Grade 4 - 4-ESS2 Earth’s Systems (2024)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems
• Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around. (4-ESS2-1)

ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions
• The locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans. Major mountain chains form inside continents or near their edges. Maps can help locate the different land and water features areas of Earth. (4-ESS2-2)

ESS2.E: Biogeology
• Living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions. (4-ESS2-1)

Performance Expectations Students who demonstrate understanding can:
4-ESS2-1.
Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation. [Clarification Statement: Examples of variables to test could include angle of slope in the downhill movement of water, amount of vegetation, speed of wind, relative rate of deposition, cycles of freezing and thawing of water, cycles of heating and cooling, and volume of water flow.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single form of weathering or erosion.]

4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features. [Clarification Statement: Maps can include topographic maps of Earth’s land and ocean floor, as well as maps of the locations of mountains, continental boundaries, volcanoes, and earthquakes.]
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Use the Template and Resource Links to Fulfill NGSS

l. Goals:

  1. Understand that rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around.
  2. Understand that the locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans. Major mountain chains form inside continents or near their edges. Maps can help locate the different land and water features areas of Earth.
  3. Understand that living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions.

Essential Questions:

  1. How does rainfall in a region affect the shape of the land and the types of living things that live there?
  2. What helps to break down rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around?
  3. Where do volcanoes and earthquakes general occur on the planet?
  4. Where do mountain chains generally form on the planet?
  5. What can we use to help locate the different land and water features areas of Earth?
  6. How do living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions?

NGSS Note: Think, question, entertain ideas.

ll. Introductory Activities to Assess Prior Knowledge

A. Simple Activities - that assess students’ understanding of the effect of rainfall on the land and living things in a region.

1. Have students find a picture online of land (and living things) that have been affected by rainfall and explain them to the class (i.e. Grand Canyon, erosion, flood devastation).

2. Have students draw a map of their state and the waterways and other interesting feature found there.

B. Brainstorming Session

Question: What are some ways that living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions?
1. Break students down into groups of 3-4.
2. Ask students to come up with several examples of living things affectinf the physical characteristics of their region, i.e. clear-cut forest, terraced rice paddies, etc.
3
. Discuss

lll. New Knowledge - Text

A. Read about the effect of rainfall on land.

Water Cycle

Rock Identification, the Rock Cycle and Assessment

The Dirt on Dirt -- Why is Soil Important?

Rocks, Erosion and Soil Science Activities

A. Read about the landforms.

Landforms and Waterways

About Mountains

Examples of Models (depicts the concept expressed in the reading):

Ask students to look at the model of mountain formation and explain how it illustrates the concepts being discussed in this unit.

lV. Experiments, Activities, Model-making (Critical Thinking)

Inquiry related to Earth's waterways and erosion:

Erosion Activity

V. Summarize Knowledge - Enduring Understandings

  1. Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around.
  2. The locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans. Major mountain chains form inside continents or near their edges. Maps can help locate the different land and water features areas of Earth.
  3. Living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions.

Vl. Next Generation of Science Standards (NGSS) - Grade 4

Disciplinary Core Ideas

ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems
• Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around. (4-ESS2-1)

ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions
• The locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans. Major mountain chains form inside continents or near their edges. Maps can help locate the different land and water features areas of Earth. (4-ESS2-2)

ESS2.E: Biogeology
• Living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions. (4-ESS2-1)


Science and Engineering Practices (NGSS)

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
Planning and carrying out investigations to answer questions or test solutions to problems in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to include investigations that control variables and provide evidence to support explanations or design solutions.
• Make observations and/or measurements to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence for an explanation of a phenomenon. (4-ESS2-1)

Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Analyzing data in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to introducing quantitative approaches to collecting data and conducting multiple trials of qualitative observations. When possible and feasible, digital tools should be used.
• Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoning. (4-ESS2-2)

Crosscutting Concepts
Patterns
• Patterns can be used as evidence to support an explanation. (4-ESS2-2)

Cause and Effect
• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change. (4-ESS2-1)

Performance Expectations

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

4-ESS2-1. Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation. [Clarification Statement: Examples of variables to test could include angle of slope in the downhill movement of water, amount of vegetation, speed of wind, relative rate of deposition, cycles of freezing and thawing of water, cycles of heating and cooling, and volume of water flow.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single form of weathering or erosion.]

4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features. [Clarification Statement: Maps can include topographic maps of Earth’s land and ocean floor, as well as maps of the locations of mountains, continental boundaries, volcanoes, and earthquakes.]

