NZ Curriculum · Year 4 Science · Primary

Year 4 Science Lesson Plan & Curriculum Map

A full-year Year 4 science lesson plan for the New Zealand Curriculum (Science learning area). 109 lessons across the school year from February to December, set out week by week for 1, 2, 3 or 4 lessons a week, covering food chains and habitat roles, the water cycle, forces and material properties.

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Year 4 Science learning map

Choose a term, then compare a lighter weekly plan with a more intensive schedule.

1 day/week · steady pace2–3 days/week · guided practice

February · Food chains and habitat roles

Year 4 Science — February Lesson Plan

New Zealand Curriculum · Science

Week	1 Day/Week	2 Day/Week	3 Day/Week	4 Day/Week
February 1st week (Science)	Producers in a Habitat 1. What a producer is (makes its own food, e.g. plants)	Producers in a Habitat 1. What a producer is (makes its own food, e.g. plants) 2. The role producers play in a habitat	Producers in a Habitat 1. What a producer is (makes its own food, e.g. plants) 2. The role producers play in a habitat 3. Practice: identifying producers in a real local habitat	Producers in a Habitat 1. What a producer is (makes its own food, e.g. plants) 2. The role producers play in a habitat 3. Practice: identifying producers in a real local habitat Consumers in a Habitat 1. What a consumer is (eats other living things)
February 2nd week (Science)	Producers in a Habitat 1. The role producers play in a habitat	Producers in a Habitat 1. Practice: identifying producers in a real local habitat Consumers in a Habitat 1. What a consumer is (eats other living things)	Consumers in a Habitat 1. What a consumer is (eats other living things) 2. Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores as types of consumers 3. Practice: classifying animals in a real habitat as herbivore/carnivore/omnivore	Consumers in a Habitat 1. Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores as types of consumers 2. Practice: classifying animals in a real habitat as herbivore/carnivore/omnivore Decomposers in a Habitat 1. What a decomposer is (breaks down dead material) 2. Why decomposers are essential to a habitat
February 3rd week (Science)	Producers in a Habitat 1. Practice: identifying producers in a real local habitat	Consumers in a Habitat 1. Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores as types of consumers 2. Practice: classifying animals in a real habitat as herbivore/carnivore/omnivore	Decomposers in a Habitat 1. What a decomposer is (breaks down dead material) 2. Why decomposers are essential to a habitat 3. Practice: identifying decomposers in a real local habitat	Decomposers in a Habitat 1. Practice: identifying decomposers in a real local habitat How Consumers, Producers & Decomposers Interact 1. How producers, consumers and decomposers depend on each other 2. Practice: explaining what would happen to a habitat if one role was removed 3. Practice: predicting the effect of removing decomposers specifically from a food chain
February 4th week (Science)	Consumers in a Habitat 1. What a consumer is (eats other living things)	Decomposers in a Habitat 1. What a decomposer is (breaks down dead material) 2. Why decomposers are essential to a habitat	How Consumers, Producers & Decomposers Interact 1. How producers, consumers and decomposers depend on each other 2. Practice: explaining what would happen to a habitat if one role was removed 3. Practice: predicting the effect of removing decomposers specifically from a food chain	Constructing a Food Chain 1. What a food chain represents (a feeding relationship) 2. The correct order and direction of a food chain (arrows showing energy flow) 3. Practice: constructing a food chain for a real local habitat Food Chains in Different Habitats 1. Constructing food chains for 2-3 different New Zealand land habitats

