4th Grade Science Skills

Life Science | Earth Science | Physical Science | Review Help
Return to Grade Level Skills - For other resources, refer to our Elementary Science page
Page last edited 2/27/2009

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1. The Great Plant Escape has an overview of each of the parts of a plant
2. Plant Parts - In this game you will try and match up the plant parts with the correct definition.
3. Plant Parts - Structure and Function (from Ohio State)
4. Identify flower parts - [designed for 4-5 UK standards] drag parts to the right box, when you finish, try the quiz.

1. Animal and Plant Cells - first select Similarities and then select Differences from the index on the left at this page.
2. Animal Cell Structure - good drawing, explanation of cell components - scroll down to see component names
3. Cells at the Science Lab - Select Cells in the list of labs. The illustration shows the parts of a cell. Move your mouse around the drawing to get information. Next, click on Looking Through a Microscope near the top of the Cells window. Click on the word View to see cells in a microscope. Click Back to select a new slide to view. Click on the book in the bottom left corner to read about cells.
4. Cell Inspector - match cell parts to the right name
5. Cells are the Starting Point - [this link opens on a new page] learn about cells at this Biology4Kids site and then take a quiz on cells or a quiz on organelles.
6. Cross Section of a Plant Cell - from Enchanted Learning [nice, clean drawing]
7. Cross Section of an Animal Cell - from Enchanted Learning [nice, clean drawing]
8. Cells: The Unit of Life - multiple choice quiz - 20 questions
9. - Teaching idea! - Have your students prepare a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting plant and animal cells. Teachnology has an online Venn diagram generator. (scroll past the membership information)
   1. Comparing plant and animal cells - Teachnology has a worksheet to print to help your students get ready for the activity above
10. Comparison of Plant & Animal Cells - illustrations with hyperlinked labels
11. Mixed Up Cells - [this link opens on a new page] identify and explain the differences and similarities between plant and animal organelles (Author - Julie Thompson)
12. Parts of an Animal Cell - click and drag the names of structures to match the drawing
13. Parts of a Plant Cell - click and drag the names of structures to match the drawing
14. Plant and Animal Cells - examine a cell, one structure at a time - learn about plant and animal cell organelles with this simulation
15. Simple Animal Cell - good for student review
16. Virtual Cell - Zoom in as if you had an electron microscope

1. Review cell structure and function [this link opens on a new page] (plant and animal)
2. Cell Structure and Function Quiz
3. Inside a Cell - select each part of the cell to see its function
4. Quiz on Cell Parts - instructions included for a paper and pencil quiz

1. Biomes of the World - The Earth has many different environments, varying in temperature, moisture, light, and many other factors. Each of these habitats has distinct life forms living in it.
2. Build a Fish - Build a Fish by choosing a body, mouth, and color/pattern, and then release it into the reef! In the process you will learn about adaptations that help the fish survive in their environment.
3. Habitats/Biomes - The Earth has many different environments, varying in temperature, moisture, light, and many other factors. (from Enchanted Learning
4. Introduction to the Biosphere - Characteristics of the Earth's Terrestrial Biomes
5. Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World - (from National Geographic) information and images for all 867 land-based ecoregions on the planet

1. Interdependence and Adaptation - [designed for 5-6 UK standards] Use this BBC site to review living things, then take a quiz about interdependence and the food web

1. Meet the Plant Parts - match the drawings with the names and build a salad.

1. Experiment with a Pond Food Web - change various population sizes to see what affect the change produces
2. Food Chain - National Geographic for Kids has a featured Quick Flick from Brain Pop on the subject.
3. Food Chains and Webs - Basic information regarding food webs is presented here. After learning about food webs, select the link named "create a possible food web" at the bottom of the page. Click and drag to create your own food web.

