G:\Science 2010\Planeacion Del Tercer Periodo 2009 2010 Grado Cuarto
1. AREA: SCIENCE
SECTION: PRIMARY
GRADE: FOURTH
SCHOOL YEAR: 2009-2010
TEACHER: MARIA DEL PILAR BONILLA POTES
CLASS PLANNING: THIRD TERM
STARTING DATE: MARCH 23rd - ENDDING DATE: JUNE 23rd, 2010
WEEKLY HOURS: 4 HOURS IN ENGLISH.
GRADE TARGET: “Knowing our history we participate with responsibly in the transformation of our
environment”
UNIT 3:
THE EARTH A LIVING PLANET
3.1 Movements of the earth: rotation and translation. Relationships of size, movement and position.
Comparison of weight and mass in different parts of the solar system.
3.2 Effects of these movements: eclipses, moon phases, tides and seasons
3.3 Layers of the earth.
3.4 Problems associated with earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, tides and seasons. Relations between tides,
currents, movement of tectonic plates, shapes, the landscape and topography and the forces that generate
them.
Readings: Text "Colombia my grandfather and I" by Pilar Lozano.
Grade project: "Recognizing our own history we recognize our country's history" which integrate social studies,
science and Spanish areas.
Research Methodology:
• Observations
• Formulating questions
• Formulation of hypotheses
• Data recording
• Developing simple conclusions.
PROJECT:
“Recognizing our own history, we recognize our country´s history.”
PURPOSE:
During this term we will work the following chapters of the text: "Colombia, mi abuelo y yo" (Chapters 1 to 7). In Science
we will be reading some excerpts, so that the students are placed and contextualized in the history of the Earth within our
solar system and the universe, becoming aware of the responsibility we have to take care of our environment, the planet
we live on. This will be done through observing a very important video found in the following web site:
http://helpourplanetearth.blip.tv/ and called HOPE Help Our Planet Earth-Children of the stars.
We will also be considering some problem situations with respect to the effects of natural physical phenomena, (seasons,
tides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions) on the life of our planet. We are currently seeing around us the effects of
earthquakes and tsunamis in our planet and that places us in a day to day situation. Other texts that will be used are
some short biographies of Nicholas Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, and a video about volcanic activity. The work being
carried out in this period, aims to train students in the ability to read with understanding, make anticipations, interpret and
analyze narrative texts and scientific nature and the ability to ask questions or problem situations, develop hypotheses,
verified by inquiry, watch videos, construct models, make records of observations, comparisons, discussions, sustain
their opinions, arrive at conclusions and work on written productions.
RESOURCES:
Bibliographic: We address the text: "Colombia, mi abuelo y yo" (Chapters 1 to 4).
Others: Other texts will be used as some short biographies of Nicholas Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, and a video about
volcanic activity. A text taken from internet, comparing the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile will be read. A short
informative text about the tsunami alert in Hawaii, as well as their book about this year’s main character the Sea Otter in
which they will concentrate on developing and proposing ways of protecting it. Here they will work on analyzing how the
possible natural environmental phenomenon might endanger or protect the sea otter.
TEACHING:
2. After observing the video http://helpourplanetearth.blip.tv/ and called HOPE Help Our Planet Earth-Children of the stars
and analyzing it, students will discuss in small (not larger than 4 students) groups, the importance of our beginnings as
“Children of the stars”. After this we retake the components (atoms of matter in the Universe, The Earth and us. To begin
working this term there will be a contextualization of the area of physical science and its components and then we will
retake the use of scientific methods, tools and measurements used in science. We will also work introducing mass,
weight and their comparison. A guide will be introduced called: “THE EARTH A LIVING PLANET, EFFECTS OF SOME
NATURAL PHENOMENON”.
We will be introduced to the institutional solid waste management as one way of protecting our environment and then as a
booster we will visit the facilities of UCAR.
We will then, talk about the work in this period, which will be written down in the notebook answering the following
questions: What will I learn?, How will I learn it? And how am I going to be evaluated? Through a short dialogue we will
learn what children know about Earth, its movements, and the effect that some of these movements have on us, their
concerns and expectations. What do you know about earthquakes? have you ever seen a volcano?, do you know how
are day, night, years and tides generated? Do you know what determines the weather that we have?, are you aware of
the impact of a tsunami? This answers will generate a decent assessment of some of their previous knowledge and will
be written in their notebook together with other questions that arise through this short dialogue.
We will then be retaking the text "Colombia, my grandfather and I" starting to read the first four chapters of the book,
highlighting the grandfather's attitude toward knowledge and the world around them, contrasting the way the grandfather
in the book and several ancient scientists sought knowledge. The text helps contextualize the work that will be developed
and we expect new questions to arise after reading the text. These will lead to the first instruction.
Activity:
Based on the reading and discussion of Chapter No. 1 analyze and answer the following questions, first individually and
then in small groups. Then share the answers with the class. Write the activity in your notebook, and write down some
general conclusions done collectively.
