science

4E1C

Comparing Stars and Planets

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 45

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 46

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1C Comparing Stars and Planets

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Stars vs. Planets Part I Use the table below to record your observations about the stars and planets when you rotated and when you revolved around the Sun. Stars

Planets

Rotate

Revolve

How do the planets move around the Sun?

Compare how the stars appeared to move to how the planets moved while you were revolving.

Why were you able to see the stars? Why were you able to see the planets?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 47

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1C Comparing Stars and Planets

Explore Student Journal Part II Use the Venn diagram to record how you sorted the Data Cards.

Stars

Planets Both

If you looked at an object in the sky, how could you know if it was a star or a planet?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 48

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: COMPARING STARS

AND PLANETS 4E1C

Reflect When you look up at the night sky with the naked eye, you are looking at stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. If you are lucky, sometimes you can see the closest planets like Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn moving against the background constellations. You could use sky maps in books, on the internet, or cell phones applications to help you identify which lights are planets, like Mars, and which are stars, like Regulus. How can you tell the difference without these aids? How can you compare stars and planets?

Appearance Stars are enormous balls of hot, dense gas that give off their own light. Stars are also very, very far away, so even though they are huge, they appear as tiny points of twinkling light. Stars twinkle because tiny movements in the atmosphere refract (bend) the points of light every millisecond. The Sun does not twinkle, but appears as a yellow-white disc because it is so close. Light from our Sun takes only 8 minutes to arrive at Earth. Planets do not give off their own light; they reflect light from the Sun. Planets do not twinkle because they are closer than the stars and look like small disks of colored light. However, planets did look like stars to ancient people. Sky watchers from long ago noticed that some lights seem to wander among the background of constellation patterns. They did not know they were the planets of our solar system. The ancient Greek name for planet means “wandering star.”

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 49

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: COMPARING STARS

AND PLANETS

Through a telescope, stars appear as white, blue, or red points of light. However, a telescopic view of the surface of planets reveals structure and colored details. The inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) have rocky surfaces. The outer planets are gas giants, and appear to have stripes (Jupiter and Saturn) or a solid color (Uranus and Neptune) on the surface. Look Out! Position The Sun is the only star located in our solar system. The next nearest star in the Milky Way Galaxy is far beyond our solar system. Its light takes about four light years to arrive at Earth. A light year is a unit of length used to measure astronomical distances. It is the distance light travels in a year: 6,000,000,000,000 miles. The light from most stars in our galaxy comes from much farther—from thousands of light years to a hundred thousand light years away. The more distant or fainter stars are only visible with a telescope. There are other stars in galaxies far beyond our Milky Way.

The Sun, at the center of the solar system, is one of billions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.

When Earth rotates, it gives the illusion that the stars move across the night sky. From Earth, stars appear in patterns called constellations which move across the sky from east to west. The Big Dipper constellation appears to stand on its handle early in the evening. As Earth continues to rotate, the Big Dipper appears to shift its position from east to west in a big arc.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 50

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: COMPARING STARS

AND PLANETS

Stars can be seen all over the sky, but not planets. When planets move around the Sun, they appear along a single path in the sky known as the ecliptic. This is the same path as the Sun and Moon. Also, the same constellations appear each season, but not planets. Because planets move at different speeds around the Sun, they appear at different times along the ecliptic. Constellations change with the season. As Earth moves in orbit around the Sun, it is pointed at night to a different direction in space with each season. Imagine you are Earth walking around the edge of your living room. Each wall is a different season. As you pass each wall, you notice different things hanging on that wall just like you see different constellations each season. Number To count the number of stars in our universe depends on which view you are using. With the naked eye, an observer on Earth—on a clear night away from the pollution of city lights— can see about 6,000 stars. That is a very tiny portion of all stars. Our Milky Way is a large galaxy with 300 billion stars. The Milky Way is part of about 30 local galaxies which are part of a supercluster of galaxies. There are many superclusters of galaxies in our universe. Considering that there are 100 billion known galaxies of different sizes, scientists put the estimate of known stars at 100 billion trillion! Planets in our solar system are few in number, with only eight that are counted as major planets. (Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.) © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 51

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: COMPARING STARS

AND PLANETS

Try Now Splatter Paint Night Sky To make a model of the night sky that shows stars and planets, you will need the following: • Black construction paper • Old toothbrushes • A piece of 1-centimeter wire screening • White poster paint • White paper, colored pencils, or markers to make drawings of Jupiter and Saturn • One paper punch circle for Mars • Piece of chalk • Glue stick • Old shirt to wear for protection • Goggles to protect eyes 1. First, practice the following two methods on a piece of scrap paper to be sure you are getting tiny splatters of paint rather than big blobs. 2. Method 1: Dip a toothbrush into the paint so just the tips of the bristles are covered in paint. Draw your thumb across the bristles while moving the brush, aiming the splatter onto the black paper in a band pattern as you go. 3. Method 2: Reload the brush and draw it across the piece of wire screen as you move it over the paper. Reload the brush as necessary, and alternate methods from time to time. 4. While you are waiting for the paint to dry, use the images of Jupiter and Saturn to color two 3-centimeter circles. Shade them with the stripes of colored gases, and cut them out. Color the paper punch circle red for Mars. 5. When your starry paint is dry, use your chalk to draw a thin dotted line in a gentle arc from the right side to the left side of your paper. That is the ecliptic, the path along which the Sun, Moon, and planets travel when we observe them in the sky. 6. Take your planet circles and glue them on the ecliptic line.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 52

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: COMPARING STARS

AND PLANETS

Answer these questions about your model: 1. Look at the picture of the stars in the night sky. How is it like your painting? How is it different? 2. Are the stars scattered evenly in the night sky? How about on your painting? 3. Why do you think tiny, splattered dots of paint best represent the stars and the paper circles best represent the planets? Connecting With Your Child Sky Watching To help your child understand the differences between the appearances, positions, and numbers of stars and planets, plan an evening of sky watching. Observing the night sky can be frustrating if you live in a city where light pollution drowns out the stars. Try going to a dark sky location beyond the edge of town. Perhaps a family member or friend might have suitable property. State parks and rural school parking lots are good locations for sky watching. Before you go, be sure to get a star map of the night sky for the month in which you are observing. The constellations and planets change, so be sure to have an accurate sky map. If you want your own, there are printable versions on the Internet, or you can buy plastic-coated ones online. If it is cool outside, bring a jacket, something warm to drink, and blankets. Be sure to bring a small telescope if one is available. Find which directions are north, south, east, and west. You will want to face toward the southern sky to find the ecliptic path where planets are found. Find familiar constellations on the star map to orient yourself. Then use the star map to locate any planets that may be visible that night. They will be steady points of light that do not twinkle.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 53

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: COMPARING STARS

AND PLANETS

If you do not have access to a dark sky location, try visiting a local planetarium. A planetarium is a place that simulates the starry sky, planets, and other celestial objects on a domed ceiling. Often, a star talk and multimedia show on astronomy topics are offered. Your local astronomy club, found on the Internet, will offer public star parties where they make their telescopes available for public viewing.

Here are some questions to discuss with your child: How do stars look different than planets in the sky? How do the locations of stars and planets differ? How does the number of stars and planets differ?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 54

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1C Comparing Stars and Plants

Reading Science Name:

Date:

The Milky Way 1.

We live in a galaxy called the Milky WINTER Way. Seen from the side, the Milky Way looks like an old fashioned flying saucer. Seen from above, it looks like a disk of stars and interstellar gas with a bright SUMMER bar of stars in the middle and several spiral arms swirling outward. The Milky Way is called a barred spiral galaxy. The Sun and the planets lie in the quiet part of the galaxy, between two spiral arms. They lie about halfway out from the center.

The Sun and everything that orbits it is called the solar system. Those orbiting things include 8 planets, at least 5 smaller bodies called dwarf planets, and lots of debris called asteroids, meteoroids, and comets. We can see the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn with the naked eye. But how can one tell the difference between a star and a planet in the night sky? First of all, planets do not twinkle like stars. Planets shine consistently. Planets are sometimes much brighter than stars in the night sky, but not always!. If you see something in the night sky that shines brighter than a star and doesn’t twinkle, it is likely to be a planet.

Use a telescope to look at the night sky. Locate a planet. You can find out when and where planets are visible on the internet. Check its position every day. You will see that the planet moves among the stars in the sky. The stars tend to stay in the same spot relative to each other.

All stars are much larger than the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter. But the distances to stars are so great compared to the planets that stars appear about the same size as the planets in the night sky.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 55

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1C Comparing Stars and Plants

Reading Science 5.

The largest star in our sky is the Sun. This is because the Sun is the closest star to us. There are planets orbiting many other stars in our Milky Way galaxy. If you were to fly far above the Earth’s north pole and look at the planets orbiting the sun, you would see that they all revolve counterclockwise around it. Revolution is the motion of one object around another. Earth’s revolution around the Sun takes 365 and ¼ days, which creates a year. Every four years, the one-quarter days are added together to add an extra day to February. This is known as a leap year.

In a year’s time, the Earth also goes through seasonal changes. These changes are caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis as you can see in the figure on the previous page. The tilt of the Earth’s axis stays the same all year long. The Earth’s north pole points toward the star Polaris throughout the year.

The Earth is spinning on its axis between the north and south poles. This spinning is called rotation. Rotation causes day and night.

The seasons are caused by the changing location of the Sun compared to each place on Earth. During the summer time in the northern hemisphere, the Sun rises north of due east, stays up a long time, rises high in the sky, and send lots of heat onto the northern hemisphere. This heat warms the air, the land, and the water more than any other time of the year. During winter, the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. The Sun rises south of due east. It is up for a much shorter time than in the summer, and its heat is more spread out, so it cannot warm us as much as during the summer.

The Milky Way galaxy is home to Earth. It is home to billions of other planets and stars. It is pretty fascinating to think that the Milky Way is only one of billions of galaxies in the universe. Its stars and planets shine brightly for us to see from Earth. The night sky is very interesting. It leaves much to wonder about our universe.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 56

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1C Comparing Stars and Plants

Reading Science 1.

How are the stars and planets alike? A.

They are the same colors.

They are the same size.

They can look the same size in the night sky.

They both don’t move.

What tool can we use to observe the night sky? A.

A hand lens

A microscope

A telescope

A rain gauge

The picture helps the reader understand all of the following except – A.

how the Earth revolves around the Sun.

the size of the Sun in relation to the Earth.

how the Sun’s rays affect the Earth.

what causes the Earth’s seasons.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 57

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1C Comparing Stars and Plants

Reading Science 4.

Paragraph 2 is mostly about – A.

comparing and contrasting stars and planets.

describing stars and planets.

sequencing how stars and planets are seen in the night sky.

explaining the reason for the creation of the Milky Way.

If the southern hemisphere is in summer, a student can probably infer – A.

they have shorter days.

they have colder temperatures.

the Sun is higher in their sky each day than in ours.

the northern hemisphere is getting the most sunlight.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 58

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1C Comparing Stars and Planets

Math Connections Name:

Date:

The stars and planets have two main differences that help astronomers identify them. Stars undergo nuclear reactions in their cores and are formed from the collapse of a cloud of gas. Planets form when material around a star condenses around ice or rock cores. The table below shows some characteristics of planets. Planet

Diamter (km)

Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune

4,879 12,104 12,756 6,792 142,984 120,536 51,118 49,528

Surface Temperature (K) 440.15 737.15 288.15 208.15 163.15 133.15 78.15 73.15

Distance from Earth (km) 91,691,000 41,400,000 ---78,340,000 628,730,000 1,275,000,000 2,723,950,000 4,351,400,000

What is the smallest planet? ________________________

What is the difference in diameter between the smallest and largest planet? ___________________

How much farther from Earth is Mercury than Venus? ___________________

What is the temperature of the coldest planet? _______________________

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 59

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1C Comparing Stars and Planets

Math Connections Stars have different characteristics than planets. Use the table below to compare stars and planets.

Star

Diamter (km)

Sun Alpha Centauri A Sirius B Betelgeuse Eta Carinae VY Canis Majoris

1,392,000 1,203,561 2,400,000 1,642,600,000 6.4 trillion 1,976,600,000

Surface Temperature (K) 5,778 5,790 25,200 3,500 40,000 3,000

Distance to Earth (km) 149,600,000 40,680,000,000,000 81,360,000,000,000 6,078,520,000,000,000 70,955,000,000,000,000 46,282,000,000,000,000

What do you notice about the diameters of stars compared to planets? _____________________________________________________________

What is the temperature difference between the hottest and coldest star in the table? _______________________

Are stars typically hotter or colder than planets? hotter

What is the difference in distance between the closest star to Earth and the closest planet to Earth? _______________________

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 60

colder

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1C Comparing Stars and Planets

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the picture of the planets and stars.

THINK about how planets and stars are similar and different. Think about their appearances, their positions in the sky, and how many are in the night sky. WRITE about the similarities and differences between planets and stars. Describe three examples of ways they are similar and three examples of ways they are different. Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 61

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1C Comparing Stars and Planets

Writing Science Topic:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 62

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4th Grade Earth and Space Science

4E1D

Planets in the Solar System

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 63

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 64

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Modeling the Solar System Part I: Modeling the Planets Planet Descriptions Planet Name

Rocky or Gaseous

Large or Small?

Near or Far?

Which planet is the smallest? Which is the largest?

Which planet is the closest to the Sun? Which is the farthest away?

What can you say about the smaller planets and their distances from the Sun?

What can you say about the larger planets and their distances from the Sun?

What do you notice about the rocky planets? The gaseous planets?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 65

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Explore Student Journal Draw and label your model of the solar system.

Write a question you could ask other groups about your model in the space provided.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 66

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Explore Student Journal Part II: Customizing Your Model After discussing with your group, record the objects you will use to replace the pictures of each planet. Then, explain your group’s reasoning. Planet Name

Object

Reasoning

Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune 1.

How did you make sure the size of your planet was represented? Appearance? Composition?

What characteristics were easy to show while choosing objects to represent each planet?

What characteristics were difficult to show while choosing objects to represent each planet?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 67

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Explore Student Journal Part III: Analyzing the Models Think about both models you created and the ones created by other groups. Compare the model using pictures to the model using objects. Write an “S” to represent strengths and an “L” to represent limitations. Briefly explain why each one is a strength or limitation. Characteristics of Planets in the Solar System

Pictures

Objects

Composition

Appearance

Size

Distance from the Sun

Order 1.

Which characteristics were limited in both models?

How could you create a model that overcomes these limitations?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 68

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PLANETS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM 4E1D

Reflect If you look up at the sky on most nights, you’ll see the Moon. You may have noticed that sometimes the Moon looks like a circle. Other times it looks like a half-circle. On some nights, you can’t see it at all. Even though it looks different, the Moon does not really change. It looks like it changes because it orbits Earth. The Moon orbits Earth while Earth orbits the Sun. How can you show the orbits of the Moon and Earth? They are so big that it could be difficult to show. What other objects in the solar system follow orbits?

orbit: to travel in a repeating path around an object

How do the Moon and Earth move through space? Both the Moon and Earth are spheres, or balls, of rock. Unlike the Moon, Earth is a planet. A planet is a large, sphere-shaped object that orbits a star. The star that Earth orbits is called the Sun. The Moon is a satellite, which is a natural object that orbits a planet. The Moon orbits Earth about once every 28 days. That is about one month. Earth orbits the Sun Earth’s orbit around the Sun is much longer than the Moon’s as the Moon orbits orbit around Earth. How do we know that? Well, it takes about one year for Earth to orbit the Sun. Earth Look Out! The Moon looks bright in the night sky, but it does not make its own light. It is lit up by the Sun, meaning it reflects the Sun’s light back to us. The half of the Moon facing the Sun is always lit up. As the Moon orbits Earth, you can see different parts of the lighted half. The Moon looks like it changes throughout the month as it moves into different positions. But it’s really our view of the Moon as it moves that makes it seem as if it changes shape! © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 69

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PLANETS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Look Out! How can we use models to represent the orbits of the Moon and Earth? model: an idea or a physical structure that describes or represents something else

Studying how Earth, the Sun, and the Moon move can be a little tricky. After all, you can’t place them on your desk to look at them. What would happen if you tried to bring the Sun into your classroom? Pretty difficult, right? One useful way to study them is by making a model. You can use everyday objects to represent the Sun, Earth, and the Moon to show how they move.

Keep in mind that no model can show Earth, the Sun, or the Moon perfectly. Earth is much bigger than the Moon. About four Moons could fit inside Earth. The Sun is even larger. About one million Earths could fit inside the Sun. It would be very difficult to choose two perfect objects to model Earth and the Sun. The object representing the Sun would have to be one million times larger than the object representing Earth. Your object for Earth would be too tiny to see, or your object for the Sun would be too large to use easily. To make a good model, you need to choose objects that are useful for showing what you want. Suppose you decide to make a model out of balls. You would need to choose the largest ball to represent the Sun. Maybe you would use a beach ball. Then you would need to choose a smaller ball to represent Earth. You might use a baseball. You should use an even smaller ball to represent the Moon. A table tennis ball would be handy. Think about other types of balls that could show these differences in size.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 70

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PLANETS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Look Out! Now you need to consider distance. The Moon is much closer to Earth than the Sun is. If you put the object representing the Sun too far away, your model will be too big. You should place the Sun as far away from Earth as you can and place the Moon closer to Earth. You must find a way to show that the Sun is farther away. Even though your distances are not exact, your model will still help limitation: a factor show the patterns of how these objects move. or problem that prevents full use of All models have limitations. Look at a toy car or animal. It something is a model, not an exact replica of the original. Think about a globe. It has obvious limitations. Earth doesn’t have a seam at the Equator or a metal spike through its middle. When you use a globe to model the Earth, it is limited by its size; it cannot show all the details. Distances, elevations, actions, and composition are not true to the real object. Whenever you make a model, you need to know that the model has limitations. It won’t be exactly like the real thing, but it can still be very useful. What Do You Think? This picture shows a model a student made of the Sun, Earth, and the Moon. What are some features of the model that make it useful? What are some limitations of the model? How would you modify or improve the model? Think back to the model constructed in the Explore activity. What were some features of that model that were useful? What were some of its limitations? Describe what a model of your own design would look like.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 71

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PLANETS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Try Now Try making your own model. 1. Gather materials that you can use to make a model of the Sun, Earth, and the Moon. Consider the following ideas, or come up with your own. • Foam balls Clay A lamp • Sport balls Balloons Foods (marshmallows, candies, fruit) 2. Arrange the objects to represent the Sun, Earth, and the Moon. 3. Show how the objects move. Describe the model in words. What Do You Think? What are the eight planets of our solar system, and where are they located? Earth isn’t the only planet to orbit the Sun. There are eight planets in our solar system. Each planet orbits at a different distance from the Sun. solar system: the Sun Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. It is also the and any objects, including smallest planet. The next planet from the Sun is Venus. This planet is sometimes called “Earth’s twin” because it is planets, moons, and about the same size as Earth. Venus is much hotter than asteroids, that orbit it Earth, though. Earth comes next. It is the third planet from the Sun. The distance between Earth and the Sun is just right for living things. If it were closer, Earth might be too hot. If it were farther away, Earth would get too cold. Mars is the planet that comes after Earth. It is known as the “Red Planet” because its soil makes it look red. Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. It is the largest planet. Saturn comes after Jupiter. It is known for the rings that go around it. Uranus is located beyond Saturn. It glows green. The farthest planet from the Sun is Neptune. From Earth, it looks blue.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 72

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PLANETS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

What Do You Think?

In order from the Sun, the planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Notice how much larger the four outer planets are. Yet even the largest planet, Jupiter, is small compared to the Sun. The speck to the right of Neptune is Pluto. Most scientists now consider Pluto a dwarf planet. For a long time, scientists described the solar system as having nine planets. The ninth planet was Pluto. It is a tiny sphere located very far from the Sun—for most of its orbit, it is farther away than Neptune. In 2006, astronomers met to discuss Pluto. They decided that Pluto really didn’t have all the characteristics of a planet. Pluto and two other spheres were reclassified as dwarf planets. astronomer: a scientist who studies space and the objects in it

Because the scientists were gathering evidence they may not have had in the past, they agreed that the change made sense. The new evidence allowed them to draw new conclusions.

Scientists in the Spotlight: Neil deGrasse Tyson Changing Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet was not an easy decision for scientists. People were used to thinking that there were nine planets. Many people did not want the change. One of the scientists who played an important role in the decision was Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 73

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PLANETS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

What Do You Think? Dr. Tyson has been gazing at the sky since he got his first telescope as a young child. Today, he is a scientist who studies how objects in the universe move and interact. Not only does Dr. Tyson know a lot about the universe, but he has a talent for sharing that information. Dr. Tyson can describe some of the most difficult ideas about space in ways that are easy for students to understand. What is his secret? “Let ’em play,” he said in a 2004 interview. “When my daughter was two and she poured her cup of milk on the dining table and watched it drizzle…and then drip down to the floor, she was performing experiments.” Dr. Tyson helped students realize that just by watching and observing carefully, they were true scientists already. Try Now Suppose someone asked you to quickly name the fifth planet from the Sun. You might have to think about it for a moment. There are some fun ways to remember the order of the planets. For example, take a look at this sentence: My very educated mother just served us nachos. The first letter of every word is the first letter of a planet name. So you have Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. There are lots of different sentences like this that people have made up to remember the order of the planets. Try coming up with one of your own. What do you know? The diagram below shows the Sun and the orbits of the planets. Draw the correct planet on each orbit. Write the name of the planet and its position in order from the Sun. Draw smaller pictures to show smaller planets and larger pictures to show larger planets. Include any other details you might know about each planet.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 74

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PLANETS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Connecting With Your Child A Living Model Work with your child to model the motions of Earth and the Moon. Invite another family member to join you if possible. You won’t need to gather any materials in advance because you will be the materials for this activity! 1. Choose an open space in a room inside your home or outside. Clear any objects or furniture from the space. The space does not have to be huge, but it should be large enough so you can walk in a circle without bumping into anything or tripping. 2. Choose who will represent Earth and who will represent the Moon. 3. If you have another family member available, he or she can be the Sun. If not, set up a lamp as the Sun in the center of the area. 4. Whoever is Earth should stand in position in orbit around the Sun. 5. Whoever is the Moon should stand in position in orbit around Earth. 6. When everyone is in position, slowly model the motions of Earth and the Moon. Be careful not to move too quickly. © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 75

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PLANETS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

You have probably seen models of the solar system made from foam balls or even candies. In this activity, you and your child are the model. The goal of this model is to represent the orbits of Earth and the Moon. To create a good representation, you should use something or someone to represent the Sun. The Sun is the star at the center of the solar system. The planets and everything in the solar system travel around the Sun, so the Sun will stay in one place in the center of your model. Earth travels around the Sun. To travel around another object is to orbit it, and the path traveled is also called an orbit. The person acting as Earth will have to walk slowly around the Sun. Earth orbits in a counterclockwise direction, so the person should walk that way as well. In real life, it takes Earth one year to complete this motion. The shape of Earth’s orbit is actually an ellipse, which is like a circle that has been stretched. For the purpose of the model, you can consider the orbit to be a circle. As Earth orbits the Sun, the Moon orbits Earth. The person acting as the Moon should walk slowly around the person acting as Earth. As with Earth, the Moon moves in a counterclockwise direction. The Moon takes about 28 days to complete one orbit, so the person acting as the Moon should walk a little faster than the person acting as Earth. Everyone should be careful as they walk so as not to trip over one another. Try to make one complete orbit around the Sun. (The Moon should make about 12 orbits around Earth in this time.) Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • How did we model the orbits of Earth and the Moon? • How are the orbits of Earth and the Moon alike? How are they different? • About how many orbits does the Moon complete during one complete orbit of Earth? • In what ways was the model a good way to represent the orbits? • What are some things you could do to improve your model? • What are some limitations of any kind of model used to represent objects in space?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 76

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Reading Science Name:

Date:

Popular Planets 1.

“Class, an easy way for you to remember the order of the planets is with a mnemonic device,” explained Mrs. Bultje.

“What’s a mnemonic device?” asked Jodie.

“A mnemonic device is a simple saying that helps you remember your learning because of the words used in the mnemonic device,” explained Mrs. Bultje.

“Hmm…I’m not sure I understand,” retorted Jodie.

“To remember the order of the planets, try remembering this saying: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos. The M in ‘My’ stands for Mercury. Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. It is quite a small planet and is about one-third the size of Earth,” said Mrs. Bultje. “What planet do you think the V stands for in ‘Very’?” asked Mrs. Bultje.

“Venus?” guessed Brad.

“You’re correct! Who can tell us about Venus?” asked Mrs. Bultje.

Brad’s hand shot into the air like a firecracker on the Fourth of July.

“Venus is Earth’s sister planet. It is about the same size as Earth. Venus is much like Earth because it has mountains and land; however, no life is on Venus because of its extreme heat. It’s sometimes the brightest planet in the solar system as seen from Earth.”

10. “Thank you, Brad. Now, we all know the E in ‘Educated’ stands for Earth. Earth is the third planet from the Sun. As Brad said, Earth is about the same size as Venus,” stated Mrs. Bultje. “We are now on the M for ‘Mother’ in our mnemonic,” explained Mrs. Bultje. 11. “My Very Educated Mother…the M in ‘Mother’ stands for Mars?” asked Jodie. 12. “You’re correct!” exclaimed Mrs. Bultje.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 77

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Reading Science 13. “Mars is the red planet,” explained Veronica. “It is smaller than Earth. If you put Mars and Earth next to each other, Mars would be a softball, and Earth would be a basketball. It is quite a bit smaller than Earth.” 14. “Thank you, Veronica,” said Mrs. Bultje. 15. “We are now on the J for ‘Just’ in our mnemonic,” explained Mrs. Bultje. 16. “That’s my planet, Jupiter,” expressed Tyler. “Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is so big that 1,400 Earths could fit into Jupiter. It’s huge! It also has a very short day. Jupiter spins very fast. It has a little less than 10 hours in its day, and its year is about two of Earth’s years put together. It takes a very long time to orbit the Sun because it’s the fifth planet from the Sun.” 17. “What great information you shared, Tyler. You are a Jupiter expert,” exclaimed Mrs. Bultje. 18. “My Very Educated Mother Just Served…” thought Monica. “I bet the S is for me. I researched Saturn.” 19. “You are correct,” said Mrs. Bultje. 20. “Please tell us about Saturn,” begged Brad. 21. “Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. It is surrounded by at least seven giant rings. They are almost entirely made of ice particles. Saturn is the farthest planet that can be seen from Earth without binoculars or a telescope. You just have to know where to look in the night sky. Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system. Jupiter is the first,” explained Monica. 22. “Those rings are fascinating, aren’t they?” reflected Mrs. Bultje. “Scientists believe they are made of ice. Okay, next is the word ‘Us.’ What planet might this stand for?” 23. “Uranus! That’s my planet,” expressed Walt. “Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It cannot be seen from Earth without a telescope. It is several times larger than Earth and smaller than Jupiter or Saturn. It is made of mostly gas like Jupiter and Saturn. It is very far away from the Sun. In fact, it’s 1,782 million miles away from the Sun. I can’t imagine how far that is. I just know it’s far.” 24. “Wow! That is so far!” expressed Monica. 25. “Class, let’s say our acronym out loud,” directed Mrs. Bultje.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 78

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Reading Science 26. “My-Mercury, Very-Venus, Educated-Earth, Mother-Mars, Just-Jupiter, ServedSaturn, Us-Uranus, Nachos-Neptune! N is for Neptune. Who has it?” 27. “I do!” exclaimed Billy. “Neptune is the last planet in our solar system. It is smaller than Jupiter and Saturn and only a little bit bigger than Uranus. Neptune is 2,800 million miles away from the Sun.” 28. “Class, you’ve done a great job explaining the differences between the different planets in our solar system. To remember them, try to say our mnemonic device: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos.” 29. “Mmm…I’m getting hungry,” said Brad. “Can my mom serve us some nachos now?” 30. The class laughed as they washed their hands to go to lunch.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 79

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Reading Science 1.

The reader can tell the students– A.

know nothing about the planets.

are researching the planets.

are unfocused on their learning.

are not interested in learning about the planets.

The author wrote this story mainly to– A.

explain how large each planet is.

describe the planets’ sizes and their relation in the solar system.

entertain with a story about how students learn about the planets.

inform about how students conduct research.

What is a main difference between Venus and Earth that is discussed in the reading? A.

Land

Water

Size

Distance from the Sun

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 80

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Reading Science 4.

Which is the best summary of the selection? A.

The class is studying the planets. They are looking at each planet’s size and their distance in relation to the Sun. Mrs. Bultje taught the class a mnemonic device to remember the planets’ order. The students presented information on each planet.

The class is studying the planets. Mrs. Bultje taught the class a mnemonic device: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos. The students got hungry for nachos.

The class is learning about the planets. Mrs. Bultje shared information about the planets, and students learned about how large Jupiter is.

The class is learning a mnemonic device to help remember the planets. Students compared how Venus and Earth were alike. They also learned how the planets revolve around the Sun.

The phrase Brad’s hand shot into the air like a firecracker on the Fourth of July is an example of a(n)– A.

idiom.

metaphor.

simile.

synonym.

Which planet is the last planet that can be seen from Earth without a telescope? A.

Mars

Neptune

Jupiter

Saturn

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 81

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 82

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Use the following table to answer questions 1–8. Planet Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune

Diameter (miles wide) 3,031 7,521 7,926 4,222 88,729 74,600 32,600 30,200

Name one pair of inner planets and one pair of outer planets that have similar sizes. inner planets: __________________ and __________________ outer planets: __________________ and __________________

List the inner planets in order from smallest to largest. _________, __________, __________, ___________

List the outer planets in order from smallest to largest. _________, __________, __________, ___________

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 83

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Math Connections 4.

If the inner planets were combined to make one giant planet, how wide would it be? ___________ miles wide

What is the difference in size between the largest planet and the smallest planet in our solar system? ___________ miles wide

Round the size of Earth to the nearest hundred. ___________ miles wide

Write the size of Saturn in expanded form. ______ + ______ + ______ = ___________

How much bigger are Jupiter and Saturn than Mercury and Mars? ___________ miles wide

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 84

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the picture of the solar system.

THINK about the different models of our solar system. WRITE about the strengths and weaknesses of the different models of the solar system. What makes one model of the solar system better than another? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 85

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E1D Planets in the Solar System

Writing Science Topic:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 86

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4th Grade Earth and Space Science

4E 2A

Day and Night

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 87

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 88

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2A Day and Night

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Model of Earth’s Rotation 1.