1. Animals Which Breathe Through Their Skin
2. How do Fish Breathe? - from World Almanac for Kids
3. Respiration - definition and examples

1. Animals and Their Babies - Drag the words on the right to where they belong.
2. Baby Animal Videos - (posted by the San Diego Zoo) Click on an animal in the list to begin the video. While the emphasis is on the baby, you also see the parent.
3. Farm animals and their babies - Click on the images to learn the proper names for farm animals and their babies, and see pictures of the animals with their babies.
4. Names of Males, Females, Babies, and Groups of Animals - What are the Males, Females, Babies, and Groups of Animals Called? (from Enchanted Learning)
5. Virtual Petting Zoo - (1.) Touch the Whale image anywhere and you'll get a picture of an Adult animal. (2.) When you move your mouse away, the Baby Animal appears!

1. r/K Selection Theory - discussion of the two main reproductive strategies; K-selection (few offspring are produced) and r-selection (many offspring are produced) - entry from Wikipedia
2. Tricky Survival for Fish Species - this CNN news report from 4/29/08 states that most asexual species tend not to last as long as sexuals because they are more susceptible to accumulating harmful mutations over many generations

1. WebQuest on Animal Life Cycles [written for 3rd grade]
2. Salmon Life Cycle - (from Enchanted Learning)
3. Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle - coloring page from Enchanted Learning
4. Mealworm/Darkling Beetle Life Cycle - coloring page from Enchanted Learning
5. Label the Life Cycle of the Mealworm/Darkling Beetle Diagram - coloring page from Enchanted Learning
6. Painted Lady Butterfly Life Cycle - coloring page from Enchanted Learning
7. Painted Lady Butterfly Life Cycle Sequencing Cards - Print the page, then cut the cards out. The student then puts the cards in order. (from Enchanted Learning)
8. Frog Life Cycle - coloring page from Enchanted Learning
9. Frog Life Cycle Quiz - coloring page from Enchanted Learning
10. The butterfly's life cycle - an interesting project
11. Ant Life Cycle - coloring page from Enchanted Learning
12. Ant Life Cycle Sequencing Cards - Print the page, then cut the cards out. The student then puts the cards in order. (from Enchanted Learning)
13. Animal Life Cycle Printables (caution, some are for Enchanted Learning members only)

1. Animal Adaptation E-Safaris - meet some interesting animals to explore how they are adapted to their environments
2. Build a Fish - Build a Fish by choosing a body, mouth, and color/pattern, and then release it into the reef! In the process you will learn about adaptations that help the fish survive in their environment.
3. Dinosaur Habitat and Community - a BBC presentation about these very adaptable animals
4. Flamingos - Adaptations for Their Environment
5. How Cactus survive in the desert
6. Physical Adaptation - We can see some of the results of physical adaptation by comparing the skeletons of different animals.
7. Plant Adaptations in Arid Environments - The plants that grow in the arid eastern region near the Columbia River and the Columbia Basin have a number of traits which help them to be successful in the desert.
8. Polar Bears' Adaptations - a neat concept map made by Logan, a first grade student

1. Classify organisms - [designed for 1-2 UK standards] interactive lesson from the BBC (birds, insects, mammals, or plants)

1. Life Has a History - an educational module sponsored by the National Science Foundation (select level 1 for K-4)

1. The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - Photo Gallery
2. Arkansas Threatened & Endangered Species - from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
3. Endangered Animals - photo gallery
4. Endangered Species - Click on a state for lists of endangered species in that state
5. Global 200 - [this link opens on a new page] some of the richest, rarest, and most endangered terrestrial, marine and freshwater natural areas of the world [this National Geographic site does not work in IE 7]
6. Return of the Species - undoing our mistakes
7. Threatened and Endangered Plants and Animals - a database posted by the U S Fish and Wildlife Service
8. Wildlife Crime Busters - Super sleuth scientists get the evidence to solve crimes against animals. (a National Geographic site)
9. World Endangered Species - a Think Quest site

