Fourth Grade Curriculum and Instruction
Creating Ecosystems
Every Fall in science, fourth grade students build their own ecosystems. They create aquariums with gravel, water, elodea plants, duckweed plants, and algae. They then introduce fish and snails to this environment. To create terrariums, students use soil and seeds to plant grass, alfalfa, and mustard. They also include leaves and twigs they find in our courtyards. Crickets are added to our terrarium environments. Students make sure that the living organisms in their terrariums and aquariums have everything they need to survive in their habitat. Students make observations of all the living things in their ecosystems and note any changes.
Learning about Watersheds
To prepare for their field trip to the Chesapeake Bay, fourth grade students learned about watersheds. They received a letter from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from the Chesapeake Bay office asking for their help in identifying water problems in our school yard. Fourth graders explored our school grounds looking for areas that have problems with water flow. They also tested the water quality of our water to show how healthy/unhealthy it is and made an action plan with steps to improve our school yard.
Chesapeake Bay Field Trip
In the Fall of 2018, our fourth grade students visited the Chesapeake Bay for a meaningful watershed education experience with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Students learned about the actions we can take to protect and save the Bay. They tested water quality and observed fish and animals in the local ecosystems.