4^th Grade Matter Unit Blueprint

12D(6-8)#1: Organize information in simple [student-generated] tables and graphs and identify relationships they reveal. (See essay on page 76 in Benchmarks.)

Student-generated data table for Transferring Heat lab (See Preparing for the Transferring Heat Activity on pages 75 & 76 in Teacher's Edition.)

Click to view sample of student work.

Graphing Changing Temperatures (See Step 5 on pages 77 & 78 in Teacher's Edition.)

Click to view sample of student work.

Student-Generated Tables

• Do students understand the data they will collect, and are they able to create some type of organized data table with some teacher support?
• Do their tables include straight lines, a title, and column headings?
• Do students enter data in an organized method?
• Are their tables legible?

Student-Generated Graphs

• Are students able to construct graphs of the data? (Depending on the amount of exposure to graphing, students will most likely need some teacher support.)
• Are students able to use the graph to describe the changes that occurred during the experiment?

12D(3-5)#3: Use numerical data in describing objects and events.

12C(6-8)#3: Use analog and digital meters on instruments used to make direct measurements of length, volume, weight, elapsed time, rates, and temperature, and choose appropriate units for reporting various magnitudes.

Transferring Heat—data collection and analysis (See Steps 3 & 4 on pages 76 & 77 in Teacher's Edition.)

• Are students able to efficiently and accurately take temperature readings?
• When writing the sentence describing the graph (see the bottom of page 47 in the Student Guide), do the students use the data to describe what happened?

What happens when warmer things are placed by cooler things?

4E(3-5)#2: When warmer things are put with cooler ones, the warm ones lose heat and the cool ones gain it until they are all at the same temperature. A warmer object can warm a cooler one by contact or at a distance.

Class discussion of lab data (See Sharing the Data on page 77 in Teacher's Edition)

Checking Understanding Questions 1 and 2 (See pages 78 & 79 in Teacher's Edition.)

Add additional question/task: Draw a diagram of heat flow of the two containers of the experiment.

Class Discussion of Data

• Do students understand that the warm water lost heat and the cold water gained heat? (See Information for the Teacher on pages 79 & 80 for additional information on heat transfer.)

What are conductors? What kinds of materials conduct heat? How can heat loss be decreased?

Opportunity to introduce
4E(3-5)#3: Some materials conduct heat much better than others. Poor conductors can reduce heat loss.

Checking Understanding Question 4 (See pages 78 & 79 in Teacher's Edition.)

Do students' answers reveal any knowledge about conductors and insulators? If not, this is an opportunity to introduce the idea of an insulator.