1. Causes of Extinction - from About Extinction.com
2. Causes of Extinction - from Biology Online
3. Causes of Extinction of Orangutan - a blogspot entry
4. Causes of Extinction Probed - this article makes a point about a danger introduced by wildlife preserves
5. Extinction - a Wikipedia article
6. Human Causes Of Extinction And Endangerment - answers the question , "Why Are Endangered Species Important?"
7. Learning the Causes of Extinction - [grades 3-5] a lesson plan found at Scholastic
8. Major Causes of Extinction - pictoral overview of causes of extinction
9. Species Extinction: Causes, Statistics, and Trends - a good discussion from an unlikely source - Grinning Planet
10. Why the Rapid Decline? - a ThinkQuest entry on extinction

1. Examine the vast distances between planets in the solar system - This animation simulates a voyage from the sun past all nine planets. In this animation, the apparent speed of the viewer is over 300 times the speed of light.
2. One Page Solar System - print the sheet, cut out planets and lay them to scale [most of them anyway]
3. Order of Planets - [this link opens on a new page] Put the planets of the solar system in order from nearest to the sun to the farthest from the sun (a matching quiz from Quia)
4. Order of the Planets - [this link opens on a new page] in this Quia quiz you must number the planets in order from the sun.
5. Our Solar System - a nice overview from KidsAstronomy
6. Order it up - Measures of size and scale help us understand the magnitude of objects. Play with scales while trying to arrange planets by magnitude of mass, size, temperature, density, distance, gravity or magnetic field. Correctly order the planets and you unscramble a mystery picture! To play, click on the blue link; Play Order it Up: Solar System Edition

1. Earth and Moon Matchup - [designed for grade 3] phases and other earth/moon terms are in this Quia Quiz
2. Earth-Moon-Sun system with Moon phases animation - The Sun is to the right of the Earth and Moon. (The animation is near the bottom of this page)
3. How Do the Phases Get Their Names?
4. Lunar Lollipops - a lesson illustrating the cause of moon phases
5. Moon Phase Calendar - shows the moon phases for each day of the current month, other years available
6. Moon Phase Applet - use this page to see the phases of the moon for an entire year (from 1973 to 2107)
7. Moon Phase - this java applet shows, but does not name, the moon phase for today. You may also look up the moon phase for any day from 1973 to 2104.
8. Moon Phases - Excel workbook to use with interactive whiteboard or projection - let students drag phases to the correct position
9. Phases of the Moon - a good diagram to print so students could list the phases in order
10. Phases of the Moon - from Harcourt School (short, simple, well done)
11. Phases of the Moon - lesson and quiz
12. The Phases of the Moon - from Enchanted Learning
13. Phases of the Moon - a detailed, accurate, and visually interesting simulation of the cause of moon phases
14. Phases of the Moon - This is one of the best animations for explaining moon phases. (from the Science Alberta Foundation)
15. Phases of the moon from Earth and space - For each phase, examine how the view from Earth is related to the view from space.
16. Put the Moon's Phases in Correct Order - [this link opnes on a new page] a Quia quiz
17. Virtual Reality Moon Phase Pictures - You can view the phase of the Moon for any date and time [1800-2199 A.D.].
18. What Our Moon Looks Like During a Complete Lunar Cycle - from the Astronomy Picture of the Day
19. Worksheet to use with Moon Phases - One sheet gives students places to draw and name the phase, the other worksheet asks students to identify positions of the moon and earth in relation to the sun for each of the eight phases

1. Making a Sun Clock - using shadows to tell time
2. Make Your Own Sun Dial
3. Construct a paper sundial - from Canon's Bubble Jet Printer Creative Park
4. Reasons for the Seasons - includes some excellent illustrations
5. Rise and Set Times for the Sun and Moon - To find today's Rise and Set Times for the Sun and Moon anywhere in the continental US, click on the map at the desired location.
6. Seasons Reasons - What is the cause of the seasons? This explanation features an animation of the earth’s movement during a year. [careful, you may get seasick watching it!]