We will establish a dialogue to discuss what were the main contributions to science of some scientist that have searched
the universe such as Nicholas Copernicus and Galileo Galilei. We will talk about the problems that they had figuring out
how the universe was arranged and the misconceptions that they had formerly of the universe compared to what we
currently know. They read the short biographies of these two astronomers. (Collectively we arrive at some basic ideas
about the work. Biographies will retake some topics seen on the previous year).
a. What is the grandfather's attitude like toward knowledge and the world around him?
b. What qualities and attitudes are common between the grandfather and the men of science?
c. What are the contributions of the text to our work in science?
d. What were the major contributions to science of some "curious" of the universe as Nicholas Copernicus and
Galileo Galilee? Why these scientists had problems at their time?
e. What was previous conception of the universe? What is the current conception?
In the second chapter of the book “Colombia my grandfather and I”, the grandfather gives a brief description of how the
universe was formed and about the solar system. The students will carry out an informal group discussion about it, and
their conclusions will guide the following work.
Instruction:
Based on the reading of chapter II of the text, “Colombia my grandfather and I” we will do an exercise linked to math in
interpretation and analysis of a data table, that contains the distances of some planets from the sun. We will produce a
drawing of the solar system and build a bar graph and a pie graph according to the situation presented.
The average distance from the sun to the earth is 150,000,000 million miles. This distance has been taken as a unit for
measuring distances in the solar system and has been called "astronomical unit". The following table shows the distance
from the sun to some planets. With these data we make a bar chart which shows the distances of planets from the
sun. We also make a table and a figure showing the size relationship.
Planet Distance to the sun (in million of
km)
Earth 150 million km.
Mars 227 million km.
3. Jupiter 778 million km.
Saturn 1.407 millón km.
This is an interdisciplinary work with the area of mathematics. Children calculate distances and make an analysis of
movements according to distances.
The intention is that students acquire skills in observation, interpretation of data, reading and understanding texts, graphs
and tables, making comparisons and inferring relationships by charting and doing drawings to illustrate what was learned.
To extend and complement the inquiry into natural phenomena, students carry out laboratory experiments on the
formation and effects that eclipses, lunar phases, and seasons, according to laboratory workshop.
We will then relate the laboratory work done on movements of the earth (referred to before) and continue linking our work
to our texts.
Activity:
Taking as its axis the text "Colombia, my grandfather and I" and our lab on earth´s movements’, discuss and answer the
following questions.
a. Why does the grandfather say that "the universe is like a carnival of rides where everything is in constant motion?
b. What do these movements give rise to? Draw these movements and explain your drawings with your own words.
c. What is the effect that earths movements’ have on some natural physical phenomena like the seasons, tides,
moon phases, eclipses on earth?
Children will now give their possible hypothesis and begin carry out working guide.
Through the previous investigation the children will have more awareness of rotation and translation, and its effects on
earth. Understand how unequal the distribution of the light and warmth of the sun on the earth, forming different climatic
zones such as the tropical zone corresponds to the tropics, temperate and polar zones.
We will return to some aspects studied by reading the chapter "the streets and land races" of the text Colombia my
grandfather and I", identifying situations involving some effects on natural phenomenon like the seasons.
While analyzing the question, "Can we humans generate changes in the Earth's climate?" There shall be dialogue and
discussion about the climate, contamination and pollution. Students will be invited to propose preventive measures for the
conservation and care of their environment. They will be provided extra material (books in the classroom, other texts
downloaded over the Internet, encyclopedias, videos and information posted at their web page made by the teacher to
expand their learning.
They will be invited to draw up possible scenarios, which are contrasted with readings of texts brought to class, then the
they will write their final conclusions in the notebooks.
In the chapter "A region full of magic," of the text “Colombia” there are two events or two situations to be analyzed.
One tells us about the tides and another on the tsunamis. Through dialogue with students they will learn other aspects of
our planet such as volcanic activity and earthquakes. We will raise some questions to ascertain their knowledge on these
topics. For example: Just as man gets to the moon, is it possible for man to reach the center of the earth? What do you
think are the materials that make up the inside and outside the earth? Does anyone know which the mantle is? What is
the hydrosphere? What is the lithosphere? What is the atmosphere? Why do we say that the land is constantly changing
and is an active planet?
Based on the answers to these questions we will produce a text with students which will include the assumptions or
hypothesis, then some student who feel like it, will share their personal production.
The teacher will make a comprehensive explanation about the layers of earth and some events that happen in it, they take
notes from the explanations contained in the board. Then they will watch the video called “Streets of fire” by national
geographic they will discover that the earth is a planet that is constantly changing, due to the production of certain
phenomena such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes that shape the earth's surface, causing also some positive and
negative effects in different layers of the earth ( lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere).Then carry out the
following activity.
Activity:
According to the guidelines given by the teacher take notes of the video of volcanic activity in, then in pairs, analyze what
you observed and answer some questions in your workbook.
Take notes of the most outstanding and impressive things you observe on this video. These notes will be discussed in
class and will support the work being developed in pairs.
