Grade 4 Science: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 4 science in the BC Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- All living things sense and respond to their environment.
- Matter has mass, takes up space, and can change phase.
- Energy can be transformed.
- The motions of Earth and the moon cause observable patterns that affect living and non-living systems.
Easy ways to practise science at home
- Try a kitchen experiment, such as what dissolves in water and what floats or sinks.
- Keep a simple weather or moon log for a month.
- Ask “What do you think will happen?” and then test it.
- Visit a park, beach or creek and look for living things and their habitats.
What each unit covers
Sense & Respond
How people, animals and plants sense and respond to their environment: the nervous system, reflexes, special animal senses and plant responses to light, gravity and touch.
Biomes
Earth's major biomes (tundra, boreal forest, grassland, desert, rainforest and more), reading clue tables and rainfall graphs, and how living things are adapted to each biome.
Phase Changes
The six changes of state, whether heat is added or taken away, and everyday examples like dew, frost and drying puddles.
Particles & Mass
Solids, liquids and gases at the particle level, how temperature changes particle speed, and conservation of mass (melting or dissolving doesn't change the total mass), with some adding of grams.
Energy Changes
Forms of energy, how everyday devices change one form into another, renewable and non-renewable resources, and how hydroelectricity is made.
Earth, Moon & Sun
How Earth's spin causes day and night, how its tilt and orbit cause seasons, the moon's phases, tides and eclipses, and how these patterns affect plants and animals.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Emerging
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Developing
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Proficient
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Extending
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the BC report card guide.
Common questions
How can I help my Grade 4 child with science?
Try a kitchen experiment, such as what dissolves in water and what floats or sinks. Keep a simple weather or moon log for a month. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
What does my child learn in Grade 4 science in BC?
The BC Curriculum Grade 4 science units include sense & respond, biomes, phase changes, particles & mass, energy changes, earth, moon & sun.
Free printable Grade 4 science practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.