Science

Kansas 4th graders take a state science test at the end of the year. On this page, you will find explanations, examples, and/or links for each of the KS state science standards.

Mixtures, Solutions, and Suspensions Another topic that we study is mixtures, solutions, and suspensions. We started by experimenting with mixing different items: salad dressing, flour, sugar, coffee, peanuts, milk, food coloring, liquid soap, etc. We are learning about methods for separating mixtures - today we are experimenting with evaporation! 

Electricity & Circuits We finished our unit on electricity & circuits this past Friday. We decided that for our finale, we would make the largest circuit possible with our supplies!





In the months of April and May we "raised" mealworms in our classroom. Mealworms are the larva stage of the blackling beetle, and are often used to feed geckos, birds, etc. We let them live in a tub filled with cornmeal and flaxseed, and waited to see what would happen. After about 3 weeks, some of them turned into pupa - a small, light brown, shrimp-looking stage. And then about a week or so later, a few of the pupa turned into adults - black beetles! Here are two videos that we made under our document camera, showing the larva, pupa and beetles in the tub: media type="custom" key="9515882" media type="custom" key="9515892" code

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In 4th grade, one of the things we focus on is the Scientific Method - knowing how to create an experiment and think about the results of the experiment. We often begin the year by peeling apples and letting them sit out for 10 days, observing them every other day - weighing them, drawing them, writing about what we notice. Here are some examples of the end results:

Squishy Eggs, Mealworm Larva and Hotrod Paper Airplanes - check out 4th grade science! media type="custom" key="9162768"

One topic that we explore in 4th grade science is "force & motion." This video demonstrates the use of these concepts in a homemade marble run - a great way to demonstrate gravity, force, and momentum for 4th graders! media type="youtube" key="RTxmTTisThY" height="315" width="420"

[|Build-a-Fish Adaptations]: This website allows you to build a fish and see how well it survives in its environment, then change the adaptations and try again.
 * Animal Adaptations