To establish a relationship with what has so far been learned and the reality of the children are taught how the layers
relate to each other, manifesting itself in phenomena such as volcanic activity (mantle lithosphere), movement of tectonic
4. plates (mantle lithosphere) hydrological cycle (lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere), cyclones, hurricanes
(lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere) They will emphasize the importance of the outer layers of the earth for man,
which they studied in the first term where they were able to explain that, without it, life on the planet could not be the way
we know it. Finally, they write some general conclusions about their accomplishments in learning from this work.
As reinforcement activity students will be asked to use technology to design a project such as a presentation or a booklet
or a blog where they will make recommendations, present or defend an aspect learned here such as an important aspect
on each of these natural physical phenomena studied, including:
1. What are they?
2. Why they occur?
3. What effects, consequences and disasters cause?
4. What are the risk areas and what we can do to protect ourselves?
This project will be a closing evaluation activity on what they have learned through this term.
Homework:
To seek information and bring articles from magazines, newspapers or other texts on the impact of such natural physical
phenomena in climate variability and in general about life on our planet earth, recording layers of the earth which are
involved in these phenomena . It will be shared and analyzed in class in a group. Refer to recent seismic activity in Haiti
and Chile and to the recent tsunamis in various places.
As social studies integration activity, students draw a map of Colombia, which pointes out seismic and volcanic regions,
and major faults where earthquakes have occurred in large proportions in the last 10 years.
Evaluation is an in progress situation where all their activities, rewritings and constructions are evaluated to asses their
progress.
RESOURCES AND REFERENCES
Texts of the class: 4th World editorial will live, new research will 4th editorial, Tools Natural Santillana 4th.
Narrative text called: "Colombia, my grandfather and I"
Biographies of Nikolas Copernicus and Galileo Galilee, Video on volcanic activity in English.
Models-Graphics-Layout-Prints
EVALUATIVE STRUCTURE:
5. Identify and explain some physical phenomena and their effects on nature. 50%
6. Investigate some environmental situations related to some physical and/or chemical phenomena and their
influence on nature. 50%
6. Week Nº Activities / Learning Strategies Updating
Nº 1 To begin working this term there will be a contextualization of the area of physical
March science and its components and then we will retake the use of scientific methods, tools
23th to 26th and measurements used in science. We will also work introducing mass, weight and
their comparison. A guide will be introduced in English: The Earth a living planet.
We will be introduced to the institutional solid waste management and then as a
booster we will visit the facilities of UCAR.
Nº 2 HOLY WEEK
March 29th-
March 2nd
Nº 3 We will then, talk about the work in this period, which will be cosigned in the notebook
April 6th to9th answering the following questions: What will I learn?, How will I learn it? And how am I
going to be evaluated? Through a short dialogue we will learn what children know
about Earth, its movements, and the effect that some of these movements have on us,
their concerns and expectations. What do they know about earthquakes? have they
ever seen a volcano?, do they know how are day, night, years and tides generated?
Do they know what determines the weather that we have?, are they aware of the
impact of a tsunami?
Nº 4 We will then be retaking the text "Colombia, my grandfather and I" starting to read the
April first four chapters of the book, highlighting the grandfather's attitude toward knowledge
12th-16th and the world around them, contrasting the way the grandfather in the book
and several ancient scientists sought knowledge. The text helps contextualize the work
that will be developed and we expect new questions to arise after reading the text.
These will lead to the first instruction.
Activity:
Based on the reading and discussion of Chapter No. 1 analyze and answer the
following questions, first individually and then in small groups. Then share the answers
with the class. Write the activity in your notebook, and write down some general
conclusions done collectively.
Nº 5 We will establish a dialogue to discuss what were the main contributions to science of
April 19th to some scientist that have searched the universe such as Nicholas Copernicus and
23rd Galileo Galilei. We will talk about the problems that they had figuring out how the
universe was arranged and the misconceptions that they had formerly of the universe
compared to what we currently know. They read the short biographies of these two
astronomers. (Collectively we arrive at some basic ideas about the work. Biographies
will retake some topics seen on the previous year).
a. What is the grandfather's attitude like toward knowledge and the world around
him?
b. What qualities and attitudes are common between the grandfather and the
men of science?
c. What are the contributions of the text to our work in science?
d. What were the major contributions to science of some "curious" of the universe
as Nicholas Copernicus and Galileo Galilee? Why these scientists had
problems at their time?
e. What was previous conception of the universe? What is the current
conception?
Nº 6
April 26th- to In the second chapter of the book “Colombia my grandfather and I”, the grandfather
30th gives a brief description of how the universe was formed and about the solar
system. The students will carry out an informal group discussion about it, and their
conclusions will guide the following work.
Instruction:
Based on the reading of chapter II of the text, “Colombia my grandfather and I” we will
do an exercise linked to math in interpretation and analysis of a data table, that
contains the distances of some planets from the sun. We will produce a drawing of the
solar system and build a bar graph and a pie graph according to the situation
presented.