20 Weeks of Hands-On Science

"Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world."  -Louis Pasteur
"History is safe.  Geometry is safe. (Science is) punk rock!"  -Paul Rudd in Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Everything is science.  Everything you see and hear, taste and touch, feel and say.  There is science in all of it.  Over the next semester, we will use common household items to understand scientific concepts and to find some of the places we can see science in our lives. 

This class covers four areas of science.  Weeks 1-7, we will work on Physical Science with a look at energy.  In weeks 8-11, we will work on Life Science and look at form and function.  Weeks 12-16, we'll look at Earth and Space and look at how the earth changes and the impact humans have on it.  In weeks 17-20, we'll discover engineering and look at design problems and constraints as well as thinking about improvements on existing inventions.

The class meets once a week.  When class begins each week we will take a few minutes for everyone to check-in.  Then Ms. Brenda will lead a discussion on the topic for the week.  In some classes, we may watch a short video that shows what we are learning about. Each lesson will also include a hands-on activity.  The activity will demonstrate the topic.  Please see the supply list for everything required for the hands-on activity.

Schedule

Unit One: Physical Science
Week 1- Speed and Energy
Week 2- Energy Transfer
Week 3- Changes in Speed and Energy
Week 4- Energy Conversion
Week 5- Modeling Waves
Week 6- Perception of Light
Week 7- Information Transfer

Unit Two: Life Science
Week 8- Animal Structures and Their Functions
Week 9- Plant Structures and Their Functions
Week 10- The Senses
Week 11- Responding to Stimuli

Unit Three: Earth and Space Science
Week 12- Earth's Changes over Time
Week 13- Weathering and Erosion
Week 14- Earth's Physical Features
Week 15- Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy
Week 16- Human Impact on Earth

Unit Four: Engineering
Week 17- Defining Design Problems
Week 18- Design Constraints
Week 19- Comparing Solutions
Week 20- Improving Ideas and Designs


This class uses the 4th Grade Daily Practice Workbook by Argo Prep as its primary textbook.  The book is not required for the class but may be used to allow students to dive deeper into the topics. Parents should be aware, however, that while I like the Argo Prep Workbook, I believe Argo Prep skimped on paying a copy editor and there are some typos in the book.