What does a student learn in StateMassachusetts,GradeGrade 4,SubjectScience?

Students come up with questions about the natural world that could be tested with an experiment, or describe a problem clearly enough that an engineer could start solving it.

Students build or draw a model, such as a diagram of the water cycle or a sketch of a bridge design, to show how something works. The model helps them explain an idea or test a solution.

Students plan a test, collect data, and use what they find to check whether their idea holds up. This is the core of how scientists work, and fourth graders practice it hands-on.

Students look at collected data, such as temperature readings or plant growth measurements, to spot patterns and draw a conclusion about what the data shows.

Students use counting, measuring, and basic math to back up what they notice in a science investigation. A measurement or number helps explain why something happened, not just that it did.

Students use facts from observations or experiments to explain why something happened or how something works. They back up every explanation with evidence, not just a guess.

Students look at two different explanations or solutions, then use data or observations to argue which one holds up better. The goal is picking the stronger answer based on evidence, not opinion.

Students read science articles and diagrams to find information, judge whether it makes sense, and share what they learned in writing or discussion.

Students look closely at how tiny particles called atoms and molecules fit together and interact to explain everyday physical events, like why ice melts or why salt disappears in water.

Students explore how objects speed up, slow down, or stay still depending on the forces acting on them. They test ideas like what happens when you push or pull something heavy versus something light.

Students explore how energy moves from one object to another and changes form, such as when a battery powers a light bulb or a ramp sends a ball rolling. Energy is never created or destroyed; it just changes hands.

Students study how waves, like sound and light, move energy from place to place. They look at how waves carry information, such as how a phone signal or a radio wave sends a message across a distance.

Students look at how living things are built and how they work, from the tiny cells that make up every part of a plant or animal to the larger systems those parts form together.

Students trace how food, water, and nutrients move through a living community, from plants to animals to decomposers, and look at how those organisms depend on and affect each other.

Students look at how traits like eye color or height are passed from parents to children, and notice which traits stay the same across generations and which ones vary.

Students compare living things to spot what makes species alike and what sets them apart, then explore why those differences matter for survival over time.

Students explore where Earth sits in the solar system and how the Sun, Moon, and planets follow predictable paths. They also look at clues in rocks and landscapes that tell the story of how Earth has changed over time.

Students explore how Earth's land, water, air, and living things connect and affect one another. A rainstorm filling a river, or roots holding soil in place, are the kinds of interactions students examine.

Students look at how things people do (like building roads or burning fuel) change the land, water, and air, and how natural events like floods or earthquakes affect where and how people live.

Students identify a real problem, sketch or build possible fixes, then test each one and improve the design based on what they learn. It's the same process engineers use to make products that actually work.

Engineers borrow ideas from everyday life, and the tools they build change how people live and work. Students explore how inventions shape society and how society's needs push engineers to create new solutions.