Download 4th Science: 4 Units They are not presented in the order in which

4th Science: 4 Units
They are not presented in the order in which they will be taught.
Rocks and Minerals
Unit Title: Rocks and Minerals
Number
Competency or Objective
2.01
Describe and evaluate the properties of several minerals.
2.02
Recognize that minerals have a definite chemical composition and
structure, resulting in specific physical properties including:
hardness, streak color, luster, and magnetism.
2.03
Explain how rocks are composed of minerals.
2.04
Show that different rocks have different properties.
2.05
Discuss and communicate the uses of rocks and minerals.
2.06
Classify rocks and rock-forming minerals using student made
rules.
2.07
Identify and discuss different rocks and minerals in North Carolina
including their role in geologic formations and distinguishing
geologic regions.
Vocabulary
Crystals – found in minerals and have a regular geometric shape
Geologists – scientist who study rocks and minerals to help us learn about the
formation of the earth
Granite – rock composed of the minerals: Quartz, Mica, and Feldspar
Hardness – how resistant a mineral is to being scratched
Igneous rocks – formed from minerals that have melted deep within the Earth
Luster – the way a mineral reflects light
Magnetic minerals – minerals which show magnetic properties. Two examples are
magnetite and hematite
Metamorphic rocks – formed from igneous, sedimentary, or other metamorphic rocks
which contain minerals that have been changed by heat, pressure, or chemical action
Mineral – occur in nature and have definite chemical compositions and physical
properties. They are the raw materials of rocks.
Mohs scale – used by geologists to classify a given mineral’s hardness
Rock – earth materials made up of different kinds of minerals
Scratch test – used to determine the hardness of a mineral
Sedimentary rocks – formed as particles settle to the bottom of oceans and lakes
Sources of Rock and Mineral Samples in North Carolina
1. Alaskite – Feldspar Corporation, a division of Zemex Corporation, Spruce Pine,
NC (Mitchell County)
2. Gneiss – Vulcan Materials Company, Hendersonville, NC (Henderson County)
3. Granite – NC Granite Corporation, Mount Airy Quarry Mount Airy, NC (Surry
County)
4. Lilesville Granite -- Vulcan Materials Company, Rockingham Quarry,
Rockingham, NC (Richmond County)
5. Phosphate “rejects” – PCS Phosphate Company, Aurora, NC (Beaufort
County)
6. Marble – Nantahala Talc and Limestone Company, (Swain County)
7. Limestone – Martin Marietta Aggregates, Rocky Point Quarry, (Pender County)
8. Olivine – Unimin Corporation, Green Mountain Mine,
(Yancey County)
9. Cretaceous Sand – Hedrick Industries, Lilesville Pit,
(Anson County)
10. Pyrophyllite Ore – Standard mineral Company, Robbins, NC (Moore County)
11. Quartz Gravel – Hedrick Industries, Lilesville Pit,
(Anson County)
12. Mica – Tar Heel Mica Company, (Avery County)
(adapted from Key to Rock and Mineral Specimens used at the 2006 NC Science
Teachers Association and Professional Development Institute)
MAGNETISM AND ELECTRICITY
Unit Title: Electricity and Magnetism
Number
Competency or Objective
3.01
Observe and investigate the pull of magnets on all materials
made of iron and the pushes or pulls on other magnets.
3.03
Design and test an electric circuit as a closed pathway
including an energy source, energy conductor, and an
energy receiver.
3.04
Explain how magnetism is related to electricity.
3.05
Describe and explain the parts of a light bulb.
3.06
Describe and identify materials that are conductors and nonconductors of electricity.
3.02
Describe and demonstrate how magnetism can be used to
generate electricity
3.07
Observe and investigate that parallel and series circuits
have different characteristics.
3.08
Observe and investigate the ability of electric circuits to
produce light, heat, sound, and magnetic effects.
3.09
Recognize lightning as an electrical discharge and show
proper safety behavior when lightning occurs.
