Fourth grade students are learning how to use critical thinking to solve problems. They should be learning how to ask a question about a science topic, form a simple investigation and use simple tools such as microscopes to investigate the topic and form an answer. They also will be learning how to communicate their findings to others.
Life science is the study of living organisms. Fourth grade students learn about life cycles of different organisms by observing them in the classroom or creating projects such as a life cycle wheel. Students learn how to identify different organisms by their characteristics and how to identify whether the characteristics are learned or inherited. They also may learn about the different environments that organisms live in and how they adapt to their environments.
Physical science is the study of energy and matter. Fourth grade students learn about electricity and electrical circuits as well as insulators and how they work. They also study light and how it travels. Other topics include the properties and behavior of different forms of energy and matter.
Earth science is the study of the earth and the solar system. Students may observe the phases of the moon or the constellations and how they move. The names of the planets and how they orbit the sun also could be studied. The weather is another topic that is generally covered in fourth grade science classes. Fourth graders learn the basics of weather, including cloud types and how to use thermometers and weather vanes.