Science: Fourth Grade

Core Question 1:

What should my child know going into 4th grade?

Fourth graders need to understand that doing science teaches them about the natural world. Children are naturally curious and have questions about how the world works. Children from a young age can explore the world around them and describe what they observe. While in third grade, students learned more about living organisms in their Life Science module called “Investigating Life Cycles.” Students investigated Triops, sweet pea plants, painted lady butterflies and darkling beetles. They learned that plants and animals progress through sequential stages, called a life cycle. This cycle includes beginning, growth and development and reproduction. This life cycle repeats from generation to generation so that plants and animals mature and resemble their parents. In their Physical Science module, called “Investigating Electrical Systems,” the students learned that a circuit is a path for electricity. If the circuit is closed, electricity will flow. If a circuit is open, electricity will not flow and an electrical device will not work. Switches are used to open and close circuits. Electrical power can do things such as make light, sound, and movement. In their Earth and Space Science module, “Investigating Objects in the Sky,” students learned that the sun, moon and stars have positions in the sky that can be observed and described. These objects in the sky have patterns of movement or apparent movement that can be observed and described and used to make predictions. Earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and the moon orbits the Earth. By the end of third grade, your child should be able to show that they can:

Observe and record the growth and development of Triops, sweet pea plants, painted lady butterflies and darkling beetles.

Ask questions about life cycle stages of painted lady butterflies and answer them through investigation.

Use collected data and life cycle models to explain plant and animal life cycles.

Use data about family members to explain the human life cycle.

Analyze investigation records and to write specific evidence of learning.

Identify and provide survival needs of animals and plants of animals in the module.

Compare offspring characteristics with its adult.

Compare and contrast life cycle stages of classroom plants and animals.

Describe the human life cycle through a personal “movie” project.

Arrange a battery, wires, and a flashlight bulb to make the bulb light as they observe what works and what does not.

Arrange a battery, wires, and a motor and carefully observe the motor’s spin with different arrangements.

Use circuit testers to test a variety of objects to find which ones can close a circuit and record the results.

Demonstrate knowledge of relationships of batteries, wires, bulbs, and motors in a complete circuit,

Identify parts of an electrical system that make bulbs light and motors spin.

Explain how simple switches open and close circuits.

Test a variety of objects to find out which ones can close circuits and explain how conductors and insulators are used.

Draw pictures and ask questions about how objects in the night sky might look at different time during the day and night.

Observe locations of the moon in both the day and night sky over one month.

Observe positions and sizes of shadows made from the sun and relate changes to the sun’s position in the sky.

Use simple star maps and make star finders to locate specific constellations and star patterns in the night sky.

Describe and record the sun’s position and a shadow’s positions and sizes at different times during the day.

Sequence pictures of the moon’s phases using evidence gathered from observations and describe patterns of change in appearance.

Base descriptions of changing position of the sun, moon and stars on records and data. What can I do to help my child prepare for 4th grade?

Help your child remember what they learned in third grade. Allow your child to explore more life cycles. Let them ask questions and give them time to talk about what they see and do. Review the “Investigating Life Cycles” First, ask about your child’s investigations in Life Science class. Be sure to look at the science notebook that your child will bring home after completing this module. This notebook is a great achievement and shows how your child is progressing in scientific inquiry, and conducting simple investigations with various living organisms. It will include data and diagrams and project notes about Triops, sweet pea plants, painted lady butterflies and darkling beetles. It will also have your child’s scientific explanations using claims, evidence and reasoning. Review the vocabulary for this module by noting the plants and animals in your neighborhood. Ask your child to talk about the stages in the life cycles of these living things. Point out babies, grade school children, teenagers and adults. Talk about the stages in the human life cycle.

Plant/Animal Life Cycle Vocabulary adult molt chrysalis pollinate develop prey fertilize pupa hatch reproduce incubate stage larva

Note: Denver Public Schools provides these websites as a suggestion for additional content and does not assume responsibility for the quality or content provided. Extend your child’s learning by doing a review of life cycle vocabulary and complete a Venn diagram on this site:

http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/elementary/lifecycles/review.htm Have fun looking at the life cycles of many animals on this site:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701-s&va=animal+life+cycles Talk to your child about the plant and animal life cycles are on this site:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A2KJke3XE3lP9moAUICJzbkF?p=plant and animal life cycles&fr=yfp-t-701-s&ei=utf-8&n=30&x=wrt&fr2=sg-gac&sado=1 Here’s the story of a fascinating life cycle that includes a long distance migration. The monarch butterfly lives part of its life in the U.S, and part in Mexico. This site has pictures, books to download and Spanish lessons too. Great fun for you and your child!