Draw and label your rotation model.

As you rotate your model at each position, record your data in the tables below. Month

First City to Enter Lighted Area

Last City to Leave Lighted Area

Width of Lighted Area: City A

Width of Lighted Area: City B

December March June September

Month December March June September

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 89

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2A Day and Night

Explore Student Journal 3.

What did you notice about December and June?

What did you notice about March and September?

How does the length of day and night change during the year for City A?

Why do we receive more daylight during certain times of the year?

Draw the positions of Earth and the Sun during June and December. Be sure to include Earth’s axis to show its tilt.

June

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 90

December

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: DAY AND NIGHT Reflect

4E2A

In ancient Greece, people believed that powerful gods were responsible for all things that happened in nature. The Greeks believed that Helios, the Sun god, drove his fiery chariot from one end of Earth’s sky to the other each day. His daily trip caused sunrise in the morning and sunset in the evening. At night, Selene, Helios’s sister and the goddess of the Moon, made her own trip across Earth’s sky. Today, scientists know that these stories are only myths. Do you know what really causes sunrise, sunset, day, and night? How often does the day-and-night cycle occur on Earth? Earth moves through space in several important ways. One type of motion is called rotation. A rotation is a spin around a center. For example, imagine a spinning top. Earth also spins around a central line called an axis. Earth’s axis is an imaginary vertical line that runs through the planet from the North Pole to the South Pole. If you held a globe by putting one finger at the North Pole and another finger at the Like a spinning top (right), a globe (left) South Pole, the invisible line that conspins around a central line called an nects your fingers represents the axis. axis. Earth’s axis travels through the Earth’s axis is slightly tilted at an angle planet’s center, connecting the North of 23.5˚. Because of this tilt, different Pole to the South Pole. parts of the planet receive different amounts of sunlight at different times. As a result, Earth experiences the different seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. As you read this sentence, Earth is rotating around its tilted axis at a rate of 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) per hour! Why, then, does it feel like Earth is standing still? In comparison to humans and other things on Earth, the planet is incredibly huge. Because of this difference in size, you cannot feel the speed of Earth’s rotation. We know the planet is rotating, though, because we see the effects of it every day.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 91

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: DAY AND NIGHT Reflect Earth makes one complete rotation on its axis every 23 hours and 56 minutes, which is rounded up to 24 hours. Does this time sound familiar? The 24 hours that Earth takes to make one rotation is equal to one day. Suppose you have a big math test in three days. How many rotations will Earth make in that time? If you answered three, then you are correct. Every planet rotates on an axis, but they do it at different speeds. Venus has a very slow rotation. It takes eight months for Venus to spin one time on its axis. Because a rotation is the same as a day, a day on Venus lasts for eight months. Jupiter, on the other hand, rotates quite fast. One rotation is less than 10 hours. Discover Science: Foucault’s Pendulum Scientists have thought that Earth is rotating on an axis for centuries. For much of this time, however, they could not prove it using experiments. Finally in the 19th century, French scientist Jean Foucault found a way to demonstrate Earth’s rotation. He hung a long pendulum from the ceiling of a tall building in Paris, France. Foucault swung the pendulum from north to south. If Earth did not rotate, the pendulum would just continue to swing back and forth in the same direction. But the pendulum didn’t swing back and forth! At each swing, it moved slightly to the right, eventually making a huge circle. This meant that Earth must be moving beneath the pendulum.

pendulum: a weight hung from a single point that is allowed to move freely with gravity

Describe the positions of Earth and the Sun when it is daytime. How are they different at night? As Earth rotates on its axis, the different locations on Earth change position in relation to the Sun. A city on Earth that faces toward the Sun at noon will rotate to face away from the Sun 12 hours later. The positions of Earth and the Sun over the course of a 24-hour rotation cause sunrise, sunset, day, and night.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 92

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: DAY AND NIGHT At all times, half of Earth faces toward the Sun and half faces away from the Sun. The half that faces toward the Sun is illuminated by the Sun’s glow. It is daytime on that half of the planet. At the same time, the half of Earth that faces away from the Sun is in darkness. It is nighttime on that half of the planet. As Earth rotates, the Sun-facing half steadily moves from sunlight into darkness. From our position on Earth, this appears as sunset. Meanwhile, the dark-facing half of Earth steadily moves into the sunlight. We see this process as sunrise. What Do You Think? Look at these pictures of Earth. The picture on the left shows a red dot, marking Venezuela’s location at a certain time of day. The picture on the right marks Venezuela 12 hours later. In which picture would it be daytime in Venezuela? On Earth, it looks like the Sun is moving across the sky. Why is this not true? Throughout the day, the Sun appears to move from east to west across the sky. In reality, Earth is rotating from west to east. Shadows offer some evidence to support this. You can see the apparent motion of the Sun in the movement of shadows during the day. When the Sun appears to rise above the eastern horizon in the morning, its light casts long shadows that point to the west. As the Sun takes its arc-shaped path across the sky, the shadows change. As the hour approaches noon, the shadows become shorter. When the Sun is directly overhead, very little shadow is observed. As the day continues, the Sun appears to move toward the western horizon. Again, the shadows lengthen but now point toward the east. Before clocks and wristwatches were invented, people used the Sun’s apparent motion to tell time. A sundial uses shadows to determine the time of day.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 93

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: DAY AND NIGHT Try Now Work with a partner to make a human sundial. 1. With a partner, choose a flat, paved area that you can mark with chalk or masking tape. Be sure you can get to the area in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon. 2. In the morning (around 9:00 a.m.), go to your area and face south. (If you do not have a compass, remember: If you face south in the morning, the Sun will be on your left.) Have your partner trace your shadow. 3. Use a ruler to measure the length of your shadow in centimeters. 4. Use a ruler to measure your actual height. Then find the difference between your shadow length and your height. 5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 again at noon and in the afternoon (around 3:00 p.m.). Make sure you face the same direction each time. 6. Take a look at your data. How did your shadow change from morning to noon to afternoon? How did the Sun’s position affect your shadow’s position? How do you think your shadow would look at 6:00 a.m.? At 6:00 p.m.? Explain. Look Out! Because one rotation takes 24 hours, you might think that each side of Earth spends approximately 12 hours facing the Sun and 12 hours in darkness. This is true of places located on or near the equator. However, as you move toward the North and South Poles, the length of daytime and nighttime varies. The closer a city is to the North or South Pole, the more extreme the difference in daylight hours and nighttime hours is. This is due to the tilt of the axis and Earth’s revolution around the Sun. revolution: Earth’s As Earth moves around the Sun, the North Pole is tilted motion around the Sun; toward the Sun for part of the year. When this happens, Earth takes one year, the days are very long and the nights are very short. or 365 days, to make a Eventually, Earth’s revolution causes the North Pole to tilt away from the Sun. When this happens, the days are single revolution very short and the nights are very long. There is even a time of year when the Sun doesn’t rise at the North Pole! This is in the middle of winter when the pole is facing completely away from the Sun.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 94

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: DAY AND NIGHT Of course, when days are long at the North Pole, they are short at the South Pole; and when days are short at the North Pole, they are long at the South Pole. What do you know? You have experienced the different lengths of day and night every year but you probably noticed it in the mornings before school or in the evenings after dinner. Think about how dark it is on winter mornings when you have to roll out of bed and head to school. In the summers, you can stay outside riding bikes and playing ball long after dinner. Look at the image. This is the same place at the same time but two different months of the year. Explain how this can be true. Connecting With Your Child Experiencing Earth’s Rotation To help your child learn more about Earth’s rotation, visit a place where you can watch a sunrise or a sunset. Be sure your location allows your child to see the horizon. Large open areas lacking tall trees or buildings—such as a field, a beach, or atop a building—are the best choices. Have your child write down observations of the Sun, its motion, and the shadows on the land. Discuss these observations with your child and encourage him or her to notice the length and direction of the shadows and how quickly (or slowly) the darkness changes into light. Make sure not to look directly at the Sun during your observations.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 95

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: DAY AND NIGHT Then have your child explain the scientific reason behind each observation. Encourage your child to draw diagrams or construct models showing how your position on Earth rotated into the Sun-facing side during your sunrise observations or into darkness during sunset. For any explanations that your child doesn’t know, have him or her use the knowledge of Earth’s rotation to hypothesize a possible explanation. Then ask your child why the Greeks thought the Sun god Helios traveled across the sky each day. How did your observations correlate to the ancient Greek myth? Take your child to a library or conduct an Internet search to find stories about day and night from other ancient cultures. What do the stories have in common? How are they different? Why do you think so many cultures have myths about day and night? Which are the most scientifically accurate? Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • How did the shadows change as the sunrise or sunset continued? • What did the sky look like just before you saw the Sun (sunrise) or just after the Sun disappeared (sunset)? Why did it look like this? • If we wanted to see sunrise or sunset during the summer, would we have to arrive at this location earlier or later? How about during the winter?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 96

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2A Day and Night

Reading Science Name:

Date:

Good Morning! 1.

Rise and shine! It’s morning! The Sun is rising. Most people see this as a beautiful thing. The sunrise and sunset can tell us a lot about our Earth. It can tell us a lot about the relation of the Earth to the Sun. It can also tell us the season the Earth may be in.

When we see the Sun rising and setting, that is actually a sign of the Earth rotating on its axis. Rotation is the spinning of an object around a line or axis running through it. The axis is the invisible line that goes from the North Pole through the center of the Earth to the South Pole. Imagine spinning a basketball on your finger. The axis of rotation goes from your finger through the center of the basketball and then out the top of it.

Our planet is always spinning. When we see the Sun setting or rising that actually is showing us Earth’s rotation. It takes 24 hours of rotation for the Sun to appear to go around the Earth once. Even though our planet is always spinning, we cannot feel it. This is because the Earth is so large and its gravitational attraction to us hold us down so firmly that we are kept moving with it. Daytime occurs when the Sun is above the horizon for that part of the world. The horizon is the boundary between the Earth and the sky. As the Earth rotates, the Sun appears to rise in the eastern part of the sky and then set in the western part of the sky. When the Sun goes below the western horizon it is night.

You can see this phenomenon with the use of a model. Set a lamp on a table. This will be used as your sun. Then, put a globe on the table with the lamp facing it. Spin your globe slowly around on its axis. Day and night are caused by the rotation of the Earth on its axis. You can see how some parts of the world are having day while others are having night.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 97

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2A Day and Night

Reading Science 5.

The Earth orbits around the Sun. The orbit of one object around another is called revolution. However, the Earth’s rotation axis is tilted compared to the path of Earth’s orbit. The axis always point in the same direction as the Earth orbits, so that the star Polaris is above Earth’s north pole.

Because of this tilt, the Sun is sometimes shining light more directly over the northern hemisphere than over the southern hemisphere. During that part of the year, the Sun rises earlier, moves higher in our sky, and sets later than other times of the year. During this time we have more hours of sunlight and heat. That is our summer! When the Sun is over the southern hemisphere, we have the fewest hours of daylight and heat, and the Sun is lowest in our sky all day. Then we have winter.

The Sun rises in the eastern half of the sky and sets in the western half. During the different seasons, the Sun rises and sets in different places on the horizon. Summer begins when the Sun rises farthest north. Fall begins when the Sun next rises due east. Winter begins when the Sun rises farthest south. Fall begins when the Sun next rises due east.

The rising and setting of the Sun is important to the life of humans. We are awake during the day and sleep when it is dark.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 98

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2A Day and Night

Reading Science 1.

What is the axis of a planet? A.

The amount of time it takes the planet to move around the Sun.

The amount of time it takes the planet to rotate.

The imaginary line that runs through the planet, around which the planet spins.

The line that divides the Earth into eastern and western hemispheres.

What is the effect of the Sun rising and setting? A.

The Earth experiences a 365 day year.

The Earth experiences different seasons.

The Earth experiences day and night.

The Earth revolves around the Sun.

What is this passage mostly about? A.

Why the axis of the Earth is tilted.

How the rotation of the Earth creates day and night.

How the seasons happen.

How the Sun revolves around the Earth.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 99

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2A Day and Night

Reading Science 4.

The Sun rising and setting is showing us Earth’s – A.

revolution

tilt.

axis.

rotation.

The author organized the ideas by – A.

describing cause and effect relationships with the Earth and Sun.

sequencing how the seasons take place.

comparing and contrasting day and night versus a year.

describing why we do not feel the Earth move.

100

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 100

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2A Day and Night

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Earth completes a rotation about once every 24 hours. However, the amount of daytime and nighttime on Earth is not equal because of its tilt. The Earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees. We have more daylight in the summer than in the winter because of the Earth’s tilt. Use the table below to answer the following questions. Daylight Hours in Atlanta, Georgia March 2016 1. Length of Daylight Hours

ow much more daylight did Atlanta have on H March 18 than March 13? ___________

Date

Hours

Minutes

hat amount of nighttime did Atlanta have W on March 11? ____________

ow many minutes of daylight does Atlanta H seem to be gaining each day? __________ minutes

The Equinox marks the two days a year when the Earth’s axis is parallel to the Sun. The Vernal Equinox occurred on March 20. The Autumnal Equinox occurred on September 22. How many days are in between the two Equinoxes? ____________ days

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 101

101

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2A Day and Night

Math Connections Since Earth’s rotation takes 24 hours on the clock, 24 “time zones” divide the world into 24 different hours. The time of day changes during travel to one part of the world or when communicating with another part of the country because of the 24 time zones. Use the following problem to answer the questions below: Bobby lives in Houston, Texas, and is eating lunch at 12:00 p.m. on Earth’s sunny side, while James, who lives in Astana, Kazakhstan, is asleep on Earth’s night side. Sophia, who lives in Anchorage, Alaska, is getting ready for science class at 9 a.m.

If there is a 12-hour time difference between Bobby and James, what time is it where James lives? ________

What is the time difference between Bobby and Sophia? _____ hours Is the time in Houston, Texas ahead or behind the time in Anchorage, Alaska?

If the Sun will rise at 6 a.m. on this day in Astana, Kazakhstan, then how many hours are there until the Sun rises? __________

If the time in Houston, Texas, is 10 a.m., what time is it in Anchorage, Alaska and in Astana, Kazakhstan? _____________ and ____________

If Earth’s rotation on its own axis takes 24 hours, how many minutes does it rotate in one week? _________ minutes

102

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 102

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2A Day and Night

Writing Science Name:

Date:

Look at the pictures. They were both taken at the same place and the same time, 6:17 in the evening, on two different days. The picture on the left was taken on June 24th and the picture on the right was taken on December 24th. THINK about how the amount of sunlight changes each day during the year. WRITE about what happens to cause these changes. What causes the length of the day and the night to change during the year? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 103

103

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2A Day and Night

Writing Science Topic:

104

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 104

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4th Grade Earth and Space Science

4E2B

Phases of the Moon

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 105

105

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 106

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2B Phases of the Moon

Student Handout Name:

Date:

Moon Phases: The Lunar Cycle Shade each circle to show what the Moon looks like each day for 28 days.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 107

107

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 108

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 109

109

12/18/25 2:34 PM

Date:

Name the phase of the Moon.

Shade the shadow area and color the brightly lit area yellow

Position 1 Position 2 Position 3 Position 4 Position 5 Position 6 Position 7 Position 8 Facing Right Right Facing Facing Facing Left Left toward shoulder shoulder away from away from away from shoulder shoulder the Sun facing the facing the the Sun the Sun the Sun facing the facing the Sun Sun Sun Sun

You represent Earth. The “X” represents where you live on Earth. Shade the circle to show the dark areas of the Moon. Color the circle yellow to show the brightly lit parts.

Moon Phases: The Lunar Cycle

Name:

Phases of the Moon

Explore Student Journal

4E2B Phases of the Moon

Explore Student Journal

4E2B Phases of the Moon

Conduct an Internet search, or go outside and see what the Moon looks like right now. Draw the current phase of the Moon below.

Analyze the data you gathered from the activity and draw how you predict the next four main phases of the Moon will look like after today.

How do you know?

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 110

110

STEMscopedia: PHASES OF THE

MOON

Reflect

4E2B

Have you ever heard someone refer to “the Man in the Moon”? The Moon’s surface is covered in deep pits called craters. Seen from Earth, these craters can appear like the face of a man. You may have noticed that you can see the same recognizable features that make up “the Man in the Moon” every night. In other words, no matter what time of year it is, you always see the same side of the Moon. Why do you think this is? Do you think that the Moon is fixed in space? Does it revolve around Earth and also rotate? Might there be another explanation for this phenomenon?

revolve: to move around or orbit another object

The Moon’s Rotation Our solar system contains many moons. Like the planets, each of these moons rotates, or spins, about an axis. (An axis is an imaginary line through an object’s center.) Earth’s moon, known simply as “the Moon,” is no exception. Like Earth, the Moon has an axis that tilts relative to its orbit. However, the Moon’s axis does not tilt as much as Earth’s. Earth’s axis tilts at an angle of about 23.5°; the Moon’s axis tilts 6.68°. The Moon rotates on its axis at a continuous rate. On any planet or moon, a day is defined as the amount of time that the celestial object takes to complete one full rotation about its axis. One Earth day is 24 hours. The Moon rotates much more slowly than Earth. It takes more than 650 hours for the Moon to complete one full rotation about its axis. Therefore, one Moon day is equal to about 27.3 Earth days. If you lived on the Moon, daylight would last about 13 days and night time would last the same. The Moon’s Revolution As the planets rotate about their axes, they also revolve around the Sun. However, unlike the planets, each of the moons in our solar system revolves around a planet. Some planets have multiple moons, and some planets have no moons; Earth has only one moon. It takes Earth 365.25 days, or one year, to complete one full revolution around the Sun. The Moon revolves around Earth at a much slower rate than Earth revolves around the Sun.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 111

111

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PHASES OF THE

MOON

The Moon makes one full revolution around Earth in about 27.3 Earth days. You may have noticed that the Moon takes the same time to make one full rotation about its axis as to make one full revolution around Earth. One Moon day is the same as one Moon year. This is the reason you always see the same side of the Moon every night.

Because the Moon revolves at a distance equal to 30 Earth diameters, most are surprised to see the celestial pair drawn to scale at that distance. You see the same side of the Moon glowing in the sky each night, no matter where the Moon is in its orbit. Even though it appears to glow, the Moon does not produce its own light. Instead, the face of the Moon is lit up by the Sun. The Moon’s surface reflects sunlight, so the Moon appears to be glowing when observed from Earth. As it revolves around Earth, the Moon reflects different amounts of sunlight. As a result, we see different amounts of the Moon at different times of the month. Sometimes you see a full circle, a half circle, or only a tiny sliver. The Lunar Cycle At any time, the Sun illuminates only half of the Moon’s surface. Sometimes, the Sun illuminates the half of the Moon facing Earth. Other times, the Sun illuminates the half of the Moon facing away from Earth. The rest of the time, the Sun illuminates part of the side facing Earth and part of the side facing away from Earth. This predictable pattern is called the phases of the Moon, or the lunar cycle. As the Moon revolves around As the Moon goes through its lunar cycle, we observe different phases of the Moon from Earth. Earth, it moves through these During each phase, Earth, the Moon, and the Sun eight phases in its cycle. The lunar are located in different positions relative to each cycle happens because the Sun other. The diagram on the right shows the eight illuminates varying amounts of the side of the Moon that faces Earth. phases of the lunar cycle: 112

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 112

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PHASES OF THE

MOON

1. New Moon occurs when the Moon is located between Earth and the Sun. As a result, the Sun illuminates the side of the Moon that faces away from Earth. The Moon is not visible from Earth during the new moon phase. 2. Waxing Crescent occurs as the new moon changes to a first-quarter moon. (Waxing describes the period when we see more and more of the Moon from Earth; in other words, the Moon appears to be growing or getting bigger.) During the waxing crescent phase, the Sun illuminates less than half of the side of the Moon facing Earth. As a result, the Moon appears as a backwards “C” crescent shape in the sky. 3. First Quarter occurs when the waxing Moon is at a right angle relative to Earth and the Sun. During the first-quarter phase, the Sun illuminates exactly the right half of the side of the Moon facing Earth. A first-quarter moon is sometimes called a half moon. 4. Waxing Gibbous occurs as the first-quarter moon changes to a full moon. During the waxing gibbous phase, the Sun illuminates more than half of the side of the Moon facing Earth. As a result, the Moon appears nearly full in the sky. 5. Full Moon occurs when Earth is located between the Moon and the Sun. During the full moon phase, the Sun illuminates the whole side of the Moon facing Earth. During the full moon phase, the Moon appears as a full circle in the sky. 6. Waning Gibbous occurs as the full moon changes to a last-quarter moon. (Waning describes the period when we see less and less of the Moon from Earth; in other words, the moon appears to be shrinking or getting smaller.) The waning gibbous phase is the mirror image of the waxing gibbous phase. 7. Last (Third) Quarter occurs when the waning Moon is at a 90° angle relative to Earth and the Sun. The last quarter phase (also called a half moon) is the mirror image of the first-quarter phase. 8. Waning Crescent occurs as the last-quarter moon changes to a new moon. The waning crescent phase is the mirror image of the waxing crescent phase. A new moon follows the waning crescent phase as the cycle starts over again. The Moon takes approximately 28 days to complete one lunar cycle.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 113

113

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PHASES OF THE

MOON

What Do You Think? Use the diagram on the previous page to identify each of these phases in the lunar cycle. Write your answer in the box below each image.

Scientists in the Spotlight: Harrison Schmitt, Geologist and Astronaut Only 12 human beings have walked on the surface of the Moon. The last person to do so was Harrison Schmitt, who landed on the Moon on December 11,1972, as part of the Apollo 17 mission. Schmitt is the only professional scientist ever to walk on the Moon. All previous astronauts had been pilots, but Harrison Schmitt was a geologist. The lunar missions were spectacular achievements in the development of technology. Harrison Schmitt turned them into achievements of science as well. He incorporated geology into the lunar space program by analyzing samples of rocks found on the Moon. These analyses led to major advancements in scientific knowledge about the Moon’s features and origins.

114

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 114

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PHASES OF THE

MOON

What do you know? The lunar cycle includes eight phases. Study the diagram below. Then decide which phase the Moon is experiencing based on its current position relative to Earth and the Sun. Write the name of each phase in the appropriate place on each diagram. Then color in the Moon to show the parts that are illuminated or dark as viewed from Earth during each phase.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 115

115

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: PHASES OF THE

MOON

Connecting With Your Child Recording the Lunar Cycle To help your child learn more about the lunar cycle, try observing and documenting the Moon’s phases together. Choose a time each night to go outside with your child and observe the Moon. Discuss how much of the Moon is illuminated and identify the current phase of the Moon each night; in addition, ask your child to describe the Moon’s current position relative to Earth and the Sun. There are websites where you can look up the exact time of the moonrise and sunset with your child. Continue this observation and discussion for 28 nights to complete a full lunar cycle. This process will be easiest if you begin on the night of a full or new moon. To record your observations of the lunar cycle, create a diagram using a large sheet of paper and a compass or round object to trace circles representing the Moon. (Your child can shade the part of the Moon that is dark in each circle.) Your child should record the following information each night for 28 nights: • The date and time when you made your observations • The name of the Moon’s current phase • The amount of the Moon that is visible during this phase Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • How much of the Moon can you see tonight? • What phase do you think the Moon is in tonight? • Where do you think the Moon is located in relation to Earth and the Sun? • How much of the Moon do you predict we will see tomorrow? Why?

116

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 116

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2B Phases of the Moon

Reading Science Name:

Date:

The Moon 1

The Moon is an incredible sight,

To the human eye at night.

It plays a game with you and me.

It’s sometimes bright and sometimes bleak.

Every 28th day the Moon goes through its phases.

It scatters the light of the Sun with praises.

At first you don’t see it. This is called new moon.

It gets ready to shine soon.

Little by little, you see more light.

It waxes in white as the light grows to the right.

Waxing crescent, first quarter moon, and waxing gibbous illuminate.

Soon full moon is here to dominate.

The phases are halfway through.

The light flips to the left and it starts to wane.

Waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent, too.

The Moon’s completed its cycle and is back to new.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 117

117

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2B Phases of the Moon

Reading Science 1.

The reader can tell this is a poem because– A.

poems always rhyme.

poems are written in stanzas.

poems are always short.

poems give information.

Bleak most likely means– A.

bright.

shiny.

glows.

dim.

In which line of the poem would the following phase be located? A.

Line 7

Line 11

Line 15

Line 16

118

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 118

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2B Phases of the Moon

Reading Science 4.

Which phase of the Moon comes after the phase pictured? A.

This poem was written mostly to– A.

inform the reader about the Moon phases.

entertain the reader with a fun poem.

persuade the reader to look at the Moon.

describe the light of the Moon.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 119

119

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 120

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2B Phases of the Moon

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Duke is making cakes to show the different phases of the Moon. He needs to make eight cakes and will use white icing to show which part of the Moon he can see during that phase. Each cake needs a total of one liter of icing (white or black). Use the table to answer the questions. 1 liter = 1000 milliliters New Moon

Waxing Cresent

0.25

First Quarter

Waxing Gibbous

Full Moon

.075

Waning Gibbous

Third Quarter

Waning Cresent

0.5

0.25

Picture White Icing Black Icing

0.5

If the pattern continues, how much white icing will Duke need for the first quarter?

If the pattern continues, how much black icing will Duke need for the waning gibbous?

Write the amount of black icing needed to make the waning crescent as a fraction.

Compare the following two decimals using <, >, and =. 4.

White icing for waxing gibbous _______ White icing for third quarter

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 121

121

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2B Phases of the Moon

Math Connections 5.

What fraction of all the icing needed is used on the full moon?

How many milliliters of white icing are needed for the waning gibbous?

How many liters of white icing will be used in all?

How many milliliters of black icing will be used in all?

What fraction of the total icing is used to create the gibbous moons? Write an equivalent fraction for your answer.

10. The time between full moons, called the synodic period, is 29.5 days. The time it takes the Moon to go once around Earth in its orbit, called the sidereal period, is 27 days. What is the difference in the number of days between the two periods?

122

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 122

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2B Phases of the Moon

Writing Science Name:

Date:

Study the picture of the moon phases shown below.

THINK about how the appearance of the Moon changes over the course of a month. What patterns do you see in the changing appearance of the Moon? What causes the Moon to look different during a month? WRITE about the changing appearance of the Moon. Name and describe each major phase that can occur during a lunar cycle. Explain what causes the changing phases of Earth’s Moon. Be sure to name and describe each major moon phase; summarize the sequence in which the phases occur; explain how the interactions between the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon cause the lunar cycle; use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 123

123

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2B Phases of the Moon

Writing Science Topic:

124

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 124

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4th Grade Earth and Space Science

4E2C

Seasons

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 125

125

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 126

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2C Seasons

Student Handout Name:

Date:

Daylight Hours Record the number of daylight hours in one day out of each of the following months across three cities. Discuss what could cause the differences among the amounts of daylight hours recorded. Hours of Daylight City 1:

City 2:

City 3:

January April July October

What differences do you notice in your data?

When does each city experience summer?

Some places experience 24 hours of daylight or 24 hours of darkness. How is this possible?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 127

127

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 128

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2C Seasons

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

The Sun’s Warming Power Part I

In the boxes below, sketch what you see for direct light and for indirect light.

Sketch the direct light Sketch the indirect light 1.

How many boxes were inside the Direct Light circle?

How many boxes were inside the Indirect Light circle?

In our model, what does the flashlight represent?

Which diagram shows the most intense heat?

Predict how direct and indirect light affect the surface of Earth.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 129

129

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2C Seasons

Explore Student Journal Part II Complete the table by recording your observations as you move the model to the different positions. You may choose to write or draw and label. Position

Season in Northern Hemisphere

Observation

C D 1.

As you moved the model to the different positions, what did you notice about the amount of direct light on the Northern Hemisphere?

What part of Earth seems to experience direct light all year long?

When Earth is tilted towards the Sun, the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing what season?

What do you notice about the Sun’s light during the fall and spring?

How would you compare the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere?

What would happen if Earth were not tilted on its axis?

130

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 130

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: SEASONS Reflect

4E2C

The fact that Earth’s distance from the Sun changes throughout the year might seem like a good explanation for the seasons. You might think that Earth is colder when it is farther from the Sun and warmer when it is closer to the Sun. However, this explanation is incorrect. Not every part of Earth experiences the same seasons at the same time. When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere. What causes the seasons? Seasons If Earth’s axis were not tilted, we would not experience different seasons. Earth’s axis tilts at a 23.5° angle. As Earth revolves around the Sun, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun. This happens during the summer. During the summer, the Northern Hemisphere receives direct rays of sunlight and has longer days and generally warmer weather. Plants have plenty of When the Northern sunlight for photosynthesis, and animals have plenty Hemisphere tilts toward the to eat. At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere tilts Sun, it receives more direct away from the Sun and receives fewer direct rays of sunlight than the Southern sunlight. As a result, days are shorter and weather is Hemisphere. During cooler in the Southern Hemisphere. It is winter. Plants this time, the Northern there grow less actively, and many lose their leaves. Hemisphere experiences Animals are less active; some hibernate, or sleep, summer and the Southern through the winter. Hemisphere has winter. When Earth reaches the opposite side of its orbit—a process that takes about six months—the Southern Hemisphere will tilt toward the Sun. It will receive more direct rays of sunlight, and the Northern Hemisphere will receive fewer. As a result, the Southern Hemisphere will experience summer, and the Northern Hemisphere will have winter. During summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth is actually farther away from the Sun than when the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing winter. Earth’s tilted axis and its revolution around the Sun—not Earth’s distance from the Sun—cause seasons.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 131

131

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: SEASONS When the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the Sun, it receives less direct sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere. During this time, the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter and the Southern Hemisphere has summer. Seasons are more noticeable farther from the equator. No matter where Earth is in its orbit, the equator never tilts away from the Sun. The equator receives direct rays of sunlight year-round. This is why climates are generally warmer near the equator. While there is some variation, temperatures near the equator stay fairly constant from month to month.

This map shows the annual average temperature range (the difference between the summer and winter temperatures) for Earth at different latitudes. Notice that the equator, where the Sun’s rays strike directly, stays relatively warm all year long. As you move away from the equator, temperature ranges become more extreme because the angle of the Sun’s rays varies throughout the year.

