Fourth Grade - Science

Priority Standards

What students will know, what students will do, and what thinking skills students will develop to apply and transfer scientific understandings that endure within the discipline, leverage deeper understandings, and/or support readiness for success at the next grade level. These are the standards that should anchor and drive instruction.

In fourth grade, focus on these critical areas:

Instruction: Signature Elements

Below are signature elements of SFUSD Science instruction that students should experience regularly throughout fourth grade as they develop as scientists.

Materials

Every fourth-grade classroom has a set of four science kits that are SFUSD curricular materials to teach science. Each kit has:

Fall

Fall/Winter

Winter

Spring

Physical Science (PS):

Energy Conversions

 

1 bin: large 

 

Materials List (link)

Life Science (LS):

Vision and Light

 

2 bins: 1 large, 1 small

 

Materials List (link)

Earth Science (ES):

Earth’s Features

 

2 bins: 1 large, 1 small + 1 box of sand

Materials List (link)

Physical Science (PS):

Waves, Energy, 

and Information

1 bin: small 

 

Materials List (link)

Each kit has: (1) a set of consumable items for student use that will be all used up during the unit. The consumable materials are replaced yearly through a spring ‘Refill Pack’ order process, and (2) a set of permanent items that are the kit's contents that remain with the kit and are only replaced if they are missing or broken. In addition, every classroom teacher has additional essential teaching materials through the Amplify digital platform. The Amplify digital platform can be accessed from the SFUSD Science Portal.

If you are missing anything from the list, please first contact your site administrator or designated support. If they are unable to resolve the issue promptly, please contact Renee Marcy from the SFUSD Science Team.

Budget permitting, the Science Department will replace science materials annually for each kit through an order process. Contact your Science Lead for more information.

If you are missing materials, refer to the Materials FAQ for guidance.


The fourth-grade Science Core Curriculum consists of 3 resources

  • The SFUSD K-5 Science Portal

The Science Portal is a great first stop to get oriented before beginning any science unit. It contains: 

  • All SFUSD created resources to support implementation of each unit.
  • A quick link to the Amplify Science digital platform for each unit 
  • Professional learning opportunities
  • Four Amplify Science Kits
 

Each of the 4 fourth grade Amplify kits include:

  • Hands-on materials*
  • 5-6 different texts, 18 student copies of each title
  • Classroom wall and other print materials
  • 1 Student Investigation Notebook (for making copies)
  • Printed Teacher’s Guide
  • Spanish versions of all student-facing print materials for all Spanish bilingual classrooms
 

*materials lists for each kit are linked in the materials section

  • The Amplify Science Digital Platform

The Amplify digital platform includes instructional resources for each Amplify unit in English and Spanish:

  • a digital version of the teacher’s guide
  • lesson slide decks
  • a digital student library of all student books
  • many additional instructional supports
     

** The Amplify digital platform can be accessed from the SFUSD Science Portal.

Units

The opening science unit, Launch Unit 0, is five short lessons that support students to begin to build science identities and use a science notebook. The three subsequent science units are intended to engage fourth graders in a minimum of 60 minutes of science instruction four times a week. Each unit has 22 lessons that follow a single storyline. (Sometimes a lesson may take place over a few days.) Students build on their science identities and expand content knowledge in the life science, physical science, and Earth & space science units. Click on the videos below for a six-minute unit overview, or access the unit resources and documents in the unit links column.

Additional science unit materials and resources are available on the SFUSD Science Portal.

Unit Description Video

Unit 0:

I Am a Scientist!

The opening science unit, Launch Unit 0, is five short lessons that support students to begin to build science identities and a science community, and to use a science notebook.

 

Unit 1:

Energy Conversions

 

Students take on the role of systems engineers who are challenged to discover what parts of the electrical system make Ergstown vulnerable to blackouts in order to design improvements.

Unit 2:

Vision and Light

 

As conservation biologists, students investigate why there is a decline in the number of Tokay geckos living in one area of a rainforest in the Philippines. Students learn the role that animal senses, primarily vision, play in survival.

Unit 3:

Earth’s Features
 

In the role of geologists, students investigate how a dinosaur fossil found in the fictional Desert Rocks National Park formed. Students also figure out that rock can be broken down and layers can become exposed by things in the environment.

Unit 4:

Waves, Energy, and Information

Students take on the role of marine scientists investigating how bottlenose dolphin mothers and their calves in the fictional Blue Bay National Park use patterns of sound to communicate across distances.

 

Planning Guide

The Science Team suggests trying to stay as close to this schedule and teaching science 4 days a week for 60 minutes, or teach 5 days a week to allow more time for three alternating History/Social Studies units.

Fall

Fall/Winter

Winter

Spring

Launch Unit 0

Physical Science (PS): Energy Conversions

Life Science (LS): Vision and Light

Earth Science (ES): Earth’s Features

Physical Science (PS): Waves, Energy, and Information

Aug.

(5 lessons)

Aug. - Oct.

(21 lessons)

Nov. - Dec.

(22 lessons)

Jan. - Feb.

(22 lessons)

Mar. - Apr.

(22 lessons)

Reflection Questions

  1. How are students' developmental needs, communities, and experiences being reflected and honored, or how could they be?
  2. What opportunities do you see for developing equitable access & demand, inquiry, collaboration, and assessment for learning?
  3. What are the implications for your own practice? What strengths can you build upon? What will you do first?

Want More?

Standards

More Resources

Contact the Science Team

This page was last updated on May 17, 2023