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/ Watch a video to see the larval stage of the Painted Lady Butterfly.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid60716616001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAABCtdqqE~,SlJki0kLsZVjQOKUP1e42E3r7DCL8jBM&bclid=60327295001&bctid=71017603001 This online booklet about the Triops is a great learning tool for your 3rd grader, especially the diapause stage of a Triops life cycle!

http://triops.com/pdf/DLXbooklet.pdf Review again the science notebook from this module that your child completed in third grade, especially the scientific explanations that show his/her thinking. Read some books from the library on life cycles:

The Life Cycle of an Ant by Trevor Terry

Seeds and Seedlings by Terry J. Jennings

The Life Cycle of a Frog by Paula Z. Hogan In Physical Science, your child learned about electricity in a module called “Investigating Electrical Systems.” Your child had an exciting experience making predictions and then creating and observing electrical circuits, made with batteries, and wire. He/she made flashlight bulbs light up! You can help your child at home by asking him/her to point out devices that require electricity to work. Ask for an explanation of how light switches function. Talk about safety rules

when working with electrical equipment. Here are suggestions for things to do together to enrich your child’s learning. First, ask about your child’s investigations in physical science class. Be sure to review the science notebook that your child brought home after completing this module. This notebook is a great achievement and shows how your child is progressing in scientific inquiry, and conducting simple investigations with various types of circuits. It will include data and diagrams about circuits and motors and explanations about his/her thinking about electricity using claims, evidence and reasoning. Review the vocabulary to this module.

Closed Circuit and Switch

Electrical Systems Vocabulary circuit: flow of electricity in a loop. closed circuit: a circuit that forms complete loop so electricity can flow and the device functions. conductor: object that closes a circuit because electricity passes easily through it. filament: the part of the light bulb that lights up. incomplete circuit: circuit that does not form a complete loop so electricity cannot flow. insulator: object that does not close a circuit because electricity cannot pass through it easily. open circuit: a circuit that does not form a complete loop so electricity cannot flow. system: collection of things that work together to do something.

Note: Denver Public Schools provides these websites as a suggestion for additional content and does not assume responsibility for the quality or content provided. This site offers a review of closed circuits. Play the game with your child.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/electricity.shtml For more of a challenge follow the directions, using household materials to design a circuit that allows electricity to flow for three feet to a buzzer!

http://pbskids.org/designsquad/parentseducators/resources/electric_highway.html Now that you are really good at building circuits, join Sarah Jane from Britain. She needs a secret agent for a special assignment. This game is a challenging one.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/physical_processes/electrical_circuits/play.shtml

This game reminds your child about materials that conduct electricity.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/physical_processes/circuits_conductors/play.shtml

Your 4th grader knows that electricity is a necessity in our modern life. It’s fun to learn about. But, as a parent, you know it is important to follow the safety rules about electricity. This is a site especially to teach the 10 basic electricity safety rules for children. There is also a quiz to take on indoor and outdoor safety precautions.

http://www.alliantenergykids.com/PlayingItSafe/ElectricSafety/000552 Of course, books are a great way to earn more about electricity. Here are some suggestions that you can find at the library:

Discovering Electricity by Rae Bains

All About Electricity by Marvin Berger

Tom Edison’s Bright Idea by Jack Keller The “Investigating Objects in the Sky” module was an amazing 3rd grade science unit for your child. It is an incredible experience to be able to study the sun, moon and stars. You will have such interesting discussions together. Here are suggestions for things to do together to enrich your child’s learning. First, ask about your child’s investigations in science class. Be sure to review the science notebook that your child brought home after completing this module. This notebook is a great accomplishment and shows how your child is progressing in scientific inquiry, conducting simple investigations, and also in language arts and literacy. It includes data, record sheets, diagrams and charts about the sun, moon, stars and planets that were studied in this module. It also

contains your child’s scientific explanations using claims, evidence and reasoning. Also, listed in the module were fundamental concepts about Earth. Simple activities like watching the sun shine into different windows in your home, as it appears to move throughout the day as well as looking at the night sky together will be memorable experiences for you and your child. If you want to learn more this website is fantastic! It includes games, activities, fun facts, and resources. Click on the Solar System and learn about the sun, planets and the moon. You can learn about meteorites, asteroids and the moons of other planets too. There is also an extensive Astronomy Dictionary.

http://kidsastronomy.com/ The phases of the moon are available for each month of the year on this site:

http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases_calendar.phtml When you are enjoying the view of the night sky and you want to know more about what you are seeing, check out the Sky and Telescope magazine website. There is a picture of what the sky will look like each night of the year!