1. Cloud Boutique - explanations of and access to detailed pictures of some basic cloud forms provided by the Plymouth State Meteorology Program
2. Cloud Clues - How to forecast the weather by studying clouds
3. Cloud Forecasting - Clouds can tell you many things about what the weather will do.
   1. Use what you learned to make a forecast for your Dad.
   2. Help Dad plan the rest of your trip.
4. Compare and contrast warm and cold fronts - excellent animations of each type of front
5. Cloud Matching Game - Drag the photos of clouds on left to the correct name for that cloud on the right. Wrong matches will snap back! Right matches will stick!
6. Clouds and Precipitation - The purpose of this module is to introduce a number of cloud classifications, different types of precipitation, and the mechanisms responsible for producing them
7. Cloud Types - this page provides information about each cloud group and any cloud classes associated with them
8. How to be a Storm Spotter - clouds and the weather associated with them
9. National Severe Storms Laboratory Photo Album - use these to ask students about types of weather associated
10. Radar Loop of the last 2 hours covering the contiguous United States. This Doppler radar site indicates clouds, rain and snow with different colors, and refreshes 4 times per hour.
11. Satellite Movies of Air Masses Moving across North America
12. Tips for Forecasting the Weather - step-by-step process including links to real time weather data
13. Weather Associated with Cloud Types - Caution! The background of this page is horrible. The easiest way to make the page easier to read is to select all text. Hold down the Ctrl key (or the Apple key) and tap the A key one time.
14. Wetter or Better? - this twelve-slide show presents cloud types and asks students to make a forecast

1. Devices Used To Make Weather Measurements - links to information about how the weather instruments work from USA Today Weather
2. Make Your Own Weather Station - You can become an amateur meteorologist by building your own weather station and keeping a record of your measurements.
3. Making a Weather Station - from Miami Museum of Science
4. Make Your Own Weather Instruments - try this at home
5. Making a Weather Station - from Miami Museum of Science
6. More Weather Instruments to Build
7. Weather Instruments - Meteorologists need many kinds of data before the weather can be predicted.
8. Weather Instruments - from Weather Wiz Kids
9. Weather Instruments - from Cool Lessons
10. Weather Instruments and Clouds - [this link opens on a new page] a matching game from Quia [select the list of terms for a quick review]
11. Weather Instruments for Measuring the Climate of Illinois - a selection of weather instruments used to measure the climate of Illinois
12. Weather Tools - instructions on how to make a variety of weather measuring instruments

1. Are you a water wizard? - Do you have a fountain of knowledge when it comes to water? Well, dive right in and test your knowledge of water with these Water Wizard quizzes.
2. Click and Drag Water Cycle Components - place the first step anywhere you wish and then put the other steps in order
3. Create a model of the water cycle - lesson plan from Oceans Alive
4. Follow a drop through the water cycle - water science for schools from USGS
5. How You Can Make a Model of the Water Cycle - print this to give to your students
6. Ideas for teaching about the water cycle - from Pro Teacher
7. Introduction to the water cycle
8. Water Wizard quiz - Test your Water Awareness. Click on the best answer to each question below and find out if you are a Water Wizard!
9. Water Cycle Animation - Observe a raindrop traveling through various paths of the water cycle. In this visualization, the blue raindrop shows where water is. The red arrows show the processes that could move it to another place.
10. The Water Cycle Lesson Plan - five activities in one
11. Water Cycle - lesson plans frolm Science NetLinks
12. The Water Cycle - US Geological Survey's Water Cycle - one of the most complete explanation of the cycle
13. Water Science - US Geological Survey's (USGS) Water Science for Schools web site! They offer information on many aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps, and an interactive center where you can give opinions and test your water knowledge.
14. Water Cycle - a slide show by Soo Park, Alex Reynolds, Kate Schmidt, Connie Woo, and Christine Zackrison
15. Water Cycle
16. Water Cycle Lesson Plan - from Planet H2O
17. Water Cycle WebQuest - [designed for 5th grade]
18. The Watershed Game - Many things happen in a watershed that affect the quality of the water we rely upon . Examine the issues in each area of the watershed, then see the impacts of your choices.
19. Weather in the Science Lab - Select Weather in the list of labs. The illustration shows a water cycle. Move your cursor around the image for more information. Click on The Weather Maker near the top of the weather window. Set the temperature of two air masses and the relative humidity, and then see what weather develops. Click on the book in the bottom left corner to read about weather. [this link opens on a new page]

1. Label Maps at iKnowThat.com - [this link opens on a new page] Note: this link takes you to an index of activities. To work on this SPI, select any of the five entries in the Physical Features section, click on the green Maybe Later button to go to the activity, and then select either Puzzle or Labels to begin.

