FOURTH GRADE
Living Classroom lessons that fourth grade teachers can schedule for their classes this year:
FALL
CALIFORNIA ETHNOBOTANY
This lesson is intended to coincide with the 4th grade Social Studies topic of California Native Americans. Students learn how to process acorns into flour, make cordage bracelets, and visit the school's native garden to explore the plants traditionally used by the California Native Americans for housing, baskets, medicine, tools, etc.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
State Social Studies Standards: 4.2.1
DATES OFFERED: 10/1/24-12/20/24
LESSON LENGTH: 75-90 Minutes
PARENT VOLUNTEERS: 2
WINTER
SYMMETRY IN NATURE
Students study line and rotational symmetry in nature. They examine symmetry inside fruit, explore symmetry in the garden, and try their hand at making symmetrical origami jumping frogs.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
Common Core Standards for Mathematics: 4.G.3
DATES OFFERED: 1/7/25-3/21/25
LESSON LENGTH: 75-90 Minutes
PARENT VOLUNTEERS: 3
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HABITAT PERSPECTIVES
Students gain a new perspective on the interactions of living and non-living things within a system as they investigate a habitat and microhabitat through observation and nature journaling. Students observe plants and animals in the school garden and journal about the internal and external structures (adaptations) they use to survive.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
NGSS: 4-LS1-1
TWIG Science: Super Survivors
DATES OFFERED: 2/25/25-5/2/25
LESSON LENGTH: 60-75 Minutes
PARENT VOLUNTEERS: 2
SPRING
SUPER STRUCTURES
Students study the internal and external structures of plants and learn how those structures aid plants in survival, growth, and reproduction. Students dissect lima beans, review the parts of a flower as they plant pollinator plants, and design their own plant.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
NGSS: 4-LS1-1
TWIG Science: Super Survivors
DATES OFFERED: 3/25/25-5/30/25
LESSON LENGTH: 60-75 Minutes
PARENT VOLUNTEERS: 2
FOURTH GRADE RESOURCES
CALIFORNIA ETHNOBOTANY LESSON RESOURCES
GO ON AN ACORN HUNT!
Acorns are a staple food in the California Native American diet. Acorns grow on oak trees and come in all different shapes and sizes depending on the type of oak tree they come from. Fall is a great time of year to go outside and hunt for acorns. Download a free app called "SEEK" by iNaturalist and take photos of the leaves to help you identify each oak species you find. Note: Acorns contain tannic acid which has to be leached (washed) out of the acorn flour before it can be safely consumed.
MYSTERY SCHOOL GARDEN SERIES
Watch our Mystery School Garden videos to learn more about California ethnobotany! Enjoy seeing some of our edible gardens too! Can you guess which LASD school we are at?
SYMMETRY IN NATURE LESSON RESOURCES
SYMMETRY IN FRUIT
Learn about line and rotational symmetry while cutting up fruit for a yummy fruit salad!
ORIGAMI JUMPING FROG INSTRUCTIONS
Make a symmetrical origami jumping frog! Click here to see detailed instructions.
SYMMETRY HUNT
Search for symmetry at your school or in a backyard, neighborhood, or park! Try sketching what you see and draw in the lines of symmetry.
MAKE A SNOWFLAKE
Fold a square piece of paper multiple times, make cutouts along the edges, and open it up to see what kind of symmetry it has. Click here for instructions or be creative and come up with your own snowflake design!
ORIGAMI CREATURES
Create symmetrical origami creatures (look up ideas and instructions online).
SUPER STRUCTURES LESSON RESOURCES
PARTS OF A FLOWER
Did you know that the job of a flower is to attract pollinators and manufacture seeds? Learn about the parts of a flower by dissecting one and exploring each part! Click here for an illustration of the flower parts.
DISSECT BEANS!
Soak overnight and look for the structures we learned about during our Super Structures lesson.
LEAFY CELERY / WHITE FLOWER EXPERIMENT
Try the leafy celery or white flower color change experiment! Click here to watch a demonstration video.
FLOWER OR LEAF HUNT
Go on a flower or leaf hunt at your school or in a backyard, neighborhood, or park and sketch the different structures/adaptations that you notice.
LEAF TRACING OR RUBBING
Collect different leaves and trace and color them or place them underneath a sheet of paper and use a crayon on its side to make a rubbing of each leaf.
ADDITIONAL NATURE-BASED ACTIVITIES
SAVING SEEDS FROM HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
Learn how to save seeds from heirloom tomatoes and grow your favorite tomatoes year after year!
ZERO WASTE HEROES!
Learn how to create a zero waste lunch and live more sustainably!
LIVING CLASSROOM'S ART IN NATURE SERIES
NATURE CREATURES
Go for a nature walk and collect natural materials to make fun nature creatures. You can even make your own self-portrait! Collect each part of a plant: root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, and seed.
SPELLING WITH NATURE
Collect natural materials on a nature walk to make words with. You will need to collect each part of a plant: root, stem, leaf, seed, flower, and fruit.
QUIET LEAF TRACING
Find three leaves to creatively trace and color. Use this activity as an opportunity to relax and meditate.
Flying Foxes at the Lubee Bat Conservancy
Jellyfish at the Aquarium of the Pacific
Mississippi River Flyway Cam
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