Exploring Traits - Student-Led Station Lab - 4th Grade

This modular, student-led activity about exploring traits will keep your 4th-grade class engaged and learning throughout this life science lesson. These comprehensive materials will save you a TON of prep time while allowing students to direct their learning.

In this station lab, upper elementary students will learn to explore and describe examples of traits that are inherited from parents to offspring such as eye color and shapes of leaves and behaviors that are learned such as reading a book and a wolf pack teaching their pups to hunt effectively.

The station lab activities are also included in the Exploring Traits complete lesson, which includes teaching and virtual learning presentations, note templates, interactive notebook activities, student projects, assessments, engagement activities, and more for your fourth-grade science curriculum.

Texas teachers: This station lab aligns with the 2017 TEKS. It will not be updated for the new 2021 TEKS. The Station Lab for the new 2021 TEKS standard can be found here: Electricity in Closed Circuits Student-Led Station Lab - Grade 4, New TEKS 4.8C.

DIFFERENTIATED, MODULAR, STUDENT-LED

Each station lab has eight differentiated activities that help the student create a personalized learning experience, with a ninth challenge station for early finishers. In this student-centered approach, the teacher facilitates student learning rather than directing it.

The nine modular stations include all signage, literature, resources, and task cards for fourth graders to complete independently or in small groups. The Explore It! station may require a few materials that you likely already have in your lab. 

Ready for in-class or virtual learning!

Station labs have been created so that students can use them on campus or in a virtual learning environment. The files are compatible with PowerPoint and Google Slides.

THE STATIONS

INPUT Stations offer multimodal ways to encounter new concepts about exploring traits.

• Explore It! – This station is an experiment that allows students to connect information through application. In the digital version, students manipulate images and text in PowerPoint or Google Slides.
• Read It! – At this station, students read a short passage about exploring traits and answer questions about the reading and vocabulary terms. Differentiated passages, in Spanish and English, are available for readers needing shorter, easier text.
• Research It! – This station uses a website where students will learn more information about exploring traits. Students will perform tasks and answer related questions on their lab sheets.
• Watch It! – Students watch a short video at this station and answer questions about exploring traits. 

OUTPUT Stations provide multiple ways for students to show what they have learned about exploring traits.

• Organize It! – The students work hands-on with manipulatives at this station. In the digital version, students manipulate images and text in PowerPoint or Google Slides.
• Illustrate It! – At this station, the student sketches or draws models about exploring traits. This visual learning activity helps the student recall and retain new information.
• Write It! – At this station, the students respond to short-answer prompts that allow them to communicate their knowledge using complete sentences.
• Assess It! – The students demonstrate their knowledge of exploring traits using a series of task cards with questions and a paragraph that uses vocabulary in context.
• Bonus Station - Challenge It! – Early finishers and advanced students will love the extension activities in this station. They can expand their learning through mini-projects and other creative activities related to the lesson.

This is a finished product; it will be updated with formatting or corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.