Evan Moor Science Lessons and Investigations Grade 4

Hey everyone, it's Natasha and today wanted to give you review of Evan-Moor Science Lessons and Investigations Grade 4. So, we're going to take look at this book and I'm going to give you my review of it. So, this correlates to current standards and this book is meant for classroom and so I'm going to explain how you can use it in your home school. But, the great thing about it being made for classroom is that it is reproducible. So, if you have more than one child, then you can reproduce it for your family or if you're teaching in co-op classroom, you could reproduce it for that too because it is permitted for single classroom use only. Making photocopies for additional classes or schools is prohibited. So, let's get into the contents. So, this book covers life science, earth science, and physical science. And let it let's go jump right into here. So, this book covers 13 units and it covers life, earth, and physical science and each unit 5E model, which I'll get into in just minute. But, there's an engagement activity, informal text and graphics, vocabulary review, comprehension questions, and extension writing prompts, and projects. And then this covers each page of the unit what you will find. So, you're going to have the teacher page and that's going to provide an overview of the unit. It's going to have an engaged section, which is is designed to engage your students in the topic and lead discussion with spark question. And you're going to have summary of any prep that you might have to do. Then you're going to have unit concept page and this is going to have pictures on it. And this concept page is sometimes used in later activities. Then you're going to have explore activity. Now, here's where it gets little bit tricky for home school use because these activities are designed for small groups. However, most of them you can do with one student. But, there is one in particular that you really can't do with one student, but most of them you can change to do with just one student. So, it is totally possible. But, then we go to the reading selection and that is reading selection with information on that unit. Then we have concept vocabulary and vocabulary review. And so, with that it's going to have all the vocabulary with the definitions and so the kids can keep this page throughout the unit to refer back to. And then there's also vocabulary review. It's worksheet that they're going to use those vocabulary words with. And then we have concept comprehension and so this is going to cover comprehension questions about the topic that you're learning in that unit. There's going to be extended writing prompts. There's two of them. And then there's two different projects and then an answer key. Okay, so then we get into how to use this book in your classroom, teaching strategies and keep in mind. Basically, it's saying, you know, science involves creative thinking, attention to detail, and observation. It involves asking questions and trying to find the answers. And you know, kids are going to make mistakes basically and that's okay and they're they're still learning through that. Okay, and then we have this page here, science materials needed. And this is if you were are in classroom or home school co-op, you could send this home with some materials that you want each child to bring to save you little bit of money on the projects. But, if not, then you don't need them. And so, here is an example of the unit. So, here we have this page, which goes over the concept, the lesson objectives, and the learning approach and then it details each page in the unit. Okay, and then we get to this is that engage. So, let me show you here actually. So, the 5E is engage, explore, explain, evaluate, extend. That's the 5E model. So, again, engage, explore, explain, evaluate, extend. And so, just like it says, five E's. and anyway, so this first page is the engage page where if you're doing this in your home school, what would do honestly is just sit on the couch, snuggled up with your child, and have this open on your lap and you can ask the spark question, can plants sense things? And they can, you know, talk about that. And then you're going to read this little section to them and they're going to look at the pictures. And then it gives you this explore activity prep. So, you're going to want to soak pinto beans in water overnight. Soak at least five beans per group of students. So, if you have one student, then you're just going to do that. Now, it says per group, but you know, for my kids, if I'm doing this with my kids, every kid is going to want to do that. So, I'm going to do five kids five beans per kid. Just because, you know, you know how that goes in in home school sometime. Okay, so then so, you wouldn't even need to copy these pages. And so, I'll show you what pages think you probably would want to copy, but you don't need to copy everything in here especially if you're doing this in your home school where you can just sit with your child. okay, so then we have explore. And so, here is our plant behavior investigation. It tells you what you'll need and what you'll do. Now, this says you'll work in groups of three, but this one, no problem to do individually. No problem at all. Most of them are like that. It says groups of three or five or something like that, but it's usually not an issue to do it individually or, you know, in sibling pairs or something. And then here is our data and and observations and preliminary explanation. And then we come to the explain, which is the reading portion. So, again, you wouldn't need to copy this. Your child can sit down with the book and simply