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance Learn more about the sun and share some fantastic pictures with your child of our dwarf yellow star with this site:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/search?searchKeywords=+the+sun Take your child to the Gates Planetarium at the Museum of Nature and Science. There are great shows like the “Cosmic Journey a Solar System Adventure” which is a voyage through the solar system with close up of all the planets. This site will help you plan your trip:

http://www.dmns.org/planetarium/current-shows There are many books about the sun, moon, stars and planets at the library. Here are a few suggestions:

Planets, Moons and Stars by Laura Evert

Postcards from Pluto: A Tour of the Solar System by Loren Leedy

Asteroids, Comets and Meteors by Gregory L. Vogt

Core Question 2:

What will my child learn throughout the year during 4th grade Physical Science?

Fourth graders will be learning more about properties in their Physical Science module called “Investigating Physical and Chemical Properties”. They will conduct investigations with five simple substances: salt, cornstarch, baking soda, alum and talcum powder. Students will collect data on the properties of the substances and explore how these properties can be used to identify the substances. The various investigations will involve making and recording observations of the dry substances, in addition to, mixing the substances with liquids such as water, vinegar, red cabbage juice and iodine. While they are exploring these five substances, they will be keeping written records, and charts, in a science notebook. Writing helps students to clarify their thinking and develop reasoned explanations from their experiences using claims, evidence and reasoning. By the end of this Physical Science module, your child should be able to show that they can:

Observe changes, record, and share results when individual samples of five powders are mixed with water.

Observe and record reactions when classroom powders and liquids (water, vinegar, red cabbage juice, iodine) are mixed.

Ask questions and investigate solubility of two powders (alum and salt).

Identify properties of five powders and interactions of each powder with water, vinegar, red cabbage juice and iodine.

Compare properties of five white powders and record observations.

Identify contents of unknown, mixture of powders using data from previous investigations, including how mixture reacts to liquids.

Describe solubility as a property of substances and compare levels of solubility of alum and salt.

Investigating Physical and Chemical Properties Vocabulary atom: very small particles that make up all substances. chemical: substance composed of many atoms. chemistry: the science that seeks to answer questions about what substances are made of, how they are put together and how they can change. crystal: powdery residue of a chemical after a liquid evaporates. dissolve: to break up and liquefy. property: physical characteristics such as the look, feel, sound of an object. substance: a single chemical compound.

Core Question 2 continued:

What will my child learn throughout the year during 4th grade Earth Science? Fourth graders will be learning about changes that happen to the surface of the Earth through processes such as weathering, erosion, deposition, and volcanic eruptions. Most of these changes to the Earth’s surface happen very slowly (erosion) or very quickly (volcanic eruptions) and are difficult to observe directly. Because of this, fourth graders will be making models of the features of the Earth’s surface to observe, describe, and compare the effects of these processes on those features. In one lesson, students will construct a stream table to model the erosion caused by the downhill movement of water. They also analyze a model of a volcano to test its validity. Students begin to form the concept of the ongoing nature of the breaking down and building up of the surface of Earth and realize that rock material is recycled. By the end of this module, fourth graders are also able to depict change to the Earth’s surface and know whether it was either nature or man-made. They can describe the change in feature, before and after, telling what caused the change and if the change was fast or slow. They realize that the surface of the Earth is constantly changing. While they are exploring changes to the surface of the Earth, they will be keeping written records, including data, charts, and drawings, in a science notebook. Writing helps students to clarify their thinking and develop reasoned explanations, using claims, evidence and reasoning, from their experiences. By the end of this Earth Science module, your child should be able to show that they can:

Ask questions about earth materials.

Propose ideas about what causes changes in rock structures.