1. Breaking News - [this link opens on a new page] explore various forces that can cause the breaking and weathering of bedrock and larger rocks (Author - Laurie Ayers)

1. A Cross-Section Globe - from Canon's Bubble Jet Printer Creative Park
2. Earth's Interior & Plate Tectonics - covers the following: The Earth's Interior, The Lithosphere & Plate Tectonics, Oceanic Lithosphere, Continental Lithosphere and Plate Tectonics.
3. Earth’s Interior Structure - from Explorations in Earth Science
4. Earth Layers Activity - worksheet in the form of an online scavenger hunt
5. Earth Like a Puzzle - learn about plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes at this site from Scripps Institution of Oceanography
6. The Earth's Layers - (slide show format - from Volcano World) click on the arrow (named Next) to move through the slides - move through the lessons at your own pace
7. Earth's Layers - [this link opens on a new page] a Quia quiz - Rags to Riches
8. Earth's Structure - a ThinkQuest entry
9. Earth Structure - a Virtual Journey to the Center of the Earth
10. Earthquake: Layers of the Earth - [this link opens on a new page] separate layers for crust, mantle and core
11. How Many Licks Does it Take to Get to the Center - layers of the Earth
12. Inside the Earth - label the inside of the earth (from Enchanted Learning)
13. Inside the Earth - from USGS
14. Layers of the Earth - from CNN Technology
15. Layers of the Earth - eleven slide show using a peach as a model
16. Savage Earth - layers of the earth from PBS
17. Structure of the Earth - features a globe with a removable section
18. Surface and Interior of the Earth -
19. Journey to the Center of Earth - a slide show on layers of the earth by Kelly Kupferschmid

1. Earth Materials - lesson plan designed for grades 3-4
2. Earth Materials - a 3rd grade student resource guide
3. Examining Earth Materials - lesson plan from Washington State

1. Ask the Answer Worm! - It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it - S.K.Worm, the official annelid, or worm, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service answers students questions about soil.
2. Rocks and Soil - Investigate the relationship between rocks and soil

1. Animation showing how coal forms (nonrenewable)
2. Classify Resources - Click on Resource ID in the yellow Activities box to take a quiz.
3. Diagram Listing Energy Types - Caution: None of the links on this page work, but the diagram is really good.
4. Energy Kids - energy facts about various forms of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources
5. National Renewable Energy Laboratory
6. Natural Resources - Can We Use Them Forever?
7. Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources - a quiz written by Kathy Tucker
8. Renewable Energy and You - some things that everyone should know about renewable energy
9. Renewable Energy Fact Sheets - there is a section of fact sheets for kids and one for adults
10. Renewable Energy vs. Fossil Fuels - Suggestion: create a Pro and Con list for each energy source. That will give you a a way to compare the various energy resources.
11. Renewable Energy Web Links - from the Texas Solar Energy Society (whose slogan is, “The Solution Comes Up Every Morning!”).
12. Renewable Resources in Saskatchewan - a long set of web links to use with the topic

1. Friction - [designed for 3-4 UK standards] investigate friction on a variety of surfaces, then take a quiz.
2. Forces in Action - [designed for 5-6 UK standards] from the BBC
3. Friction and Inertia - [this link opens on a new page] a Quia Quiz

1. Gravity in the Science Lab - [this link opens on a new page] Select Gravity in the list of labs. The illustration is shows the effect of changing distance from the earth's center. Next, click on Solar System Weight Guide near the top of the gravity window. Enter your weight and see how much you would weigh on other planets. Click on the book in the bottom left corner to read about gravity.
2. Understanding Gravity - [grades 2-5] lesson plan
3. What Are Your Ideas About Gravity? - worksheet to print

