In Grade 4K we work on units designed for 9 - 12 year olds, known as Milepost 3 units. There is a lot of asking questions and searching for answers to those questions, through a variety of research tasks, including hands-on activities, reading, and using the internet. Children are encouraged to ask questions and to seek out the answers to those questions in a variety of ways.
As we explore units, websites that we use for each unit will be added to this page so children can continue exploring them independently or with parental supervision. Some sites require subscription and password access which will be provided when this is available. Others are free for anyone to explore.
While links are checked when posting, it is possible that external websites are changed or updated so please be aware that links may not always work, although I will do my best to ensure links remain valid.
Fascinating Forces
This hands on unit explores the forces that operate in the world around us. One important area of research is flight. The video below is a useful starting point.
Science A-Z has three units on Forces, one at each level. The Doing Work unit for Grades K-2 students is useful for students who are English Language Learners. The Machines unit for Grades 3-4 students focuses on how machines can help us need less force to achieve an outcome. Finally the Force and Motion unit for Grades 5-6 has some particularly relevant information, including explicit explanation of Newton's laws. I found the "low" material in the Grade 5-6 unit was accessible for my 4th graders.
One of the questions we explore is the difference between mass and weight. Here are a couple of useful videos to help explore this concept.
Thinking about weight and mass, this website lets you find out how much you weigh on different planets and even some of their moons.
The next video is a little hard for ESL 4th graders but until I find anything more suitable I'll use it. It explains the Archimedes Principle.
This one provides a fairly clear explanation of how submarines work.
The Time Tunnel
Chronology involves putting things in the right order. This is very important when studying historybecause it helps us to see ‘the big picture’ – to understand the reasons why things have happened and
how the present is influenced by the past. That's the Big Idea we explore in The Time Tunnel.
Kids Discover has extensive information on both World History and key Historical Figures. There is also another section focusing specifically on American History.
Time for Kids contains information on many countries around the world, including historical timelines.
The BBC History website contains biographical information about a large number of historical figures. This site is archived and no longer updated but was accessible at the time of posting.
Camelot International provides a brief overview of world history in a time line format.
The DK Findout! website has some great factual information and visuals. There is a specific section on History. Be aware this site does contain links to other sites, particularly where DK books can be purchased.
History for Kids is also a useful website for students to explore. It is less interactive than some of the other sites, but easy to navigate.
Mr David (of Grade 4D at EWIS) also recommends Ducksters. Unfortunately this site has a lot of advertising on it, and the presentation is not as interactive as many of the above sites.
Being Human
Your body is designed to help you to breathe, move, eat, respond, reproduce and live. But how do the
different parts of your body function and how are humans different from other animals? That's the Big Idea of the IPC Being Human Unit. Here are some websites we used to helps us learn about this.
Knowing about and being able to perform some basic first aid is an important life skill. The British Red Cross have developed a kid-friendly on-line first aid training program.
Kids Health is an interactive website with games, puzzles, videos, and lots of links to more information. The videos which explore different body parts were particularly useful for this IPC unit.
The Children's University of Manchester in another interactive website containing information, games and quizzes. Topics of interest for our Being Human unit include:
Kids Discover is an amazing interactive website with science, technology, history, and geography topics that are accessed through a mind-map style page. Some content is available free (sign-up for a free login to access free materials), while other content is only available with a subscription. Students in my class have an individual login and can complete assigned reading tasks, and take quizzes. They can also explore other topics on the website that are of personal interest to them. Content is available at three different reading levels which is particularly helpful for English Language Learners. Visual learners will find this site particularly interesting.
Water For Everyone
Not everyone in the world has access to clean and safe water. This unit helps students explore the importance of water, how we obtain clean water, how they can play a part in safeguarding this precious resource, and how they can help others have access to clean water.The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority website provides local information.
South East Queensland Water has a fun interactive game (Water Island) which steps children through the process involved in building water supplies and water treatment. It has an interactive virtual tour of the water supply process in South East Queensland. The tour includes a Water Recyling Plant and a Desalination Plant.
Water Wise
The Singaporean government has produced a great series of animated videos on water featuring Water Wally. This link takes you to a YouTube playlist for the series.
There are many sites available showcasing some great work being done around the world to improve access to water. Some sites I found useful include:
Water Aid - Technologies - This part of the WaterAid site was a little hard to find at first but it has some excellent downloadable documents and posters which provide clear information about different technology that is being used to ensure access to clean safe water and good sanitation.
The two best websites I found for looking at micro-organisms were:
- The Children's University of Manchester site
- e-Bug
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