Conduct a simple investigation.

Recognize that models help scientists explain some kinds of weathering.

Propose ways that scientists might use models.

Identify and describe the concepts of weathering, erosion and deposition and resulting physical features (canyons and mountains).

Recognize that sand moves in response to wind.

Be aware that rocks can be broken down (weathered) by particles carried by the wind.

Recognize that earth materials move downhill. Especially along steep slopes.

Recognize that water moves from higher elevations to lower elevations on Earth’s surface.

Realize that streams change the Earth’s surface and lead to erosion of earth materials.

Relate the movement of materials in a stream table to long-term changes streams make to the Earth’s surface.

Use data to construct reasonable explanations.

Core Question 2:

What will my child learn throughout the year during 4th grade Life Science? Fourth graders will be learning more about plants and animals in their Life Science module called “Investigating Ecosystems”. An ecosystem is a collection of living things (community) and nonliving things (environment) that interact with each other. Through these interactions, energy from the sun transfers through the system from plants to animals. Decomposers and nonliving materials (matter) are recycled through food webs. To understand these interactions students will conduct investigations and observe plants and animals in the classroom, the local community and on videotape. The students will learn about food webs within ecosystems, examine tree rings, and simulate the interactions between deer and resources (food, water, shelter, and space in a forest ecosystem). Students will build on what they know about the survival needs of plants and animals from previous modules: “Investigating Animals and Their Needs” and “Investigating Plants.” By learning about the interconnections of ecosystems both local and remote, they develop an appreciation for the variety and complexity of the natural world. While learning about ecology, students are practicing skills important to scientists, such as making careful observations, recording observations accurately in a science notebook, writing

Changing Earth Vocabulary deposition: when earth materials are laid down (or dropped) after they have been moved by erosion. erosion: movement (or carrying away) of earth material to a new location. flowmeter: scientific tool that measures how fast water flow through a stream. flume: a scientific tool that measures speed and depth of water as the water flows through it. streamload: amount of soil, rocks and sand that a stream can carry. watershed: area of land around a body of water from which water drains into the body of water. weathering: all the processes that break rock into smaller pieces.

scientific explanations (claims, evidence and reasoning) and sharing ideas to further understanding. By the end of this Life Science module, your child should be able to show that they can:

Ask and record questions about indoor and outdoor study systems.

Observe, describe, and record evidence that living and non-living components of indoor and outdoor systems interact with each other.

Use appropriate tools, like a hand lens, to examine cross section of a tree and determine widths of growth rings with metric rulers.

Use data to describe relationships between the size of a deer herd and amount of available resources.

Graph data from the game “Oh Deer” and use graphs to explain changes in the deer herd over time.

Identify living and non-living components and interactions of videotaped ecosystem, indoor study system and outdoor study system.

Identify changes that all organism cause to their environments and indicate which are beneficial and which are harmful.

Describe a tree’s interactions with its environment.

Describe interactions within food chains and food webs in terms of the flow of energy stating with the sun.

Compare and contrast types of producers, consumers, and decomposers within the three ecosystems.

Explain why the sun should be included in every food chain and web.

Use food chains and food webs to show interactions between living and non-living components of indoor and outdoor study sites.

Compare the game “Oh Deer” and its results with ecologists’ work investigating animal populations in ecosystems.

Create models of ecosystems such as dioramas and posters that demonstrate the interactions between living and non-living components.

Investigating Ecosystems Vocabulary consumer: an organism that uses food, and/or other living things made by a producer. decomposer: an organism that breaks down dead plants and animals and returns them to soil. drought: a long period of time with very little or no rain. ecologist: scientist who studies interactions between living and nonliving things in all kinds of places. ecosystem: all living and nonliving things in a given area that interact with one another. food chain: a diagram of the organisms according to the order in which each organism uses the nest as a food source. food web: a diagram of overlapping food chains. interact: to act upon one another. plankton: very small plants and animal that live in water. producer: organisms that can make their own food.

