Science - 4th Grade
Lesson Plans

Standard 5

Students will understand the physical characteristics of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts and identify common organisms for each environment.

Objective 4

Observe and record the behavior of Utah animals.

• Animals in the Ecosystems
  This lesson is part of a larger research unit, students have their source material and will highlight keywords and phrases using the graphic organizer from Step Up to Writing and build a paragraph on animal contributions to their environment.
• Macroinvertebrate Investigation - Bugs Don't Bug Me
  Students will collect live macroinvertebrates from a river or stream. They will then classify and count the invertebrates and use that data to determine the EPT index.
• NHMU: Adaptation Scavenger Hunt
  Students will learn to recognize the specific adaptations of living things and relate them to survival within the animals environment.
• NHMU: Bird Watching 101
  Students will learn the basics of bird watching, finding and interpreting bird clues and attracting birds to a particular location or habitat.
• NHMU: Birds Will Be Birds
  Students will analyze the physical characteristics of 12 different birds and consider how this enables them to survive in their individual habitats. They will then expand on this knowledge by applying it to other species not covered in the handout.
• NHMU: Insect Family Tree
  Students will identify and match insects on the Insect Family Tree.
• TRB 4:5 - Investigation 10 - Mammal Oral Reports
  Students will research a Utah mammals and then create and present a mini-report.
• TRB 4:5 - Investigation 11 - Utah Fish
  Students will learn about a particular Utah fish and then create a poster that shares what they learned.
• TRB 4:5 - Investigation 12 - Amphibians & Reptiles
  This activity will help students compare and contrast the behavior and structure of amphibians and reptiles of Utah.
• TRB 4:5 - Investigation 13 - What's Bugging You?
  This activity will help students determine if a bug is an insect or a spider.
• TRB 4:5 - Investigation 9 - Bird Study
  Students will learn about specific bird characteristics and become more aware of the ecosystems that support each bird.
• Wonderful World of Insects
  Students will use simple classification schemes to sort Utah's common insects. Students will classify invertebrates as either insects or non-insects. They will create simple classification keys for insect pictures. By examining insect mouthparts, they will relate structure to function and classify again.

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http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Jennifer Throndsen and see the Science - Elementary website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - Jennifer Throndsen.

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