132

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 132

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: SEASONS Looking to the Future: Changes in Earth’s Tilt Although Earth’s axis is currently tilted at 23.5°, this angle is not always constant. Earth wobbles slightly over time as it revolves around the Sun. This wobble causes the angle of Earth’s tilted axis to shift between 22° and 25°. This does not happen fast enough to be noticed on a human timescale. Rather, the shift between 22° and 25° takes about 41,000 years. This process is called the Milankovitch cycle, named after the astronomer who theorized that changes in Earth’s tilted axis affect the seasons. How do shadows change during the seasons? Have you ever made shadow puppets? If you put your hand between a flashlight and a wall, you make a shadow. You might have made a rabbit shape or some other animal shape with your hands. Your hand blocks the light from the flashlight. The Sun shines on Earth like a giant flashlight, causing shadows that we see here on Earth. The angle of the Sun’s light also causes seasons to change. What patterns occur with this changing angle of the Sun?

A sundial uses shadows to tell time. Sunlight hits a metal piece sticking out of the flat sundial. The shadow formed points to a number. This sundial says it is 3:00 in the afternoon.

Shadows are formed when an object blocks light. For example, when sunlight hits the metal piece on this sundial, it forms a shadow. The shadow can be used to tell the time of day. This occurs because shadows change shape during the day. When the Sun first rises, it sits very low on the horizon. Sunlight hits objects at an angle that creates long shadows. In the middle of the day, the Sun sits directly above. Sunlight hits objects at an angle that creates very small shadows. As the Sun sets near the horizon, it creates long shadows again. Those shadows also depends on which season it is. Earth’s axis is tilted slightly off-center. During our summer, the northern half of Earth tilts or leans toward the Sun, so the Sun’s light hits the northern half of Earth at a more direct angle. Because the Sun is more directly overhead, shadows are smaller in the summer than in the winter. In the winter, the northern part of Earth is tilted away from the Sun. © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 133

133

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: SEASONS This means that the sunlight is not coming in as directly, so shadows during the winter are longer. Imagine that you stood in the same spot at 3:00 p.m. in the winter and in the summer. Your shadow looks longer in the winter. What Do You Think? What time of day do you think it is in the first picture? What time of day do you think it is in the second picture? Explain your answers. What do you know? Earth’s rotation and revolution affect day/night cycles as well as the seasons. The following diagram shows Earth at two positions in its orbit around the Sun. (This diagram is not drawn to scale.)

For each position, decide whether each hemisphere experiences day or night and winter or summer. Write your answers in the charts below. Position 1

Position 2

NE Hemisphere

NW Hemisphere

NE Hemisphere

NW Hemisphere

Day or Night?

Day or Night

Day or Night?

134

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 134

Winter or Summer?

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: SEASONS Position 1

Position 2

SE Hemisphere

SW Hemisphere

SE Hemisphere

SW Hemisphere

Day or Night?

Day or Night

Day or Night?

Winter or Summer?

Connecting With Your Child Fun with Seasons Try these two activities to help your child understand seasonal changes that occur in your area and how the revolution and tilt of Earth’s axis cause those seasons to change. Activity 1: Begin by collecting and analyzing data to predict seasonal changes in your area. A change in temperature is one way to show that a new season is coming. As a scientist, your job is to collect data to predict patterns of change in things over time, like seasons. Go online and locate the high and low temperatures in your area for each month for the last three years. When did each season occur? How can you tell? Analyze the data and see if you can find a pattern. Use this information to predict the time of the next season change in your area.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 135

135

12/18/25 2:34 PM

STEMscopedia: SEASONS Activity 2: To help your child learn more about revolution and Earth’s tilt, try a few simple experiments. First, gather a flashlight and a round object such as a globe or ball (preferably about the size of a basketball or beach ball). Create an axis for the ball by taping two drinking straws, pencils, or similar objects to opposite ends of the ball. In a darkened room, hold the ball a few feet away from your child, and have your child shine the flashlight on the ball. Hold the ball so that the axis is pointing up and down with a slight tilt toward the flashlight. Holding the ball still without tilting it again, walk in a circle around your child who should keep the flashlight aimed at the ball. As you revolve around your child, discuss how the ball represents Earth on its tilted axis and how the flashlight represents the Sun. Stop periodically at different points in the “orbit,” and ask your child to explain which season each hemisphere is experiencing and where it is day and where it is night. Try the exercise again, this time holding the ball so that the axis is perfectly straight up and down rather than at a tilt. Ask your child how this changes the effect of Earth’s orbit on each hemisphere. (Earth will still experience day and night as it rotates, but without a tilted axis, different hemispheres will not experience different seasons since the amount of light they receive from the Sun will be the same year-round.) Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • How does Earth’s tilted axis affect each hemisphere as the planet revolves? • (Point to different spots on the ball.) What would people living here experience when Earth is at this point in its orbit? • If Earth’s axis weren’t tilted, what would change?

136

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 136

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2C Seasons

Reading Science Name:

Date:

The Changing Year 1.

Our Earth goes through changes every year. The air temperature changes from season to season while trees and plants blossom, grow, and change. After they thrive through summer, they go dormant for winter. Leaves wither off some while other plants die. The amount of light we receive from the Sun changes, too. All of these changes happen during the seasons.

Spring 2.

Spring follows winter and is right before summer. Spring is a season of birth for many plants and animals. At first, trees have no leaves, but leaves bud thanks to the warm weather. Spring is a time of year when the days get longer because there is more sunlight due to the Earth’s tilt on its axis. There is more sunlight in spring, which gives more time to play outside during spring days! As spring continues on, days become longer.

Summer 3.

Summer follows spring and is the season that comes before fall. Summer is the hottest time of the year, and also a time when plants thrive. Many plants grow from the warmth and rain during summer. Some examples include trees growing fruit, many gardens producing food, and many fields growing crops that humans need. Summer has the longest amount of sunlight with about 16 hours of sunlight on an average day.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 137

137

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2C Seasons

Reading Science Fall 4.

Fall follows summer, and it is in the fall that temperatures begin to cool. Some plants begin to die, trees begin to lose leaves, and leaves turn colors. Leaves lose their green color from the loss of chlorophyll in their leaves. Farmers harvest plants in the fall that are turned into food. In the fall, Earth’s axis tilts away from the Sun, which is the opposite of the spring. There are shorter days in the fall and the days begin to darken earlier than in summer.

Winter 5.

Winter follows fall in the lineup of seasons. Trees show signs of dormancy in the winter by having no leaves. Trees use the stored water they have gathered during the rest of the year to live on during the cold weather. Winter has a very short amount of daylight, and there is not a lot of daylight left after the school day. The temperatures are cold and many people like to stay indoors during winter.

All four seasons cycle again, starting with spring once winter concludes. All four seasons happen every year.

138

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 138

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2C Seasons

Reading Science 1.

The headings in this passage help the reader– A.

understand the text.

locate information about different seasons.

give the definition of the seasons.

know about the Sun.

What does the word dormant mean in this passage? A.

Asleep

Awake

Active

Dead

What words help the reader know what the word dormant means? A.

Gone

Cold weather

Stores water to live

Falls off

Between fall and winter, you can infer the days will be– A.

getting longer.

staying the same.

the shortest of the year.

getting shorter.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 139

139

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2C Seasons

Reading Science 5.

Some plants are harvested in the fall. Farmers harvest crops that are turned into food. What is another word for the word harvested? A.

Grow

Pick

Plant

Waste

You can infer that the seasons can be compared to– A.

a cycle.

a road.

a statue.

a leaf.

One difference between spring and summer is– A.

summer is cool and spring is hot.

crops are harvested in summer and in spring.

summer has longer days than spring.

spring has stormy weather and summer does not.

140

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 140

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2C Seasons

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Cities in different hemispheres and latitudes have different weather conditions at different times of the year. Use the data collected for the cities below to help answer questions about their weather patterns. The temperature is measured in °F. January Average Average City Hemisphere Precipitation High Temp. Low Temp. Perth, Western Australia 87.9 64.5 Southern 15.3 mm Santiago, Chile 87.8 53.6 Southern 1.9mm Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 48.9 28.7 Northern 88.9 mm Beijing, China 35.6 15.8 Northern 3 mm

Wind Speed 19 km/h 13 km/h 13.5 km/h 14.8 km/h

April Average Average Wind City Hemisphere Precipitation High Temp. Low Temp. Speed Perth, Western Australia 78.6 56.8 Southern 35.7 mm 14.3 km/h Santiago, Chile 75.2 44.6 Southern 15.3 mm 7 km/h Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 78.6 55.2 Northern 66.04 mm 14.2 km/h Beijing, China 68 46.4 Northern 4 mm 16.68 km/h July Average Average Wind City Hemisphere Precipitation High Temp. Low Temp. Speed Perth, Western Australia 65.1 45.6 Southern 146.7 mm 13.3 km/h Santiago, Chile 60.8 36.6 Southern 49.6 mm 6 km/h Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 88.3 68.1 Northern 101.6 mm 10.8 km/h Beijing, China 87.8 71.6 Northern 14 mm 11.12 km/h October Average Average Wind City Hemisphere Precipitation High Temp. Low Temp. Speed Perth, Western Australia 73.7 52.5 Southern 39.6 mm 18.1 km/h Santiago, Chile 75.2 44.6 Southern 9 mm 10 km/h Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 71.6 48.3 Northern 73.66 mm 11.1 km/h Beijing, China 66.2 46 Northern 5 mm 11.11 km/h

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 141

141

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2C Seasons

Math Connections 1.

Look at the table for January. What is the difference in average high temperature between Perth and Beijing? Write and solve an expression that describes this problem.

In January, what season do you think Perth is experiencing? What season is Beijing experiencing?

What about the cities’ locations contribute to the difference in seasons?

Look at the table for October. List the cities in order from the city with the highest wind speed to the city with the lowest wind speed.

Look at the table for July. What is the difference in average high temperature between Santiago and Raleigh? What is the difference between Perth and Beijing?

What season are Raleigh and Beijing experiencing in July? What season are Santiago and Perth experiencing?

142

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 142

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2C Seasons

Math Connections 7.

Which city has the highest wind speed during the month of April? Write the wind speed using expanded notation.

Which expression could you use to figure out how many more centimeters it rained in Perth than in Raleigh during the month of July? A. 146.7 – 101.6 B. (146.7 – 101.6) – 10 C. (146.7 – 101.6) ÷ 10 D. (146.7 – 101.6) x 10

Solve the expression of the answer above to figure out how many more centimeters it rained in Perth than in Raleigh during the month of July.

10. How many more centimeters did it rain in Perth than in Santiago in the month of July?

11. Fill in the chart below with the seasons that each city is experiencing during certain times of the year. The ones you have already figured out are labeled for you. Perth Raleigh Beijing Santiago

January Summer Winter Winter Summer

April

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 143

July Winter Summer Summer Winter

October

143

12/18/25 2:34 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 144

12/18/25 2:34 PM

4E2C Seasons

Writing Science Name:

Date:

Look at the objects pictured below.

THINK about how these objects might be used to model the reasons for the seasons on the Earth’s surface. WRITE how you would use these objects to model and explain why there are different seasons on the Earth’s surface. Be sure to explain how each object would be used to model the seasons; tell what natural body each object represents in the model; demonstrate both Earth’s revolution and rotation; use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 145

145

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E2C Seasons

Writing Science Topic:

146

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 146

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Earth and Space Science

4E3A

Properties of Water

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 147

147

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 148

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3A Properties of Water

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Investigation of Water Use the table below to record all the data and observations from the investigation. Each row represents a new step in the process. For example, if the “New State of Matter” in one row is liquid, then liquid will be the “Current State of Matter” in the next row. Current State of Matter

Temperature

Add or Remove Heat?

New State of Matter

Observations of the Change

Solid

Use the space below to create a diagram showing the flow of heat energy during the investigation. Be sure to include all three states of matter.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 149

149

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 150

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PROPERTIES OF WATER 4E3A

Reflect Water is found in many places on Earth. In fact, about 70% of Earth is covered in water. Think about places where you have seen water. Oceans, lakes, and rivers hold much of Earth’s water. Some water is trapped in glaciers and icebergs. Even the air holds water! If you have ever been outside on a foggy day, you have seen water in the air. Fog is an example of water that forms from a gas called water vapor. Even on clear, sunny days, there is water vapor in the air.

States: classifications of matter as a solid, liquid or gas.

Water is found in different physical forms, or states, and it can change between these states. Water can change from a solid to a liquid. It can change from a liquid to a gas. Water can even change from a gas to a liquid. But how, exactly, does water change between its different states? What are some properties of water? Can these properties change? How? Pure water is an amazing substance. It can exist naturally as a solid, liquid, or gas. When enough heat is added to or taken away from water, it will change its physical state. For example, water sometimes collects in puddles during a rainstorm. With enough heat from the Sun, the water will eventually change from a liquid (in the puddle) to a gas (water vapor in the air). This is an example of evaporation. Then the gas, or water vapor, can change again. If it cools enough in the air, water vapor will change into a liquid and fall back to Earth as rain. Changing from a gas to a liquid is called condensation. Look Out! When a substance warms up, it gains heat. But what happens when a substance cools? A cooling substance loses heat—it does not gain cold. Think about an ice cube tray. You can fill it with water and put it in the freezer to make ice. As the water changes from a liquid to a solid, it loses heat.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 151

151

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PROPERTIES OF WATER What Do You Think? Look at the photographs below. The picture on the left shows water changing from a liquid to a gas. The picture on the right shows water that has changed from a liquid to a solid. What caused the physical state of each water sample to change?

Discover Science: Water on Mars? Is there water on other planets? As far as we know, Earth is the only planet in our solar system with liquid water on its surface. But scientists wondered for many years whether other planets had moving water at one time. Recently, they found exciting evidence to suggest water once flowed on Mars. When water flows over rocks for a long time, the rocks break down and become smooth. On Mars, some rocks look like they were smoothed by water long ago.

This image compares rocks found on Mars (left) with rocks on Earth (right). Both sets of rocks look like they were smoothed by flowing water.

Scientists are not sure what happened to the water. But, because matter cannot disappear, the water most likely evaporated or froze. (Large ice caps are visible at each pole on Mars.) Scientists also think water may be buried beneath the planet’s surface.

Which tool can we use to measure different temperatures? Losing or gaining heat causes the temperature of a substance to change. If water loses heat, the water’s temperature decreases. Similarly, if water gains heat, the temperature: a measure of the water’s temperature increases. average energy of motion in the particles of a substance

152

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 152

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PROPERTIES OF WATER What Do You Think? Temperature is measured in units called degrees. The most common tool for measuring temperature is a thermometer. Fahrenheit: temperature Sometimes temperature is measured on the Fahrenheit scale commonly used in the United States scale. When you hear a weather report, you might hear the temperature will be 65 degrees Fahrenheit, or 65°F. However, Celsius: temperature scientists use the Celsius scale to measure and record the scale used by scientists; temperatures of different substances. A temperature of 65°F on this scale, water freezequals about 18 degrees on the Celsius scale (18°C). es at 0° and boils at 100°

Try Now Take a little time to explore how to measure temperature on the Celsius scale. Remember that many thermometers are made with glass, so handle yours carefully. 1. To complete this activity, you will need the following materials: • Celsius thermometer • A container of room temperature water, about one cup• Four or five ice cubes • A spoon 2. Place the thermometer in the container of water. Wait for about 1 minute. 3. With the thermometer in the water, note where the liquid on the thermometer stops along the number line. This is the water temperature. Record it in degrees Celsius, or °C. 4. Take the thermometer out of the water. Add the ice cubes and stir with the spoon. 5. Repeat Steps 2 and 3. Think about how the temperature would change if you added heat. Would it increase or decrease? At what temperatures on the Celsius scale will water freeze or boil? At what temperature will ice melt? Like other substances, water needs to reach a certain temperature in order for its physical state to change. The temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a gas is called its boiling point. The temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a solid is called its freezing point. As you might have guessed, the temperature at which a substance changes from a solid to a liquid is called its melting point. © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 153

153

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PROPERTIES OF WATER Try Now All substances have specific boiling, melting, and freezing points. For example, the boiling point of pure water is 100°C. You can place water in a pot and heat it on the stove. Once the water temperature reaches 100°C, it will begin to boil. This boiling point does not change whether you have a large pot of water or a small droplet of water. Boiling, melting, and freezing points are constant, meaning they do not change unless the substance itself is changed. If you add salt to water, you are changing pure water into a different substance. This new substance will have a different boiling point.

Melting and freezing are reverse processes. Because of this, the melting point and freezing point of water are the same. They are both 0°C!

154

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 154

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PROPERTIES OF WATER Try Now What Do You Know? Water has constant boiling, melting, and freezing points that cause its physical state to change. Color each thermometer in the chart below to show how the water’s temperature changes in each example. Then, read the descriptions of changes in physical state. Decide which change matches each example. Write your answers in the final row of the chart. For each example, color the thermometer on the left to show the water’s starting temperature. Color the thermometer on the right to show the water’s ending temperature. Water starts at 60°C and is Water starts at 40°C and is Water starts at –10°C and is heated until it boils. cooled until it freezes. heated until it melts.

The water changes from: ___________________

The water changes from: ____________________

Changes in Physical State solid to liquid liquid to solid liquid to gas

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 155

155

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PROPERTIES OF WATER Connecting With Your Child Properties of Water at Home To help students learn more about the properties of water, set up an experiment to compare the time it takes to boil different quantities of pure water. You will need the following materials to get started: • Eight cups of water set to room temperature • Measuring cup • Hot plate or access to stove burner • Small pot • Timer or stopwatch • Heat-resistant Celsius thermometer that measures at least 120°C (optional) Remind students to use extreme caution when using the hot plate or stove burner. In order to bring the water to room temperature, let it sit in a room for about an hour before the experiment. Set up the experiment by adding two cups of room temperature water to the pot. If possible, have students measure and record the water’s temperature. Next, carefully place the pot on the hot plate or stove and start the timer. As soon as the water begins to boil, record the elapsed time. If possible, have students carefully measure and record the water’s temperature. (Measurements should confirm that water boils at 100°C.) Turn off the burner and pour out the water.

156

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 156

Rinse the pot with cold water and drain. Now, add one cup of water to the pot. Repeat the experiment by measuring the temperature of the water, placing the pot on the burner (be sure to use the same setting on the burner), and recording the amount of time it takes for the water to boil. Repeat these steps for the following quantities of water: one-half cup and four cups. Compare the results from each trial. If time allows, try a similar experiment with salt water. Simply add a quarter-cup of salt to a cup of water and stir until the salt is dissolved. Record the amount of time it takes the salt water to boil, and compare this to the pure water results. Here are some questions to discuss with students: • Did the amount of water affect the amount of time it took for the water to boil? • Did the amount of water affect the boiling point? If you were not able to obtain boiling point measurements, think about what you observed during the experiment. • Suppose you added salt to the water. How do you think this would affect the boiling point? Do you think it would affect the boiling time?

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3A Properties of Water

Reading Science Name:

Date:

A Summer Experiment 1

Joey and Connor were neighbors. After playing outside all day in the summer sun, they always liked to have a cool treat. Joey liked lime popsicles and Connor liked ice cream bars. One day, Joey and Connor took their treats outside to eat in the sunlight. They were enjoying the snack, but soon the boys noticed their treats were melting.

Joey frowned at the sight of his melting popsicle. “I wonder why it is melting so fast?” he said. “Usually, I can eat the whole thing before it really melts.”

Connor said, “Well, we usually eat in the kitchen. It is pretty hot out here. Maybe it is melting faster because of the difference in temperature.”

“You might be right, Connor,” Joey said. “Maybe we can do a science experiment to find out for sure!”

Joey’s mom said they could use her kitchen for the experiment, but she wanted them to use ice cubes instead of popsicles. That way, they would not waste food. She told them that the results would be similar because ice cubes and popsicles are both frozen liquids. The boys understood and got to work. They got three bowls and put an ice cube in each one.

“Right now,” said Joey’s mom, “all of the ice cubes are solid. They keep their shape, even when you take them out of the ice cube tray.”

Joey and Connor put one bowl outside in the sunlight, one outside in the shade, and one in the kitchen. They checked on the samples every five minutes to see which environment would cause the frozen cubes to melt fastest. Then, they made a hypothesis, or an educated guess. They both thought that the sample placed outside in the sunlight would melt fastest, but they were not sure whether the one in the shade or the one in the kitchen would be the second fastest.

The first time they checked the samples, the ice cube in the sunlight was melting fastest. The cubes in the kitchen and in the shade were both beginning to drip a bit.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 157

157

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3A Properties of Water

Reading Science 9

After ten minutes had passed, Joey and Connor checked the bowls again. Joey checked the two samples outside and Connor checked the bowl inside. Joey discovered that the cube in the sunlight was completely melted. It had become a liquid and no longer kept its shape. Instead, it had spread out to fit the bowl that held it. The cube in the shade was also melting, but not fully. There was still a lump of solid in a pool of liquid. Inside, Connor found that the cube in the kitchen still had most of its shape.

10 By the third time they checked, both of the ice cubes outside were melted; however, the one in the kitchen still held some of its original shape. 11 “Why don’t you leave them out for a few more hours?” suggested Joey’s mom. 12 “Why?” asked Joey. “They are already liquids.” 13 “I think something interesting will happen,” she said. 14 Joey and Connor went to play video games. A few hours later, they returned to find that the two bowls outside were both empty, while the one in the kitchen had some water still left in it. 15 “Mom, are you trying to trick us?” asked Joey. 16 “Nope. You boys are good scientists. You found that heat can turn a solid, like ice, into a liquid. But, heat can also turn a liquid into a gas. This is called evaporation. The liquid from the ice cubes in the bowls is now in the air.” 17 “Cool!” said the boys as they ran off to think of more experiments they could try.

158

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 158

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3A Properties of Water

Reading Science 1.

The author probably wrote this passage to– A.

show the reader how to do an experiment with ice cubes.

persuade the reader that experiments can be fun.

explain the states of matter.

tell a story about two boys who learn something about heat.

Why did the boys use ice cubes instead of popsicles for their experiment? A.

Joey’s mom did not want them to waste food, and ice cubes are frozen like popsicles.

Popsicles would not melt fast enough.

Joey’s mom thought popsicles would be too messy, but she wanted them to be able to try the experiment.

They ran out of popsicles.

What caused the ice cube in the sunlight to melt fastest? A.

Wind

The boys blew on it.

Heat

Joey’s mom took the ice cube and replaced it with water when they weren’t looking.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 159

159

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3A Properties of Water

Reading Science 4.

The boys made a hypothesis (paragraph 7). A hypothesis is– A.

a wild guess.

a guess made with some evidence.

an untrue statement.

a lie.

What would happen if the boys returned the bowl in the kitchen to the freezer? A.

The water would evaporate and become a gas.

The water would stay in liquid form.

The water would become ice.

The water would turn into a popsicle.

160

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 160

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3A Properties of Water

Math Connections Name:

Date:

We can identify the boiling and freezing/melting points of water using a thermometer. Water freezes and ice melts at 0 degrees Celsius. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. A fourth-grade science class is exploring how ice cubes change state at different temperatures. They placed 20 ice cubes in a pot and heated them. They took temperature readings every minute for 6 minutes. The thermometers are shown below.

What unit does the scale on the thermometer count by? __________

Fill in the table below with the temperatures that correspond to each time.

Time Temperature (°C)

-8

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 161

161

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3A Properties of Water

Math Connections Use the number line below to answer the following questions:

Mark the temperatures on the number line with a BLACK X. The first one has been done for you.

Mark the melting/freezing point on the number line with a BLUE dot.

Mark the boiling point of water on the number line with a RED dot.

What was the temperature difference between the 3- and 6-minute mark? ____________ degrees Celsius

How many minutes did it take to reach the melting point? _________ minutes

How many minutes did it take to reach the boiling point? __________ minutes

Between which two minute marks did the temperature rise the most? __________ and __________

162

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 162

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3A Properties of Water

Writing Science Name:

Date:

READ the information in the box. Temperature measures the average energy of the particles in a substance. Scientists identify the freezing, boiling, and melting points of a liquid using a thermometer. These temperatures are specific to the matter being measured and change when the physical properties of the material change (example: when salt is added to water). Water is an interesting type of matter. It can change easily from a liquid to gas and from a liquid to a solid. THINK about what must occur in order for water to change its state. What does water look like when it is a liquid? What does it look like when it is a solid or a gas? WRITE about how water changes its state and how this can affect your life. Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 163

163

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3A Properties of Water

Writing Science Topic:

164

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 164

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Earth and Space Science

4E3B

Water Cycle

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 165

165

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 166

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3B Water Cycle

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Water Cycle Model Use the space below to record your path as a water drop through the water cycle. Roll Number

What Happened?

Where Did You Go?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 167

167

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3B Water Cycle

Explore Student Journal Water Cycle Model Use the space below to plan your group’s water cycle illustration.

168

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 168

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: WATER CYCLE Reflect

4E3B

You can find water in many places. It comes out of faucets in your house. It is also in lakes and rivers. The oceans are full of water. Rain is water that falls from the sky. Snow is frozen rain. Even clouds are made of water. All of the water on Earth is recycled. That means that it gets used over and over again. How do you think this water is recycled? Where does this recycling start? How does recycling water cause rain and snow? Water moves through a cycle. A cycle is like a circle. It has no end and no beginning. The water cycle is how water moves around the world. The water cycle has three main steps.

Water on Earth moves in a circle through the water cycle.

Let’s look at the main steps of the water cycle. The steps are numbered 1–3, but they are all happening at the same time on Earth in different places. Remember, a cycle has no beginning and no end. Step 1: The Sun heats water on Earth. Have you ever seen a puddle dry up after it rains? Sunlight heats the water in the puddle. When the water gets warm enough it moves into the air. This is called evaporation. You can’t see water in the air. It is invisible.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 169

Puddles disappear when their water moves into the air from being heated by the Sun.

169

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: WATER CYCLE Try Now There is a large amount of water in oceans, lakes, and rivers. The Sun can dry up an entire puddle, but it doesn’t dry up the entire ocean. Only some of the ocean water evaporates. A lake or river can dry up if there is no rain and it is very hot. Step 2: What happens after water moves into the air? The water gets colder as it rises through the air. When it gets cold enough, it forms There used to be a river here before clouds. This is called condensation. The water the Sun’s heat dried it up. is not invisible anymore. Clouds might look like puffy cotton, but they are really made of very tiny drops of water. You cannot sit on a cloud. You would fall right through and get quite wet!

From far away clouds look like puffs of dry cotton.

In fact, clouds are made of m illions of tiny drops of water.

Step 3: What happens after clouds form? As clouds fill up with water they become heavy. Clouds cannot float in the sky if they are too heavy. So the water drops in clouds begin to fall back to the ground. We call this falling water precipitation.

170

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 170

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: WATER CYCLE Try Now We call precipitation that falls as liquid water rain. Sometimes it is very cold when rain falls. The water turns into freezing rain or snow as it falls to the ground. Hail and sleet are other kinds of icy precipitation.

When precipitation like rain reaches Earth, it flows back into rivers, lakes, and oceans. The Sun’s heat evaporates the water, and the water cycle continues. All of the water on Earth moves through three main steps in the water cycle. Identify each step in the diagram below. Use three words to complete the blanks: Condensation, Evaporation, and Precipitation.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 171

171

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: WATER CYCLE What Do You Think? The words in the box refer to different steps in the water cycle. Use these words to complete the sentences below. Word Box

Water falls to the into oceans, at Step 1. The keeps moving in a

Sun never

ground

rivers circle

cycle

when it rains. The water flows across the ground , and lakes. Then the water starts again heats water. The water cycle stops. It .

Try Now Model the water cycle with five friends. Each person will play different parts of the water cycle. 1. Give each person a part. One person is an ocean. The other people are the Sun, the sky, a cloud, or the ground. 2. Stand in a circle. The Sun person stands outside the circle. 3. Make sure you are in the right order that Stand in this order for Step 3. water moves through the cycle. 4. The Sun will pass the water between the ocean and sky. 5. Each person should hold a large, empty cup. 6. The ocean person starts with a cup filled with water. 7. Pass the water around the circle by pouring it into each person’s cup. 8. Continue moving the water through the cycle.

172

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 172

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: WATER CYCLE Try Now What’s the Word: Cycle and Recycle The word cycle means “circle” or “wheel.” Water moves through the water cycle in a kind of circle. Other words also use cycle. A bicycle has two wheels. A tricycle has three wheels. The prefix re- means “again.” If you add re- to cycle you get recycle. So, recycle means to move in a circle again. The word bicycle means “two wheels.”

What Do You Know? Look at the pictures below. Decide which step of the water cycle they show (1, 2, or 3). Then write a sentence that describes the picture including the words evaporation, condensation, or precipitation. The first one has been done to show you. Picture

Which step in the water cycle?

What is happening?

Rain is a kind of precipitation in the water cycle.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 173

173

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: WATER CYCLE Try Now Now you try! Here is a reminder to help you: 1=Evaporation 2=Condensation 3=Precipitation Picture

174

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 174

Which step in the water cycle?

What is happening?

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: WATER CYCLE Connecting With Your Child The Water Cycle in 3-D To help your child continue learning about the water cycle, work together to create a three-dimensional poster that models the processes involved in the water cycle. Build the model on a large piece of poster board and use a variety of materials to represent the different aspects of the water cycle. For example, you may use cotton balls as clouds; colored cling wrap as oceans, river, or lakes; plastic beads as raindrops; and magazine clippings or photographs for the Sun. Start in the same place as the companion: the evaporation of oceans, rivers, and lakes (Step 1). Your child should then proceed to Steps 2 and 3, adding the appropriate parts to the poster board and labeling them. In addition, your child should write a description of each step on a small index card (e.g., evaporation, condensation, precipitation). Glue each index card to the poster board beside the correct step. Your child should draw arrows to show how water moves from step to step. Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • Why is the water cycle called a cycle? • What are the major steps of the water cycle? • How does the water cycle cause weather conditions?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 175

175

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 176

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3B Water Cycle

Reading Science Name:

Date:

The Water Cycle 1.

Where does all of Earth’s water come from? Where does the rain water come from? Actually, the water has been here since shortly after the Earth formed 4.6 billion years ago. Earth’s water goes through a cycle. The water is on the Earth. Then it travels up into the atmosphere. It then travels back down to the Earth. This is known as the water cycle.

