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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Life Cycles – Teaching Presentation
Teach your students about life cycles of plants and animals with this 19-slide teaching presentation.
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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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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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Material World Resource Pack
Learn about natural and manmade materials with a printable resource pack.
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Producers, Consumers and Decomposers – Interactive and Printable Activity
Sort producers, consumers and decomposers, with this cut and paste science worksheet.
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Types of Rocks Posters
Teach your students information about the three basic types of rock with a set of printable Types of Rocks Anchor Charts.
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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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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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Plant Growth Chart Worksheet
Record the growth and changes in a plant over time with one of our differentiated plant growth charts.
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Freedom of Choice PowerPoint - Developing Scientific Lines of Questioning
A teaching presentation discussing the development of scientific lines of questioning.
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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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Producer, Consumer and Decomposer - Sorting Activity
Explore the roles and relationships of producers, consumers and decomposers in food chains with this hands-on sorting activity.
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Producer, Consumer, Decomposer - Comprehension Worksheets
Explore the role of producers, consumers and decomposers within ecosystems with this comprehension task.
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Types of Forces Worksheet
Teach your Year 4 students about the types of contact forces with this simple one-page worksheet.
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Natural Disaster Posters - Information
Posters with pictures and information for eight different types of natural disasters.
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Insect Investigation - Project
Explore insect life cycles and food chains with this research task.
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Tomato Plant Life Cycle - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Learn about the life cycle of a tomato with a cut-and-paste sequencing worksheet.
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Natural Science PowerPoint - How Do People Use Natural Resources?
A teaching presentation discussing natural resources and how humans interact with them.
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Force and Motion Experiment – Throwing, Dropping, Bouncing, Rolling
Use this hands-on force and motion experiment when teaching your students about how forces influence the movement of objects.
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Object Material Investigation Worksheet
A worksheet for investigating the materials certain objects are made from.
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Force and Motion Vocabulary Worksheets
Use these force and motion vocabulary worksheets to teach your students the subject-specific vocabulary related to forces and motion.
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Impacts of Floods PowerPoint
A 17-slide editable PowerPoint template about floods and their impact on communities.
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Plastic and Concrete PowerPoint - How Do People Use Processed Materials?
A teaching presentation discussing processed materials and their uses.
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My Ecological Footprint Worksheet
A worksheet which will have the students evaluate their ecological footprint and compare it with the class.
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Flood Safety Poster - Design and Create Task
A design and create task for students to demonstrate their understanding of the impact of floods.
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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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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 & 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 Materials - Printable Anchor Charts
Introduce your students to the different types of materials with a pack of printable anchor charts.
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Life Cycle of a Frog – Poster Pack
Display information about the life cycle of a frog with this set of six posters.