Unit Plan 9 (Grade 4 Science): Energy — Quarter Synthesis

Focus: Explain how speed, collisions, and energy transfer connect across systems (motion, sound, light, heat, and electric circuits), and apply ideas to design and improve devices.

Grade Level: 4

Subject Area: Science (Physical Science — Energy; Engineering Design)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this synthesis unit, students pull together everything they’ve learned about energy: how speed relates to the energy of an object, how energy is transferred by sound, light, heat, and electric currents, how energy changes during collisions, and how devices can convert energy from one form to another. Through review stations, short investigations, and an Energy Systems Project, students explain real-world examples and refine a small device or demonstration that shows multiple energy ideas at once.

Essential Questions

• How does the speed of an object relate to the amount of energy it has?
• How can energy transfer from place to place through sound, light, heat, and electric currents in everyday systems?
• What kinds of changes in energy occur when objects collide?
• How do engineers define problems, design, test, and improve devices that manage or use energy?
• How can we combine our learning into a clear explanation of energy across different systems?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Use evidence to explain how the speed of an object is related to its energy.
2. Describe and demonstrate how energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents using examples and models.
3. Ask and answer questions about how collisions change an object’s energy (e.g., speed, direction, sound, heat).
4. Apply scientific ideas about energy to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy or manages energy in a collision.
5. Define a simple design problem, generate and compare at least two design ideas, and plan and carry out fair tests with controlled variables to identify design improvements.
6. Create an Energy Systems Project (poster, model, or demonstration) that clearly explains speed, collisions, and energy transfer across at least two systems.

Standards Alignment — 4th Grade (NGSS-Aligned)

• 4-PS3-1 — Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.
• 4-PS3-2 — Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
• 4-PS3-3 — Ask questions and predict outcomes about changes in energy that occur when objects collide.
• 4-PS3-4 — Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.
• 3-5-ETS1-1 — Define a simple design problem with specified criteria and constraints.
• 3-5-ETS1-2 — Generate and compare multiple solutions based on criteria and constraints.
• 3-5-ETS1-3 — Plan and carry out fair tests with controlled variables to identify improvements to designs.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can explain how a faster object has more energy than a slower one, using examples or data.
• I can show and describe how energy moves by sound, light, heat, or electric currents.
• I can ask and answer questions about what happens to energy when objects collide.
• I can design, build, test, and improve a device that shows energy conversion or energy changes in a collision.
• I can define a problem, compare solutions, and run a fair test where I change one thing and keep other things the same.
• I can create and explain an Energy Systems Project that connects speed, collisions, and energy transfer across systems.