Earth’s water cycle begins with a change in temperature. The Sun warms the Earth’s water from oceans, lakes, and rivers. The Sun’s heat causes the water to change its state. The heat causes surface water to evaporate. The water turns from liquid to vapor. Water vapor is an invisible gas. The water vapor rises into the air. As the water travels higher into the atmosphere, it cools down.

There is also dust in the air. As the water cools, some of it is attached to this dust. More and more water condenses on the dust, creating water droplets. Condensing means turning from gas to liquid. The water eventually encases the dust and the water-dust mixture becomes a rain drop or snow flake. When the water particles become too large to stay afloat in the air, fall to the ground in a form of precipitation called rain.

When it is below 32 Fahrenheit, the freezing point of water, the water vapor condenses on the dust particles as ice, rather than liquid water. Snow particles form and they precipitate as snow. Snow stays on the ground when the ground temperature is at or below freezing. If the ground temperature is above freezing, the snow will melt when it hits the ground.

Another type of precipitation is sleet. Sleet is a mixture of snow and rain. Rain drops fall from clouds, but they partially freeze on their way down to Earth. Sleet occurs when the temperature in the clouds is warmer than the temperature closer to the ground.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 177

177

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3B Water Cycle

Reading Science 6.

Hail is another form of precipitation. For hail to occur, there also needs to be wind. In a large cumulonimbus cloud, ice crystals form. They begin to fall toward the Earth. Next, the wind picks up and pulls the ice crystals back up into the cloud. The air is cold. The ice crystals continue to grow as more water freezes onto them. The ice crystals fall again, but are swept up again. The cycle continues until the hail stones become too heavy. They then fall to the Earth as hail. Small hail stones are about the size of pencil erasers. Really big ones can be as big as softballs!

Water goes through different stages in the water cycle. The Earth will continue to cycle its water as long as it lives. Without the water cycle, our Earth would be depleted of water by now. Thankfully we have the water cycle to help us survive.

178

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 178

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3B Water Cycle

Reading Science 1.

What do the arrows in the diagram represent? A.

Evaporation

Condensation

The movement of water

Wind

In the water cycle, lake water will do what first? A.

Turn into a cloud

Evaporate

Freeze

Condense

Water vapor in the air will do which of the following last? A.

Turn into a cloud

Disappear

Turn into rain

Flow into oceans, lakes, and rivers.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 179

179

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3B Water Cycle

Reading Science 4.

What is another meaning for the word depleted? A.

Renewed

Increase

Decrease, gone

Recycled

Which text structure did the author use in the text? A.

Compare/contrast

Cause/effect

Problem/solution

Description

What starts the water cycle? A.

Condensation

Evaporation

Precipitation

Temperature change

180

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 180

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3B Water Cycle

Reading Science 7.

The passage is mostly about – A.

the difference between condensation and precipitation.

how the Sun causes rain.

how water goes through different phases on Earth.

how rain moves in a circle.

The author wrote this mostly to – A.

persuade people to reduce water consumption.

inform the reader of the different stages of the water cycle.

persuade the reader to take care of the Earth.

explain how water is used on the Earth.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 181

181

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 182

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3B Water Cycle

Math Connections Name:

Date:

The Sun is a major source of energy that moves water through the water cycle. Seventy-five percent of the surface of our blue planet is covered with either freshwater or saltwater, which the Sun constantly evaporates into a gas (water vapor). The pool below is 8 meters long, 4 meters wide, and 1.3 meters deep. It holds 41,600 liters of water.

What is the area of the pool’s surface? ________ meters

During the spring and summer in Atlanta, an average of 7 liters of water per square meter is lost each day due to evaporation. Based on your calculation in question 1, how many liters of water are evaporated each day? __________ liters

Water flows from a standard water hose at a rate of 17 liters per minute. Fill in the input/output chart below to see about how much water flows over different amounts of time. L = 17 x m Minutes (m) Liters (L)

2 34

4 68

6 102

Based on the chart, about how long will you need to run your hose each day to refill the water lost? ___________

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 183

183

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3B Water Cycle

Math Connections The Sun’s energy lights and heats Earth. However, not all of the energy from the Sun comes to Earth. Follow the directions to see how much of the energy from the Sun comes to Earth.

Divide the circle into eight equal parts and shade two parts red. This represents the amount of the Sun’s energy absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere. What are two ways you can describe the fraction shaded red? _________ and _______

Shade four more of the parts yellow. This represents the part of the Sun’s energy that is absorbed by the Earth’s land and water. What are three ways you can describe the fraction shaded yellow? ____________, ____________, and ____________ Shade the last part of the Sun orange. This represents the part of the Sun’s energy that is reflected back into space. What are two ways you can describe the fraction shaded orange? _____________ and _________

The Sun’s energy powers the water cycle. The water cycle is how water changes as it moves through the air and on Earth’s surface. Solve the problems in the diagram. Match the words from the answer bank to the correct problem on the diagram. Answer

Word

174

Precipitation

294

Condensation

468

Evaporation

148

Runoff

184

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 184

1) 42 x 7 =

Problem 2) 29 x 6 =

4) 52 x 9 = 3) 37 x 4 =

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3B Water Cycle

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the picture of clouds from a view we do not normally see.

THINK about the clouds in the water cycle. Where does the water cycle begin? WRITE about what usually happens to water before and after it forms a cloud. How are weather conditions affected by the water cycle? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 185

185

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E3B Water Cycle

Writing Science Topic:

186

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 186

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Earth and Space Science

4E4AD

Measuring Weather and Climate

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 187

187

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 188

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Part I: Weather Data Chart Keep track of the outdoor temperature, precipitation, wind direction, and weather conditions for five days. Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Date Time Daily Conditions Wind Direction Wind Speed Precipitation Temperature °C / °F Barometric Pressure

Predictions for Tomorrow

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 189

189

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Explore Student Journal Part II: Past Weather Data Use the Internet to research weather data from the year assigned by your teacher. Year: ______

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Date

Daily Conditions

Wind Direction Wind Speed

Precipitation Barometric Pressure High Temp °C / °F Low Temp °C / °F

190

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 190

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Explore Student Journal Part III: Graph Data Use the temperature data you collected between now and the year you researched to make a bar graph. Use either °C or °F.

Now

Date:

20__

Now

20__

Date:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 191

Now

Date:

20__

Now

Date:

20__

Now

20__

Date: 191

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Explore Student Journal Part IV: Weather or Climate? Discuss with your group if the descriptions are examples of weather or climate. Circle the key word(s) that helped you decide. Glue them under the proper heading.

Weather

192

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 192

Climate

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MEASURING

WEATHER AND CLIMATE 4E4AD

Reflect

You’re going on vacation in a week and you have to start thinking about what clothes you’re going to pack for your trip. You’ve read the weather reports for your vacation spot, but you know that the weather can change from day to day. You decide that the best way to pack is to choose clothes that work best for the climate you’re going to. Is that a wise decision? What exactly is the difference between weather and climate? humidity: a measure of

What is weather? What are some characteristics of how much water vapor weather? is in the air; the air feels moist and sticky when When we talk about weather, we mean the daily conditions humidity is high in the atmosphere of a local area. Many conditions make up the weather. A few are cloud cover, wind, humidity, and temperature, which is how hot or cold the air is. One condition that is important for planning a vacation is rainfall. Rain is a type of precipitation. Precipitation is water that falls to Earth from Hailstones are nuggets of falling ice, while rain is clouds. There are many forms of droplets of liquid water. Both are forms of precipitation. precipitation including rain, snow, sleet, and hail. They are all slightly different based on the temperature of the air as the water falls through it. Rain is liquid water that falls in droplets. Snow and hail, on the other hand, are particles of ice that fall when it is colder outside. Sleet is a mixture of rain and snow. Weather is an important part of daily life. It describes the changing conditions of the environment around us. What is the weather like where you are today? What Do You Think? This weather report provides information about the weather in the city over five days. How does the weather change in New York during this period of time? Is it the same or slightly different each day?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 193

193

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MEASURING

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Look Out! All weather is caused by the Sun heating Earth. When the Sun’s energy heats the atmosphere unevenly, it causes different air pressures. Pressure is the weight of the air. Cold air weighs more than warm air because it is denser. Low-pressure air and high-pressure air cause different weather conditions. Low-pressure air often brings rain, thunderstorms, and hurricanes. High-pressure air usually means clear skies and sunshine. The uneven heating of the atmosphere is the reason there is different weather in most places on Earth during spring, summer, autumn, and winter. What is climate? What are some characteristics of climate? Weather is constantly changing. Scientists who predict, or forecast, the weather can’t usually make forecasts beyond 10 days. Even weather reports cannot guarantee that the forecasts will be accurate. However, climate in a particular area is consistent. Climate is the type of weather in an area averaged over a long period of time, such as 30 years or more.

What climate zone is this place located in?

For example, when most people think of Hawaii, they picture sunshine, high temperatures, and warm rainfall. Hawaii has a tropical climate. The weather there is usually warm and humid with cool breezes and it has been that way for many years. However, that doesn’t mean that Hawaii doesn’t have days with cold temperatures and storms. The climate of an area describes its average temperatures, precipitation, humidity, wind, cloud cover, and other weather conditions over long periods of time. An area’s climate is affected by several factors. These may include its distance from water (like oceans or lakes), its latitude on the globe, and its elevation above sea level. There are several different climate zones in the world. Tropical climate zones are found closest to the equator. The climate in a tropical zone is hot and humid with lots of rain. Rainforests are found mostly in tropical climates. 194

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 194

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MEASURING

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Look Out! Farther away from the equator is the temperate climate zone. Most of the United States has a temperate, or subtropical, climate. The temperatures are neither very high nor very low, and there are moderate amounts of precipitation. Temperate climates usually have different weather for each of the four seasons. Past the temperate climate zones are the polar zones. They are found close to the north and south poles. These zones are well known for their extremely cold temperatures and snow. However, polar climate zones are also quite dry, with little precipitation during the year. temperate: mild, moderate; not extreme

It’s difficult to imagine a place with so much snow and ice as being a desert, but that is the case with Antarctica. Located at the South Pole, the continent of Antarctica is the largest desert in the world. It is called a polar desert, but it has many of the same characteristics as hot deserts. Deserts receive fewer than 250 millimeters (10 inches) of rainfall every year. Antarctica averages between 146 and 192 mm (5.7 to 7.6 in) of precipitation per year. Any available water remains frozen year-round in glaciers and icebergs. Cold, dry air and high winds contribute to the desert climate. The lack of trees and plants also contributes to this desert climate. Try Now Use everyday materials to model different climates. To complete this activity, you will need the following: • two small bowls • plastic wrap • two rubber bands • water 1. Start by adding water to the bowls. Fill each bowl about three-fourths full. 2. Next, cover each bowl with plastic wrap spread tightly across the top. Place a rubber band around the top of each bowl to keep the plastic wrap in place. 3. Put one of the bowls in a warm area, such as near a heater or in a window that gets much sunlight. Put the other bowl in a cool area with shade. 4. After several hours (or the next day), check the bowls. What do you observe? 5. What type of climate have you modeled with each of the bowls? In which “bowl climate” do you think a rainforest would grow? Why? © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 195

195

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MEASURING

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

What Do You Think? On your way out the door for school, your mother yells after you to put on a jacket. She says that the day is supposed to be cold and windy with a chance of rain. Is your mom telling you about the weather or the climate? What is the difference between weather and climate? You can use time to tell the difference between weather and climate. Weather is immediate. It describes the conditions in the atmosphere for a short period of time—today or the next few days. Climate is the overall weather conditions for a long period of time. Because weather can change from day to day, climates are averages and trends. A climate graph shows the average (or mean) temperature of an area over many years.

What tools can we use to learn about the weather? The way that the air on Earth looks and feels at a certain time and place is called weather. If someone asked you for today’s weather, you might tell them how cold it is outside or how fast the wind is blowing. These are ways of describing how the air looks and feels. Read about four special tools that scientists use to track and predict weather.

• Wind Sock: A wind sock helps scientists measure how fast the wind is blowing. A wind sock is made from a long tube of fabric. The tube is attached to a pole. When the wind is not blowing, the sock hangs straight down. When the wind is blowing, the sock is picked up by the wind and extends, or grows longer. How much the sock extends tells the scientists how fast the wind is blowing. The wind sock also shows the direction the wind is blowing.

196

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 196

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MEASURING

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Rain Gauge: A rain gauge is a tool that collects rainfall. It is usually made from a tube with a funnel shape. The funnel shape helps to collect the rainwater. The tube stores the rainwater. Scientists can measure the amount of rain that has been collected. You can measure even small amounts of rainfall in rain gauges because of their funnel shape.

• Thermometer: A thermometer tells the temperature of the air around it. A thermometer has a long glass tube filled with liquid. As the air heats up, it also heats the liquid in the glass tube. The heated liquid expands and rises. When the liquid cools, it falls back down. There are numbers next to the glass tube that tell you what the temperature is. In the United States, we measure the temperature in a unit called degrees Fahrenheit (°F). In most other countries, people measure the weather in degrees Celsius (°C). Scientists also measure temperature in degrees Celsius. • Barometer: A barometer measures the atmospheric or air pressure. Changes to the air pressure can be used to predict a change in the weather. The weather map may show H and L to indicate areas of high and low pressure, respectively. The barometer contains a metal capsule attached to tiny levers. As slight changes to the air put pressure on the capsule, it expands or contracts, moving the levers that are attached to the needle on the dial. Air pressure is read in inches and the greater the change in the barometric pressure, the more dramatic the change in the weather.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 197

197

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MEASURING

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Try Now Scientists use a tool called an anemometer to measure the speed of wind. You can make your own anemometer. You will need a pencil, a pushpin, a straw, and scissors. You will also need two small paper cups. 1. Ask an adult to help you poke one hole in the side of each paper cup. Stick the straw through both holes so that one cup is on either side of the straw. The cups need to face opposite directions. The open end of one cup should This anemometer face toward you. The open end of the other cup should measures wind face away from you. speed. As the wind 2. Hold the pencil so that the eraser points at the ceiling. blows faster, the Place the straw across the eraser. Make sure the center of anemometer spins the straw is over the eraser. more quickly. Make 3. Use the pushpin to attach the straw to the pencil’s eraser. Make sure the straw can rotate. If it cannot, you may need your own anemometer using paper cups, a a longer pushpin. straw, and a pencil. 4. Take your anemometer outside. Hold the anemometer in the air and see if it turns. Is the wind blowing? Does the wind speed change over time? 5. Come back the next day and hold your anemometer in the same spot. How has the wind speed changed from yesterday?

198

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 198

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MEASURING

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

What Do You Think? What do you know? Weather and climate are related to each other. Both are descriptions of conditions in the atmosphere and the surrounding environment for specific places on Earth. However, there are ways to tell them apart. Read each characteristic below and decide whether it applies to weather or to climate. Then place the characteristic in the circle with the correct heading. If a description applies to both weather and climate, place it in the space where the two circles overlap, which is labeled “Both.” • Observed and measured over a short time period • Includes factors such as precipitation, temperature, humidity, and wind • Measures day-to-day changes • Divided into several zones around the world • Observed and measured over a long time period • Measurements are averaged over 30 years or more • Can be predicted for about 10 days

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 199

199

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MEASURING

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Connecting With Your Child Family Vacation to the Climate Zones To help your child learn more about weather and climate, take him or her on a virtual tour to other climate zones around the world. Have your child choose three locations on the planet that he or she may want to visit some day. You may use a globe or a map to help your child choose, or perhaps he or she may want to focus on somewhere he or she has already been. Encourage your child to choose locations from each of the climate zones (tropical, temperate, and polar). Together, create a mini tour guidebook for each location. Here is one possible format for a guidebook. Divide a sheet of paper into five sections. Label the sections “Today’s Weather,” “Location on Earth,” “Climate Zone,” “Climate,” and “Pictures.” Using the library or Internet, research each of the categories with your child. Begin by having your child find the current weather at each destination. Then use a map or globe to find that destination’s location on the planet. For example, if your child chose Paris, France, that city is located in Europe at a latitude of about 50°N. That latitude indicates that Paris is in a temperate climate zone. Have your child research and describe the conditions in a temperate climate zone, and then find pictures in magazines or online that demonstrate the Parisian climate. The temperate climate zone, in particular, has variations between the seasons. Encourage your child to include how the climate changes from season to season in both the description and pictures. Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • Why is it important to know the weather and the climate of a destination? What do you learn about a place from its weather and climate? • What geological features (oceans, lakes, mountains, etc.) are near each of your destinations? How do you think these features affect each destination’s climate? • What climate zone do you think we live in? How do you know?

200

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 200

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Reading Science Name:

Date:

Wintertime Blues 1.

Shannon lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her family. The snow began to fall earlier this year than any other year. These white confetti flakes began falling gently from the sky and landed softly on other white specks. In the morning Shannon got out her puffy winter coat, furry hat, and mittens.

Shannon’s friends loved the climate of Minnesota. They loved the winter snow to build snowmen and go sledding. Shannon, however, despised the snow and cold. She had a strong distaste for anything to do with wintertime or snow. A few years ago, her family took a winter trip to Florida. The climate in Florida was much warmer than Minnesota’s cold, winter climate. Florida is also more humid. It is occasionally rainy during the summer season there. Its climate, or weather patterns, are usually warm and sunny. As Shannon looked out the window, she daydreamed of being back in that warm, sunny climate.

“Shannon. Shannon. Shannon!” shouted her friend Haley.

Shannon quickly snapped back into reality as she saw the snow falling harder. Later that day, Shannon walked home with her hooded sweatshirt on. She could not get Florida off of her mind. This snowy weather and cold weather would only last for a short time, but she was already tired of it.

Shannon walked into the house. Her mom quickly noticed the frown on her face. She knew immediately why Shannon looked the way she did. She always looked this way in the winter.

“Shannon, can I talk to you for a minute?” asked her mom.

Shannon walked over to the kitchen counter and pulled out a stool. Waiting for her was a plate of apples and peanut butter. She dug in.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 201

201

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Reading Science 8.

“Shannon,” mom began, “I know winter is not your favorite time of year. I know this snowy weather is not your favorite but remember it won’t last forever. Snowy weather comes and goes based on what the atmosphere is doing for a short period of time. But, to get your mind thinking a little more positively, I wanted to share a secret with you.”

Shannon froze in mid-bite of her apple. “What’s the secret, mom? Are we going skiing? Please tell me no.”

10. “No, we are not going skiing,” replied mom. “In fact, it’s just the opposite. Your father and I have decided we are taking you on a winter break vacation to Hawaii!” 11. Shannon froze. She quickly visualized warm, sunny weather! She saw palm trees, pineapple farms, beaches, and clear blue water. 12. “Awesome!!!!” Shannon squealed as she hugged her mom. Her frown quickly turned into an excited grin. She had a new gleam in her eyes. She rushed to the calendar. When she looked at the calendar, she saw that vacation started in 20 days. 13. “I suppose I can do this Minnesota climate for a little longer,” said Shannon. “Knowing that I’m going to the warm climate of Hawaii will help me get through this nasty snow weather for a few more days.”

202

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 202

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Reading Science 1.

What is the main problem in the story? A.

It started snowing earlier than normal.

Shannon did not have her coat and mittens.

Shannon did not enjoy the Minnesota climate.

Shannon needed more sun.

The reader can infer Shannon would like what kind of weather? A.

Snow

Rain

Tornadoes

Sunny

Which sentence from the story BEST explains why Shannon’s mom informing Shannon about the Hawaii trip was important to the story? A.

Her frown quickly turned into an excited grin.

Shannon quickly snapped back into reality as she saw the snow falling harder.

“Your father and I have decided we are taking you on a winter break vacation to Hawaii.”

She had a strong distaste for anything to do with wintertime or snow.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 203

203

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Reading Science 4.

What is a synonym for the word distaste in paragraph 2? A.

Love

Desire

Allergy

Disgust

From which point of view is the story told? A.

Shannon’s

Haley’s

Mom’s

Teacher’s

What is most likely the main reason her Mom shared the secret of the trip with Shannon? A.

It was wintertime.

The trip was coming up soon.

Mom knew how Shannon felt about winter in Minnesota.

Mom wanted Shannon to start packing.

204

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 204

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Reading Science 7.

What clues in the text help the reader understand what the weather is? A.

Extended period of time

Atmosphere

Short time

Snowy weather

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 205

205

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 206

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Math Connections Name:

Date:

In your own words, write about the difference between “weather” and “climate” in the space below.

Use the charts below to answer questions 2 – 9. Average Daily High in Atlanta, Georgia Average Daily Low in Atlanta, Georgia January

49°

January

28°

February

53°

February

30°

March

59°

March

38°

April

69°

April

44°

May

79°

May

57°

June

86°

June

68°

July

88°

July

70°

August

89°

August

71°

September

80°

September

65°

October

68°

October

46°

November

60°

November

34°

December

51°

December

31°

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 207

207

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Math Connections 2.

What is the difference between the high and low temperatures for the month of September? degrees

Using the “Average Daily High” chart, what 3 months are typically Atlanta’s , , hottest months?

Using the “Average Daily High” chart, what 3 months are typically Atlanta’s coldest months? , ,

At what time of day are high temperatures recorded? At what time of day are low temperatures recorded?

Using the Average Daily Low chart, find the average low temperature for the months of January, February, and March. To calculate the average, add the three degrees temperatures and then divide by 3.

What is the difference between Atlanta’s highest high and lowest low? degrees

Which month has a difference of exactly 20 degrees between the high and the low?

208

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 208

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Writing Science Name:

Date:

READ the information in the box. In the natural world are patterns that scientists can record and predict. One of these patterns is weather. Weather refers to the daily environmental changes we experience around us. It is measured over hours, days, and weeks. When scientists average the general conditions over a longer period of time, the average is called the climate. THINK about the weather and climate in the two very different parts of the world pictured here. Both experience sunny weather and rainy days. WRITE about why and how often you might use an umbrella in each region. What types of weather would you expect to experience in each place? How would you describe the climate in each place? What tools could you use to gather evidence? Be sure to clearly state your central idea; organize your thoughts; develop your essay in detail; choose your words carefully; and use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 209

209

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4AD Measuring Weather and Climate

Writing Science Topic:

210

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 210

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Earth and Space Science

4E4BC

Predicting Weather

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 211

211

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 212

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Weather Part I: Warm, Cold, and Stationary Fronts Fill out the data table for each type of front. For each state, record the weather each day and predict what the weather might be like on Day 3. Cold Front State

Day 1

Day 2

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Day 3 (prediction)

Washington

Nevada

Texas

Iowa

Georgia

In what general direction did the front move on the map?

What kind of weather did the cold front cause?

What evidence helped you make predictions for Day 3?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 213

213

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Explore Student Journal Part I: Warm, Cold, and Stationary Fronts, continued Warm Front State

Day 1

Day 2

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Day 3 (prediction)

Washington

Nevada

Texas

Iowa

Georgia

In what general direction did the front move on the map?

What kind of weather did the warm front cause?

What evidence helped you make predictions for Day 3?

214

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 214

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Explore Student Journal Part I: Warm, Cold, and Stationary Fronts, continued Stationary Front State

Day 1

Day 2

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Temperature:

Weather:

Day 3 (prediction)

Washington

Nevada

Texas

Iowa

Georgia

Describe the motion of both fronts.

What kind of weather did the stationary front cause?

What evidence helped you make predictions for Day 3?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 215

215

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Explore Student Journal Part II: Outside Observations Keep track of the outdoor temperature, precipitation, wind direction, and weather conditions for five days. Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Date Time Daily Conditions Wind Direction/ Speed Precipitation Temperature °C / °F Draw and Label Cloud Type(s)

Prediction for Tomorrow

Any evidence of a front passing through?

216

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 216

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Explore Student Journal Part III: Patterns Throughout the Year Month_______________ Season:_______________ Year_______________ Day Temperature Sky Conditions Precipitation Wind Direction/ Speed Analysis and Observations

Which seasons had the biggest change in temperature during fronts?

It is predicted that a cold front will pass over your city in the next few days. What weather events and changes can you expect as the cold front passes?

Look at the class graph and compare your outside observations to the data from the same season. What are the similarities and differences between the week we observed as a class and the week we researched for the same season?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 217

217

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 218

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PREDICTING

WEATHER

Reflect

4E4BC

Venus and Earth both have clouds. Can you see the yellow clouds on Venus and the white clouds on Earth? You really couldn’t live with the type of clouds on Venus because they are made of sulfuric acid. Fortunately, Earth clouds are made of water droplets. How do clouds form? The recipe for a cloud combines three things: water droplets or ice crystals, little particles of dust, and cooler temperatures. How does Earth get water, dust, and temperature in the right combinations to form clouds? 1. Evaporation and transpiration of water: Moisture has to get into the air. That moisture comes from the evaporation of water from the bodies of water on Earth as part of the water cycle. Oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and ponds are warmed by sunlight. When the Sun heats liquid water, the molecules of water move faster and some escape into the air as water vapor (gaseous water). Water also comes from all the plants that release water vapor into the air (after absorbing the water through their roots) in a process called transpiration. 2. Condensation of water onto dust particles: Water vapor molecules need something to condense on. They start to cling to little dust or salt particles. The water vapor and these particles are constantly bumping into each other. When the air cools, some of the water vapor sticks to the particles to become liquid water droplets—this is condensation. Eventually, bigger water droplets form around the particles, and these water droplets start sticking together with other droplets, forming clouds. Cloud formation is part of the water cycle. Water then falls as precipitation and flows as runoff into oceans and other bodies of water. The Sun’s heat evaporates the water into water vapor, which rises into cooler temperatures and condenses to form clouds. © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 219

219

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PREDICTING

WEATHER

3. Cooler temperatures: For water vapor and dust particles to condense and form clouds, they must be in cooler temperatures. The air must rise from warmer to cooler temperature zones higher in the atmosphere. The point when air cannot hold any more evaporated water at cool temperatures and when the water vapor condenses into a cloud is called the dew point. Types of Clouds Three main types of clouds form in the sky: 1. Cirrus – high, thin, wispy, fair-weather clouds 2. Cumulus – large, fluffy clouds that look like cotton balls and are usually seen during fair weather. These clouds can build up and turn into storm clouds. 3. Stratus – low, layered, smooth, bad-weather clouds

These clouds appear at high (cirro), mid (alto), or low (strato) altitudes and can sometimes come together. For example, rain clouds (nimbus) are dark and thick. Cumulonimbus are cumulus clouds that have become dark and heavy rain clouds.

220

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 220

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PREDICTING

WEATHER

Try Now To see clouds appear from moisture in your breath and from the moisture in air, you will need a metal spoon and a pitcher of iced lemonade. Spoon Clouds: Hold the back of a metal spoon near your mouth. Open your mouth and breath slowly onto the spoon. Do you see a cloud form briefly on the spoon? Why did it condense on the spoon? Why did it disappear? Lemonade Clouds: Watch the outside of the glass pitcher holding icy lemonade. Do you see cloud droplets form on the outside of the pitcher? Did that water come from inside the pitcher or outside the pitcher? Why did it condense on the glass pitcher? How does a weather map show weather conditions? Have you ever looked at a road map? A road map uses numbers, symbols, and lines to tell you about the area you are driving through. A weather map is like a road map. It has special symbols and markings. These symbols and markings represent weather data. Scientists use weather maps to show current and future weather conditions. Look at the weather map. Temperature is shown using numbers and the degree symbol (°). The light blue and yellow symbols represent sunny skies, cloudy skies, rain, thunderstorms, and snow. The curved lines with triangles and half-circles represent fronts. What is a front?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 221

221

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PREDICTING

WEATHER

• A cold front, shown in blue with triangles, is a fast-moving batch of cold air. The colder, heavier air stays lower to the ground, causing the warm air to quickly rise and cool. This can cause the water vapor in the warm air to condense and form a cumulonimbus cloud (large storm cloud). Thunderstorms often happen when a cool front blows through an area.

• A warm front, shown in red with half-circles, is a slower moving batch of warm air. When the lighter, warmer air meets heavier, colder air, it rises above it and cools. This causes the water vapor in the warmer air to condense and form clouds. If there is enough water vapor in the warm air, it can cause a rain shower. • A stationary front, shown by red circles and blue arrows facing opposite directions, happens when a batch of warm air and a batch of cold air collide. The two batches of air are too weak to move the other out of the way, so they do not move. This can cause rainy weather to stay in one place for several days.

222

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 222

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PREDICTING

WEATHER

How can we use weather maps to predict weather? Scientists use many different tools to predict weather. Computers, satellite images, and weather stations can help to predict weather. Weather maps are also important tools. Suppose a map shows that a warm front is moving toward your state. The map also shows that your state currently has cool air sitting over it. Scientists know how cool and warm air interact, or influence each other. They also understand how wind speed, temperature, and other factors change the weather conditions. They can use the information on a weather map to predict the weather.

Scientists in the Spotlight: Jim Kosek Do you like studying and predicting the weather? Do you like speaking in front of people? Then perhaps you should be a television meteorologist. A meteorologist is a scientist who studies weather. Jim Kosek is the meteorologist for a television station in Atlanta, Georgia. Kosek had to go to school to become a meteorologist. He took classes in science and weather in order to understand how to make accurate predictions. Kosek does an important job for the Atlanta area. He predicts local weather to help people plan their days and weeks. He also helps people stay aware of severe weather like storms or heavy rain. Atlanta sometimes experiences dangerous thunderstorms, tornadoes, droughts, and hurricanes. Kosek helps communicate with the people in his city and teach them about the weather.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 223

223

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PREDICTING

WEATHER

What Do You Know? Use the word bank to fill in the blanks for questions 1–3 about clouds.

droplets cooler emperatures dew point vapor dust particles

1. Clouds need three things to form: Water vapor, ______________________________, and ______________________________. 2. Clouds begin to form when water ______________ condenses onto nuclei to form water ______________ at cooler temperatures. 3. The moment that air cannot hold any more evaporated water molecules and the water vapor begins to condense onto dust or salt nuclei to form water droplets is called the _______________________________________________________ 4. Name one condition that causes air with water vapor to rise to reach the dew point temperature when it condenses into clouds: ______________________________ _____________________ 5. Draw a picture of the following clouds in the boxes below. Describe the type of weather you would most likely observe along with each cloud type. Cirrus

224

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 224

Cumulus

Stratus

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: PREDICTING

WEATHER

Connecting With Your Child To help your child understand cloud formation, make cotton flashcard models of clouds. You will need the following: • • • • • •

12 cotton balls Sheets of blue construction paper Liquid, white glue Chart of cloud types with names Black marker Scissors

1. Decide how many cloud types you want to make for your flashcards. Cut rectangles the size of your hand for each cloud type. 2. Take a cotton ball and pull it thin or clump it to match the form of the cloud you need. Glue it to the paper. 3. Write the name of the cloud type on the back of the paper with the black marker. 4. You can add information on the back about what kind of weather this cloud indicates and at what height it usually appears (low, mid, or high altitude). 5. When you’re finished, you can use these to learn cloud names and facts by looking at the front of the flashcard with the cloud shape and guessing the information appearing on the back. Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • How do clouds form? • What three things are needed to make clouds? • What kind of weather do nimbus clouds bring and why?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 225

225

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 226

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Reading Science Name:

Date:

Clouds 1.