Core Question 3:

How do I monitor my child’s progress and learning throughout the school year? What resources can I use in order to do this? The “Investigating Physical and Chemical Properties” module is an excellent science unit to share with your child. It is an exciting experience to be able to make predictions and then test for different reactions. You can help your child at home by continuing the investigations on other white substances such as sugar and flour. To find out one of the properties of sugar, ask your child to show you some of the classroom tests that he/she performed. For example: water can be mixed with sugar. What happens? Evaporate the water. What happens? Each investigation reveals a property of the sugar. You can try experimenting with other household materials. Some ideas are 7-Up, vinegar and baking powder. You should probably wear old shirts or aprons when you do your home chemistry experiments. Here are suggestions for things to do together to enrich your child’s learning. First, ask about your child’s investigations in physical science class. Be sure to look at the science notebook that your child will bring home after completing this module. This notebook is a great achievement and shows how your child is progressing in scientific inquiry, and conducting simple investigations with various substances. Your child’s explanations of the reactions will be very interesting as data is used to support claims and he/she offers reasoning to connect the claims and evidence. It will include data and charts about the properties of the five substances: salt, cornstarch, baking soda, alum and talcum powder. Review the vocabulary to this module. Chemistry has been defined as the science that tries to answer questions about what materials are made of, how they are put together, and how they change. Since every material in the world is made of chemicals, the classroom is not the only place that your child can learn chemistry. Your home is full of chemistry lessons too. Spend some time looking around your home, and pointing out to your child, all the evidence of chemistry. In the bathroom you can look at mom’s makeup, the family toothpaste, shampoo and soap. All these products were developed through knowledge of chemistry. When mom does the laundry, the detergent was developed using chemistry. When you go out to play, you wear sunscreen, another product developed through chemistry. In the kitchen, chemistry plays a great part in meal preparation. Food goes through a chemical change when it is cooked. Baking involves chemistry. Too much or too little of an ingredient throws off the reactions needed in baking. You don’t want a flat birthday cake! Knowing how chemistry works gives you a greater appreciation of the complex processes behind the simplest things. Cook together and let your child see chemistry at work making Kool Aid, pudding, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, and eggs etc. Note: Denver Public Schools provides these websites as a suggestion for additional content and does not assume responsibility for the quality or content provided.

Have some more fun with your child doing chemistry in the kitchen! Use this site to make a froth that overflows it container. The explanation for a cake rising is also explained. Did you know that a cake is really solid foam?

http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/HomeExpts/FIZZFOAM.html Here’s some exciting kitchen chemistry. Build your own volcano using baking soda and vinegar, make your own bubble solution and grow beautiful, edible sugar crystals using recipes from this site:

http://www.life123.com/parenting/education/chemistry/chemistry-for-kids.shtml Your child might enjoy testing for acids and bases using red cabbage juice as an extension of this module.

http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/HomeExpts/ACIDBASE.html In the module, your child had some experiences with reversible and irreversible changes. Now have some fun playing a game and learning more about reversible and irreversible changes. In this game you will be testing what happens to different substances. Find out what substances dissolve in water and which ones react with heat.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/rev_irrev_changes.shtml Another game that involves reversible and irreversible changes stars your child as a secret agent trying to protect the crystal of Saint Helena. This game is very fun and very dramatic. It is done in British English.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/materials/changes_materials/play.s

html

Bill Nye-The Science Guy has a different take on adding sugar to water in this home demo called

Hole-y Water. He emphasizes the atoms and molecules and their construction. Good

explanation of atoms and molecules for your child.

http://www.billnye.com/for-kids-teachers/home-demo-details/

There are many books about Physical and Chemical Properties at the library. Here are a few suggestions:

101 Science Surprise: Exciting Experiments with Everyday Materials by Roy Richards

Experiments With Chemistry by Helen J. Challand

Icky Squishy Science by Sandra Markle The “Investigating the Changing Earth” module is an excellent science unit to share with your child. It is an exciting experience to be able to use models, look at pictures, perform

investigations and read stories about changes in the Earth’s surface. You can help your child at home by continuing the investigations on an informal basis. Help your child find examples of geologic processes, such as erosion, deposition and stream movement in the neighborhood or community so he/she can compare what happened in the classroom with the natural world. Ask your child to share the tombstone investigation with you. Make a sugar cube tombstone model together, by gluing sugar cubes. Drop water on it to demonstrate weathering of rock. Here are suggestions for things to do together to enrich your child’s learning. First, ask about your child’s investigations in Earth Science class. Be sure to look at the science notebook that your child will bring home after completing this module. This notebook is a great achievement and shows how your child is progressing in scientific inquiry, and conducting simple investigations involving the changing Earth. It will include data and charts about the changing of the surface of the Earth by weathering, erosion, and deposition. Review the vocabulary to this module.

