Identify Conductors & Insulators Activities for 4th Grade Science

This 4th-grade energy unit on conductors and insulators, aligned with TEKS 4.8A, offers a comprehensive, student-led learning experience. Through the 5E model, students explore thermal and electrical energy with engaging activities, hands-on labs, and differentiated stations like demos, reading passages, and videos. The unit includes editable PowerPoints, interactive notebooks, and choice projects, all available in English and Spanish, to support various learning styles. Assessment options are aligned with STAAR 2.0 standards, making it suitable for both in-class and virtual settings. The resources below will give students a comprehensive understanding of conductors and insulators. All of the following materials are also included in the Kesler Science Membership.

The 4th-grade energy unit on conductors and insulators focuses on thermal and electrical energy. It includes editable PowerPoints, worksheets, choice projects, and assessments, all designed for differentiated, student-led learning. Aligned with TEKS 4.8A, the lesson features flexible, low-prep materials that support a variety of learning styles.

The unit follows the 5E model, starting with engaging activities such as objectives and word wall cards in English and Spanish, plus class discussions. Students then explore the concepts through a hands-on, student-led station lab with nine differentiated stations. These include "Explore It!" demos, "Read It!" passages, "Research It!" tasks, and "Watch It!" videos, with output stations like "Organize It!" and "Write It!" for students to show their understanding.

Explanation is provided through editable PowerPoints and interactive notebooks, available in English and Spanish. Students extend their learning with choice projects, and assessment options are aligned with STAAR 2.0 standards. Whether in-class or virtual, this unit offers a comprehensive, engaging approach to learning about conductors and insulators.

This student-led station lab for the 2021 TEKS 4.8B standard on conductors and insulators of thermal and electrical energy is designed to engage 4th grade students while saving you prep time. In this lesson, students explore materials that conduct or insulate energy through nine differentiated, modular stations. Each station includes resources and task cards for independent or small group work, with materials you likely already have in your lab.

The stations cover various modes of learning, including watching videos, reading passages, and researching materials. Students apply what they’ve learned in activities like organizing information, illustrating examples, writing responses, and completing assessments. The digital version offers interactive elements in PowerPoint or Google Slides.

A bonus station challenges early finishers with extension activities like crosswords and games. This station lab is also suitable for virtual learning.

The Insulators and Conductors Student Choice Projects align with the 2021 TEKS standard 4.8B for physics and energy, offering 4th graders multiple project options to demonstrate their understanding. The project page presents six student-led options and a "design your own" project. A grading rubric is included for teacher, peer, or self-assessment, and it can be adjusted to suit specific grading needs. These flexible, multimodal projects allow students to creatively showcase their knowledge in various ways.

The resource includes nine project options, a teacher directions page with support, and editable rubric pages that assess vocabulary, concepts, presentation, clarity, and accuracy. Two versions of the project page are available: one with modified options for students needing remediation, and another with challenge options for advanced learners. Projects can be completed using standard classroom supplies like paper, markers, and scissors, with many options available for digital completion.

The Conductors and Insulators Science and ELA Integrated Writing Activity engages 4th-grade students in a creative exercise to explore the concepts of conductors and insulators through a poem format. This TEKS-aligned, low-prep, student-centered activity enhances science reasoning and writing skills and is designed for both in-person and virtual learning.

Included materials are teacher directions with an answer guide, rubrics, and project ideas; a projection version for screen sharing; full-sized and half-sheet handouts; and a digital interactive version compatible with Google Slides or PowerPoint. The activity can be used as a cross-curricular project, pre-test assessment, student choice task, or enrichment for early finishers. It’s also ideal for extra credit, make-up work, TELPAS samples, or differentiation.

This activity works well for reinforcing student understanding of conductors and insulators and can be displayed on a bulletin board or collected in a student anthology.

The WIKI Tickets© Physical Science Set offers 37 formative assessments for 3rd–5th grade science, designed to check student understanding in an engaging and colorful way. Each topic comes with five formats: a full-screen display for projection, three handout versions (full, split, and quarter-page sizes), and a digital interactive version compatible with PowerPoint and Google Slides.

Aligned with NGSS and TEKS standards for upper elementary science, this set covers various topics, including changes caused by pushes and pulls, energy transfer, forms of energy, properties of matter, and force interactions. Some topics feature multiple assessments, and each set includes a bonus table of contents for easy alignment reference.

These assessments are suitable for both in-person and virtual learning, allowing students to engage with the material on campus or remotely. WIKI Tickets© can be used as exit tickets, bellringers, or to check understanding at any time. Whether projected on a screen, printed as handouts, or assigned digitally, they provide versatile tools for gauging student progress.

Year-Round Resources

These year-round activities will increase your students' understanding of many middle school science topics. All of these activities are also included in the Kesler Science Membership.

Visual Data & Graphing

You're not alone if your students struggle with understanding graphs, charts, and tables. It's a skill that takes an enormous amount of practice. This resource will help students build a strong foundation in analyzing data and creating their own data visualizations.

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Bell Ringers and Warm-Ups

These middle school science bell ringers are an excellent way to engage your students as soon as they walk into your classroom. This comprehensive FULL YEAR resource includes everything you need to start off each science class with an interesting warm-up activity.

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Review Board Games

Each game board has been carefully designed to keep students engaged. There are 10 different action spaces on each board and dozens of question cards. All of the actions are related to science concepts and keep the students motivated throughout the game.

Each game is ready to play. Simply print out the board and the cards and let the students enjoy reviewing nine different units.

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Essential Questions and Standards

Below are the essential questions and standards associated with the lessons and activities included in the atoms unit. This topic is only one of more than 100 middle school science topics included in the Kesler Science Membership.

Essential Questions

What materials are conductors of thermal and electrical energy?
What materials are insulators of thermal and electrical energy?

Standards

TEKS Science - 4.8B Identify Conductors & Insulators