Have you ever looked up at the clouds and had their shapes remind you of things? Many people do that! Elephants, human faces, and airplanes have all been “seen” in the formation of the clouds. What causes clouds?

Clouds are made up of water drops or ice. All air contains water. When the water is near the ground, it is usually in an invisible gas called water vapor. Water vapor is all around us every day. We breathe some of it in with every breath. We just can’t see it. Sometimes there is more water vapor in the air than at other times. The Sun warms the air around us. When the air around us is warmed, it expands and rises. To expand is to increase in size. As the air with its water vapor gets higher, they both cool.

Cool air cannot hold as much water vapor as warm air, so the water vapor begins to condense, or transform into liquid.

The condensing water vapor interacts with tiny pieces of dust in the air. Tiny water droplets stick to the dust. The water droplet grows and surrounds the dust particle. When billions of dust and water droplets form near each other, they become a visible cloud.

There are many types of clouds. Some are thin and wispy. Thin and wispy clouds don’t have much moisture in them, and they are a sign of fair weather. Big, puffy clouds are a sign of a large amount of moisture in the air. The larger the cloud, the more moisture it contains. These are often a sign that rain or snow is on the way.

Clouds come in all shapes and sizes because of the winds and the different amounts of water vapor that warm and then rise into the air.

Look for interesting patterns in the clouds!

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 225

225

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Reading Science 1.

What happens when water condenses? A.

Dust forms.

It warms and rises.

It turns into water vapor.

It cools and turns back into liquid.

What is needed for clouds to form? A.

The Sun

Dust

Water vapor

All of the above

The author wrote this story mainly to– A.

compare/contrast dust and water vapor.

explain how clouds are formed.

describe the differences between kinds of clouds.

describe how the Sun warms vapor.

226

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 226

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Reading Science 4.

What text feature did the author use to help the reader understand the selection? A.

Bolded words

Heating

Diagram

Title

How do dust and water interact with each other? A.

Dust collects on the water droplets.

Water vapor sticks to the dust particles.

Dust travels with the water from the ground.

The darker the cloud, the more dust in the cloud.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 227

227

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 228

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Below is a blank weather map. Use the map to answer questions 1–4.

A Low Pressure System is a mass of warm air that usually brings storms. It is represented by a large, red L. Draw a low pressure system at (5,1).

A High Pressure System is a mass of cool air that usually brings nice weather, sunny skies, and a breeze. It is represented by a large, blue H. Draw a high pressure system coming in at (3,7).

A trough is an area of low pressure that brings clouds and rainy weather. It is marked by a hash line. Create a trough that starts at (6,6) and extends in a straight line to (2,1). Use the following symbol:

The low pressure system is moving inland toward Raleigh and is bringing in a warm front. A warm front is a boundary between a cool and warm air mass. The warm air mass replaces the cool air. Its symbol is a red line with semicircles pointing in the direction it is moving. Create a warm front that starts at (2,5) and goes to (4,6). Use the following symbol:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 229

229

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Math Connections Weather stations use symbols on a map to describe the conditions in different areas. Look at the example below to help answer questions 5–8.

Sky Cover

Wind

Weather Symbol

Clear

1–2 knots

Rain

Scattered

3–7 knots

Drizzle

4/8

18–22 knots

Snow

Overcast

48–52 knots

Fog

Obscured

103–107 knots

Haze

∞

Locate the city at (3,5). Write the correct symbol that shows a foggy, overcast day with a temperature of 82°F, a dew point at 76, and winds of 2 knots east.

Locate the city at (5,6). Write the correct symbol that shows a rainy day with scattered clouds, a temperature of 75°F, a dew point at 63, and winds of 49 knots west.

Locate the city at (6,2). Write the correct symbol that shows drizzle, 4/8 cloud cover with a temperature of 84°F, a dew point at 76, and winds of 4 knots southeast.

Locate the city at (5,4). Write the correct symbol that shows haze, obscured cloud cover with a temperature of 86°F, a dew point at 73, and winds of 2 knots northeast.

230

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 230

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the picture.

THINK about the last time it rained. What clues did the clouds give that convinced you it might rain? WRITE about what happens before a rainstorm. What might you observe? How do scientists predict the weather? What are weather fronts? What tools do scientists use to gather this kind of weather data? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 231

231

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4E4BC Predicting Weather

Writing Science Topic:

232

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 232

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Life Science

4L1AB

Food Chains and Webs

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 233

233

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 234

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1AB Food Chains and Webs

Student Handout Name:

Date:

Where Do I Get Energy? Classify each organism you find based on where it gets its energy. ________________________________ Organisms that get their energy from the Sun.

________________________________ Organisms that get their energy from eating other organisms.

________________________________ Organisms that get their energy from breaking down dead organisms or waste material into nutrients.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 235

235

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 236

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1AB Food Chains and Webs

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

How Does Energy Flow in a Food Web? 1.

Where does all the energy originally come from?

How did the energy get to the foxes and owls?

What happened if an organism did not get enough energy?

Use the space below to plan your group’s food web model. Use arrows to show the flow of energy. Be sure to include all the roles in the activity.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 237

237

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 238

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FOOD CHAINS AND WEBS 4L1AB

Reflect Think about the last meal you ate. Where did the food come from? Maybe it came from the grocery store or a restaurant. Maybe it even came from your backyard. Now think of a lion living on the plains in Africa. Where do you think his last meal came from? Definitely not the grocery store! Lions have to hunt for their food.

Most humans do not hunt for their food. But humans and lions have something in common. Both eat other living things. In this way, humans and lions have a similar relationship to their ecosystem. In fact, scientists group living things based on how they get food. By studying how organisms get food, scientists understand how energy moves through an ecosystem. This flow of energy from one organism to the next forms a food chain. What are some types of food in a food chain? What happens if some of these food sources change or disappear? Ecosystem: a community of living and nonliving things in their natural environment Organism: a living thing Energy: what is needed to do work or cause change

What are producers? What do they need to make their food? Some living things make their own food. These organisms are called producers. Plants are producers. They use sunlight, water, and a gas called carbon dioxide to make sugars. The plants use these sugars for energy to grow and survive.

Producers are always the first organism in a food chain. They provide energy for other living things in the food chain. Even though not all animals eat producers, all animals rely on producers to change sunlight into usable energy. What are consumers? Where do they get their food? Many living things cannot make their own food. These organisms are called consumers. If they don’t make their own food, where do you think it comes from? Consumers get energy by eating other organisms. There are several different types of consumers. Some consumers are herbivores. Herbivores eat only plants or other plant-like producers called algae. Other consumers, called carnivores, eat only other animals. © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 239

239

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FOOD CHAINS AND WEBS

What Do You Think? Some consumers eat both plants and other animals. These consumers are called omnivores. People are consumers, not producers, because they eat other organisms. Think of the things people eat. What type of consumers are we? Are people carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores? Do you think some people might be in different categories? Why? Most bears are omnivores. They eat plants like grasses and berries. They also eat meat such as fish.

Where does the energy come from that starts a food chain? As one organism eats another, energy moves through a food chain. But where does the energy first come from? The energy that starts a food chain comes from the Sun. Producers use sunlight to make energy for other organisms that they can use. Can we make our own food from sitting in the Sun? Not at all! When a consumer like yourself eats plants, the energy that first came from the Sun passes on to the consumer. When another consumer eats the plant-eater, the energy passes on again.

What is a food web? In a food chain, the energy seems to flow in a straight line from one organism to the next. In reality though, energy in an ecosystem flows in many directions. This is because most consumers rely on more than one type of food. For this reason, a food web is a better way to show these relationships. A food web is a connection of food chains with many food energy paths in an ecosystem. Just as in a food chain, the energy that starts a food web comes from the Sun. In the food web shown at the right, the Sun’s energy flows to algae. The algae make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

240

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 240

Larvae: the young, newly hatched form of certain insects

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FOOD CHAINS AND WEBS

Next, the energy flows to organisms that eat algae, such as minnows, insect larvae, and snails. Then the energy flows to larger consumers, such as bass, sunfish, and snapper turtles. Look Out! The arrows in a food web diagram show the flow of energy. The first arrow always starts at the Sun, which is the source of energy. The arrows point to the next organism that uses that energy. That means arrows point from the source of energy to whatever consumes that energy. For example, the arrow that points from snails to sunfish shows that snails provide energy to sunfish. In other words, sunfish eat snails. Try Now Do different food chains have similar structures? Find out with this activity. 1. To complete this activity, you will need the following materials: • construction paper: yellow, green, blue, purple, and red • scissors • tape • a marker • ruler 2. Cut the construction paper into strips about two inches wide. 3. Look at the food web above. Choose one food chain from this food web. 4. Write each part of the food chain on a different strip of paper. Use different colored strips according to the role of each thing in the food chain. If you don’t have different colored paper, just use different colored markers. Use this color code: original energy source=yellow, producer=green, herbivore=blue, omnivore=purple, carnivore=red.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 241

241

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FOOD CHAINS AND WEBS

5. Make a paper chain that connects each strip in order. Do this by taping together the ends of the first strip. It should make a loop. Next, put the second strip through the loop. Tape the ends together to make a second loop. Continue with the rest of the strips. 6. Repeat Steps 3–5 with two more food chains from the food web. 7. Look at your three paper food chains. Do you notice any patterns in the colors? What color is at the beginning of the chains? What color is at the end of the chains? How do the colors show the flow of energy?

Look Out! How do changes in an ecosystem affect a food web in an ecosystem? Changes to an ecosystem can affect the flow of energy in food webs. For example, a forest fire may destroy tall trees and logs in an ecosystem. As a result, small animals that live in the trees either move or die. So the number of small animals, such as bats and squirrels, in that ecosystem gets smaller.

Extinct: having no living members

There are more changes that can happen. If there are fewer small animals, the food supply decreases for the carnivores that eat them. As a result, fewer of these carnivores can survive in the ecosystem. A single change affects all the living things in a food web. Looking to the Future: The Golden-Cheeked Warbler in Danger In many cases, human actions change ecosystems. For example, humans cut down juniper and oak trees in central Texas. These trees are home to a type of bird called the golden-cheeked warbler. Now the birds are in danger because they are losing their living spaces. Today, there only about 2,100 golden-cheeked warblers. If the bird becomes extinct, the ecosystem will change even more.

242

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 242

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FOOD CHAINS AND WEBS

Golden-cheeked warblers eat insects like caterpillars and beetles. This helps to control the insect population. If the warbler populations decrease, the number of insects will grow. Think about how having more insects would change the plants in the forest! Caterpillars and beetles eat the leaves of many different plants. If too many insects live in an area, they will eat way more of the plants. Fortunately, many people are working to protect the golden-cheeked warbler. The warblers now have a protected national wildlife area in Texas. This protection helps keep some balance in the warbler’s food web. What Do You Think? What Do You Know? Read about the parts of a grassland food web in the chart below. Use the information from the chart to complete the food web diagram. Fill in each box with the correct organism. Then label each organism in the food web diagram as a producer or a consumer. Grassland Food Web Organism

How it gets energy

snake

eats grasshoppers

hawk

eats snakes and sparrows

sparrow

eats grasshoppers and spiders

grasshopper

eats grass

grass

makes its own food

spider

eats grasshoppers

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 243

243

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FOOD CHAINS AND WEBS

Connecting With Your Child What’s in Our Food Web? To help students learn more about food webs, prepare a meal with them. Try to use a recipe that includes mainly unprocessed ingredients, as it will be easier to find the origin of natural products. As you prepare the meal, discuss with students the origin of each ingredient. Have them identify whether the source of each ingredient is a producer or a consumer. Examples of common producer ingredients include fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Examples of common consumer ingredients include dairy products and meats. If you are unsure about the origin of an ingredient, write it down and research it online with students later. After the meal, make a food web with students. The food web should include the ingredients you worked with to prepare the meal. Look online to find other animals that eat the ingredients, and include the animals in the food web. Help students draw arrows between the parts of the food web to show the flow of energy. (An arrow should begin at the food being eaten and point to the consumer of the food.) Make sure students include the Sun in the food web. The Sun provides energy for the plants in the food web, so draw arrows from the Sun to each plant. Students can draw each component of the food web, or they can cut out pictures and paste them on the poster board. Have students label each component as a producer or consumer. Here are some questions to discuss with students: • What are the producers in the food web you created? What are the consumers? • Where does energy start in the food web? • What are some different paths in this food web that connect the Sun’s energy to us? 244

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 244

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1AB Food Chains and Webs

Reading Science Name:

Date:

The Food Chain 1.

Every living thing needs energy to live. Every time an animal moves, they use energy. The energy that they need comes from food. All living things get energy from food.

Energy starts with the Sun. The Sun sends energy out into our solar system. We see some of that energy as sunlight. Only a small amount of energy from the Sun actually reaches Earth. The Sun’s energy is needed for plants to make food through a process called photosynthesis. In photosynthesis, green plants capture the Sun’s energy. They use it to make sugars from water and carbon dioxide. Plants are considered a producer in the food chain. A producer makes their own food. Plants convert sunlight into the energy stored in their food. Plants also provide food for others. The plant is then fed to the next part of the food chain.

Plants are eaten by animals. Animals consume plants for the energy stored in them. Many things take place when consumers eat food. The food is converted into energy for the consumer. This energy can be used to keep animals warm. It also keeps their muscles moving. Some of the energy is stored for later use.

The energy that is in the first plant consumer can then be passed on to more animal consumers. Then, it goes into the final stage of the food chain. The final stage of the food chain is decomposition. All living things die. When living things die, they decompose. Plants and animals that help living things decompose can be called decomposers. Decomposers in the food chain are things such as fungi, mushrooms, or worms. They break down the deceased animals into tiny pieces. The tiny pieces are then taken in by plants as nutrients and the food chain begins over again.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 245

245

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1AB Food Chains and Webs

Reading Science 5.

A food web is a bit different from a food chain. A food web shows many relationships between consumers and producers. It shows how they share the Sun’s energy. Many animals eat plants. Many animals eat other animals. Some animals have more than one predator who want to eat them. This creates a food web and the Sun’s energy is passed to many consumers. This is represented in a food web.

All living things need food. Food is necessary to make energy. Living things need it to survive. It all starts with the Sun. Its energy is passed down to producer and then consumer. Finally, it reaches the decomposers. Here it is put back into the ecosystem again.

246

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 246

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1AB Food Chains and Webs

Reading Science 1.

What does the information about food chains and webs suggest about living things? A.

They all begin small and grow into adults.

They all give off carbon dioxide.

They all depend on one another to survive.

They all eat plants.

The purpose of this selection is mainly to – A.

explain the role of living things in the food chain/web.

describe how living things in the food chain interact with each other.

offer why the sun is needed in our everyday lives.

explain how consumers need producers.

Read the diagram below.

A consumer eats a producer Which belongs in the empty box? A.

The consumer decomposes.

The food is turned into energy.

The consumer is eaten by another consumer.

The Sun is needed to make food.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 247

247

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1AB Food Chains and Webs

Reading Science 4.

What is the main benefit of having decomposers in an ecosystem? A.

The Sun uses them for energy.

They give food to other animals.

They clean up the ecosystem.

They put nutrients back into the ecosystem.

The author organized the ideas in this text by – A.

comparing and contrasting food webs.

describing the roles in the food chain.

sequencing how a food chain works.

listing causes and effects of the Sun’s energy.

From the selection, you can infer that without the Sun – A.

plants would find another way to make food.

no living things would be alive.

we would be able to survive.

it would be dark.

248

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 248

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1AB Food Chains and Webs

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Changes to an ecosystem, such as a forest fire, can cause some animals to leave and other animals and plants to perish. This can affect the flow of energy in a food web. The food web below shows the flow of energy between the Sun, prairie grass, deer, and coyotes. This food web is present in many of the national forests in Georgia.

The diagram below shows an area of forest that supports deer. Each square represents 1 acre of land. What is the land’s area? Determine the length and width of the land in acres; then multiply them to find the area. ________ acres

If it takes 8 acres of land to support one deer, how many deer does this habitat support? ________ (Write an equation and solve it to find the answer.)

Suppose a forest fire affects ¼ of the area, and all of its vegetation is burned. Shade in ¼ of the squares. How many squares did you shade? _______

How many deer would no longer be supported as a result of the fire? _____

If three coyotes can feed on one deer, how many coyotes would be affected by the fire? _______________

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 249

249

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1AB Food Chains and Webs

Math Connections The food chain below shows a raccoon that can eat about three frogs per day. The frogs each eat about six beetles per day. The beetles eat the seeds from the milkweed plant, which receives its energy from the Sun.

How many frogs would 24 beetles feed, if each frog eats six beetles? _______

How many raccoons would 18 frogs feed, if each raccoon eats three frogs? ______

Assuming that six beetles can feed on one milkweed plant, how many frogs would die if three milkweed plants were removed from the food chain?

What would happen to the raccoons if 27 frogs were taken out of the food chain? _____________________________________________________

10. What types of animals will be affected if the milkweed plant dies out? __________________________________________________

250

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 250

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1AB Food Chains and Webs

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the picture of a pumpkin that fell off a farmer’s delivery truck.

THINK about the flow of energy in an ecosystem. Though this pumpkin is smashed, how is it still involved in the transfer of energy? WRITE about the pumpkin’s place in the food chain. How did the pumpkin plant get the energy it needed to grow? How might this pumpkin be used for energy now? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 251

251

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1AB Food Chains and Webs

Writing Science Topic:

252

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 252

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Life Science

4L1CD

Environments and Communities

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 253

253

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 254

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Environments and Communities Part I: Ecosystem Change My ecosystem is

Draw a detailed picture of your ecosystem in the box below. Be sure to include living and nonliving things that would be found in your ecosystem.

An event that would change my ecosystem and the living and nonliving things within it is

. Draw a detailed picture of what your ecosystem would look like after the event occurred in the box below.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 255

255

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Explore Student Journal Part II: Armadillo Game Starting Population

Draw Pictograph Key= O = 1 armadillo

Result: Increase or Decrease?

Event 1

Event 2

Event 3

Event 4

Event 5

Conclusion My ending population of armadillos was __________________________________. Overall, the population increased/decreased due to _________________________________________________________________________________.

256

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 256

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Explore Student Journal Part II: Armadillo Game, continued 1.

What would happen to the ecosystem if the armadillo population became scarce? What if it became extinct?

Illustrate what you described in question 1.

How would the flow of energy change in the ecosystem if the armadillos became overabundant?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 257

257

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Explore Student Journal Part III: Investigating Data Pre-Fire Information Percent of Species Population Human 30% Gray Fox 8% Domesticated Dog 6% Deer 35% Coyote 7% Raccoon 14%

Post-Fire Information Percent of Species Population Human 62% Gray Fox 1% Domesticated Dog 4% Deer 24% Coyote 0% Raccoon 9%

Use the table above to answer questions 1 and 2. 1. Which species were negatively impacted by the forest fire?

Coyotes eat deer. What will most likely happen to the deer population in the next few years now that there are no more coyotes? How will this change affect the flow of energy in this ecosystem?

What Georgia species did you investigate?

258

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 258

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: ENVIRONMENTS AND COMMUNITIES 4L1CD

Reflect

What do you think about when you hear the word “community”? Do you think about your family? What about your classmates and neighbors? These people are part of your community. Other things are part of it too. Scientists describe a community as a group of living things that share an environment. So a community includes ALL of the living things around you! This means the trees and grass in your . are a part of your community. Pets and wild animals like deer and insects are also a part of your community. Individual groups of living things called populations make up a community. For example, humans in an area are a population. Rabbits in the same area are another population. Maple trees in the area are a third population. Together, these populations make up part of a community. organism: a living thing

People are only one part of a community.

Environments have specific parts that support communities. What are the parts of an environment? How do these parts support communities?

What are the parts of an environment? Everything around an organism is part of its environment. Think about a tree. The dirt around the tree and the air around its leaves are a part of the tree’s environment. So are the animals that climb on it and nest it its branches. Even the weather is part of the tree’s environment! How do the parts of an environment support populations and communities in an ecosystem? All organisms have basic needs. These needs must be met in order for the organism to survive. Air, water, food, and shelter are basic needs of most organisms. An environment provides the organisms in a population with these basic needs. © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 259

259

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: ENVIRONMENTS AND COMMUNITIES

Think about a forest ecosystem. The deer in the forest need air, which they can get from their environment. ecosystem: the living The deer also need water, which they get from streams or and nonliving things in rivers, or even snow in the winter! Rain and other kinds of an area precipitation keep the streams and rivers full. Deer need food, which they get by eating plants in their environment. In predator: an animal that hunts and eats order to hide from predators and stay safe in bad weather, other animals deer often use shelter. They can find trees and bushes. Young deer use the brush to hide from predators and even survive: stay alive or have spots to look like the sunlight hitting the forest floor! stay with Each part of the environment provides exactly what is needed by each organism in order to survive. Different organisms have characteristics that help them survive in certain environments. For example, cactus plants have special structures that help them survive in dry environments, such as deserts. Water lilies have structures that help them grow and survive in wet environments, such as ponds. How do environmental changes affect organisms? An environment meets the needs of the populations that live there. But environments change all the time. Think about the seasons; it is warm in the summer and cold in the winter. Organisms must find ways to deal with these changes. Some plants lose their leaves and stop growing when it is cold. Some animals grow thick fur coats. Animals like birds migrate to warmer areas. It is easier to find food in warmer areas. Many bears hibernate. They use stored fat in their bodies to survive long periods of cold and stay in their den for most of the winter. migrate: to move from one area to another

260

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 260

Many birds migrate in the winter.

hibernate: to go into a deep sleep, or remain inactive, for a long amount of time

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: ENVIRONMENTS AND COMMUNITIES

Sometimes an ecosystem experiences a drought. When this happens, many plants cannot get enough water and can perish, or die. Animals are affected by drought, too. Some animals can survive by moving to new areas. Drought: a time period of little or no rain Events like hurricanes, fires, and floods can quickly change an environment. These changes may cause Habitat: an area in an organisms to perish or move to another area. They may ecosystem in which also cause new organisms to move into, or grow in, a group of organisms an area. For example, when an area floods many land lives animals are forced to move. If the flood creates a new habitat such as a lake, animals like frogs and fish will survive and grow in the area. Look Out! Many environmental changes happen naturally. But sometimes organisms cause changes. For example, beavers pile up materials to build dams across streams. The dams block water flow. This causes flooding. Humans also change environments. One change happens when people cut down trees to make room for buildings. Many people know that environmental changes can harm organisms. We should remember to take steps to reduce the negative effects of the changes. If trees are cut down in one area, people can plant new trees nearby. What Do You Think? Look at the pictures below. The picture on the left shows a forest fire. Many plants and animals are destroyed in fires. Now look at the picture on the right. This is a picture of cones on a jack pine. The cones need heat in order to open. They need the kind of heat that only comes from a fire. Without a fire, the cones would not open. The seeds would not get out. New jack pines would not grow. Can you think of other ways that a forest fire might be helpful to an ecosystem? How might a flood be helpful?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 261

261

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: ENVIRONMENTS AND COMMUNITIES

What Do You Think? The health and success of one animal population depends on the health of all the organisms in its environment. If one organism is removed from the food web, all the other organisms are affected. Look at the food web below. Consider the importance of the frog to this system. The raccoons, hawks, and snakes are all dependent on the frog population for part of their food supply. If the frogs are struck by a disease, the food supply for the predators will decrease. The predator population will leave the area or starve and die. The predator population will be slow to recover its numbers through reproduction due to the reduced numbers.

Without the frogs, there may be a population increase in insects because there are no frogs to keep their numbers in check. Every population has a crucial part to play in the health and success of an ecosystem. Look at other food webs and discuss the consequences of losing an organism from the environment.

262

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 262

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: ENVIRONMENTS AND COMMUNITIES

What Do You Think? Career Corner: Ecologist Ecologists are people who study animals and plants and their environments. If you go out and study the plants and animals in your backyard or in a forest, you are an ecologist! Many ecologists work in zoos and nature centers. They also do research work. An important skill for ecologists is to be watchful and observant of their surroundings. Ecologists carefully observe the environment and record their observations. They watch how organisms interact. They also watch how organisms are affected by environmental changes. If you like being outside and studying plants and animals, a career as an ecologist might be right for you! Try Now Take some time to explore how an environment affects plants. 1. You will need 30 grass seeds, three small pots, soil, and a water dropper. 2. Add soil to each pot so the pot is about three-fourths full. Plant 10 grass seeds in each pot. The seeds should be evenly spread out on the surface of the soil. 3. Place one pot in a sunny place. Squeeze a few drops of water into the soil so it is damp. Keep the soil damp by adding a little water each day. 4. Place another pot in a dark place. Water it to dampen the soil. Do not water it again. 5. Place the third pot in a place where it gets some light, but not direct sun. Water it so the soil is damp. Add water to this pot every couple of days. 6. Watch the growth of the grass in each pot for at least one week. Record your observations. 7. In which pot did grass grow best? Why do you think this is so? What makes up the environment for the grass in each pot?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 263

263

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: ENVIRONMENTS AND COMMUNITIES

Try Now What Do You Know? The parts of an environment support organisms. Changes to an environment affect organisms. Read the descriptions of environmental changes in the chart below. Then read the events that happened as a result of the changes. Match each event with the most likely environmental change. Write your answers on the right side of the chart. Environmental Changes Environmental Change

Resulting Event

Seasons of heavy rains flood an area and create new ponds. A hurricane brings a lot of salt water from the ocean into rivers and streams. Humans cut down many trees in a forest. A fire moves through a grassland ecosystem. Events • Dead plants are cleared to make room for new plant growth. • Blue jays lose their nesting sites. • New animals move to the area because of drinking water availability. • Freshwater organisms perish.

264

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 264

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: ENVIRONMENTS AND COMMUNITIES

Connecting With Your Child A Small Environment To help students learn more about their environment, take them to a nearby ecosystem. This could be a park, a forest, a pond, a playground, or perhaps even your own backyard. As students learned in the lesson, an ecosystem includes the living and nonliving things in an environment. For your activity you are going to do a, “three square foot hike.” Rather than focusing on everything students can see around them, you will guide students to take a close look at a small area. Explain to students that a single drop of pond water can contain hundreds of tiny, microscopic organisms. If you have one, take a magnifying glass with you on your exploration. If you go to an aquatic area, you can use a tall clear container to carefully peer down below the surface of the water. If you explore a land environment, you can gently turn over rocks to find tiny organisms like worms and insects. The key of the exploration is to encourage students to observe and scrutinize a small area and see the vast amount of diversity, even in a tiny part of an ecosystem. Make sure you do not permanently disturb the environment and be certain to leave the environment the way it was before you arrived. Here are some questions to discuss with students: • Is an ecosystem always a large area? • What populations did you observe in the ecosystem that you explored? • How does the environment support these populations? • What kinds of changes might happen to the environment? How might these changes affect the populations?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 265

265

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 266

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Reading Science Name:

Date:

Drought! 1.

Yesterday, park rangers Ted and Sarah took the jeep out to get a look at what was happening in the state park where they worked. They felt nervous about what they saw.

Usually, spring brought several days of rain to their park. The rain made the flowers bloom and the leaves turn green. However, this year the park had not seen any rainfall in over a month. It was a real drought. A drought is a shortage of water, and it is usually caused by a lack of rain.

As Sarah and Ted got into the jeep, they saw a family of deer near the station. The deer were eating the grass in front of the building. The grass was still green because humans had watered it.

Ted recognized the doe, or mother deer, and her fawns.

“I’ve never seen these deer so close to human buildings and cars,” he said. “The drought must be making it hard for them to find water and food if they are trying to find it this close to people.”

Sarah said, “And, you know deer like to hide in the bushes and tall grasses. Since so many plants are dried up, their usual hiding places are probably disappearing.”

“Right,” said Ted. “This drought is affecting their water supply, food, and shelter.”

Sarah and Ted drove down one of the forest trails to see how the drought was affecting the rest of the park. They saw plants that had dried up and were dying. The pond where animals came for water was shrinking and becoming muddy.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 267

267

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Reading Science 9.

Ted and Sarah took pictures of what they saw so that they could report back to the other rangers. The dry plants concerned them. The plants are producers. They use energy from the Sun, soil, and water to produce food. Then other animals, like the deer, eat the producers. The animals that eat producers are known as consumers. If the plants did not produce food, the consumers would not have anything to eat.

10. Sarah and Ted stopped to get out of the jeep and looked at some tracks they saw more closely. 11. Sarah said, “Uh-oh, Ted! These are mountain lion tracks! The meat-eaters are coming closer to the ranger station, too! 12. “Must be following the deer,” said Ted.“The carnivores will follow the herbivores.” 13. “We will have to warn the park visitors,” said Sarah. 14. When the two rangers got back to the station, they were ready to tell the other rangers what they had seen. As soon as they entered the station, though, their friend José held up the newspaper. 15. “Guess what!” said José. “The forecast predicts rain all next week!” 16. Ted and Sarah smiled at each other. They knew that the drought might not be completely over, but a week of rain would be a great start to bringing their park back to normal.

268

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 268

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Reading Science 1.

A drought can cause– A.

ponds and streams to dry up.

animals to travel farther to get food.

plants to dry out and stop producing food.

all of the above.

Why were the deer close to the ranger station? A.

They knew the rangers would feed them.

Deer are never afraid of humans.

The rangers were watering the grass at the station, so it was good food for the deer.

The deer were hiding from mountain lions.

The word concerned (paragraph 9) means: A.

Excited

Angry

Sad

Worried

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 269

269

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Reading Science 4.

Which of the following is a producer (paragraph 9)? A.

