Grade 4: Science

Here is the Science curriculum for Grade 4 in British Columbia, presented with the content first.

Grade 4 Science Content (BC Curriculum)

The learning standards for Grade 4 Science are organized into four content areas, often referred to as “Big Ideas.”

1. Biomes

• Core Question: How do biotic and abiotic elements interact within a biome, and what makes each biome unique?

• Key Content:

  • Biomes of the World: Major biomes (e.g., temperate rainforest, desert, grassland, tundra, boreal forest).

  • Abiotic Factors: The non-living elements that shape a biome (e.g., sunlight, moisture, temperature, soil, topography).

  • Biotic Factors: The living elements of a biome (e.g., plants, animals, fungi, bacteria).

  • Interactions & Adaptations: How the biotic and abiotic factors interact; how plants and animals have adapted to the specific conditions of their biome.

  • Energy Transfer: The transfer of energy from the sun to producers (plants) and then to consumers (animals) in a local biome.

  • First Peoples Knowledge: How First Peoples communities interact with, use, and sustain the resources of their local biome.

2. Energy

• Core Question: How is energy transferred, and how can it be transformed from one form to another?

• Key Content:

  • Forms of Energy: Various forms of energy (e.g., thermal [heat], light, sound, mechanical, chemical).

  • Energy Transfer: How energy can be transferred from one object to another (e.g., heat from the sun to the ground, sound waves through the air).

  • Energy Transformations: How energy changes from one form to another.

    • Example: Chemical energy in a battery → electrical energy → light and thermal energy in a flashlight bulb.

    • Example: Chemical energy in your body → mechanical energy to move your legs.

  • Renewable & Non-Renewable Sources: The difference between renewable (e.g., solar, wind, water) and non-renewable (e.g., fossil fuels) energy sources.

  • First Peoples Knowledge: Traditional knowledge and practices of First Peoples regarding energy sources (e.g., use of sunlight for drying, wind for sailing, geothermal hot springs).

3. Matter

• Core Question: What are the phases of matter, and how does energy cause changes between them?

• Key Content:

  • Three States of Matter: The properties of solids, liquids, and gases (e.g., definite/indefinite shape and volume, particle movement).

  • Phase Changes: The processes by which matter changes state.

    • Heating: Melting (solid to liquid), Evaporation (liquid to gas).

    • Cooling: Freezing (liquid to solid), Condensation (gas to liquid).

  • Role of Thermal Energy: Understanding that adding or removing thermal energy (heat) is what drives these phase changes.

  • Conservation of Matter: The concept that matter is not created or destroyed during a phase change; it simply changes form.

4. The Water Cycle

• Core Question: How does water move through our environment, and what is its role in sustaining life?

• Key Content:

  • Processes: The major processes in the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection/runoff, and transpiration.

  • Solar Energy as the Driver: Understanding that the sun’s energy is the engine that powers the water cycle.

  • Connection to Local Environments: How the water cycle impacts and is influenced by local landforms, biomes, and weather.

  • Importance for Living Things: The critical role of the water cycle in providing fresh water for plants, animals, and human communities.

  • First Peoples Knowledge: First Peoples’ perspectives on water, including its cultural significance, traditional stewardship, and knowledge of water sources.

Curricular Competencies (The “Doing” of Science)

These are the processes and skills students use to learn the science content.

• Questioning and Predicting: Demonstrate curiosity and observe objects and events in familiar contexts. Make predictions based on prior knowledge.

• Planning and Conducting: Suggest ways to plan and conduct an inquiry to find answers to their questions. Make observations about living and non-living things in the local environment.

• Processing and Analyzing Data and Information: Experience and interpret the local environment. Sort and classify data and information using drawings, pictographs, and provided tables. Identify patterns and connections in data.

• Evaluating: Compare observations with predictions through discussion. Identify some simple environmental implications of their and others’ actions.

• Applying and Innovating: Contribute to care for self, others, school, and neighbourhood through personal or collaborative approaches. Transfer and apply learning to new situations.

• Communicating: Communicate observations, ideas, and findings in a variety of ways (e.g., orally, visually, in writing).

Big Ideas (The Core Concepts)

These are the overarching understandings students will develop.

• Biomes: All living things sense and respond to their environment.

• Energy: Energy can be transformed.

• Matter: Matter has mass, takes up space, and can change phase.

• The Water Cycle: Water is essential to all living things, and it cycles through the environment.

Sample Unit Progression

A typical year might be structured like this:

• Unit 1: Biomes: Start with the concrete environment around them, studying the local biome (e.g., the temperate rainforest in BC).

• Unit 2: Matter: Focus on the properties of solids, liquids, and gases found within the biome.

• Unit 3: The Water Cycle: Connect matter and the local biome by studying how water moves and changes state in the environment.

• Unit 4: Energy: Explore how energy from the sun drives the water cycle, powers life in the biome, and can be transformed for human use.

This structure shows the natural interconnectedness of the four content areas.