Wind blowing, rain falling, and even people hiking make little bits of mountains and rocks chip

and break off. One of the most powerful forces of erosion comes from cold water. Try this

simple experiment with your child to show the power of cold water.

http://www.billnye.com/for-kids-teachers/home-demo-details/

The Magic School Bus E38 Rocks and Rolls. This video is also about water erosion and demonstrates that the power of water is stronger than rock.

http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A0S00M13bHtPdWIAjzv7w8QF?p=free+magic+school+bus&b=21&tnr=20

The continents are part of the tectonic plates. And the ocean sloshes over the top of them. As the plates flow over the molten mantle, islands, oceans, and whole continents move too! Sometimes you can feel the plates move as they collide. That’s an earthquake says Bill Nye in this Home Demo.

http://www.billnye.com/for-kids-teachers/home-demo-details/ Help your child relate their classroom learning to the natural world. As you walk around the neighborhood, if there’s a breeze blowing, ask your child to describe whatever evidence he/she has of the effects of the wind. They may talk about the trees, flags, plants etc., but often, in gusty wind, you can feel sand hitting your face. Remind your child that wind can break down things made of rock after long periods of time. Another place to experience the sand carried by wind is in the sand box on the playground. Visit the play area designated for younger children to see this firsthand. Look at the buildings, statues, sidewalks, highway retaining walls. What are these structures made of? How might they look in years to come? When you travel in the car on a trip, point out the landforms such rivers, mountains, lakes,

canyons. Ask how they look now and how they may look in the future. Focus attention on these natural features to remind your child of the constant, but slow changing of the Earth’s surface. This song gives an overview of the changing face of the Earth and the history of this change.

http://www.kidsknowit.com/educational-songs/play-educational-song.php?song=The Face of the Earth Follow the instructions on this site to do your erosion experiment with your child.

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/0081-erosion-experiment.php The difference between erosion and weathering is clarified in this article with great pictures as examples.

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/0060-weathering.php This site explains erosion by water processes and includes information on a watershed. Great pictures also help make the explanation clear to your child.

http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/0076-drainage-basins-watersheds.php This site teaches about volcanoes.

http://kids.discovery.com/games/build-play/volcano-explorer This site has all you ever wanted to know about volcanoes with games, quizzes and pictures.

http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/oldroot/kids/index.html There are many forces of nature that cause changes to the Earth’s surface, but man has also made some changes. In the classroom, your child learned about the Glen Canyon Dam and the controversy around its construction. Take a virtual tour of the dam and read about it on this site. Ask your child what he/she thinks about the dam.

http://www.desertusa.com/gc/gcd/du_glencaydam.html There are some great books at the library where your child can get more information on this fascinating topic the changing earth.

Rocks Tell Stories by Sidney Horenstein

The Changing Earth by Keith Lye

Detecting the Past by Mike Corbishley The “Investigating Ecosystems” module is an excellent science unit to share with your child. It is an exciting experience to be able to study how plants and animals interact in different places and how living things interact with non-living things and also, how non-living things interact with

other non-living things. Students were able to explore and summarize many interactions within different ecosystems and extend their understanding of the natural world. In the classroom, your student analyzed the connections among resources and living things in a salt marsh, an oak forest and a tropical rainforest. Fourth graders saw a video that included information about various ecosystems: the Sonoran desert, cypress swamp, coral reef, arctic tundra, city, short-grass prairie, and African savanna and Rocky Mountain forest. Help extend your child’s learning by encouraging him/her to view nature programs on television like National Geographic specials, Nature, Nova and other programs that often depict interactions within ecosystems. Here are suggestions for things to do together to enrich your child’s learning. First, ask about your child’s investigations in Life Science class. Be sure to look at the science notebook that your child will bring home after completing this module. This notebook is a great achievement and shows how your child is progressing in scientific inquiry, and conducting investigations into various ecosystems. It will include data, graphs, tables and charts about the interactions of the living and non-living components of the study sites as well as scientific explanations using claims, evidence and reasoning. Review the vocabulary to this module with your child to remind them of what they learned in the module. Ask them to tell you about an ecosystem that interests them.