Grass

Deer

Mountain lion

Park ranger

What do you think Ted and Sarah would have done if the newspaper had not mentioned the prediction of rain? A.

They would have quit their jobs because the park was in danger.

They would have talked to the other rangers to come up with a plan to help the park.

They would have closed the park.

They would have tried not to think about the drought.

270

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 270

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Many areas of the United States have experienced long periods of drought. Farmers rely on the rain to help their crops grow. Once corn crops reach the growth stage of pollination, they need about 0.3 inches of water per day to prosper. Each day without rain causes a loss in the amount of corn produced. The information below represents the crop loss on 2 acres of corn crop over two weeks with no rain. Days without Rain

Number of Ears Lost

1000

2000

3000

4000

Complete the chart based on the pattern.

hich equation below represents the W relationship between days without rain, r, and the number of ears lost, e? e x 1000 = r r x 1000 = e r + 500 = e r x 500 = e

A. B. C. D.

12 14

How many ears are lost each day?

How many ears will be lost after 16 days?

Suppose a farmer starts with 16,500 ears of corn. How many ears of corn will he have left after 14 days without rain?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 271

271

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Math Connections Insects can be a nuisance to people and plants. We use pesticides to control insect populations; however, when insect populations decrease and the chemicals contaminate water sources, many of the animals that rely on those insects and that water decrease in population. The animals either die or migrate to other areas to find other food sources. The data below shows the decrease in a bird population of 2,500 birds over an 8-year period from the use of a pesticide called neonicotinoid. Years of Use Total Loss of Population

176

264

352

440

Look for a pattern in the table. Fill in the table using the pattern.

Which equation can be used to solve for the Total Loss of Population, t, in terms of the Years of Use, y? A. 88 + y = t B. y x 88 = t C. Add 88 D. t x 88 = y

What was the total loss after 8 years of use?

How many birds will be lost after 28 years? Assuming no new birds were added to the population, how many birds will be left alive?

10. If no birds are added to the population, when will the bird population die out?

272

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 272

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the image. Notice the brown trees that have been affected by pine beetles. The mountain pine beetle is a destructive insect that kills many trees in forests during an outbreak. THINK about all of the living and nonliving things that will be affected by a pine beetle population outbreak. Will the change happen right away or over time? What will happen to the organisms that depend on the trees? WRITE about the effect of change to an ecosystem. What will be the effects of the pine beetle population outbreak? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 273

273

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4L1CD Environments and Communities

Writing Science Topic:

274

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 274

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Physical Science

4P1A

Materials and Light

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 275

275

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 276

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1A Materials and Light

Student Handout Name:

Date:

Scavenger Hunt Find as many items in your classroom as you can that light can pass through, can “kind of” pass through, and can’t pass through at all. Light Passes Through

Light Can “Kind Of” Pass Through

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 277

Light Cannot Pass Through

277

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 278

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1A Materials and Light

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Can You See Through It? Identify Materials as Translucent, Transparent, or Opaque Fill in the chart after you complete the activity.

Material

Can you read the words through it?

Can you see the light through it?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 279

279

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1A Materials and Light

Explore Student Journal Can You See Through It? Classify the materials as transparent, translucent, or opaque. At the bottom of each column, explain how you can know the other objects are transparent, translucent, or opaque.

Transparent

Translucent

Opaque

How do you know? How do you know? How do you know? ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ Answer the following questions after completing the activity. 1.

If you wanted to sleep late during the day time, would it be better to have transparent, translucent, or opaque curtains? Why?

If someone is driving a car, is it better to have a transparent, a translucent, or an opaque windshield? Why?

If someone is building a house and wants to let light in through the windows without people easily seeing in from the outside, is it better to have transparent or translucent windows installed? Why?

280

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 280

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MATERIALS AND

LIGHT 4P1A

Reflect Look at this picture of a window. Can you see the green trees, white posts, and fence through the glass? Because glass allows light to pass through we call it transparent. Look at the sheer shade that is pulled down over part of the window. The trees and sky look blurry through the shade. Because the shade allows only part of the light to pass, we call that material translucent. The heavy green drapes are different because they block all of the light from outside. Materials that do not allow light to pass are opaque. Transparent: materials that allow light to pass easily. Translucent: materials that allow some light to pass Opaque: materials that do not allow light to pass. Transparent objects Transparent objects let light pass through without scattering the rays. This means that almost all of the light that falls on a transparent object passes through it so that we can see through the object. Transparent substances or objects are clear. Air is transparent and clear glass can be transparent, too, if it does not reflect too much light. Other objects that are transparent include plastic or glass bottles, laboratory beakers, windows, plastic wrap, lenses in glasses, and windows. Some natural objects are also transparent, such as water, ice, clear quartz crystals, and some jellyfish.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 281

281

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MATERIALS AND

LIGHT

Translucent objects Objects that let some light pass through, but scatter the rest, are translucent. Because most of the light is scattered, whatever is on the other side cannot be seen clearly and appears blurry. Frosted glass, often used in bathroom windows for privacy, is an example of a translucent material. Some light passes through the window, but the rest of the light is scattered. The thickness of the object can also affect the amount of light that passes through it. Some thin sheets of paper are translucent, but others are too thick to let any light through. Some substances are more translucent when the temperature changes. Candle wax, for example, becomes clearer when it is melted. Look around your home for other examples of translucent materials like sheer curtains, tissue paper, wax paper, some lamp shades, and tracing paper.

Opaque Objects Opaque materials do not allow any light to pass through, and nothing can be seen on the other side. Opaque materials block light. Some opaque materials absorb light, like heavy drapes, while other opaque materials can reflect light, like a mirror. Look around and you will notice that most objects are opaque and block light. You are opaque. Your books, school supplies, classroom furniture, playground equipment, and school building all block light and are opaque.

282

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 282

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MATERIALS AND

LIGHT

Comparing Shadows Light travels in a straight line. When it strikes an object it can be reflected, absorbed, or transmitted (passed through or scattered), or a combination of these. Transparent objects transmit light (allow most light to pass through), so they do not form a shadow. Light passing through a clear glass window does not cast a shadow. Translucent objects absorb some light and scatter the remaining light rays that pass through. This causes a blurry image. A soft, light shadow forms behind the object. A shadow is bigger than the object due to the angle of the light source. If a light shines directly on an opaque object, a dark shadow forms. When light shines from above, the object casts a short shadow. When light shines from the side, the object makes a longer shadow. Sometimes you may see a shadow with a grey border. Smaller, more direct light sources such as a flashlight form sharp-edged shadows, while wide light sources such as the Sun make soft-edged shadows.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 283

Transparent window casts no shadow.

Translucent paper casts a light shadow.

Opaque trees and leaves cast dark shadows.

283

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MATERIALS AND

LIGHT

Try Now You will be sorting transparent, translucent, and opaque materials. Materials needed are: bathroom tissue tube, elastic bands, and 10-cm square of different test materials: plastic wrap, waxed paper, grocery bags, aluminum foil, white paper, colored paper, tissue paper, etc. Instructions: 1. Use the chart to classify the different materials tested. 2. Place a square of test material over the end of the bathroom tissue tube and hold it in place with an elastic band. 3. Hold the tube up to a light or a window and look through the open end. How much light gets through the test material? 4. Record your results.

284

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 284

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MATERIALS AND

LIGHT

What Do You Think? Light is shining on three object below. Write which one is transparent, translucent, and opaque on the line next to each. Also write what evidence led you to that conclusion. 1. ______________________________

Evidence for my conclustion

2. ______________________________

Evidence for my conclustion

3. ______________________________ Evidence for my conclustion

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 285

285

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: MATERIALS AND

LIGHT

Connecting With Your Child Making shadow puppets To help your child understand how light behaves when it interacts with different materials, have your child make shadow puppets. Transparent materials are clear and allow light to pass. No shadows are cast with transparent objects. Translucent things allow some light to pass and make soft-edged, light shadows. Only opaque objects, like a hand, block light completely, casting sharp-edged, dark shadows as in the examples below.

You will need a bright lamp without a shade set up on a table. Your child will need to place his or her hand between the lamp and a wall to cast a shadow. They can test which position casts the darkest shadow. By changing the shape of their fingers, they can create different shapes and motions. Question: Why does a hand cast a shadow, but not a piece of glass?

286

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 286

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1A Materials and Light

Reading Science Name:

Date:

Constructing our Home 1.

My parents sold our home in Savannah. They bought a piece of land in the middle of nowhere. They wanted a quieter place to live where we all could be more in touch with the Earth.

When I was in fourth grade, we packed our belongings and headed for Vermont. When we arrived at our plot of land, there was nothing there but a couple of large trees. I also saw a beautiful clear water lake nearby. Oh boy, I thought. This is going to be so much fun to build our own home!

Little did I know how much work it would take to build it. I also didn’t know how much time it would take before our home would be finished. My parents worked hard to make it a great home. It was also important to make it energy efficient. Much of that had to do with the building materials they chose.

My parents had to think about materials that would retain heat and keep the cold out. This was important because we were building in a colder climate. They chose a variety of opaque materials for this purpose. When I asked my dad what opaque materials were, he told me anything opaque does not let light go through it. Instead, some of the light is scattered off. The material can also absorb some light, and it gets converted to heat. This would be important when choosing a good material for the outside of our house. My parents chose a combination of wood logs and bricks for the outside of the house. To keep light and air from coming into our home between the logs, they put a special type of mud that was also opaque. This made sure our house was nice and warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We also put in solar panels. Solar panels absorb the Sun’s light. They converted it to energy for our home.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 287

287

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1A Materials and Light

Reading Science 5.

Of course, we did want some natural light to come into our home. After all, we did move there to become more in tune with nature. We knew we would need some transparent materials for this. These are materials that were clear, so we could see nature from the inside of our home. Light passes through transparent materials. So, we chose some energy efficient windows. These let us see outside, let the natural light in, but don’t let much heat leak through them.

Not many translucent materials were used building our home. These would be materials such as plastic. They let some light through, but not all. We put some curtains on the windows that were translucent. We could close them when we wanted. They still let some light through but also blocked some, so the sun wasn’t too bright. We also added some hanging chairs on our back patio that were made of a green, cloudy plastic. These chairs were my favorite to sit in and curl up with a good book. The translucent material provided shade and a warm, cozy reading spot. Not only that, but I could swing back and forth.

Building an energy efficient home was important. It took care of the Earth. It also let us live more in tune with the Earth. I think about the house my parents built. I made many great memories there as a child.

288

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 288

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1A Materials and Light

Reading Science 1.

What tells the reader this is a narrative? A.

It’s about building a home.

It’s told by a narrator.

It informs about materials needed to build a home.

It has an introduction and a conclusion.

A silver spoon would be an example of a(n) A.

Translucent

Transparent

Opaque

Wood

material.

The author wrote this mostly to – A.

Persuade the reader to build an energy efficient home.

Explain to the reader how to build a home.

Inform the reader about different types of building materials.

Entertain the reader with one family’s account of building their home.

What evidence from the text supports that a milk jug is translucent? A.

Some light is let through, but not all

Absorbs light and converts to heat

Not many translucent materials

Let us see outside

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 289

289

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1A Materials and Light

Reading Science 5.

What differences are there between translucent and transparent materials? A.

Transparent materials allow only some light through.

Translucent materials allow only some light through.

Transparent materials are more energy efficient.

Translucent materials are clear.

What was the narrator’s point of view on energy efficient homes? A.

They do not matter that much.

It costs more to build energy efficient homes.

Energy efficient homes take care of the Earth.

Building materials don’t have any impact on energy efficient homes.

What evidence helps the reader know the meaning of efficient ? A.

Retain heat

Building materials

Took care of the Earth

Wood logs and bricks

290

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 290

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1A Materials and Light

Math Connections Name:

Date:

There are 10 windows in John’s house: 4 of the windows have 12 panes, 2 windows have 2 panes, and 4 windows have 4 panes. How many total window panes are in John’s house? panes

Calculate the perimeter and area of the two opaque walls below: 10 ft

6 ft

8 ft 12 ft ft,

sq ft

ft,

sq ft

What is the difference between the two perimeters of the walls? What is the difference between the two areas of the walls? 3.

ft sq ft

Mrs. Taylor has 3 packages of transparency sheets to use on her overhead projector. If 45 transparencies are in each package, how many transparencies does she have? transparencies

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 291

291

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1A Materials and Light

Math Connections 4.

Matt bought a pair of sunglasses on sale for $35.49. The sunglasses were originally $50.00. How much was the discount on the sunglasses? $

Are sunglasses an example of a transparent, translucent, or opaque object?

A frosted glass shower door is 7 feet tall. How many inches tall is the shower door? inches

Mike’s fish aquarium is a transparent object. It can hold 4 gallons of water. How quarts many quarts of water can his aquarium hold?

292

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 292

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1A Materials and Light

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the pictures.

THINK about how light passes through different materials. Light passes through some materials easily but gets blocked by others. WRITE a description about the meaning of the words transparent, translucent, and opaque. Which of the objects pictured above is made of transparent material? Which is translucent? Which is opaque? List two more examples of transparent, translucent, and opaque materials. Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 293

293

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1A Materials and Light

Writing Science Topic:

294

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 294

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Physical Science

4P1BC

Reflection and Refraction

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 295

295

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 296

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Student Handout Name:

Date:

Changing Reflections Draw your reflection in the “bowl” side of the spoon.

Record your observations.

Draw your reflection in the “hill” side of the spoon.

Record your observations.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 297

297

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 298

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Part I: Reflection Fill in the chart as you complete the activity. Monster

Did you catch the monster?

How many mirrors did you use?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 299

How did you catch the monster? If you didn’t catch the monster, explain why.

299

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Explore Student Journal Part I: Reflection, continued After finishing the activity, complete the following questions using the vocabulary words you learned in class. 1.

Were you able to catch the monsters? How did you catch them?

What property of light helped you catch the monsters? How did it help you?

Was it easier using more mirrors or less mirrors? Why?

Draw what happened to the beam of light when you shined it at a mirror.

300

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 300

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Explore Student Journal Part II: Refraction 1.

Place each refraction testing item over the newsprint and record your observations.

Refraction Testing Item

Picture of Results

Description of Results

How does the look of the newsprint change when various materials are placed over it?

What are some properties of the refraction materials?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 301

301

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Explore Student Journal Part II: Refraction, continued Write your own definition and illustration for the word refraction.

Definition:

Illustration:

302

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 302

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: REFLECTION AND

REFRACTION

Reflect

4P1BC

Why would you have to turn on this desk lamp to use the phone? Could you see in a dark room without any light? Light bounces or reflects off objects and into your eyes. If you held your hands in front of your eyes, you would not be able to see the reflected light from the table or telephone. The light bulb inside the lamp gives off its own light, which reflects off all the surfaces in the room and into your eye.

How Light Reflects When light strikes a surface, such as the wall, phone, or table in the picture, light is reflected, or bounced back, allowing it to be seen. When light hits a surface like a glass window, it passes through (is transmitted). If light hits a surface like frosted glass, only some light passes through and the glass scatters the rest. If light strikes an opaque object, it cannot pass through and the object absorbs some of the light. Light is either reflected, transmitted, absorbed—or a combination. For example, objects that are not shiny, like green grass or a red tomato, will absorb all wavelengths of white light, except for the green or red, which it reflects back to your eye. Black objects absorb almost all wavelengths and appear to have no color, while white objects reflect all colors.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 303

303

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: REFLECTION AND

REFRACTION

Rule of Reflection Rays of light follow a simple reflection rule: the angle of the incoming ray is equal to the angle of the outgoing ray of light reflecting back. Another way of saying that is the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. For example, a flashlight beam will reflect at the same incoming angle. The type of surface affects reflection. Shiny objects do not absorb or scatter wavelengths. Instead, the shiny surface reflects mirror-like images to the observer. Whether the surface is smooth, rough, or curved affects those reflections. On a flat, shiny surface, incoming rays all reflect in the same angle direction and do not scatter. On a rough surface, the incoming rays reflect at different angles and are scattered. What Do You Think? Mirror Reflections Mirrors are a very interesting use of reflection. Have you ever wondered how a mirror works? Mirrors are very smooth pieces of glass backed by very shiny, highly polished reflective material. Light travels through the glass and then reflects off of the smooth and shiny surface at the back. When you look in a mirror, you see light from your face reflected off of the mirror.

304

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 304

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: REFLECTION AND

REFRACTION

The way light bounces off of mirrors can be predicted. Light reflects from a mirror at the same angle as it arrives. Think about bouncing a ball. If you throw a ball straight at a wall, it will bounce straight back at you. If you throw the ball at an angle, it will bounce off the wall at the same angle away from you. Light reflects the same way off of a mirror. Grab a mirror and a friend and try looking at each other from different angles in the mirror. When you look in a mirror, you see a regular image of yourself. The only difference is that your mirror image is flipped from left to right. However, why do you think your image looks distorted in a carnival mirror? Look at the image of the girls in the carnival mirror. Is the mirror flat? Think of other surfaces where you can see your reflection, such as a store window, a chrome bumper, or a monitor screen. Is the reflection true or distorted? Why or why not? Try Now Not all images are reflected the same size. Curved surfaces can change reflections. A concave mirror bends inward and magnifies the image. A convex lens bends outward and makes the image look smaller but wider. Flat mirrors reflect an equal image. Now you try testing the reflections on curved surfaces. You will need shiny spoons of several sizes. Look at your jmage in the bowl of the spoon. What do you see? Is your image upside down or right side up?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 305

305

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: REFLECTION AND

REFRACTION

Next look at your image reflected off the back of the spoon. How does that image compare to the one on the bowl of the spoon? Draw pictures of your observations and record your conclusions How Light Refracts You have learned that light travels in a straight line until it comes to an object or enters a different medium. If light cannot pass through an object, it will be reflected (bounce off), absorbed, or both. When light passes from one kind of material (called a medium) to another, the light slightly changes speed and bends, or refracts. If you put a pencil in water, the light refracts, passing from air through glass and into water, causing the pencil to appear bent. Prisms Refract Light Prisms are solid objects made of glass or plastic with rectangular or triangular ends and rectangular sides. When light shines through a prism, it bends (refracts) and separates into a rainbow of colors. White light is made up of many different wavelengths that bend at slightly different angles. Long wavelengths, like red, bend the least while blue wavelengths bend the most. Sunlight is made up of all wavelengths of visible light. When light passes from the air into water, such as a raindrop, the different color wavelengths slow down (because water is denser than air), bend at different angles (refract), and separate. The result is a rainbow––a colored arc of light.

306

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 306

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: REFLECTION AND What Do You Think?

REFRACTION

Lens makers take advantage of this property of light and form curved lenses to change the path of light rays. Changing the path of light can improve vision when glasses or contact lenses are worn. What Do You Know? 1. Why does this green laser light reflect off the mirror at that angle?

2. What is the difference between light that is absorbed and light that is transmitted?

3. Why does a curved mirror change the way an image is reflected?

4. Why do you see an apple as a red color?

5. Compare the way light acts with a white object to the way it acts with a black object.

6. How can you shine a light off of a mirror onto a target? Explain your thinking.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 307

307

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: REFLECTION AND

REFRACTION

Connecting With Your Child Mirror, Mirror on the Wall To help your child understand how mirrors reflect light, take a car trip around your town. Look for different ways mirrors are used by observing the reflections in these different types of mirrors: Try these sources: • Clothing store mirrors • Makeup mirrors • Dentist’s hand tool mirror • Car rearview mirror • Car side mirror • Semi-truck mirror • Building corner mirror • Security mirrors • Pocket mirrors • House of Mirrors at a carnival • Mirror store • School bus mirror

308

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 308

Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • Does the incoming light angle match the outgoing light angle? • Why does that mirror create that type of reflection? • Does the surface have to be shiny to create a mirror image? • Why do school buses need special side mirrors?

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Reading Science Name:

Date:

Looking through Lenses 1.

We need lenses. Lenses help us to see things differently. Lenses bend light in useful ways. If an object controls light, it probably has a lens or two. Things such as cameras, telescopes, eyeglasses, and movie projectors are just a few objects that have lenses.

Lenses have at least one curved surface. This curved surface bends the light rays from an incoming object. This is known as refraction. Lenses are usually made out of glass or plastic. There are a couple of different types of lenses that help us to see different objects.

Convex Lenses 3. Convex lenses bend light rays inward. We say the light rays converge. This causes the light rays to focus.

A convex lens lets us magnify objects. Magnifying glasses use convex lenses. Microscopes and telescopes use them as well. Some microscopes and telescopes also use mirrors along with lenses that helps a person see things. Many eyeglasses also use convex lenses. If a person cannot see objects close by, he or she will often receive convex lenses in his or her eyeglasses. This helps the person’s eyes to bend the light rays so he or she can see nearby objects. Convex lenses are also used in binoculars to bring distant light rays into focus in a user’s eyes.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 309

309

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Reading Science Concave Lenses 5. Concave lenses are the opposite of convex lenses. Instead of bringing the light rays into focus, the concave lens spreads the rays out.

When convex lenses are used alone, they sometimes cause objects to appear blurry. This is because different colors refract by different amounts in the lenses. Combining a convex lens and a concave lens made of a different material can correct this problem. For this reason, concave lenses are used in high quality cameras and telescopes along with convex lenses. Concave lenses are used to make images look clear. They also make images look smaller. High quality binoculars also use concave lenses along with their convex lenses.

Prisms 7. As light bends through a prism, it is refracted. White light is made up of all colors. Place a triangular prism in front of a white light. The different colors in the white light will be bent in different ways. A prism has the ability to bend light so that all colors of the white light can be seen separately. 8.

Light travels as particles fill with waves. Each color has a different wavelength. Wavelength is the distance from one peak to the next, like the peaks of water waves. Each wavelength of light is bent by a slightly different amount. Violet is refracted the most. Red is refracted the least.

310

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 310

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Reading Science 9.

When it rains and there is light, the water droplets act like a prism. The light is refracted off the water droplets to where each color can be seen. Because of this, one can sometimes see a rainbow. The sunlight shines into the water droplets that are in the air. Light bends as it moves from the air to the water. The light bends again as it exits the droplet. All of the colors in the white light of the Sun are then shown in a rainbow.

10. Lenses help us to see objects. The way the light bends in the lens can make the light become focused or separated. Prisms also help us to see all of the colors in the white light. Thanks to lenses, we can watch movies, see objects far away, and get our eyesight corrected.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 311

311

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Reading Science 1.

How is a prism like a lens? A.

It shows all colors separately.

Light is refracted in a prism.

A prism spreads out the light.

A prism focuses the light.

What evidence helps the reader to know the meaning of refraction? A.

Curved surface

Incoming object

Lenses

Bend the light rays

What happens right after light shines into a drop of water? A.

Light bends as it exits the drop of water.

The light moves through the air.

The light forms a rainbow.

All the colors of white light are shown.

312

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 312

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Reading Science 4.

If someone wanted to go bird watching, what type of lenses would they use? A.

Concave

Convex

Prism

Projector

Paragraph 9 in the Prisms section is organized in which way? A.

Compare and contrast

Cause and effect

Chronologically

Description

The author wrote this mainly to– A.

tell how convex and concave lenses work.

compare and contrast different types of lenses.

describe different types of lenses and where they are used.

explain how a prism creates a rainbow.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 313

313

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 314

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Steven has a laser pointer that can reach up to 20 feet. How many inches can his laser pointer reach? inches

Ms. Neely’s class is investing reflections of light. She has 26 students in her class. If each student gets a mirror to use, but there are only enough flashlights for the students to work in pairs, how many flashlights are there? flashlights

Every fourth-grade student will need a mirror to investigate the reflection of light. There are 22 students in Mr. Johnson’s class, 23 students in Mrs. Harmon’s class, 19 students in Mrs. Calhoun’s class, 24 students in Mrs. Williams’ class, and 18 students in Mrs. Schneider’s class. How many mirrors will be used for the investigation? mirrors

Put the classes in question 3 in order from smallest class size to largest class , , , , . size:

A teacher used a mirror and a laser pointer to show students how to trace the reflection of light when standing 3 yards away from the mirror. The students measured the reflection and noticed it was the same length as the teacher’s distance from the mirror. How long was the reflection? feet

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 315

315

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Math Connections A teacher used a set of colored transparent prisms to demonstrate how light passes differently through each one. Identify the prisms below and write how many faces, edges, and vertices each one has. 6.

Name of prism: Number of faces: Number of edges: Number of vertices:

If a 4-millimeter object is placed under a microscope and is magnified 40 times, what is the magnified size of the object? ________ mm

A magnifying glass can make an object appear eight times larger than its size. If an object appears to be 720 millimeters when looking at it with the magnifying glass, what is the object’s actual size? ________ mm

316

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 316

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the picture of the children in the hall of mirrors. Notice that you can see their reflections from many different angles.

THINK about where you can stand to see your reflection in a mirror. Can you see your reflection from more than one place? WRITE about how mirrors work. Why are you able to see your reflection from so many different angles? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 317

317

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P1BC Reflection and Refraction

Writing Science Topic:

318

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 318

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Physical Science

4P2A

Sound and Vibration

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 319

319

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 320

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Student Handout Name:

Date:

Laser Show What I noticed . . . Laser on the Wall

Tuning Fork

Laser Light with Light Tap

Laser Light with Hard Tap

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 321

321

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 322

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Sound Stations Station 1: Musical Mystery Record your observations in the table below.

What did I see?

What did I hear?

Did anything move?

What do you think caused the rice or salt to move on your plate?

Describe what happened when you increased the radio’s volume.

How would you relate this to a “change in speed” of sound?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 323

323

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Explore Student Journal Station 2: Singing Greeting Card Record your observations in the table below. What did I see?

What did I hear?

Did anything move before the salt/rice was added?

Did anything move after the salt/rice was added?

What do you think would happen to the vibrations if the music in the card was louder?

Station 3: Eardrum of Science Predict and record your observations in the table below for a light tap and a hard tap. Light Tap Prediction

324

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 324

Observations

Hard Tap Prediction

Observations

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Explore Student Journal Station 3, continued 1.

Was sound produced? How did it change?

Compare the difference in vibrations between lightly tapping the tuning fork and then tapping it hard. How did the sound that was produced change?

Station 4: Making Waves Predict and record your observations in the table below for a light tap and a hard tap. Light Tap Prediction

Observations

Hard Tap Prediction

Observations

Compare the difference in vibrations between lightly tapping the tuning fork and then tapping it hard.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 325

325

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Explore Student Journal When you have completed all four stations, answer the following questions: 1.

Explain what you noticed at your stations.

When did you hear sound?

Based on your investigations, what causes sound?

What do you think causes a change in sound?

What do you think moves when we hear people talking?

What else can you think of that must cause vibrations that allows us to hear sound?

326

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 326

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: SOUND AND VIBRATION

4P2A

Reflect Think about your favorite song and hum the lyrics. Can you hear crickets chirping outside your window during the summer months? Have you ever heard a car horn honk? Most of us hear many sounds all day, but have you ever thought that sound is a form of energy? We will learn that sound doesn’t just happen—it involves energy just as light and heat do. Energy: the ability to do work

Energy is the ability to do work. Energy is also needed to cause something to change. To go from silence to noise something has to happen to create the sound. Let’s investigate. What is sound energy? How do we use it? Sound energy and light energy both travel in waves. The length of a sound wave determines the sound’s pitch. Pitch is a measure of how high or low a sound is. A whistle is high pitched. A bass drum is low pitched. Do you think sound can bounce? It sure can! Think of an echo if you yell into a canyon. That echo is just your sound waves that bounced back to you.

You can see sound waves using special tools. Long waves produce sounds with different pitches than short waves.

Sound energy and light energy also have some important differences. Light travels much faster than sound, which is why we see a lightning flash before we hear the thunder. Also, light can travel through empty space, but sound cannot. Sound needs a material such as air or water to carry it. Suppose you were in a space station traveling through empty space. If a supply rocket from Earth pulled up beside the station, you would never hear it coming. Sound energy happens when something moves quickly back and forth. This is called vibrating. We hear vibrations as sounds. Different kinds of vibrations make different sounds. Think about music. There are high and low sounds, right? These sounds are caused by different types of vibrations. Some sounds have a high pitch. Fast vibrations cause the high-pitched sounds. Slow vibrations cause sounds with low pitches. © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 327

A plucked guitar string vibrates.

327

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: SOUND AND VIBRATION

Sound is how most people communicate in everyday life. Strings located in our throats vibrate. This causes air particles to vibrate. These vibrations are sound waves carried through the air. Sound waves enter other people’s ears and cause their eardrums to vibrate. These vibrations send signals to our brains. Our brains recognize the vibrations as words. What Do You Think? We can produce sounds in many different ways. Look at the pictures of musical instruments. • Which instrument do we blow on? • Which instrument do we pound on? • Which instrument do we pluck?

drum

trumpet

Scientists in the Spotlight: Amar Bose Amar Bose is an expert on sound energy. He has used his knowledge to design better loudspeakers for playing music. Music sounds different in places like concert halls than it does in a car or in our home. Each place makes music sound different. Bose’s speakers make music from a home stereo or a car stereo sound like music at a live concert.

328

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 328

harp

Speakers use vibrations to create sound.

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: SOUND AND VIBRATION

Try Now Have you ever tried to make a sound by rubbing your finger around a glass? If you haven’t, try it at home. When you wet your finger and drag it around the rim, it slips and sticks to the glass. This is similar to the way a violin bow slips and sticks to the strings it plays. This “slipstick” motion causes the glass to start vibrating.

Try adding more water to the glass. What happens to the sound? Connecting With Your Child Sounds From a Vibrating String All sounds originate from an object that is vibrating. The vibrations are usually difficult to see with the unaided eye. A plucked string is an exception. In this activity, you and your child will use a stretched rubber band as a vibrating string. Begin by brainstorming different types of sounds. Some sounds are high, and other sounds are low. This refers to a sound’s pitch. Higher-pitched sounds come from more rapidly vibrating objects. Both the tension and length of the plucked string affect pitch. Some sounds are loud and others are soft. This refers to the amplitude. Amplitude is a measure of how far the object vibrates back and forth. In a stringed instrument, amplitude is controlled by how far back the center of the string is pulled when plucked. For this activity, you will need a claw hammer; three nails; a short, wide board; and a large, strong rubber band. © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 329

329

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: SOUND AND VIBRATION

Help your child complete the following procedure: 1. Pound the nails into the board to form a triangle with unequal sides like this:

The triangle should be about the same size as the maximum size to which the rubber band can be stretched. 2. Stretch the rubber band over the nails with equal tension on each side. 3. Pluck each side of the rubber band and observe the differences in pitch. 4. Pull hard on one side of the rubber band to increase the tension on the other two sides; observe the change in pitch of the two sides with increased tension. 5. Use a finger to hold the middle of the long side of the rubber band to the board; this will create two “new,” shorter sections of rubber band on either side of your finger. Pluck each “new” section and observe its pitch. 6. Vary the distance you pull back on one of the sides of the rubber band when plucking. Observe the differences in loudness. Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • Were you able to see differences in how fast the rubber band moved? • When was there a high sound? What about a low sound? • How far did each rubber band move? Did that make a difference? • What do you think affected how loud the sound was? Try plucking hard and then softly to find out. • How could you make a musical instrument using only the materials from this activity?