Common Core State Standards Connections

ELA/Literacy

RI.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. (4-ESS2-2)
W.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. (4-ESS2-2)
W.4.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources. (4-ESS2-1)

Mathematics
MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (4-ESS2-1)
MP.4 Model with mathematics. (4-ESS2-1)
MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically. (4-ESS2-1)
4.MD.A.1 Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Record measurement equivalents in a two-column table. (4-ESS2-1)
4.MD.A.2 Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale. (4-ESS2-1),(4-ESS2-2)

Articulation of DCIs across grade-levels:

2.ESS1.C (4-ESS2-1); 2.ESS2.A (4-ESS2-1); 2.ESS2.B (4-ESS2-2); 2.ESS2.C (4-ESS2-2); 5.ESS2.A (4-ESS2-1); 5.ESS2.C (4-ESS2-2); MS.ESS1.C (4-ESS2-2); MS.ESS2.A (4-ESS2-2); MS.ESS2.B (4-ESS2-2)

Citing Research References

When you research information you must cite the reference. Citing for websites is different from citing from books, magazines and periodicals. The style of citing shown here is from the MLA Style Citations (Modern Language Association).

When citing a WEBSITE the general format is as follows.
Author Last Name, First Name(s). "Title: Subtitle of Part of Web Page, if appropriate." Title: Subtitle: Section of Page if appropriate. Sponsoring/Publishing Agency, If Given. Additional significant descriptive information. Date of Electronic Publication or other Date, such as Last Updated. Day Month Year of access < URL >.

Here is an example of citing this page:

Amsel, Sheri. "Grade 4 - 4-ESS2 Earth’s Systems" Exploring Nature Educational Resource ©2005-2024. March 25, 2024
< http://www.exploringnature.org/db/view/Grade-4-4-ESS2-Earthrsquos-Systems >

Grade 4 - 4-ESS2 Earth’s Systems (2024)

FAQs

What is the 4 ESS2 2 standard? ›

4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth's features. [Clarification Statement: Maps can include topographic maps of Earth's land and ocean floor, as well as maps of the locations of mountains, continental boundaries, volcanoes, and earthquakes.]

What is the 4 ESS2 1 experiment? ›

NGSS: 4-ESS2-1: Make observations or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation. This activity page guides students through an experiment to observe how wild horses can change the land and effect erosion.

What are the Earth's 4 major systems? ›

These four subsystems are called "spheres." Specifically, they are the "lithosphere" (land), "hydrosphere" (water), "biosphere" (living things), and "atmosphere" (air).

What is the law of superposition in ngss? ›

law of superposition, a major principle of stratigraphy stating that within a sequence of layers of sedimentary rock, the oldest layer is at the base and that the layers are progressively younger with ascending order in the sequence.

What is 5 ESS1 2 in science standard? ›

5-ESS1-2. Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.

What is the common core standard 4 OA 2? ›

4. OA. 2 - Multiply or divide to solve word problems involving multiplicative comparison, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem, distinguishing multiplicative comparison from additive comparison.

What are the 4 major of the Earth? ›

Earth's four major geological subsystems include the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere.

What are the 4 main systems of Earth What is the main elemental component that defines them? ›

In Earth system science, we generally view the full Earth system as being made up of four major component systems: the geosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere. Both the full Earth system and the component system are dynamic, meaning they involve a lot of motion and change.

What is the Earth system for kids? ›

Just as the human body is composed of interrelated systems that control specific bodily functions, Earth's four principal components — the atmosphere (air), geosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), and biosphere (life) — perform critical roles that, together, support and sustain life on the planet.

What are the 4 laws of superposition? ›

Superposition is the layering of materials, one on top of the other. Four postulates form the basis of geological understanding: Law of Superposition, Law of Original Horizontality, Law of Lateral Continuity, and Law of Cross-cutting Relationships.

What is the law of superposition for dummies? ›

The law of superposition is one of the principles of geology scientists use to determine the relative ages of rock strata, or layers. This principle states that layers of rock are superimposed, or laid down one on top of another. The oldest rock strata will be on the bottom and the youngest at the top.

What is the largest object put in superposition? ›

The current record holder for the largest object ever put in a superposition is a sapphire crystal weighing 16 micrograms, which is about the size of a grain of sand. Scientists at ETH Zurich managed to make the crystal vibrate in two opposite directions at the same time, like a quantum version of Schrödinger's cat.

What is 4 ESS3 1 science standard? ›

4-ESS3-1 (Science (CA NGSS)) Performance Expectation: Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and that their uses affect the environment.

What is the foundation of the Earth's global climate system? ›

The foundation for Earth's global climate systems is the electromagnetic radiation from the sun, as well as its reflection, absorption, storage, and redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and land systems, and this energy's re-radiation into space.

Are there simultaneous coevolutions of Earth's systems and life on Earth? ›

The many dynamic and delicate feedbacks between the biosphere and other Earth systems cause a continual coevolution of Earth's surface and the life that exists on it.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Foster Heidenreich CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 6374

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (76 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Foster Heidenreich CPA

Birthday: 1995-01-14

Address: 55021 Usha Garden, North Larisa, DE 19209

Phone: +6812240846623

Job: Corporate Healthcare Strategist

Hobby: Singing, Listening to music, Rafting, LARPing, Gardening, Quilting, Rappelling

Introduction: My name is Foster Heidenreich CPA, I am a delightful, quaint, glorious, quaint, faithful, enchanting, fine person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.