[ML4] Grade 4 -- Curriculum Overview

Learning Objectives:

  • Core Concepts: Introduction to energy forms, sound waves, light, electricity, magnetism, and forces.
  • Data Skills: Students work with more advanced live plots, learning to analyze relationships between variables (e.g., force vs. acceleration, resistance vs. current).

Session Grouping:

  • Bootcamp (Sessions 1-2): Introduction to variables, taking more complex measurements.
  • Exploring Physics (Sessions 3-7): Investigating light, sound, forces, and electricity in practical experiments.
  • Physical Interactions (Sessions 8-9): Hands-on activities around heat transfer and reaction times.
  • Creative Project (Session 10): Students design an experiment, collect data, and analyze trends using tables and graphs.

Data Analysis Skills:

  • Graph Analysis: Students interpret live plots, understand cause-effect relationships, and begin extrapolating from graphs to predict future outcomes.

Session 1: Speed and Size
Session 1: Light and Heat—Exploring Energy

Details:

Students use the light sensor to measure light intensity from different sources and observe temperature changes with the temperature sensor to understand how light can produce heat.


Session 2: Magentism
Session 2: Building Circuits—Bright Sparks

Details:

Students construct simple electrical circuits using bulbs and batteries, measuring voltage and current with MeasureLab to see how electricity flows.


Session 3: Sound Waves—Visualizing Vibrations

Details:

Using the sound sensor, students investigate how different materials and tensions affect sound by measuring the intensity and frequency of vibrations.


Session 4: Magnetic Forces—Attraction and Repulsion

Details:

Students explore magnetism by measuring the strength of magnets with the magnetic flux sensor and observing how distance affects magnetic force.


Session 5: Changing States—Melting and Freezing

Details:

Students record temperature changes as ice melts and water freezes, using the temperature sensor to link heat energy to changes in states of matter.


Session 6: Simple Machines—Leveraging Force

Details:

Using the load cell, students measure the force required to lift objects with levers or pulleys, learning how simple machines make work easier.


Session 7: Photosynthesis in Action

Details:

Students measure COâ‚‚ levels around plants in light and dark conditions with the COâ‚‚ sensor to understand how plants use carbon dioxide.


Session 8: Environmental Explorers—Microclimates

Details:

Using temperature, humidity, and light sensors, students compare different areas (sunny vs. shady) to see how conditions vary in micro-environments.


Session 9: Water Cycle—Observing Evaporation

Details:

Students measure the rate of water evaporation by weighing samples over time with the load cell, learning how heat affects evaporation.


Session 10: Create and Experiment

Details:

Students design and conduct their own experiments using MeasureLab on a topic of interest, applying the scientific method and presenting their results.