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4th grade · Science · Unit 5 of 7

Earth's Systems & Water

Land, water, air and life work together.

What your child practices

Practices how Earth's land, water, air and living things interact, how much of Earth's water is salty, fresh or frozen, and how communities protect water, using Minnesota's lakes and rivers as examples.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 4E.2.2.1.1; 4E.3.1.1.1 · how much of Earth's water is salt water, fresh water and ice, and how Earth's systems interact

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Earth has four systems: geosphere (rock and soil), hydrosphere (water), atmosphere (air) and biosphere (life).
  2. Things interact when one system changes another, like waves wearing away rock.
  3. Groundwater is water stored underground in soil and rock.
  4. Lake Superior holds fresh water, not salt water.

Example: Wind blows sand into dunes. Which systems interact? Wind is moving air: the atmosphere. Sand is part of the geosphere. Answer: atmosphere and geosphere

Earth's Systems & Water in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 5 of 7 in 4th grade Science, after Traits & Variation and before Energy Resources.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    The geosphere is Earth's…

    • oceans
    • rocks and land
    • air
    • animals

  2. Question 2

    Trees take in water and give off water vapor. Which systems interact?

    • Only geosphere
    • None
    • Only rocks
    • Biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere

  3. Question 3

    Plant roots break rock apart. Which systems interact?

    • None
    • Atmosphere and hydrosphere
    • Hydrosphere only
    • Biosphere and geosphere

  4. Question 4

    Which saves water at home?

    • Water the sidewalk
    • Fix leaky faucets
    • Run the hose all day
    • Take very long showers

  5. Question 5

    Which helps keep a Minnesota lake clean?

    • Dumping grass clippings in the water
    • Pouring oil on the ice
    • Washing paint into the lake
    • Keeping fertilizer and trash out of storm drains

  6. Question 6

    Why is fresh water precious?

    • It never runs out anywhere
    • There is more fresh than salt
    • Only a small part of Earth's water is fresh and easy to use
    • We can drink seawater

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