330

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 330

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Reading Science Name:

Date:

Guitar Lessons 1.

Jose grabbed his electric guitar and lesson book. The oddshaped case was like carrying a large cement block, but bigger. Jose could not contain his excitement for his guitar lesson. He had just started last week and could feel butterflies floating in his stomach. He could also feel his stomach starting to churn. He knew he was ready for his lesson, but he didn’t want to mess up. Jose had practiced many times in preparation for his lesson.

Upon arriving to his lesson, Jose quickly unpacked his blue guitar and set his lesson book in his lap. When Mr. Maxwell, his teacher, opened the door, Jose got a wide grin on his face. He was excited to show Mr. Maxwell his progress.

Jose plugged his electric guitar into the amplifier. A loud screech bounced through the air. Jose crouched down and covered his ears.

“Oh sorry, Jose. I forgot to turn it down from the last lesson. Let me turn it down,” said Mr. Maxwell.

Mr. Maxwell turned down the amplifier, and Jose sat down in his chair. His feet were touching the floor, and he sat up nice and straight. Jose had a burning question he could not wait to ask Mr. Maxwell. He had been wondering about this since he began his guitar lessons.

“Mr. Maxwell,” began Jose, “I am curious about something, and I wanted to see if you could help me understand it.”

Mr. Maxwell looked at Jose with a smile on his face. He was used to curious students. “Go for it Jose. I’ll do my best to help you. What’s your question?”

“Why can I hear the sound when I plug in the amplifier or when I pluck a string on my guitar?I know it has something to do with my ears, but I don’t exactly know what.”

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 331

331

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Reading Science 9.

Mr. Maxwell loved Jose’s inquisitive nature. He knew today’s lesson plan was going to change. “Well, Jose, that is an excellent question. Why don’t you play a few notes, and then we will talk about it. Please try this page that was your assignment.”

10. Jose placed his fingers delicately on the strings. He pushed on the strings with his left hand. No sound came out. Jose put more force into pushing down on the string. He strummed the notes, and this time, he heard the sound. Each string he touched made a different sound. 11. “Jose, what enables you to hear the sound is your ears. Sound is made up of vibrations. There is air all around us. When something drops or a string is plucked, it makes the air around it go from not moving, to moving in waves. We call this sound waves. The sound waves create the vibration that then travels until it runs out of energy. If it is loud, it means the sound has a lot of energy, and when it is soft, there is not a lot of energy. 12. When you plugged your guitar in, the amplifier created a lot of energy and produced a loud sound.” 13. With a large glint of excitement in his eyes, Jose could not get his mind to stop. “Wow!” exclaimed Jose. “I only thought it had something to do with my ears, but it is really the change of the air into waves. That’s pretty cool. I didn’t know air could make waves. I thought those were only in the water I swim in at the beach.” 14. “Yes, science is involved in music. Your ear is involved too. Inside your ear is an eardrum that vibrates when the sound waves hit it, and this allows you to hear sound.” 15. “Oh,” said Jose. “So, can I play the drum in my ear?” 16. With a small laugh, Mr. Maxwell responded, “Well, that is a good point. You can sort of play the drum in your ear by playing a musical instrument. Let’s try something. Put your finger on your third fret, and then strum your largest string. See what type of sound you get.” 17. Jose placed his small fingers on the third fret and plucked the largest string. A low hum came out of his guitar. Jose looked at Mr. Maxwell.

332

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 332

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Reading Science 18. “That’s a cool low sound, huh?” responded Mr. Maxwell. “Sounds can also change pitch. For example, a low sound is created when the sound wave does not move very fast. The large string takes longer to move back and forth because it is heavier.” 19. “So, if I pluck a small string, will it make a high pitch?” asked Jose. 20. “Good connection, Jose! You are so right! A high pitch will come when the sound waves are moving fast, and they continue to move fast, remember, until they run out of energy, said Mr. Maxwell. “So, they move fast until they hit your ear. Try it on your guitar.” 21. Jose stretched his small fingers up to the top of the neck of his guitar. He took his thumb and pointer finger and plucked a small string, when all of a sudden, out came a higher pitched sound. 22. “I didn’t know so much science was involved in music,” said Jose. 23. Mr. Maxwell placed his hand on Jose’s shoulder. “There sure is,” he said. “In fact, without science, much of what we have and know about the world around us would not be possible. We are lucky enough to be able to hear, but think about those people who are deaf and can’t hear the music we enjoy. Their eardrums do not work properly, and they cannot feel the vibrations. I can’t imagine my life without music.” 24. “That is kind of sad,” said Jose. “I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t hear the sound. I wouldn’t know if I made a mistake in my song or if it sounded good. I’m a pretty lucky kid.” 25. “You are,” replied Mr. Maxwell. “You have a lot to be thankful for. Now, let’s keep working on learning about this guitar.”

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 333

333

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Reading Science 1.

What is Jose’s main problem in the story? A.

Jose does not know how to play the guitar.

Jose’s guitar case is too large for him.

Jose does not know about sound.

Jose is ill prepared for his lesson.

Which element of the selection helps you know it is a story? A.

There are real people.

It has a beginning and an end.

The character has a problem he is trying to solve.

The character learns a lesson.

Authors often have to do research to write. They write from observations, asking questions, or even looking through books. Which evidence from the selection helps the reader know the author conducted research for this selection? A.

The odd-shaped case was like carrying a large cement block, but bigger.

I know it has something to do with my ears, but I don’t exactly know what.

He plucked a small string and out came a higher pitched sound.

For example, a low sound is created when the sound wave does not move very fast.

334

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 334

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Reading Science 4.

The reader can tell an amplifier is – A.

an electronic device that makes sound larger.

an electronic device that makes high pitched sounds.

something that mutes sound.

something that is needed to play all guitars.

What would be another title that would fit this story? A.

Jose’s Guitar Problem

Mr. Maxwell’s Lesson

Jose’s Sound Lesson

Sound Surrounds Us

The selection states, “He could also feel his stomach starting to churn.” What does this tell you about Jose? A.

Jose was feeling excited.

Jose was about to get sick.

Jose was feeling anxious.

Jose’s stomach was moving.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 335

335

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Reading Science 7.

What can the reader infer about Jose? A.

He is an excellent guitar player.

He has been taking guitar lessons for some time.

He lives with his mom and dad.

He is a teenager.

What causes sound to change pitch? A.

The speed of the sound waves.

The length of the sound wave.

The size of the sound waves.

A person’s eardrum.

What is the moral of the story? A.

Don’t give up on your dreams.

Count your blessings.

Science is in music.

Study hard and you will overcome challenges.

336

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 336

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Sound is measured in decibels (dB). Use the table below to see the decibel measurements of common sounds. Classification

Decibel Level

Sound

Deafening

180 dB

Aircraft at take-off

Deafening

150 dB

Turbo jet

Deafening

120 dB

Fireworks display

Deafening

110 dB

Close to a train

Very loud

100 dB

Lawn mower

Very loud

90 dB

Noisy factory

Loud

80 dB

Alarm clock

Loud

70 dB

Radio

Moderate

60 dB

Normal conversation

Moderate

50 dB

Office noise

Moderate

45 dB

Waking a person

Faint

30 dB

Quiet conversation

Very faint

20 dB

Whisper

Very faint

10 dB

Good hearing

Inaudible

0 dB

Excellent hearing

How much louder, in decibels, is a an aircraft taking off than a whisper? dB

Arrange the information in the table onto a number line in the space below.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 337

337

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Math Connections 3.

How many times louder is an alarm clock than a whisper? ________ times louder

According to the table, what makes a sound twice as loud as waking a person? _____________

Put the following sounds in order from quietest to loudest: turbo jet, radio, whisper, noisy factory, and office noise. ________, _________, _________, _________, _________

If a sound were three times louder than a turbo jet, how loud would it be? ____________ dB

Which two sounds together could make the same level of sound as a lawn mower? (There is more than one correct answer.) ___________ and ___________

Which sound makes the same level of sound as a quiet conversation and office noise combined? _________________

338

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 338

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the picture of a boy playing a guitar.

THINK about how sound is produced on a musical instrument and how to change the pitch of the sound. WRITE a description about how sound is produced on a guitar. How does a guitar make sound? How can the boy in the picture change the sound to play a song? How can he change the pitch? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 339

339

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2A Sound and Vibration

Writing Science Topic:

340

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 340

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Physical Science

4P2B

Communication

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 341

341

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 342

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2B Communication

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Communicate with Light and Sound Part I My Morse Code Message (It can be no more than five letters.)

My Partner’s Morse Code Message

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 343

343

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2B Communication

Explore Student Journal Part II Use the space below to draw your device. Be sure to label what materials will be used to build it.

Use the table below to plan at least five messages that you can send to your friend. Decide how your device will send each message. Record if the message requires light, sound, or both. Message

344

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 344

How will it be communicated?

Does this message use light, sound, or both?

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: COMMUNICATION 4P2B

Reflect Have you ever lost your voice when you were sick? How did you communicate with others in that situation? Could you still tell someone what you needed even though you could not speak? communicate: how we share information and There are many ways to communicate with other people ideas without using your voice. We can communicate using our senses. We can communicate using modern technology, such as cell phones and computers. We can also handwrite messages. Think about all of the ways we communicate with the world around us every day.

How do our senses help us communicate? People use their senses to learn about the world around them. Their eyes detect light, their ears detect sound, and they can feel vibrations by touch. When we watch a television show, how do we know what is going on? We use our eyes to see the lights from the television and the pictures. We use our ears to hear the sounds coming from the television. Drivers continuously use their senses while driving their cars. There is nobody telling a driver what to do and where to go. Drivers use their eyes to watch the colors of the traffic lights so that they know when to go and when to stop. They also have to use their ears to hear if sirens are nearby. Sirens and flashing lights signal an emergency and that drivers need to get out of the way. continuously: to do something without stopping © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 345

345

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: COMMUNICATION Reflect Drivers can signal to other drivers when they plan to make a turn or change lanes with the use of lights and the directional blinkers. Drivers tell the driver behind them when they are going to stop with the brake lights. Using the car horn can signal a warning to other drivers and pedestrians. Communication Long Ago Before present-day technology was available, humans had to create other ways to communicate with each other besides their voices. Written communication was the most popular choice. Egyptians used symbols to write stories on the walls inside of pyramids. Before the telephone was invented, people used telegraphs. This device was used to communicate over long distances without speaking. It typically involved a series of electrical pulses called beeps that were invented by Samuel F. B. Morse. These beeps would be sent over a wire in patterns to communicate words or messages. Communication can also occur through sounds, such as drumbeats. Long ago, drums were used to communicate overlong distances in forested areas. Indians also used drums to communicate during ceremonial and religious gatherings. Did you wake up to an alarm clock beeping this morning? Did thebmicrowave ding when your breakfast was hot? Did the school bell tell you it was time to head to class? Think about how many different ways sounds have been used to communicate with you today. Communication Today Present-day communication is very ancestors: family different from how our ancestors members that lived long communicated. Today, we have ago iPads, cell phones, text messaging, emailing, social media, televisions, and computers, and the list is growing every day.

346

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 346

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: COMMUNICATION We use all of these forms of communication to stay in touch with friends and family. They make communication easier. We use them at school, at home, at work, and everywhere in between. Communication in the future will surely get even easier as more and more options for communicating are invented. What Do You Think? What if you were deaf? How would you know the phone was ringing or the smoke alarm was blaring? What if you were blind? How would you know when to cross the street at a traffic light? Look around your school and other public places. What technology is there to help the disabled communicate? How are the disabled warned in emergency situations? Communicating With Light Light has alway been a useful tool for communicating with others, especially over distances. Signal fires and the smoke from the fires have been used since ancient times as a method to communicate over great distances. The fires could signal the locations of troops along fortification lines, the presence of danger, and to call communities together. Signal fires were also used to alert sailors of dangerous coastlines and safe entries to harbors. Lighthouses also have been used along coasts and shorelines for centuries to alert sailors of dangerous coastlines and locations of safe entries to harbors. With the advance in technology of building structures and lighting equipment in the 1800s, lighthouses were an improvement over signal fires. The use of lenses and the invention of electricity further improved the communication abilities of the lighthouse. © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 347

347

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: COMMUNICATION Neon lights have become a colorful way to communicate in today’s modern culture. Think of how many times you have easily located your favorite fast food restaurants thanks to the use of bright lights. Morse code is a communication system that can use light or sound with a series of on/off flashes of light or a series of short and long clicks or beeps to communicate. The arrangement of the flashes or beeps spell out words. Morse code has its own alphabet and was originally used to communicate over telegraph lines in the 1830s. The Morse code system of flashing lights has been used by the U.S. Navy. Look Out! We communicate with the world around us every day. We use our senses to help us communicate. Look at the pictures of devices below. List which senses (sight, touch, smell, taste, or hearing) help you when you use these devices to communicate.

348

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 348

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: COMMUNICATION What Do You Know? Think about how you communicate in your classroom. Circle the picture below that would be the best way to communicate if you have a question for your teacher.

Write five different ways in which you communicate with other people every day. 1.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 349

349

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: COMMUNICATION Try Now How to make your own phone: 1. You will need two tin cans, a piece of string that is 15 feet long, and a push pin or sharp object. 2. Have your parents or teacher use the push pin or sharp object to poke a very small hole in the bottom of each can. 3. Put the string through each hole and tie a knot in the string inside each can so the string does not come out. 4. Take one can and have a friend take the other can. Stand about 15 feet apart so that the string is stretched out. 5. One person will talk into a can, while the other person holds a can up to his or her ear. Can you hear what the other person is saying? Connecting With Your Child Charades! Here is a fun way to talk about your child’s day rather than just asking, “What did you do today?” 1.

Explain the rules of charades.

Your child will go first. He or she will think about something he or she did today and will have to act it out without talking.

You will guess what your child is acting out.

Take turns with your child. Act out things from your day and let your child take a turn guessing.

*Optional: Instead of acting out something, you will draw it and the other person will have to guess what you are drawing.

350

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 350

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2B Communication

Reading Science Name:

Date:

Technology 1.

Technology is all around you. People are on their cell phones everywhere. They use them for sending e-mail and text messages. People make phone calls, surf the Internet, and play games on cell phones. Many people have cell phones. Some kids have cell phones, too!

Cell phones are not connected to your house. You can use them inside or outside. Using a cell phone, you can make a call at the park, the beach, or the grocery store. Cell phones are important. They let us keep in touch with our family near and far. They also let us make emergency phone calls.

A cell phone is a kind of radio. Radio waves are in the air and around us all the time. We can’t see radio waves. A cell phone uses battery power to send and receive signals on radio waves.

There is a tiny computer in a cell phone. It sends signals to the nearest base station. A base station has a tall steel tower. There are antennas on the tower. These send and receive radio wave signals. The signals go from tower to tower. Then, they go from cell phone to cell phone.

Cell phones work well when they are near towers. Callers have a better chance of having a clear-sounding conversation. If a cell phone is farther away from a tower, it is possible that the call may not be as clear-sounding. The call may break up or possibly be dropped.

Smartphones are another type of cellular device that people use today. They are like cell phones but have a few differences. The main difference is that smartphones can process data. Data processing lets you send and receive e-mails, text messages, pictures, and videos. Cell phone data networks process information for video chat, such as Skype and Facetime.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 351

351

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2B Communication

Reading Science 7.

You need the cell phone data network to stay in touch with your friends through texting. When you send a text message, it goes through the data tower. The data tower acts like an antenna. Once the text reaches the data tower, it is moved to another data tower. It continues this pattern until it reaches a tower that is close to the person you are trying to contact. You want more towers between you and your friends for clearer data transmission. When the video is moved to your friend’s phone, they will be able to view it clearly.

If you are out at the mall and have a query, you can check the Internet. Your phone sends a signal to the data tower. The data tower then sends the signal to the Internet. The Internet floats around us like an invisible cloud. Your phone is able to pull up the World Wide Web, and you can search to find the answer to your question.

Smartphones and cell phones allow us to keep in touch with our family and friends near and far. With their ability to move data digitally, we can connect in ways we could not have many years ago.

352

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 352

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2B Communication

Reading Science 1.

The author’s way of organizing this passage helps the reader understand– A.

the steps of how a phone call is made.

how a cell phone works.

the differences between cell phones and smartphones.

how cell phones have changed our world.

The main message of paragraph 8 describes– A.

how smartphones connect to the Internet.

the purposes of a smartphone.

how smartphones answer queries.

how smartphones can be used anywhere.

Which statement best supports the idea that cell phones have infinite possibilities? A.

Cell phones are different because they are not connected to your house.

A cell phone is a kind of radio.

People use cellphones for sending e-mails and text messages, making phone calls, surfing the Internet, and even playing games.

Smartphones are another type of cellular device that people use today.

What evidence helps the reader figure out the meaning of the word query? A.

Your phone sends a signal to the data tower.

The data tower sends a signal to the Internet.

Your phone is able to pull up the World Wide Web.

You can search to find the answer to your question.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 353

353

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2B Communication

Reading Science 5.

What does the word transmission mean in this passage? A.

Moving from one location to another

A connection

A force

A system of shafts and gears

If you were to place a heading before paragraph 6, what would it be? A.

The Internet

How Cell Phones Work

How Smartphones Work

Get a Smartphone

In order for a cell phone or smartphone to work, there must be– A.

a person on the other end to receive the call.

a series of cellular towers to intercept the signal.

a person at the cell phone company to connect your phone.

a working Internet connection.

How is a smartphone like a computer? A.

It can connect to the Internet.

It can be used to Skype or Facetime your friends near and far.

It can send e-mails to others.

All of the above

354

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 354

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2B Communication

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Cell phones work by sending out a signal in the form of a radio wave to tall cell phone towers. The cell phone towers transmit the signal to other towers or to the cell phone you are calling. The diagram shows the location of three cell phone towers in a city and the location of five different cell phones. Use the diagram to complete questions 1–4.

Sarah is located at Point A. She is using her cell phone to call her friend Kate who is located at Point C. a.

To make the call, the signal from Sarah’s cell phone must connect with the cell phone tower located at Point B. Draw a line segment from A to B.

When the cell phone tower receives the signal from Sarah’s phone, it transmits the signal to Kate’s phone at Point C to connect the call. Draw a line through points B and C.

What type of angle is formed by connecting A, B, and C?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 355

355

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2B Communication

Math Connections 2.

Kate, located at Point C, is sending a text to her brother, located at Point E. a.

To transmit the text, the signal from Kate’s phone must connect with the cell phone tower located at Point B. Draw a line segment from B to C.

When the cell phone tower receives the signal from Kate’s phone, it transmits the signal to the cell phone tower located at D. Draw a ray with an end point at B and is passing through D.

The cell phone tower at D transmits the signal from Kate’s phone to her brother’s phone at Point E. Draw a line passing through D and E.

What type of angle is formed by connecting C, B, and D?

What type of angle is formed by connecting B, D, and E?

Tyler, located at Point G, is texting a photograph of his dog to his friend Lance at Point F. a.

To transmit the photograph, the signal from Tyler’s phone must connect with the cell phone tower located at Point H. Draw a line passing through G and H.

When the cell phone tower at H receives the signal from Tyler’s phone, it transmits the signal to Lance’s phone at F and he receives the picture. Draw a line segment connecting H and F.

What type of angle is formed by connecting G, H, and F?

356

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 356

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2B Communication

Math Connections 4.

Lance loves the photograph so much that he decides to forward the text message to his friend Sarah at Point A. a.

To transmit the photograph, the signal from Lance’s phone must connect to the cell phone tower at Point H. Draw a ray with an end point at H and is passing through F.

When the cell phone tower receives the signal from Lance’s phone, it transmits the signal to the cell phone tower located at B. Draw a line segment connecting H and B.

The cell phone tower at Point B transmits the signal from Lance’s phone to Sarah’s phone at A, and she receives the photograph. Draw a line through Points A and B.

What type of angle is formed by connecting F, H, and B?

What type of angle is formed by connecting H, B, and A?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 357

357

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 358

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2B Communication

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the police car. Emergency vehicles use both light and sound to announce their presence.

THINK about when you first notice an emergency vehicle. When do you first hear it? When do you first see it? What does distance have to do with your awareness of the vehicle? WRITE about why both light and sound are used in emergency situations. Why do emergency vehicles use both light and sound? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 359

359

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P2B Communication

Writing Science Topic:

360

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 360

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Physical Science

4P3AB

Force and Motion

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 361

361

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 362

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3AB Force and Motion

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Force and Motion Part I: Ramp It Up! 1.

What is gravity?

Record data from your three trials for both ramp heights in the table below. Distance Traveled in cm From the Ramp 15 cm High

Distance Traveled in cm From the Ramp 30 cm High

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 3.

How did the distance change between the first set of trials on the ramp 15 centimeters high compared to the distance traveled on the ramp 30 centimeters high?

Describe the relationship between gravity and the movement of the toy car.

Describe the relationship between the height of the ramp and the pull of gravity.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 363

363

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3AB Force and Motion

Explore Student Journal Part II: Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Use the table below to record your observations. Task

Diagram

Balanced or Unbalanced?

No Change in Motion

Move to the Left

Move to the Right

In your own words, explain what a balanced force is. How does a balanced force affect the motion of an object?

Think back to the investigation you did with the car rolling down the ramp. Provide an example of a balanced force from that investigation.

In your own words, explain what an unbalanced force is. How does an unbalanced force affect the motion of an object?

Think back to the investigation you did with the car rolling down the ramp. Provide an example of an unbalanced force from that investigation.

364

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 364

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FORCE AND MOTION Reflect

4P3AB

CRACK! That’s the sound of a bat hitting a baseball. The ball flies through the air and lands over the fence for a home run. The motion of a batted ball seems simple enough. Yet, many forces act on the ball as it travels from home plate to the outfield. Why do some balls go farther than others? Why do some balls move in an arc, soaring high into the sky and then dropping into the stands or a fielder’s glove? Are all moving things affected by the same types of forces? Forces cause the energy of motion. When a ball is held at the top of a tall tower, it has potential energy. This means the ball is not moving yet but has the opportunity to move quite a bit if the right force is applied to it. (A force is a push or pull.) When the ball is dropped, gravity pulls the ball toward the ground. As the ball falls, getting faster and faster on its way down, its potential energy changes to kinetic energy. All changes in motion require the input of a force. The simplest way to think about motion is a change in position. You ride your bicycle from your house to school. You have changed position through motion. The force of pedaling the bicycle causes this change. Forces can change motion in other ways, too. While riding your bike, you turn left at an intersection. You have changed direction. As you approach a stop sign, you slow to a stop and then speed up again. Speeding up and slowing down are also changes in motion caused by forces.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 365

The ball changes position as it falls from the top of the tower to the ground.

365

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FORCE AND MOTION Reflect Newton’s first law of motion describes the effects of forces. Forces are measured in units called newtons (N). This unit is named after Sir Isaac Newton, a British scientist who identified and described three laws of motion. Newton’s first law of motion describes two important effects of forces: • An object in motion stays in motion until an unbalanced force acts upon it. • An object at rest (not moving) stays at rest until an unbalanced force acts upon it. What exactly is an unbalanced force? When two equal forces are acting on an object from opposite directions, the forces are balanced. Look at the diagram below. The ball won’t move in either direction. It stays at rest because the forces are balanced. Each person kicks the ball with a force of 50 N. The forces are equal, but they are applied in opposite directions. Therefore, the forces are balanced. The ball will not move.

On the other hand, when forces are unbalanced, the ball will move. The following diagrams show two different examples of unbalanced forces acting on a ball.

The ball is kicked with a force of 50 N, so it will move in the direction of the kick. The greater the force, the farther the ball will move.

366

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 366

The player on the left kicks the ball with a force of 25 N. The player on the right kicks the ball with a force of 100 N. In which direction will the ball move?

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FORCE AND MOTION Newton’s ﬁrst law of motion also describes how forces affect objects already in motion. An object in motion will continue moving—at the same speed and in the same direction—until an unbalanced force acts upon it. If you kick a soccer ball straight across the ground, it should continue moving in a straight line and at the same speed forever! However, you know this doesn’t happen. The ball slows and eventually stops moving. A force must act on it as it moves. Look Out! What force acts on the soccer ball to stop its motion? There are many possibilities. The soccer ball might run into a wall, which acts as a stopping force. It might be kicked by a friend whose foot acts as a force that changes the ball’s direction and speed. But what force causes the ball to slow to a stop? The answer is a force called friction, which occurs between two surfaces that rub together—in this case, the ball and the ground. Friction always acts in the opposite direction of motion. Slippery surfaces like ice have less friction than rough surfaces. Force of Gravity Gravity is a force that everyone and everything on Earth encounters daily. Gravity is a beneficial force we need, but it also has some drawbacks. Isaac Newton developed the law of universal gravitation. According to the law of universal gravitation, as the distance between objects with mass increases, the gravitational attraction between those objects decreases. In other words, the farther apart two objects move, the weaker their gravitational attraction becomes. Earth is very massive, so it has a strong gravitational pull. You would have to move very far away from Earth to escape its gravitational pull. People often use mass and weight as though these terms mean the same thing. However, mass and weight are different properties of objects. Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object. Your mass is the same no matter where you are in the universe.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 367

367

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FORCE AND MOTION Look Out! Weight is a measure of the force of gravity on an object. Objects with more mass than Earth have stronger gravitational pulls, whereas objects with less mass than Earth have weaker gravitational pulls. This would make your weight different on other planets and moons. For example, if you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh only 16.6 pounds on the Moon! However, you would weigh 236.4 pounds on Jupiter. This is because the Moon is much less massive than Earth (has a weaker force of gravity), while Jupiter is much more massive (has a stronger force of gravity). Astronauts ﬂoating in space appear to weigh nothing. However, an astronaut’s mass remains the same regardless of where he or she is in space. Gravity holds together the solar system. The Sun is the most massive object in the solar system. Therefore, it has the strongest gravitational pull. The Sun’s gravity causes other objects in the solar system—including planets, comets, and asteroids—to orbit or move around the Sun. (An orbit is also the path an object follows as it revolves around a more massive object.) The planets, comets, and asteroids all have their own gravitational pulls. They revolve around the Sun because the Sun is much more massive. Try Now Investigate gravity in the world around you. Activity 1: In the Balance Draw and label your experiment below. You can learn about how gravity affects an object by attempting to balance the object on the edge of a surface. For example, try balancing a meter stick on the arm of a chair or a spoon on the edge of a bowl. Keep inching the object farther over the edge until it no longer balances. The point at which the object balances perfectly is the object’s center of gravity.

368

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 368

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FORCE AND MOTION Activity 2: Gravity Versus Momentum Follow this procedure to study the balance between Earth’s gravitational pull and an object’s forward momentum. 1. Cut a piece of twine or string to about 2–3 feet long. 2. Tie one end of the string around a small object, such as a ball or a keychain. 3. Go outside or to an area with plenty of open space. Make sure you are far away from any breakable objects! 4. Hold onto the other end of the string, letting the object dangle toward the ground. 5. Begin to spin around very slowly. 6. Now spin faster and faster until the string becomes horizontal and the object moves parallel to the ground. Make sure to slow down before you get dizzy! Draw and label your experiment below.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 369

369

12/18/25 2:35 PM

STEMscopedia: FORCE AND MOTION Connecting With Your Child Daily Forces and Motion To help your child learn more about how a change in force affects motion, play a game of tug-of-war. This classic game shows how balanced forces cancel out and cause no motion, while unbalanced forces cause movement. The game is played with at least two people. Tie a flag in the middle of a long rope. Then, each person (or half of a group of people) pulls on either end of the rope. When the forces are balanced, the flag does not move. When the forces are unbalanced, the flag moves toward the person or group pulling with the greatest force. Make sure to monitor the game so that your child plays safely. Remind groups not to pull so hard that they risk injuring someone else. (It’s best to talk your child through the game. Begin with each side gently tugging on the rope, gradually adjusting the amount of force per side until the forces are balanced and the flag is at rest. Then one side can decrease the force they are using to pull the rope, and your child can watch how the flag moves in the direction of the greater force.) Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • How do you know when forces on an object are balanced or unbalanced? • Does the number of people on each side affect the force? What else might affect the force? • How would the force be changed if it were all boys on one side and all girls on the other? • How does the texture of the ground affect the results? What if the tug-of-war took place somewhere else? • What if all the players were in their bare feet? What if everyone had cleats? • What if the tug-of-war took place on a hillside? Would there be an advantage or disadvantage for either team? You should also ask your child about the effects of unbalanced forces on objects. For example: • Have you ever observed an unbalanced force change an object’s position? (For example, what happens during a game of tug-of-war?) • How do unbalanced forces affect the direction and speed of a soccer ball during a soccer game? 370

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 370

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3AB Forces and Motion

Reading Science Name:

Date:

Gravity 1.

Jessica double-checked her list, and there it was—number 14: “ride a roller coaster.” Jessica had compiled a list of the top 20 activities she hoped to accomplish this year. It was already November, so she needed to get serious if she wanted to complete her list on time. She had talked her family into heading to the amusement park for their weekend destination.

“I’m the oldest, so I say we sit in the first cart,” Jessica declared. She was only 11, but she was still older than her two brothers, Mike, who was nine, and Johnny, who was seven. “Besides, it’s my list!” The family was impatiently waiting in line for their turn to ride the roller coaster. The roller coaster was famous for its high elevation and drop, and all the kids were excited to experience it. However, the problem was they all thought that different carts would be the best spot to sit. Jessica wanted the first cart; Mike wanted the last cart; and Johnny wanted the middle cart.

“No!” Johnny argued. “I’m telling you, the middle cart would be great!”