Vocabulary:
Attract - when two objects are pulled together
Circuit - a complete path that electricity can move through
Closed circuit - a clear and complete path that electricity can flow through
Conductor - a material through which heat or electricity flows easily
Current electricity - a moving electrical charge
Discharge - when a buildup of electrical charge empties into something
D-cell - a battery that changes chemical energy into electrical energy
Electrical charge - the positive or negative property of particles
Electricity - the energy caused by the flow electrical charges
Electromagnet - a temporary magnet created when current flows through wire wrapped
in coils
Force – a push or pull by one object to move another
Grounded – when an electrical charge that flows into the ground, or surface of the
earth
Insulator – a material through which heat or electricity does not flow very well
Lightning –a discharge of static electricity from a thundercloud
Magnetic field – a region of magnetic force around a magnet
Open circuit – a broken or incomplete path that electricity cannot flow through
Parallel circuit – a circuit in which each electrical device is independently connected to
the electrical source
Resistor – property of a material through which electricity has difficulty flowing
Series circuit – a circuit in which the current must flow through each electrical device in
order to complete the circuit
Static electricity – a build up of an electrical charge
Switch – a device that can open or close a an electrical circuit
ANIMAL BEHAVIORS AND ADAPTATIONS
Unit Title: Animal Behaviors and Adaptations
Number Competency or Objective
1.02
Observe and record how animals of the same kind differ in some
of their characteristics and discuss possible advantages and
disadvantages of this variation.
1.03
Observe and discuss how behaviors and body structures help
animals survive in particular habitats.
1.01
Observe and describe how all living and nonliving things affect
the life of a particular animal including: Other animals, Plants,
Weather, and Climate.
1.04
Explain and discuss how humans and other animals can adapt
their behavior to live in changing habitats.
1.05
Recognize that humans can understand themselves better by
learning about other animals.
Vocabulary
Adaptation – A special trait that helps an organism survive.
Amphibian - A cold-blooded vertebrate that spends part of its life in water and part of its life on land.
Arthropod – An invertebrate with jointed legs and a body that is divided into sections.
Camouflage – An adaptation by which an animal can hide by blending in with its surroundings.
Class – A smaller group within a phylum, such as all those animals that produce milk for their young.
Classes are made up of smaller groups called orders.
Cold-blooded – An animal that cannot control its body temperature.
Community – The living part of an ecosystem.
Consumer – Any organism that eats the food producers make, or that eats other consumers.
Decomposer – an organism that breaks down wastes and the remains of other organisms.
Drought – A long period of time with little or no precipitation.
Ecology – The study of how living and nonliving things interact.
Ecosystem – The living and nonliving things in an environment, and all their interaction.
Endoskeleton – An internal supporting structure.
Exoskeleton – A hard covering that protects an invertebrate’s body.
Extinct – Said of an organism no longer alive on Earth.
Family – A smaller group of organisms within a class.
Food chain – The set of steps in which organisms get the food they need to survive.
Food web – The pattern that shows how food chains are related
Genus – A group made up of two or more very similar species.
Habitat – The home of an organism.
Herbivore – A consumer that eats only plants.
Invertebrate – An animal without a backbone.
Kingdom – The largest group into which an organism can be classified.
Mammal – A warm-blooded vertebrate with hair or fur; female mammals produce milk to feed their
young.
Omnivore – A consumer that eats both plants and animals.
Order – A smaller group within a class.
Organism – A living thing that carries out five basic life functions on its own.
Overpopulation – A depletion of resources that occurs when too many of at least one kind of living
thing inhabits an ecosystem.
Phylum – A large group within a kingdom.
Population - One type of organism living in an area.
Producer – An organism, such as a plant, that makes food.
Reptile – a cold-blooded vertebrate that lives on land and has a backbone, an endoskeleton, and
waterproof skin with scales or plates.
Species – The smallest group into which an organism is classified.
Trait – A characteristic of a living thing.
Vertebrate – An animal with a backbone.
Warm-blooded – An animal with a constant body temperature.
FOOD AND NUTRITION
Unit Title: Food and Nutrition
Number
Competency or Objective
4.01
Explain why organisms require energy to live and grow.
4.02
Show how calories can be used to compare the chemical
energy of different foods.
4.03
Discuss how foods provide both energy and nutrients for
living organisms.
4.04
Identify starches and sugars as carbohydrates.
4.05
Determine that foods are made up of a variety of
components.
Vocabulary
Calcium – A mineral needed to build and maintain bones and teeth. It also helps to regulate body
processes such as blood clotting, muscle contraction and relaxation. Foods in the Milk group are
good sources of calcium.
