I love the idea of our students switching for social studies and science because I think it gets them ready for fifth grade when they start switching more for classes.
I will be teaching science for both classes. Mrs. Keefe and I switch several times a week. She will teach social studies to both classes. The students are familiar with this schedule from third grade.
Each unit for science ranges from three-four lessons. After every lesson (or two), I like to give a small quiz to assess the students' learning. After each unit is completed, the students will take a unit assessment. We will then move on to the next unit of study. Students will also keep a science notebook for vocabulary terms, diagrams, and any lesson worksheets (given at the end of almost every lesson as a review before the quiz I give).
SCIENCE UNITS FOR THIS YEAR:
Measuring Weather Unit
Lesson 1: How Does Sunlight Affect Air Temperature? Lesson 2: How Does Temperature Affect Air Movement? Lesson 3: What Causes Clouds and Precipitation? Lesson 4: How Do Meteorologists Predict Weather?
Force and Motion Unit
Lesson 1: How Do Forces Affect Motion? Lesson 2: How Does Energy Affect Motion? Lesson 3: How Are Work and Motion Related?
The Makeup of the Earth Unit
Lesson 1: What is the Earth's Surface Like? Lesson 2: How Do Weathering and Erosion Affect the Earth's Features? Lesson 3: What Materials Make Up the Earth's Features? Lesson 4: What Resources Are Found on the Earth?
Animal Structure and Function Unit
Lesson 1: How Are Animals Alike and Different? Lesson 2: How Do Animals with Backbones Vary? Lesson 3: What Characteristics Do Animals Get from Their Parents?
Plant Structure and Function Unit
Lesson 1: How Are Plants Grouped? Lesson 2: What Are the Parts of a Flower? Lesson 3: How Do Flowers Make Seeds and Fruits? Lesson 4: What is the Life Cycle of a Flowering Plant?