read this or you can read this to them. So, that's really up to you however you want to do that. And then we have this explain page with concept vocabulary. So, there's nothing you need to do with this. This is just for them to reference. However, it did say that it has this little blank section. So, if you wanted them to do anything with those vocabulary words, they could do it right here. and then we have the vocabulary review. And then we have the concept comprehension. So, of course, you wouldn't want to do that until they have read the passage previously. And then we have the plant life structures. We have create and apply. And so, gives you place to work here. So, these pages you would definitely want to copy. But, let me just real quick show you what these are like. Plants have some amazing behaviors such as the ability to detect and respond to light or gravity. Plants also produce useful and enjoyable things such as fruit and cotton and lovely scented flowers. If you were able to create your own plant, what kind of special behaviors would it have and why? What would it produce if anything? What would the plant look like? Draw picture and describe how this plant might benefit you, other people, or the planet. And then apply. If you had your very own garden or plot of land, what would you plant? Flowers, veggies, trees, something else? And what would your plants need to grow? What would you need to provide for your plants to survive and stay healthy? Draw and describe your garden. Make schedule of things you would do to care for it every day or week. Okay, and then our last part of the extend is two project options. So, you can choose one of the project options below. Of course, you could always do two. Why not? But, the first option here is seed catalog. The second option here is plant use presentation. And they're going to create poster or video. So, there's all kinds of different project options. Now, since this book is 13 units, to me, think it would make sense to cover unit every two weeks and that would still be 26 weeks. So, it's still not even full school year, which gives you time in case life happens. And so, think that's really great. actually like that it is only 13 units. That is one of my favorite things about this actually because lot of curriculum is just too many lessons. But, this is really doable with the 13 units you know, one unit every two weeks. think that's perfect. that's just the way will use this, but you of course you can use it however you like. Okay, so then we get into the next section, which is going to follow the same exact format. And here is one activity that would be very hard to do with just one kid because they're actually playing game where they're like predators and prey and then they're graphing and think it would be hard to do this particular game with only one student, although it would work in co-op perfectly. So, this is the only one where I'm kind of like, that would be little bit hard. But, so it has this one here, okay, with the worksheet to go with it, but then it has this next one, which is habitat exploration, which is using the pictures here. And so, for this unit, they still have an explore activity to do. So, there's two explore activities here, this one and this one. So, even though that game would be too hard with just could really probably wouldn't be possible with one student, they still do have an explore activity to do. And this was really the only one that found that would be like next to impossible to do with one student. The other ones feel like you can definitely make work with one student. and then we have our explain, our vocabulary and vocabulary review, concept comprehension, analyze, invent for our extend here. And then we have our two project options. And then we get into the the next unit here. So, that's how this goes. There are answer keys in the back, and each unit follows the same method. As you can see, you don't have to copy this entire book for your students. So, there's just, you know, few pages in each unit that you'll want to copy. lot of time, if you're working in your home school, you can do lot of this snuggling up on the couch with your kiddos. So, to sum it up, just wanted to say that actually got the fourth grade because do plan to use this with third and fifth grader. and so, shot for the middle and got fourth grade. That way we can use this together, and some of those group activities we can do together. And so, my One of my favorite things about this is that it is reproducible, and so, you know, for the cost of one book, can use it with all of my children, and really appreciate that. Another thing really do like is that 5E model. actually have never heard of the 5E model until discovered this book. But love that the engage, explore, explain, evaluate, extend. think that is so perfect for science because you do want to engage your young learners in the topic, because if you just jump right into the content, they're probably going to tune you out, just from my experience. So, love how it approaches the units like that. And another thing that like, like said, is that there's only 13 units. But even with those 13 units, think it definitely covers everything that would want to cover in school year with the life science, earth science, and physical science. It covers really everything, and it gives time for life to happen, even with doing unit every 2 weeks. So, think this is great full science curriculum. don't think you need to supplement with this at all. think this is complete full-year science curriculum, if you ask me. And that's how plan to use it in my home school. So, hope that was helpful, and will talk with you soon. Bye-bye.