🔬 4th Grade Science · Unit 1

Energy

27 short narrated lessons in 5 chapters, each with pictures, a quiz with a hint and a second try, and an explanation for every answer.

Standards: 4-PS3-2 4-PS3-1 4-PS3-3 4-PS3-4 3-5-ETS1-1 3-5-ETS1-2

4th Grade Science · 7 units
  1. 1Energy
  2. 2Energy Resources
  3. 3Waves and Information
  4. 4Light and the Senses
  5. 5Structures of Living Things
  6. 6Earth's Changing Surface
  7. 7Natural Hazards
Picture from the lesson “Energy Is Everywhere!”
Energy Is Everywhere!
Picture from the lesson “Energy on the Go and Energy Waiting”
Energy on the Go and Energy Waiting
Picture from the lesson “Passing Energy Along”
Passing Energy Along

What your child will learn

What is energy?

  1. Energy Is Everywhere!Recognize that energy is what makes things move, light up, heat up or make sound.
  2. Energy on the Go and Energy WaitingDistinguish between energy of motion and energy that is stored, like in a stretched rubber band or a battery.
  3. Passing Energy AlongExplain that energy can be transferred from place to place and from one object to another.
  4. Clues That Energy Is HereIdentify evidence of energy such as movement, sound, light, heat and electric current.
  5. Energy Review: What Is Energy? ReviewReview what energy is, the difference between motion and stored energy, and the clues that show energy is present.

Speed and energy

  1. Faster Means More EnergyExplain that the faster an object moves, the more energy it has.
  2. How Fast Is It Going?Describe how to find an object's speed by measuring the distance it travels and the time it takes.
  3. The Ramp TestUse evidence from a ball rolling down ramps of different heights to connect speed with energy.
  4. Explaining with EvidenceConstruct an explanation that uses measurements to link an object's speed to its energy.
  5. Speed and Energy Review ReviewReview how speed is measured and how evidence shows that faster objects have more energy.

Energy in collisions

  1. Bump! When Objects CollideDescribe what happens to motion when two moving objects bump into each other.
  2. Passing Energy in a BumpExplain that energy is transferred between objects when they collide, changing their speed.
  3. Clang! Sound and Heat from BumpsRecognize that some energy in a collision turns into sound and heat.
  4. Asking Great Questions About BumpsAsk testable questions about how the speed of objects affects what happens when they collide.
  5. Collisions Review ReviewReview how energy moves and changes form when objects collide.

Energy transfer by heat, light, sound and electricity

  1. Heat Moves from Warm to CoolExplain that heat energy moves from warmer objects to cooler ones.
  2. Light Carries EnergyShow that light carries energy from place to place, such as sunlight warming a sidewalk.
  3. Good Vibrations: Sound Carries EnergyExplain that sound is energy traveling through vibrations in air, water or solids.
  4. Energy Through WiresDescribe how an electric current carries energy through wires to make things work.
  5. Build a Circuit, Light a BulbExplain how a battery, wires and a bulb must form a complete loop for a light to turn on.
  6. Review: How Energy Travels ReviewReview the ways energy is transferred by heat, light, sound and electric currents.

Designing an energy converter

  1. Energy Changes FormGive examples of devices that change energy from one form to another, like a flashlight or a fan.
  2. What Is the Problem? Criteria and ConstraintsDefine a design problem by naming its criteria for success and its constraints.
  3. Brainstorm Many DesignsGenerate and compare several possible designs for a device that converts energy.
  4. Build, Test and ImproveExplain how engineers build a model, test it and use results to improve their design.
  5. Review: Designing an Energy Converter ReviewReview how devices convert energy and the steps engineers use to design and improve them.
  6. Unit 1 Test: EnergyShow what you learned in the whole unit (What is energy?, Speed and energy, Energy in collisions, Energy transfer by heat, light, sound and electricity, Designing an energy converter) by answering mixed questions.

Try a question from this unit

From the lesson “Energy Is Everywhere!”

What is energy?

  • A kind of food that only people eat
  • The ability to make things move or change
  • A type of rock found in the ground
  • The color of light from a lamp
Show the answer

The ability to make things move or change. Energy is the ability to make things move or change, like making them move, light up, heat up or make sound.

Hint kids see after a wrong try: “Think about what the bouncing ball, the lamp and the bell all needed.”

Key words

  • energy
  • motion energy
  • stored energy
  • transfer
  • evidence
  • heat
  • speed
  • distance
  • time
  • ramp
  • explanation
  • data
  • collide
  • collision
  • sound
  • question
  • predict
  • temperature
  • light
  • vibration
  • electric current
  • circuit
  • battery
  • complete circuit
All 4th Grade Science units Energy Resources →

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