Fourth Grade Programs

Essential Questions: What are the steps in the water cycle? How does the water cycle affect us? What is a watershed? What is a topographical map? How do topographical maps inform us about watersheds? What is pollution and how does it move throughout the watershed?

Description: Lake Adventure Day is a day designed for 4th graders to learn about water use, pollution, and erosion among other lessons. Students will even have the chance to learn how to fish and possibly catch a fish. Classes will be split into three stations that are roughly 35 minutes long. Students will cycle through each station learning about new environmental topics as well as the popular  fishing station. This event will allow students to engage in environmental lessons while also being outside away from the traditional classroom.

Essential Questions: What are two special properties of water? What are examples of special external features that help aquatic animals survive in their environments?

Description: How is that bug walking on water?! In this station, students will dive into the science behind water molecules and how they sustain life in aquatic habitats, like Kosciusko County’s lakes and streams through hands-on experiments and molecule-making!

Standards:

4-PS3-2: Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from one place to another by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

4.ESS.3: Investigate and explain how water moves through the water cycle.

4.LS.1: Describe how external features help animals survive in different environments.

Essential Questions: What is a watershed? What is pollution, and how does it move throughout the watershed?

Description: In this lesson, students use a 3D model to visualize the movement of water and run-off in a watershed, experimenting with different pollutants in order to deepen an understanding of how pollution moves throughout our local watersheds.

Standards:

4-ESS2-2: Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features. 

CC.2: Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change.

Essential Questions: What are the steps in the water cycle? How does the water cycle affect us?

Description: How many rain drops was that? Through a colorful science experiment students define and explore the water cycle, discovering that the water cycle not only affects our local ecosystems and community, but also that humans have a direct impact on parts of the water cycle as well.

Standards:

ES. 4.3: Create a presentation that demonstrates the process of the water cycle on both local and global scales. Illustrate the process of water cycling both from the solid earth to the atmosphere and around the solid earth. Examine the interaction of groundwater, surface water, and ocean circulation. Illustrate the effects of human activity on water systems.

4.ESS.4 Develop solutions that could be implemented to reduce the impact of humans on the natural environment and the natural environment on humans.