March · Food chains and habitat roles

Year 4 Science — March Lesson Plan

New Zealand Curriculum · Science

Week	1 Day/Week	2 Day/Week	3 Day/Week	4 Day/Week
March 1st week (Science)	Consumers in a Habitat 1. Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores as types of consumers	Decomposers in a Habitat 1. Practice: identifying decomposers in a real local habitat How Consumers, Producers & Decomposers Interact 1. How producers, consumers and decomposers depend on each other	Constructing a Food Chain 1. What a food chain represents (a feeding relationship) 2. The correct order and direction of a food chain (arrows showing energy flow) 3. Practice: constructing a food chain for a real local habitat	Food Chains in Different Habitats 1. Constructing a food chain for a marine/aquatic New Zealand habitat 2. Comparing the roles across these different food chains Investigating Our Local Environment 1. Surveying and observing a real local habitat (e.g. schoolyard, park) 2. Identifying the producers, consumers and decomposers present
March 2nd week (Science)	Consumers in a Habitat 1. Practice: classifying animals in a real habitat as herbivore/carnivore/omnivore	How Consumers, Producers & Decomposers Interact 1. Practice: explaining what would happen to a habitat if one role was removed 2. Practice: predicting the effect of removing decomposers specifically from a food chain	Food Chains in Different Habitats 1. Constructing food chains for 2-3 different New Zealand land habitats 2. Constructing a food chain for a marine/aquatic New Zealand habitat 3. Comparing the roles across these different food chains	Investigating a Habitat Question 1. Developing an investigable question about roles or food chains in a habitat 2. Planning the investigation using a provided scaffold, including fair-test elements and safety 3. Making formal measurements/observations using simple procedures Analysing & Communicating Habitat Investigation Findings 1. Constructing a representation (table, simple column graph or model) of the findings
March 3rd week (Science)	Decomposers in a Habitat 1. What a decomposer is (breaks down dead material)	Constructing a Food Chain 1. What a food chain represents (a feeding relationship) 2. The correct order and direction of a food chain (arrows showing energy flow)	Investigating Our Local Environment 1. Surveying and observing a real local habitat (e.g. schoolyard, park) 2. Identifying the producers, consumers and decomposers present Investigating a Habitat Question 1. Developing an investigable question about roles or food chains in a habitat	Analysing & Communicating Habitat Investigation Findings 1. Identifying patterns and relationships in the data 2. Comparing findings with others and drawing a conclusion Term 1 Assessment & Consolidation 1. Revision workshop — producers, consumers and decomposers 2. Revision workshop — constructing and comparing food chains
March 4th week (Science)	Decomposers in a Habitat 1. Why decomposers are essential to a habitat	Constructing a Food Chain 1. Practice: constructing a food chain for a real local habitat Food Chains in Different Habitats 1. Constructing food chains for 2-3 different New Zealand land habitats	Investigating a Habitat Question 1. Planning the investigation using a provided scaffold, including fair-test elements and safety 2. Making formal measurements/observations using simple procedures Analysing & Communicating Habitat Investigation Findings 1. Constructing a representation (table, simple column graph or model) of the findings	Term 1 Assessment & Consolidation 1. Term 1 assessment: food chains and habitat roles topic test 2. Feedback session Sources of Water 1. Natural sources of water (e.g. oceans, rivers, lakes, groundwater) 2. Practice: identifying sources of water in the local area

April · Food chains and habitat roles

Year 4 Science — April Lesson Plan

New Zealand Curriculum · Science

Week	1 Day/Week	2 Day/Week	3 Day/Week	4 Day/Week
April 1st week (Science)	Decomposers in a Habitat 1. Practice: identifying decomposers in a real local habitat	Food Chains in Different Habitats 1. Constructing a food chain for a marine/aquatic New Zealand habitat 2. Comparing the roles across these different food chains	Analysing & Communicating Habitat Investigation Findings 1. Identifying patterns and relationships in the data 2. Comparing findings with others and drawing a conclusion Term 1 Assessment & Consolidation 1. Revision workshop — producers, consumers and decomposers	Sources of Water 1. Discussing why water is essential to living things and ecosystems Evaporation 1. What evaporation is (water changing from liquid to water vapour) 2. What causes water to evaporate (e.g. heat from the sun) 3. Practice: an experiment observing evaporation
April 2nd week (Science)	How Consumers, Producers & Decomposers Interact 1. How producers, consumers and decomposers depend on each other	Investigating Our Local Environment 1. Surveying and observing a real local habitat (e.g. schoolyard, park) 2. Identifying the producers, consumers and decomposers present	Term 1 Assessment & Consolidation 1. Revision workshop — constructing and comparing food chains 2. Term 1 assessment: food chains and habitat roles topic test 3. Feedback session	Condensation 1. What condensation is (water vapour changing back to liquid water) 2. Where condensation happens (e.g. clouds forming, dew, a cold drink "sweating") 3. Practice: an experiment observing condensation Precipitation 1. What precipitation is (water falling from clouds)

The learning framework

Anatomy of a focused lesson

Each session moves from a clear focus to guided practice and a quick check for understanding.

10 minutes

Wonder and notice

Begin with something your child can see, hear or touch at home or outside, and turn it into a simple science question.

25 minutes

Explore and try it

Explain the idea with pictures and everyday objects, then observe, sort or test something together and talk about what happened.

10 minutes

Show what you know

Finish with a quick explain-it-back or drawing task that shows what has stuck and what to come back to.

Student learning toolkit

Resources for Year 4 Science

Concept lessons

Clear, visual lessons on each New Zealand Curriculum science topic.

Practice activities

Short questions and checks matched to each week’s focus.

Science inquiry

Observation, investigation and recording skills built up through the year.

Progress notes

A clear record of what your child has mastered and what comes next.

Free first lesson

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Tell us how your child is getting on with science at school and we will shape the first lesson around their curiosity and confidence.

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