Carbohydrates – Starches and sugars are carbohydrates. Grains, fruits, and vegetables are good
sources of carbohydrates.
Cholesterol – a waxy substance found in animal cells and tissues. Some cholesterol is needed for
the body to function properly, but too much cholesterol may cause thickening and hardening of the
arteries.
Combination Food – Food that contains two or more of the five food groups.
Energy – Energy is needed for growth, for physical activity, and for maintaining body processes.
Food provides energy to the body from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Fat – One of the three major nutrients. It can be found in body tissues of animals and in some plants.
It serves as a carrier of the fat-soluble vitamins A,D, E, and K.
Food – Material that may contain carbohydrates, fats, protein, and vitamins and minerals. Foods
provide an organism with the energy it needs to live and grow.
Food Groups – System of classifying foods that translates nutrient recommendations into useful, daily
eating patterns. Based on their nutrient content, foods are grouped into one of Five Food Groups:
Milk, Meat, Fruit, Vegetable, or Grain; or into the “Others” category.
Fruit and Vegetable Groups – Foods from these groups are good sources of vitamin A and vitamin C.
Fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and pureed fruits and vegetables and their juices are included in these
groups.
Glucose – A sugar found in plants, fruits, and blood. It is a source of energy for living things.
Grain Group – Foods from this group are good sources of carbohydrates, thiamin, niacin, and iron.
Barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, rice, rye, wheat, and the breads, cereals, pastas, and other products
made from grains are included in this group.
Ingredient – One of the substances that makes up a compound or mixture.
Iodine – An element consisting of blackish-grey crystals.
Iron – A mineral that is an important part of hemoglobin the red blood cells. This nutrient helps the
body resist infection. Foods in the meat Group and grain Group are good sources of iron.
Leader Nutrients – Ten nutrients are used to classify foods into one of the Five Food Groups. The
leader nutrients are: protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2),
niacin, calcium, and iron.
Meat Group – Foods from the Meat Group are good sources of protein, iron, niacin, and thiamin.
Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, legumes, and nuts are included in this group.
Milk Group – Food from the Milk Group are good sources of calcium, riboflavin, and protein. Milk,
cheese, yogurt, ice cream, ice milk, and other foods made from milk are included in this group.
Minerals – Nutrients from the earth that occur in small amounts in foods and beverages. Minerals are
needed for cell structure and in regulating body processes. Calcium and iron are examples of
minerals.
Niacin - A vitamin that helps maintain healthy skin, the nervous system, and the digestive tract.
Foods in the Meat Group and Grain Group are good sources of niacin.
Nutrient – A chemical substance in food that works together with the body’s own chemicals to provide
energy; to build, repair and maintain body tissues; and to regulate body processes.
Nutrition – The way the body uses food for energy, maintenance, and growth.
“Others” Category – Foods not included in the five food groups because of their low nutrient content.
Some of these foods are sweets, fats and oils, chips and related products.
Protein – Protein is needed to build and maintain body tissue, to regulate body processes, and to
supply energy. The best sources of protein are foods from the Milk Group and Meat group.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) – Riboflavin is essential for healthy skin and good vision in bright light. Foods
in the Milk Group are good sources of riboflavin.
Starch – A carbohydrate that is made and stored in plants.
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) – A nutrient that is essential for the use of carbohydrates for energy. It is
needed for maintaining normal appetite, muscle tone, and nervous system functioning. Foods in the
Meat Group and the Grain Group are good sources of thiamin.
Vitamin A (Retinol) – A nutrient that is essential for the growth of all cells and for maintaining the
mucus membranes that line the eyes, respiratory tract, and digestive tract. Vitamin A helps eyes
adapt to changes in light intensity – making night vision possible. Foods in the Fruit Group and
Vegetable Group are good sources of vitamin A.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) – A nutrient that is necessary for the formation of connective tissues that
bind body cells together. It also helps to heal wounds and bones and helps maintain the elasticity
and strength of bold vessels. Foods from the Fruit Group and Vegetable Group are good sources of
vitamin C
Vitamins –They enable the body to use food to grow and be healthy. They are essential for good
health.
Water – Water is a part of all body tissues and fluids. It is the most abundant substance in the body.
Water is essential for maintaining body temperature, respiration, and the chemical reaction that
enable the body to digest and use food.