Take your child to the Denver Zoo. In class, your child learned about the rainforest so he/she would enjoy visiting the rainforest ecosystem in the Tropical Discoveries section. The Tropical Discoveries also has several aquatic ecosystems including: a cypress swamp, a coral reef, a mangrove swamp and a marsh. The Museum of Nature and Science has great dioramas that show animals and plants that live in different ecosystems of the world. The Museum and the Zoo are good sources of information about how plants, animals and nonliving things interact in different places on Earth. Note: Denver Public Schools provides these websites as a suggestion for additional content and does not assume responsibility for the quality or content provided. The Downtown Denver Aquarium has several great aquatic ecosystems with 500 species from around the world to view with your child. Spend time in the rainforest section. You can also pet a stingray in the interactive touch tank!

http://denveraquarium.info/

Here’s a challenging game about the coral reef. The coral reef is a unique ecosystem that is of great concern to world ecologists. Learn about the animals and the food chains within this very important ecosystem.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/webs/flash/main_game.shtml Another place to visit is Bluff Lake. This Nature Center is a 123-acre natural area located nearby at the former Stapleton International Airport. Bluff Lake has a nine-acre lake and upland bluffs that shield the area from city noise. They have a big Earth Day Celebration In April. Learn more from this site:

http://blufflakenaturecenter.org/ Barr Lake is a State Park that has eagles nesting each year. There is also a nature center, a hiking trail and wildlife viewing station where you and your child can see many interactions of living and non-living things within the ecosystem.

http://www.parks.state.co.us/Parks/BarrLake/Pages/BarrLakeHome.aspx Chatfied State Park and Reservoir is well-known for its many diverse ecosystems. Great Blue Herons live within the park as well as many other animals and an abundance of plants.

http://www.ohranger.com/co/chatfield/poi The Wildlife Experience in Parker features an exhibit called Colorado Profiles. This exhibit focuses on three major Colorado ecosystems: mesa, mountains and plains.

http://www.thewildlifeexperience.net/showcase/programs--events/permanent-exhibits/55502 Your own neighborhood is an ecosystem. Go for a walk. Look for different types of plants, animals, and nonliving things around you. Note if grass is growing in cracks in the sidewalk. Are there weeds growing in the garden or in the vacant lot or on the playground? Ask your child to tell you why he/she thinks that each of the different things connects to the other things, both living and non-living. Do not forget that air, water, soil and human-made structures are connected too. After this walk your child will realize that an ecosystem exists in his/her own neighborhood and learning about the outside world can be an enjoyable activity. There are many different kinds of ecosystems. This site contains a variety. Click on some to enlarge them and have your child tell you about the producers and consumers and decomposers.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701-s&va=ecosystems+for+kids

Have your child explain the food chains/food webs in these images. In the classroom your child became aware that all living things in a food chain or food web depend on plants and ultimately of the sun for their food.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701-s&va=food+chains+and+food+webs This National Geographic site has a short cartoon that explains a food chain.

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0309/quickflicks/ The Magic School Bus Meets the Rot Squad is a video about decomposition a very important part of nature because it is nature’s recycling itself. Watch and find out how!

http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A2KLqIQo33xPQR8Avsf7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBrOTlpOGs3BHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEdnRpZANWMTE2?p=magic+school+bus+meets+the+rot+squad&ei=utf-8&n=21&tnr=20 This Magic School Bus video is called, “The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten”. It describes the ocean food chain and the links between pond scum and a tuna fish sandwich. Ms. Frizzle mentions making observations, which is just what your child does in science class. There is a science notebook in the video that the kids use to make their reports. The kids make an important claim at the end – all food chains begin with plants!

http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A2KLqIJb33xP5GQApnL7w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBrOTlpOGs3BHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEdnRpZANWMTE2?fr2=sg-gac&p=magic school bus gets eaten&ei=utf-8&n=21&tnr=20 This game teaches about interdependence of living things in an ecosystem:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/interdependence_fs.shtml There are games and activities on these sites:

http://www.wartgames.com/themes/science/habitats.html

http://www.wartgames.com/themes/science/biomes.html There are lots of great books to borrow from the library:

Exploring an Ocean Tide Pool by Jeanne Bendick

Dining on a Sunbeam: Food Chains and Food Webs by Phyllis S. Busch

City Kids and City Creatures by Janet Weir Roberts and Carole Huelbig