“No way! I want the first cart, so we can see what’s coming up!” Jessica insisted. “I don’t want my vision blocked by people in front of me.”

“Guys, we all know the last one would be the most fun! Right, Dad?” Mike asked. “It would be the best for the big drop, right?” Their dad turned and faced all of the kids.

“Actually, if you want to get the most out of the drop, then Mike is right. The rear car is the best spot on a roller coaster because the twists and turns are more noticeable,” their dad said. Jessica and Johnny scowled as they looked down toward the ground. Mike grinned and said, “I told you so!”

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 371

371

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3AB Forces and Motion

Reading Science 7.

“It all depends on the force of gravity, so the last cart would be the best,” their dad explained. “When the carts start going up the hill, it slows down because gravity is pulling on it from behind, but when the first car makes it over the apex, gravity pulls the car down the other side of the hill. So, because of the pull of gravity, the first car starts to accelerate, which accelerates the second car, then the third car, and so on.”

“So by the time the last cart finally arrives at the top, it’ll be speeding like a rocket!” Mike proudly exclaimed.

Jessica and Johnny were both angry that Mike was right, but they still agreed to the last cart. After all, Jessica did want to cross number 14 off her list! The family waited anxiously as the line got shorter and shorter.

10. “Which cart?” the man that was in charge of the roller coaster asked. 11. Mike smiled and proudly replied, “We want the last one. Since the force of gravity will start to pull on the first cart at the beginning of the drop, the last cart will receive the most acceleration!” 12. “Well, kid, it looks like you know your stuff. The last one it is!” 13. The man stepped aside as they piled into the last cart. The kids had butterflies in their stomach as the roller coaster jerked forward and they slowly ascended. They gripped the handlebars as the top got nearer and nearer. The first cart lurched over the tip, and everyone screamed. Jessica and her family raised their arms in the air as, one by one, the carts were hauled over by the carts in front of them. Soon, the last cart went racing over the top! 14. All too soon, the ride slowly came to a stop. Jessica hated to admit it, but Mike had made her number 14 activity awesome!

372

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 372

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3AB Forces and Motion

Reading Science 1.

The author uses figurative language in paragraph 8 to emphasize– A.

how the roller coaster looks.

that the roller coaster is very loud.

the roller coaster’s speed.

the roller coaster’s up-and-down movement.

Which of the following details support the conclusion that Jessica likes to be right? A.

“Besides, it’s my list!”

Jessica hated to admit it, but Mike had made her number 14 activity awesome!

“I’m telling you, the middle cart would be great!”

Jessica wanted the first cart; Mike wanted the last cart; and Johnny wanted the middle cart.

Paragraphs 2 through 5 are important because they show– A.

the setting of the story.

the ages of the kids.

how tall and fast the roller coaster is.

the problem in the story.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 373

373

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3AB Forces and Motion

Reading Science 4.

Which words help the reader to know the meaning of the word apex? A.

Arrives at the top

Starts to accelerate

Pulling the car down

Like a chain reaction

Which sentence best supports the idea that gravity plays a part in the speed of the roller coaster carts? A.

“Well kid, it looks like you know your stuff. The last one it is!”

The rear car is the best spot on a roller coaster because the twists and turns are more noticeable.

Because of gravity’s pull, the first car starts to accelerate, which accelerates the second car, then the third car and so on.

Jessica and her family raised their arms in the air as, one by one, the carts were hauled over by the carts in front of them. Soon, the last cart went racing over the top!

374

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 374

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3AB Forces and Motion

Reading Science 6.

What is the best summary of this story? A.

Jessica had a list of 20 activities she wanted to accomplish. She had already done 13 of them and wanted to complete the next one. She convinced her family to go to the amusement park for the weekend. There, they rode the roller coaster, and Jessica was able to cross number 14 off her list.

Jessica and her family were about to ride a roller coaster, which was number 14 on Jessica’s list of activities to accomplish. Jessica and her brothers disagreed on which cart would be the best to sit in for the ride. Jessica’s dad explained how gravity made the last cart the fastest, so they all decided to sit there. At the end of the ride, Jessica was glad they had chosen the last cart.

Jessica and her family went to an amusement park. They all decided to ride the roller coaster, but everyone argued about where to sit. Jessica became angry because she was the oldest and felt like her brothers should listen to where she wanted to sit. Finally, her dad made the decision, and they all sat in the last cart.

Jessica and her family went at the amusement park to ride the famous roller coaster. The roller coaster had a 150-foot elevation and drop, and the kids could not wait to ride it. The coaster reached speeds of 65 mph. However, the kids argued about the best spot to sit to experience the speed. Jessica wanted the first cart, Mike wanted the last cart, and Johnny wanted the middle cart.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 375

375

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 376

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3AB Force and Motion

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Skydiving is a recreational sport in which people jump from airplanes and free-fall from high elevations. To slow down their speed and ensure a safe landing, skydivers must release a parachute to offset gravity, which pulls them towards Earth’s surface. The investigation below was used to test the effect of parachute size on the speed of a skydiver. Procedure: Students created five rectangular parachutes out of a garbage bag. Each parachute was tied to five paper clips weighing 5 grams. The parachute was dropped three times from a height of 2 meters. The students recorded the amount of time it took for the paper clips to touch the ground. Parachute Measurements: Parachute 1 2 3 4 5

Length (cm) 25 25 25 25 25

Width (cm) 20 30 40 50 60

Area (cm2)

Air pushes the parachute up and acts opposite of the force of gravity, which pulls the person down. The forces are almost balanced as the person falls slowly to Earth.

The area of the parachute is a measure of how big the parachute is. To calculate the area of a rectangle, multiply the length by the width or multiply the width by the length. 1. What pattern do you see in the width of the parachute? ________________________ 2.

Write an equation to show how to find the area of Parachute 1.

Write a different equation to show how to find the area of Parachute 1. _________________

Calculate the area of each parachute, and list them in the table above.

How much did the area increase for each parachute? __________________________cm2

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 377

377

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3AB Force and Motion

Math Connections The results of the three trials are recorded in the chart below. Parachute

Trial 1 (seconds) Trial 2 (seconds) Trial 3 (seconds)

0.98

0.94

0.96

1.21

1.25

1.23

1.49

1.50

1.51

1.77

1.78

1.76

2.02

2.03

2.01

Average

To calculate the average of the three trials: 1) Add all three numbers. 2) Divide the sum by 3. 6.

Choose one of the following equations that can be used to calculate the average fall time of each parachute. A. B. C. D.

1.21 + 1.25 + 1.23 ÷ 3 (1.21 + 1.25 + 1.23) ÷ 3 1.21 + (1.25 + 1.23 ÷ 3) (1.21 + 1.25) + 1.23 ÷ 3

Use a calculator to calculate the average fall time for each of the parachutes, and record your answers in the table above.

Is it better for a skydiver to have a faster or slower fall time? faster

Which parachute had the slowest fall time? ____________________ Which parachute had the fastest fall time? ________________________

slower

10. How did the size of the parachute affect how fast gravity pulled the skydiver to Earth? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 378

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 378

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3AB Force and Motion

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at the children jumping on the trampoline. There are many forces working on them as they jump up. The springs in the trampoline and the muscles in their legs and arms are forcing them up. The force of gravity is pulling them down. THINK about which forces are stronger. At what point will the children not be able to jump any higher? WRITE about the balanced and unbalanced forces at work on the trampoline. Why can the children only jump to a certain height? Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 379

379

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3AB Force and Motion

Writing Science Topic:

380

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 380

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4th Grade Physical Science

4P 3A

Simple Machines

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 381

381

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 382

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Student Handout

Name:

Date:

Simple Machines Item

Observations and Thoughts

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 383

Type of Simple Machine

383

12/18/25 2:35 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 384

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Explore Student Journal Name:

Date:

Part I: Using an Inclined Plane 1.

Force required, in newtons, to move the bag of sand straight up to a height of 10 centimeters: ____________ 2. Inclined Plane Data Table

Distance Traveled by the Load (cm) (Length of Inclined Plane)

Angle of the Inclined Plane (degrees)

Create two graphs from your data table. Title each graph.

5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 .5 0

Title: ____________________

Force (N)

Title: ____________________

Force (N)

Force Required to Move Load to a Height of 10 cm Using Inclined Plane (N)

5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 .5 0

Angle of Inclined Plane (degrees) 4.

Distance

What conclusion can you draw from these two graphs?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 385

385

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Explore Student Journal Part I: Using an Inclined Plane, continued 5. Draw a diagram of the inclined planes that you constructed. For each setup, label the length of the inclined plane and the corresponding angle.

6. How did the use of the inclined plane affect the amount of force needed to raise the load 10 centimeters above the tabletop?

7. Describe the relationship between the length of the inclined plane and the amount of force needed to raise the load 10 centimeters above the tabletop.

8. Describe the relationship between the angle of the inclined plane and the amount of force needed to raise the load 10 centimeters above the tabletop.

9. A wedge is usually made up of two inclined planes (like a pair of scissors). How do wedges change the force required to complete a task?

10. A screw is an inclined plane wrapped around a central cylinder. Line up a ruler with one of the threads on each screw and trace the edge of the ruler to see how steep the incline is on each screw. Using what you learned about inclined planes, which screw would need less force to turn? Justify your reasoning.

386

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 386

12/18/25 2:35 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Explore Student Journal Part II: Using a Pulley 1.

Force required, in newtons, to lift the bag of sand straight up to a height of 10 centimeters: ______________ 2. Pulley Data Table Type of Pulley

Force Required to Lift the Load 10 cm Using the Pulley (N)

Fixed Movable Two-Pulley System 3. In the spaces below, draw and label a diagram of each pulley system you assembled and used in the activity. Count the number of supporting strings and label each of your diagrams with this number.

Fixed

Movable

Two-Pulley System

4. Compare the amount of force needed to lift the load using one fixed pulley to the amount of force needed to lift the load using a movable pulley. 5. Compare the amount of force needed to lift the load using one fixed pulley to the amount of force needed to lift the load using the two-pulley system. 6. What happened to the force required to lift the load as more supporting strings were added to the system?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 387

387

12/18/25 2:36 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Explore Student Journal Part III: Using a Lever 1.

Record your results in the data table. Distance from the Fulcrum (cm)

Number of Pennies to Lift Load

What conclusion can you draw from your data?

Part IV: Using a Wheel and Axle 1.

Record your results in the data table. Wheel Diameter (cm)

Distance Traveled (cm)

How did the size of the wheel affect the distance traveled?

388

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 388

12/18/25 2:36 PM

STEMscopedia: SIMPLE MACHINES 4P3C

Reflect

Have you ever used a pair of scissors? Have you ridden a bike or sat in a moving car? Have you pushed something up a ramp? If you have done any of these things, then you have used a simple machine. force: a push or pull on an object A simple machine is anything that can be used to reduce the amount of force needed to do work. A force is a push or simple machine: pull that can cause an object to start moving, stop moving, a machine used to or even change direction. The larger or heavier an object is, reduce the amount of the more it might be necessary to apply more force to move force required to work it than a human can produce on his or her own. Because of this, humans have invented simple machines to help us with hard jobs that require large amounts of force. Simple machines make work easier by changing the amount of force that has to be applied to an object to make it move. Simple machines can be very small or giant. Some things, like a car, are compound machines that contain many different simple machines. There are two families of simple machines: the inclined plane family and the lever family.

Simple machines can be found everywhere! Some fun places to look for simple machines are at an amusement park or on your own playground.

Inclined Planes The word “inclined” means “at an angle,” and the word “plane” means “a flat surface.” A flat surface on an angle is a slope or a ramp. We call this an inclined plane. Workmen use inclined planes to push heavy loads into trucks, and Egyptians used them thousands of years ago to build the pyramids. An inclined plane makes it easier to push very heavy things up to a higher surface.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 389

389

12/18/25 2:36 PM

STEMscopedia: SIMPLE MACHINES Reflect Screws A screw is a circular inclined plane. You can see examples of different types of screws in the picture to the right. The inclined plane is formed by the spirals along the long part of the screw. The ridges in the screw hold their place in wood much better than a nail can. A screw makes it easier to turn an object, reducing the force needed to drive two objects together. The screw works best when paired with another simple machine called the screwdriver, which is a lever. Wheel and Axle You might not believe it, but a wheel and axle is also a special kind of lever. The axle of a wheel is just like the fulcrum of a lever. Instead of arms on either side of the fulcrum, a wheel has spokes all around it. When force is applied to the wheel, the axle in the middle will turn, and this makes it easier to do hard work over a period of time. With a wheel, you can turn something heavy by spinning the wheel attached to an axle that is attached to the heavy thing. That's how a pencil sharpener works. If you apply a large amount of force to an axle, as in a car, then you can make the wheel spin very quickly. Pulleys A pulley is a wheel with a groove that allows a rope, belt, or chain to ride securely on it. A pulley is like a wheel and axle, only the wheel turns freely on the axle. There are fixed pulleys and moveable pulleys. A fixed pulley stays in one spot while a moveable pulley can move along a rope or wire.

390

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 390

A pulley helps you lift very heavy objects.

12/18/25 2:36 PM

STEMscopedia: SIMPLE MACHINES A fixed pulley doesn’t give an advantage; it just changes the direction of the force. If you pull down on a rope attached to a fixed pulley, it will pull an object upwards. A moveable pulley makes work easier. Over a longer distance, it will take less force to move something heavy. Wedges A wedge is actually two inclined planes attached back to back to form a sharp edge. A wedge is used to separate or split materials. When chopping wood, the point of the wedge is inserted in the wood and the wide end is struck. The point is forced into the wood, splitting it in pieces. However, a wedge can also hold two items together. Doorstops can slide under the edge of the door and wedge it into place. Forks and knives are other uses of the wedge. What Do You Think? Working Together: Wheelbarrow The Chinese invented the wheelbarrow almost 2,000 years ago and called it a wooden ox. A wheelbarrow consists of two simple machines working together to make it easier to carry large loads. It is a tray or container attached to two handles and two legs. It usually has one wheel on the front. If you have a garden at home, your parents might have a wheelbarrow. You may have also seen one on a construction site. The wheel and axle of the wheelbarrow is one example of a simple machine. This helps the large load move without friction, making it easier to carry large loads over a longer distance. The other simple machine found on a wheelbarrow is a lever. The arms of the wheelbarrow pushing against the load are what creates the lever and enables a human to lift larger loads than normal. © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 391

391

12/18/25 2:36 PM

STEMscopedia: SIMPLE MACHINES What Do You Think? Can you think of something else that combines simple machines to make work easier? Levers A lever is basically just a long stick that you push or pull against a fulcrum to move something. A lever can help move things that are heavy or can make something move more quickly. The lever helps spread the work out over a distance. For example, if you are trying to move a large rock, you could use a lever to help you. You might have to push the lever down four feet to make the rock The carpenter is pulling up a move only one foot; but without the lever, you might not nail with a pry bar. The lever is have gotten anywhere! Hammers, bottle openers, pry resting on the fulcrum. bars, and screwdrivers are all examples of levers. Career Connection: Engineers Simple machines help engineers create things that help society. Even though engineers have the latest technology available to them, they still use simple machines every day! The engineers who designed the pyramids thousands of years ago used the same ideas about simple machines that engineers use today. Engineers often solve everyday problems using something as simple as a level or inclined plane.

fulcrum: the point on which a lever rests

Many of today's complex tools are really just more complicated forms of simple machines. By using A construction engineer simple machines, ordinary people can split huge uses his knowledge rocks, hoist large stones, and move heavy objects over great distances. However, solving problems and of design and simple making new ideas come to life doesn’t just happen with machines to design new simple machines. Engineers work together in teams to buildings. brainstorm solutions and plan designs.

392

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 392

12/18/25 2:36 PM

STEMscopedia: SIMPLE MACHINES Connecting With Your Child There are many types of engineers. Civil engineers build bridges and roads. Aerospace engineers use their knowledge of simple machines to design planes and space shuttles. Research other types of engineering and how they use simple machines every day. Simple Machines at Home There are many examples of simple machines in your house, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. Gather some of the examples listed below and challenge your child to identify the simple machine being used. Wedge: doorstop, knife, fork, cheese grater Pulley: garage door, curtains, window blinds, washing machine Inclined plane: ladder or step stool, blades of a ceiling fan, drain pipes Wheel and axle: doorknob, hinges, drawer glides Lever: bottle opener, tongs, nail clippers Screw: jar lids, light bulbs, cork screws Here are some questions to discuss with your child: • How do simple machines help us? • Which simple machines use a pulling force? Which simple machines use a pushing force? • A compound machine has two or more simple machines working together. What are the simple machines in the compound machines pictured below?

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 393

393

12/18/25 2:36 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 394

12/18/25 2:36 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Reading Science Name:

Date:

The Great Soapbox Race 1.

The sun shone brightly into the garage. Sawdust was dispersed everywhere. Tools lay on the warm cement floor. The beginnings of a soapbox car lay in the middle as well. Catherine and her dad were in the building stages to meet the requirements of her science project.

A week before, Mrs. Franzen told her class that they would be having a soapbox derby race. As Mrs. Franzen explained the project, Catherine’s thoughts went to a purple car with glitter numbers. There were flowers and butterflies, too. She couldn’t keep her mind off designing her car—so much that she barely heard the project requirements from Mrs. Franzen.

Snapping back into reality, Catherine heard Mrs. Franzen say that the soapbox car had to include each type of simple machine that the class had studied. She then went on to say that the winner of the soapbox car race would win a trophy and $200. Money was music to Catherine’s ears. She could not wait to get home and start planning her car with her dad.

Catherine and her dad planned to include four wheels, which would require two axles. The axles would go through the car and hold the wheels. These would also allow the wheels to spin, or roll. Catherine knew she would use screws to put together the pieces of the soapbox car’s body. These screws would help keep her car together securely.

The wheels, axles, and screws were the easy, simple machines to include. Catherine needed more help with how to include the inclined plane, lever, and pulley. Dad and Catherine studied up on how to make the car go as fast as possible. They came across something called a “headwind.” If they created a car with the front being a square box, that would slow the car down. If they created the nose of the car as an inclined plane, that would hopefully speed up the car. Even though an inclined plane is really used to help move heavy objects with ease, Catherine felt confident explaining her use of it to Mrs. Franzen.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 395

395

12/18/25 2:36 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Reading Science 6.

The last things to incorporate were the pulley and the lever. Dad thought of using a lever to keep the car from moving. They decided they would mount a fulcrum on the inside body of the car near a rear wheel. They would then put a pad on the lever to slow the car down or keep it from moving. This would be the car’s brake.

The last simple machine was the pulley. This one was more difficult. Catherine wanted a way to increase the speed of her car. As dad and Catherine talked, they came up with the plan of putting a pulley in the back of the car. It would be connected to one of the axles and have a piece of rope wrapped around it.

Catherine would have to let the rope go from the wheel of her car. The rope would shoot backwards and would give the car a push start. Catherine had a hard time seeing this because she knew that pulleys were meant to help you lift something heavy. Dad was going to show her a new way of using the pulley.

The day of the soapbox race came. Catherine nervously put her purple, glitternumbered, and green flowery car at the starting line. As her time approached, she could not contain her nervousness as she hopped from one foot to the other. The race official then instructed racers to get into their cars. Catherine felt the sides of her car and thought about how much work she had put into her car.

10. DING! DING! DING! She suddenly heard the bell to start and let her pulley go. Her car zoomed quickly forward. She was neck and neck with her friend Shawn. Shawn inched slightly ahead of Catherine, but Catherine’s incline-plane-shaped car seemed to respond well to the wind. Catherine saw the bottom of the hill and looked to her side. Shawn was a bit further behind her now. She crossed the finish line and felt the finish line ribbon in her face. She won! All of her hard work paid off. This was a science project she would never forget. When she was presented with the money, she asked her dad to come up on stage. 11. “Here Dad,” she said as she handed him the trophy. “This is for you.”

396

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 396

12/18/25 2:36 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Reading Science 1.

Look at the meanings for the word dispersed below. Meaning 1: to drive or send off in different directions Meaning 2: to spread widely Meaning 3: to cause to disappear Meaning 4: as water separates throughout a solid, liquid, or gas Which is the meaning of dispersed in Paragraph 1?

Meaning 1

Meaning 2

Meaning 3

Meaning 4

From the selection, you can tell that Catherine A.

is a soapbox expert in the beginning

finds school challenging

finds the project easy to complete

is a creative problem-solver

What does the phrase, “Money was music to Catherine’s ears,” help the reader understand about Catherine? A.

Her ears can hear music.

She likes money.

She does not care about the money.

She needed money.

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 397

397

12/18/25 2:36 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Reading Science 4.

What is the main setting of this story? A.

Catherine’s garage

Catherine’s classroom

The soapbox race

The driveway

How did Catherine include a lever into her car? A.

She added it to the wheels.

She made it push on the axle to stop the car.

She added it to the pulley.

She placed it on the rope.

Why did the author include the following lines? She couldn’t keep her mind off designing her car—so much that she barely heard the project requirements from Mrs. Franzen.

To show that Catherine was worried about her car

To show that Catherine was anticipating designing her car

To show that Catherine was excited about money

To show that Catherine was determined to build her car

Why was Catherine confident in her inclined plane idea on her car? A.

She knew that inclined planes were used for making objects move more easily.

She knew that inclined planes weren’t used for her purpose.

She had done research to learn the purpose of the inclined plane.

She knew that her car would win.

398

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 398

12/18/25 2:36 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Math Connections Name:

Date:

Solve the problems in each square. Below, and on page 400, write your answer to each problem, the name of the simple machine pictured in that problem’s box, and what that machine is used for.

1. Divide 486 by 6.

2. How many centimeters (cm) are in 5 meters?

3. Find the perimeter and area of a rectangle with a length of 16 feet and a width of 8 feet.

4. Write the decimal 4.03 as a fraction.

5. Round the number 51,097,662 to the nearest thousand.

6. Multiply 238 by 7.

Answer to problem: Name of simple machine: Used for:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 399

399

12/18/25 2:36 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Math Connections 2.

Answer to problem:

Name of simple machine: Used for: 3.

Answer to problem:

ft,

sq ft

Name of simple machine: Used for: 4.

Answer to problem: Name of simple machine: Used for:

400

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 400

12/18/25 2:36 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Writing Science Name:

Date:

LOOK at this picture:

THINK about how simple machines make work easier for us. Scissors are an example of a lever. They are used to cut paper or other materials into smaller pieces. WRITE about the six simple machines: lever, pulley, wheel and axle, wedge, inclined plane, and screw. List an example of each simple machine and explain their uses. Be sure to • clearly state your central idea; • organize your thoughts; • develop your essay in detail; • choose your words carefully; and • use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Notes:

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 401

401

12/18/25 2:36 PM

4P3C Simple Machines

Writing Science Topic:

402

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 402

12/18/25 2:36 PM

air masses

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

air mass – a body of air extending over a large area (1,000 miles or more) that develops and retains specific characteristics of pressure, temperature, and humidity anemometer – a tool used to measure the speed of wind appearance – the way something looks axis – an imaginary line that a sphere rotates around

cold front

brightness – more light change – to cause something to be different than it was before charts – a sheet that gives information cirrus cloud – wispy, thin clouds that are formed by ice crystals and are seen higher in the atmosphere; signals fair weather classify – to identify groups of similar things

axis – the imaginary line, extending from the North climate – average weather Pole to the South Pole, going through the center of Earth; the conditions of a region year after year center of Earth’s rotation balanced force – separate forces that combine to cancel each other out barometer – a tool that measures air pressure

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 403

cold front – forms at the surface of Earth when a cold, dry air mass overtakes a warmer, humid air mass

403

12/18/25 2:36 PM

communication

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

communication – how living things give information to one another composition – the general makeup of an object or thing condensation – physical change in matter from a gas to a liquid constellation – a group of stars that form a recognizable pattern in the sky consumer – an organism that gets energy by eating other organisms

energy

data – pieces of information decomposer – an organism that gets energy by using dead organisms, nonliving materials, or waste as food device – an object that does a job direct/indirect – direct: In a straight line; indirect: Angled or spread out distance – how far from one point to another point Earth – a planet in the solar system on which life exists

cumulus cloud – dense, fluffy clouds that form at a lower level ecosystem – an interactive community of living and in the atmosphere and have nonliving things a flat base; can turn into other cloud types energy – what is needed to do work or cause change cycle – a sequence of events that repeats itself

404

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 404

12/18/25 2:36 PM

evaporation

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

lever

evaporation – physical change gravitational force – a force in matter from a liquid to a gas that causes objects with mass to attract each other first quarter – the moon phase in which the Moon is halfway to hemisphere – half the terrestrial globe or celestial full moon sphere, which can be divided food chain – a path of energy by north and south or east and transfer from one organism to west. another high-pressure system – a food web – an interconnected batch of tightly packed air that set of food chains usually causes fair weather force – a push or pull that inclined plane – a flat surface causes an object to move, stop, set at an angle or change direction investigate – a process forecast – to predict, such as followed to find an answer to a the weather problem full moon – the moon phase in Jupiter – the fifth planet from which the entire lighted side of the Sun the Moon can be seen lever – a rigid bar pivoted on a gas – can’t be felt with your fixed point hand; takes the shape of its container

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 405

405

12/18/25 2:36 PM

light

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

perish

light – a form of energy that can travel through space and can be seen by the human eye; energy that can be sensed by the eye

Mercury – the closest planet to the Sun

light source – a source of energy that can be seen by the eye

motion – a change in position

light-year – the distance light travels in one year; a unit of length equal to the distance that light travels through space in one year liquid – substance that takes the shape of its container and flows

model – a representation of something found in real life

Neptune – the eighth planet from the Sun new moon – the moon phase in which the Moon cannot be seen in the night sky observatory – a building used for astronomy observe – to see or hear something of importance

low-pressure system – a batch of loosely packed air that opaque – not able to be seen usually causes stormy weather through Mars – the fourth planet from the Sun

orbit – the path one object, such as a planet, takes around another object, such as the Sun

matter – anything that has mass and takes up space

perish – to die

406

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 406

12/18/25 2:36 PM

planet

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

planet – an object in space that moves in an orbit, or path, around a star Pluto – a dwarf planet once considered to be the ninth planet from the Sun precipitation – rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls from clouds in the sky producer – an organism that uses sunlight to make its own food for energy pulley – a device consisting of a wheel over which a rope or chain is pulled in order to lift heavy objects; a simple machine rain gauge – a tool that measures the amount of rain

rotation

refraction – energy waves that bend (change direction and speed) as they pass from one type of object to another relative distance – where an object is located in relation to another object relative size – how large or small something is in relation to another object revolution – making a complete turn around another object revolve/revolution – to move in a circle around another object; Earth’s year-long elliptical orbit around the Sun rotate/rotation – to spin on an axis; the spinning of Earth on its axis, which causes day and night to occur

reflection – energy waves bouncing off the surface of an object (mirrors or echoes return rotation – an object making a complete turn on its axis energy back to the source) © Accelerate Learning Inc. - All Rights Reserved

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 407

407

12/18/25 2:36 PM

runoff

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

star

runoff – when rainwater travels size – amount of space occupied by an object down mountains and hills satellite – a natural or artificial object that orbits around another object, such as the Moon or a device orbiting Earth

solar system – the Sun together with the eight planets and all other celestial bodies that orbit the Sun

Saturn – the sixth planet from the Sun

solid – an object with a set volume and shape

scarce – rare, or having very little of something

sound – energy from vibrations that you hear

screw – a type of fastener with a ridge wrapped around a cylinder

space probe – an unmanned spacecraft used to explore outer space and send data back to Earth

seasons – the four natural divisions of the year based on changes in temperature due to varied amounts of sunlight (both the intensity and the number of daylight hours received); caused by the tilt of Earth during its revolution

speed – how fast something is moving star – a ball of gas in space that makes its own light; an object in space that produces its own heat and light

simple machines – tools that make work easier 408

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 408

12/18/25 2:36 PM

stationary front

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

unbalanced forces

stationary front – when an advancing warm air mass or an advancing cooler air mass stops moving because neither air mass is strong enough to overpower the other

temperature – a measure of the amount of heat energy in an object or system

stratus clouds – lower-level clouds that cover the sky like a blanket; usually mean rain or snow

third quarter – the moon phase in which the Moon is halfway in between full moon and new moon

Sun – the star at the center of the solar system that provides heat and light to Earth

tilt – to slant; to not be straight up and down; Earth is slightly tilted on its axis

survive – to stay alive

transluscent – not transparent, but clear enough to allow rays of light to pass through

thermometer – a tool that measures temperature

telescope – an instrument used to view objects in the sky/ transparent – clear enough to outer space be seen through temperature – a measure of unbalanced forces – a force the amount of heat energy in that is not cancelled out by something; how hot or cold another force and causes a something is change in the motion of an object

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 409

409

12/18/25 2:36 PM

Uranus

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Uranus – the seventh planet from the Sun Venus – the second planet from the Sun vibration – rapid movement back and forth waning crescent – the moon phase in which less than onehalf of the Moon appears to be lit on the left side waning gibbous – the moon phase in which the Moon appears to have the Sun’s light shining on more than half the left side of the Moon

weather pattern

waxing crescent – the moon phase in which less than onehalf of the Moon appears to be lit on the right side waxing gibbous – the moon phase in which the Moon appears to have the Sun’s light shining on more than half the right side of the Moon weather – describes the condition of the air outdoors; includes temperature, cloud cover, wind speed, and rainfall weather map – a drawing or picture that shows the current condition of the air outdoors, such as temperature, cloud cover, wind speed, and rainfall

warm front – forms at the surface of Earth when a warm, moist air mass overtakes a weather patterns – different cool, dense, and dryer air mass phases of weather, such as cold, hot, storms, rain, snow water vapor – when water becomes a gas; also known as steam

410

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 410

12/18/25 2:36 PM

wedge

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

wind vane

wedge – a piece of material that is thick at one edge and tapered to a thin edge at the other wheel and axle – a circular object that moves around a fixed point; used to move heavy objects wind vane – a tool that shows wind direction

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 411

411

12/18/25 2:36 PM

SSS GA18 SN Grade 4.indb 412

12/18/25 2:36 PM

4 STEMscopes Georgia Student Notebook

I belong to:

a part of STEMscopes NGSS

Georgia_4th_Book.indd 1

4th grade Notebook

My teacher is:

developed by Accelerate Learning, Inc. & Rice University

(800) 531-0864

6/22/17 11:02 AM