Year 4
The science inquiry skills and science as a human endeavour strands are described across a two-year band. In their planning, schools and teachers refer to the expectations outlined in the achievement standard and also to the content of the science understanding strand for the relevant year level to ensure that these two strands are addressed over the two-year period. The three strands of the curriculum are interrelated and their content is taught in an integrated way. The order and detail in which the content descriptions are organised into teaching and learning programs are decisions to be made by the teacher.
Incorporating the key ideas of science
Over Years 3 to 6, students develop their understanding of a range of systems operating at different time and geographic scales.
In Year 4, students broaden their understanding of classification and form and function through an exploration of the properties of natural and processed materials. They learn that forces include non-contact forces and begin to appreciate that some interactions result from phenomena that can't be seen with the naked eye. They begin to appreciate that current systems, such as Earth's surface, have characteristics that have resulted from past changes and that living things form part of systems. They understand that some systems change in predictable ways, such as through cycles. They apply their knowledge to make predictions based on interactions within systems, including those involving the actions of humans.
(source: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au)
Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 4, students apply the observable properties of materials to explain how objects and materials can be used. They describe how contact and non-contact forces affect interactions between objects. They discuss how natural processes and human activity cause changes to Earth’s surface. They describe relationships that assist the survival of living things and sequence key stages in the life cycle of a plant or animal. They identify when science is used to understand the effect of their actions.
Students follow instructions to identify investigable questions about familiar contexts and make predictions based on prior knowledge. They describe ways to conduct investigations and safely use equipment to make and record observations with accuracy. They use provided tables and column graphs to organise data and identify patterns. Students suggest explanations for observations and compare their findings with their predictions. They suggest reasons why a test was fair or not. They use formal and informal ways to communicate their observations and findings.
(source: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au)
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Plant Life Cycle Worksheet - Cut and Paste
Help your students cement their understanding of the plant life cycle with a cut and paste worksheet.
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Life Cycles – Teaching Presentation
Teach your students about life cycles of plants and animals with this 19-slide teaching presentation.
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Weathering and Erosion – RACES Writing Strategy Worksheets
Combine reading, writing and science with two worksheets about weathering and erosion using the RACES writing strategy for text evidence.
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Natural Disaster Word Wall Vocabulary
Use this teacher-created resource to explore natural disaster vocabulary with your primary school students.
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Food Webs - Research Project
Explore the food webs that exist in various biomes around the world with this student-centred inquiry task.
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Weathering, Erosion and Deposition Vocabulary Posters
Display this set of science vocabulary posters in your classroom when teaching about weathering, erosion and deposition.
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Force and Motion – Poster Pack
Display information about force and motion with this set of 12 vocabulary posters.
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Forces Assessment
Assess students' understanding of contact and non-contact forces with this forces assessment for Year 4 students.
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The Force of Gravity Comprehension Worksheets
Download this gravity worksheet to teach your Year 4 students about the force of gravity and its impact on our daily lives.
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Weathering, Erosion and Deposition Colour By Code Worksheet
Guide your students to differentiate between examples of weathering, erosion and deposition with this colour-by-code science worksheet.
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Food Webs vs. Food Chains – Teaching Presentation
Learn about the difference between a food chain and a food web with this 18-slide teaching presentation.
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Natural Disaster Posters - Information
Posters with pictures and information for eight different types of natural disasters.
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Uses of Magnets Comprehension Worksheet
Download this magnets worksheet to teach your Year 4 students about the uses of magnets in our everyday lives.
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Gravity Word Wall Vocabulary Cards
Immerse your students in gravity vocabulary with this set of 15 illustrated vocabulary cards perfect for a word wall display.
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Build a Food Chain - Sorting Activity
Create food chains for a variety of ecosystems with this hands-on, student-centred activity.
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Weathering, Erosion & Deposition Interactive Activity
Use this set of interactive activities to strengthen student understanding of weathering, erosion and deposition concepts.
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Rock It Out With Weathering, Erosion and Deposition – Interactive Task Cards
Dive into the fascinating world of Earth’s transformations! Download this set of interactive task cards to review weathering, erosion and deposition concepts with your students.
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Types of Rocks Posters
A set of educational posters with information about types of rock.
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Weathering, Erosion and Deposition Mini-Book
Introduce your students to the different slow changes to Earth’s surface with a printable mini-book designed for year 4 and 5 students.
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Lab Safety Interactive and Printable Cloze Reading Activity
Assess students' understanding of lab safety rules and expectations with this cloze reading activity.
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Material World PowerPoint - Processed and Natural Materials
Discover the difference between processed and natural materials with an instructional slide show.
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Life Cycle of a Frog – Activity Templates
Organise, record and display information about the life cycle of a frog with these activity templates.
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Life Cycle of a Frog
A poster showing the life cycle of a frog.
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Weathering and Erosion Poster
Learn how weathering and erosion can cause slow changes to Earth’s surface with this printable poster.
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Weathering, Erosion and Deposition – Teaching Slides
Learn about the different types of weathering, effects of erosion, results of deposition and more with this set of teaching slides.
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Biome Food Web - Posters
Learn how energy flows through food webs in different biomes with this set of classroom posters.
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Producer, Consumer, Decomposer - Poster
A poster explaining the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers in the food chain.
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Critically Endangered Species Map – Poster
A poster of the world map featuring 64 species and subspecies that are on the critically endangered list.
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Friction Experiment – Sticky Friction
Use this engaging friction experiment when teaching your students about sliding friction and the effect it has on the movement of objects.
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Knowledge of Physical Sciences – Teaching Slides
Teach your students about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' knowledge of forces with this comprehensive and age-appropriate teaching presentation.
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My Ecological Footprint - Reference Sheet
Teach your students about the things we do that affect the Earth with an ecological footprint reference sheet.
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Air Resistance Force Investigation
Use this engaging air resistance force experiment when teaching your students about air friction and the effect it has on the effectiveness of a parachute.