Science for Children in Grades 4-6
During this 3 year period, your children will study
basically the same topics they covered earlier but in more depth. See Basic
Science Topics to get an idea of what to cover. It only goes to
5th grade though, sorry about that. :) There is also a list below.
Initial ideas for this age group
Humans: During this time start with the things you can see, such as the
eyes, ears, mouth, nose, etc and learn the names of the parts, draw them
too. After that, each year go into more depth such as skeleton,
circulatory, organs, revisit the senses..... This is also the time to talk
about reproduction in humans, plants, and animals.
Animals, bugs, plants: Learn their different parts too. How they
breathe, eat, (who eats, gets eaten, and who makes their own food) and so
on. Study live specimens if you can. Grow some plants. Look at things
through a magnifying glass. This is the earth worm, ant farm,
tadpole-to-frog, caterpillar-to-butterfly period --- try to do most of
them.
Bird observations should become a more refined. Study the stars too,
make drawings and notes in a journal. Choose a native tree,
identify it, learn how to identify that particular kind of tree during
each of the four seasons.
During the last year, work on refining lab techniques: Care of
equipment, how to use equipment, how to clean and put away. How to make
notes during an experiment, how to: make charts, make graphs, make
drawings, and write a few sentences about results...
Sample topics for this age group
These are listed in no particular order
-Plants and Seeds Structure
-Biological Organization
-Classification System
-Insects and Reptiles
-Ecosystems
-Food Chains, (producers, consumers, decomposers)
-Human physiology systems
-Cells
-Bacteria
-Molds
-Classification of living things
-Microbes
-Algae and fungi
-Conservation
-Nuclear energy
-Elementary geology |
-Earth's Composition
-Properties and Uses of Light (speed and direction, reflection,
refraction, lasers, the color spectrum)
-Basics of Oceans (tides, waves, current, geography of floor -
ridges, trenches, life)
-Fresh water & the water cycle
-Weather
- The Universe
-Electricity
-Magnetism
-Landforms
-Electricity and uses
-Inventions |
-Uses Measuring Devices, Graphing
-Techniques of Observation and Experimentation
-Machines and How They Work
-Graph obtained data, using millimeters, centimeters, meters
-Use of Microscope
-Atomic Energy
-Elements and compounds
-Simple Astronomy
-Space travel
-Sound, light, and heat
-Magnetic and electric interactions |
The books and software titles below have resources to meet
some of the needs for this age group. Many resources will be found in the
World Book CD-ROMs -- diagrams of human, bug, and plant parts as well as
some multimedia resources.
You don't need all of these, be selective!
| Resources: |
Books: |
Books: |
Nature Studies
Be selective when investing in nature guide
books. TIP: Get guide books that are for your area. It is annoying
to wade through trees of China when you are trying to find the tree in
your backyard. The handiest books to OWN are tree and bird guides.
 |
Handbook
of Nature Study
By Anna Botsford Comstock | See
Review
Don't buy this and then let it sit on your
shelf! Use the lessons for nature studies as well as composition.
The language is quaint and the book is very interesting with much
more tidbits of knowledge than you will find anywhere else. |
Encyclopedias: While I prefer
books over disks any day, I prefer the encyclopedias on cd-rom
for science because of the interactive content that some programs
include. If you decide to buy an encyclopedia on cd-rom or if your
computer came with one (Many computers have Encarta) be SURE to look
it over and see what you can use. Look for charts, diagrams,
interactive gizmos and such. Make notes of your findings and work it
in into your school plans.
Science Encyclopedias: I'm sure you have seen them at
bookstores.. they are large, weigh about 5 pounds and cost around
$40. I've got the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. Just like
the Handbook of Nature Study it is too
easy to let that big heavy book sit on the shelf and not use it. IF
you get one.. USE it!! |
Software: I am really out of
touch with current software, but I understand that --
Zoombinis Logical Journey is good for thinking. Science and
math require thinking.. so this might be good. :-)
The
Magic School Bus Collection
also carries software, but I have not used it. Users reviews at
Amazon seem to indicate that it is good. |
|
TOPS
Learning Systems #32 Electricity Lab
uses aluminum foil instead of wire. I recommend that you buy some
battery holders, alligator clips, switches, and thin coated wire because
the foil gets HOT. These things can be found at Radio Shack or a similar
store.Favorite
TOPS
Learning Systems #33 Magnetism Magnets
can be found at your local Radio
Shack or a similar store.
TOPS
Learning Systems #39 Corn and Beans Observe, calculate, chart,
draw the growth of corn and beans.
 The
Christian Liberty Nature readers are another one of our favorites. Book
4 is about birds, bugs [contents].
[Favorite]
Book
5 is about the human body, senses, eye, ear etc.. and other things
A book that covers the classification topics is "Introduction
to Biology" by John Holzmann. This book can be bought from
Sonlight Curriculum.
Experiments
Books
Note: If you would rather make
all of your own projects and experiment with homemade things and
bugs that you find outside, I recommend this book:
The McGraw-Hill Big Book of Science Activities: Fun and Easy
Experiments for Kids by Robert Wood
Or go to your local bookstore and look at their selection of
experiment books.
|
Nature Journal:
Some of your children may be interested in
keeping a nature journal. I recommend that you encourage them to do so. For
starters: Record observations of trees, birds, stars, and weather.
I have full-size nature journal sheets at this website [Nature
Journal]. My children used a half-sized
journal. If you prefer a half-sized book, then return to this website, I
should have one posted before autumn 2003 that you can print.
04/20/2007 :
Update-- It looks like I didn't put my half-sized nature journal online. |
 |
Exploring
the World Around You: From the Ice of Antarctica to the Heat of the
Sahara (ecosystems) By: Gary Parker Christian |
 |
The World of Plants Great Science Adventures
By Dinah Zike & Susan Simpson / Common Sense Press |
| This simple and highly effective book of experiments and reproducibles will help your students embark upon a plant-world adventure! Each activity covers certain concepts that are explained in bullet-point format, and includes vocabulary words, a reading passage in the included, reproducible mini-book Lots of Science Library, further experience and investigation topics, and complete instructions. Reproducibles include mini-books, cut-and-paste figures and more. 77 teacher's pages, 25 graphics pages and more. Softcover. 24 lessons, 2-3 lessons completed per week. Grades K-8. |
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Note: The What Your # Grader
Needs to Know Books have science biographies as well as science
topics. Secular
These books can usually be found at
your public library.
-What Your 4th Grader
Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Fourth-Grade Education The
4th grade book has the topics of:
Under the heading, "The History of the Earth and Its
Life Forms," there are 11 sections based on ancient earth
(secular)
Under the heading, "The Human Body and Health,"
there are topics regarding the circulatory and respiratory systems.
Under the heading, "Physical Sciences," there are
36 topics about the body of the earth, atmosphere, and energy
Biographies of: Marie Curie; Alexander Fleming; Elizabeth
Blackwell; Daniel Hale Williams
-What Your 5th Grader
Needs to Know: Fundamentals of Good Fifth-Grade Education
The 5th grade book has the topics of:
Under the heading, "Life Sciences," there are
several topics regarding classification, cells, kingdoms,
reproduction in plants, animal, people.
Under the heading, "Physical Sciences," there are
topics regarding matter, mass, speed, force, pressure, work, energy,
phase changes, measuring temperature, transferring heat energy,
electricity,..
Biographies of: Issac Newton, Anton van Leeuwenhoek, and
Ernest Just
-What Your 6th Grader
Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Sixth-Grade Education [I
don't have contents of this book to post] |
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