4th Grade Storytelling
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The Boulder That Flattened a Town NGSS 4-PS3-1
Students explore how energy is related to the motion of an object — and how speed affects the energy something carries. With dramatic storytelling, real-world examples, and clear scientific connections, this story turns a falling rock into a powerful lesson about kinetic energy and the forces that shape our world.
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The Bridge That Shook Itself Apart NGSS 4-PS4-1
Students explore the properties of waves — including wavelength and amplitude — and how waves can transfer energy through air, water, and even solid structures. With real-world visuals and an unforgettable event, this story turns abstract wave concepts into something students can feel, see, and understand.
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The Crash That Made Cars Safer NGSS 4-PS3-3
Students explore how energy can be transferred or changed during collisions, and how engineers solve problems by designing systems that keep people safe. With real crash test results, simple models, and a powerful historical example, this story turns a physics concept into a life-saving innovation.
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The Lightbulb That Lit a City NGSS 4-PS3-2
Students explore how energy moves from place to place — through wires, into lightbulbs, and across entire cities. With a historical lens and clear science, this story helps learners understand how energy transfer powers our modern world and how one idea can spark a revolution.
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The Windmill That Powered a Farm NGSS 4-PS3-4
Students explore how energy can be converted from one form to another — from wind to motion to electricity. With historical storytelling and modern connections, this lesson shows how energy transfer, storage, and innovation can light up more than just a farm — it can spark a clean energy future.
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The Fire on the Hill that Meant War NGSS 4-PS4-3
Students explore how patterns can be used to transfer information without words — from two lanterns in a church tower to the digital signals we use today. With a blend of historical drama and scientific thinking, this story shows how pattern-based communication systems can be powerful, silent, and unforgettable.
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The Cave That Sparked Back NGSS 4-PS4-2
Students explore how light must reflect off objects to be seen, using a glowing cave as their guide. With nature’s own flashlight, this story helps learners grasp key concepts about light and vision in a magical, memorable setting.
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The Pigeon That Delivered The Message NGSS 4-LS1-4
Students explore how animals use their senses to collect information, how their brains process it, and how their bodies respond. From forest landmarks to instinctive flight paths, this story helps learners understand sensing and reacting as a survival system — all through the wings of a war hero.
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The Shark with a Built in Compass NGSS 4-LS1-1
Students explore how animals have special structures that support survival, sensing, and movement. With magnetic detection, long-distance navigation, and real-world experiments, this story reveals how form and function work together in the wild — and how nature’s designs inspire our own.
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The Coast That Fought Back NGSS 4-ESS3-2
Students explore how natural hazards like hurricanes can cause major damage — and how people use both technology and nature to reduce the impact. From storm walls to wetland restoration, this story shows how human choices shape risk and resilience in a changing world.
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The Fading Mountain Faces NGSS 4-ESS2-1
Students learn how wind, water, ice, and temperature changes slowly break rock into pieces through physical weathering. With powerful visuals and a famous landmark as the backdrop, this story helps learners understand how Earth’s surface changes — not in explosions, but in quiet, patient ways that leave their mark.
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The River That Caught Fire NGSS 4-ESS3-1
Students explore how natural resources like fossil fuels are used — and what happens when that use leads to pollution and harm. With powerful real-world impact, this story helps learners see how humans affect the environment, and how informed choices, laws, and action can protect Earth’s systems for future generations.
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The Clam That Stopped a Highway NGSS 4-ESS1-1
Students explore how fossils form, how rock layers hold clues to Earth’s past, and how scientists use those clues to understand how landscapes change. From sea beds to mountaintops, this story helps students grasp the idea that Earth’s surface is always shifting — and that even the smallest fossil can tell a giant story.
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The Map of Earth's Patterns NGSS 4-ESS2-2
Students explore how Earth events like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions follow patterns on the globe — and what those patterns reveal about Earth's surface. With real maps, scientific history, and a mystery to solve, this story helps students connect geography to geology in a powerful, visual way.