Fourth Grade Classroom Programs

FOURTH GRADE CLASSROOM PROGRAMS

The Asombro Institute can bring a bit of hands-on science and the desert to your classroom. All programs provide an opportunity for students to learn about science through hands-on activities. Each program is aligned with the New Mexico STEM Ready! science standards (including the Next Generation Science Standards) and Common Core mathematics and English Language Art standards, where appropriate. Please call the Asombro Institute office (575-524-3334) to schedule your classroom presentations.

 

  • Where: In your classroom
  • Cost: $60 for first presentation; $30 for additional, same-day presentations (additional travel charges may apply for schools outside Las Cruces, NM – $25 + 45 cents per mile)
  • Maximum Group Size: 1 class per presentation (exceptions on an individual basis)
  • Length: Approximately one hour per presentation (some lessons are multi-day)

 

Asombro provides programming in all four science disciplines in the NGSS curriculum: life science; physical science; earth & space science; and engineering, technology, & applications of science. Please scroll down to see our specific program offerings. A brief description of the program and applicable science standards are listed for each lesson. Click the science standard to read more on the Next Generation Science Standards website.

 

 

Arguing on the Structure and Function of Plants

Students will learn about the structures and functions of plants found in the Chihuahuan Desert. They will investigate the external structures of multiple plant species and discuss their functions in supporting the plants’ survival. Students will develop arguments about a structure of the creosote bush. Then, the class will discuss how the structures function together in a system to support the survival of the creosote bush.

 

SCIENCE STANDARDS ADDRESSED

 

4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

 

Click here for a standards sheet with both science and common core standards.

 

Desert Stories: Desert Adaptations

The Desert Stories Program engages students in a multi-lesson science and literacy project.

 

Lesson 1 – Through interactive dress up play, students learn about the adaptations a Kangaroo Rat possesses that allow it to live in a desert environment. They complete a scientific investigation about heat transfer using model Jackrabbit ears.

 

Lesson 2 – Students will complete short investigations on leaf size, root length, and presence versus absence of spines to better understand the function of common structures of desert plants. They will then apply their understanding of the function of these structures to an Ocotillo to explain how it survives in the desert.

 

Lesson 3 – Students will practice their story-writing skills by reading and answering story prompts and then acting out their story in skit format.

 

SCIENCE STANDARDS ADDRESSED

 

4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

 

4-PS3-2 Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents

 

Click here for a standards sheet with both science and common core standards.