1. Simple Machines Activities - Learn about simple and compound machines while you explore the House and Tool Shed at E-Heads!
2. Simple Machines - An excellent overview from the Franklin Institute On-Line
3. Machines Make Life Easier - a set of activities about simple machines
4. Lever - attach a new mass piece or put it to another place with pressed mouse button
5. Move Our Principal - [this link opens on a new page] Students learn about the six simple machines then use their knowledge to assist their principal. (Author - Sandi King)
6. Pulley - Investigate mechanical advantage of a pulley with this interactive java applet
7. Pulley System - (raise or lower the load with the mouse) If you click on the mouse button, a spring balance will appear showing the tension in the string.
8. Inclined Plane - This Java applet demonstrates a motion on an inclined plane with constant velocity and the corresponding forces.
9. Simple Machines game from Harcourt School
10. Simple Machines Made Simple - [this link opens on a new page] an introduction to the six simple machines (Author - Sandi King)
11. Sunken Millions - a Simple Machines review game
12. Rube Goldberg Machines - a simple machines PowerPoint show by Matt Aufman and Steve Case, University of Mississippi [23 slides]

1. Forces in Action - [designed for 5-6 UK standards] an interactive site from BBC, allows students to investigate factors that affect the speed of a truck, and how far it will travel. [a quiz follows]

1. Characteristics of Materials - [designed for 2-3 UK standards] interactive quiz from the BBC
2. Select which items give out light - a BBC interactive quiz
3. Use this BBC quiz to determine whether items are waterproof or not.

1. Changing State - [designed for 4-5 UK standards] Use this interactive site from the BBC to investigate what causes water to change state. Take a quiz when you have finished.
2. Matter in the Science Lab - [this link opens on a new page] Select Matter in the list of labs. The illustration names the physical state of objects. Next, click on Water Changes State near the top of the matter window. Hold down the blue button to lower the temperature of water to freezing, then hold down the red button till water boils. Click on the book in the bottom left corner to read about matter.
3. Solids and Liquids - [designed for 3-4 UK standards] Investigate the effect of heat on a variety of objects, then take a quiz.

1. Gases Around Us - [designed for 4-5 UK standards] an interactive site from BBC that allows students to investigate factors that affect a gas. A quiz is also available.

1. Physical and Chemical Changes - index of topics

1. Impure Substances: Mixtures - definition and examples

1. Separate a Mixture of Ammonia and Sand - animation and explanation
2. Separate a Mixture of Sand and Water - animation and explanation
3. Separate a Mixture ofr Water and Sulphur - animation and explanation
4. Separate Salt from a Salt Solution - animation and explanation
5. Separating Mixtures - [this link opens on a new page] four types of Quia quizzes on this topic
6. Separating Mixtures - several examples are given

1. See an animation of what the sun would look like if viewed at a variety of wavelengths of energy
2. Animation showing how coal forms (a nonrenewable source of energy)

1. Sound - A short interactive lesson from the BBC
2. Sound in the Science Lab - [this link opens on a new page] Select Sound in the list of labs. The illustration is animated and shows how clapping hands make sound. Next, click on Exploring Pitch and Volume near the top of the sound window. Strike the glasses hard and then gently and observe the difference. Now look at the sound waves as you strike different glasses. Click on the book in the bottom left corner to read about sound.

1. Keeping Warm - [designed for 3-4 UK standards] investigate how well various materials insulate

1. Circuits and Conductors - [designed for 3-4 UK standards] an interactive site from the BBC
2. Electricity and Magnetism - the basics of circuits
3. Investigate a complete circuit at BBC

1. Council on Competiveness presents a truly rigorous exam - select 4th Grade and then Science [timed exam]
2. Released Test from Texas - Read the question and choose the best answer. Then mark the circle next to the letter for the answer you have chosen.