Fourth Grade Curriculum
Reading
The Macmillan McGraw-Hill reading series is used to instruct the 4th grade students. The reading program develops vocabulary skills, comprehension skills, and study skills. The students learn to read fluently and are exposed to a variety of literary genres through student-centered lessons. Vocabulary development related to each week’s story is connected to the text. Comprehension skills help the students to identify cause and effect, make judgments and decisions, identify problems and solutions, compare and contrast, utilize context clues, and develop higher level thinking skills. Reading for pleasure is encouraged through our Reading Counts program. Weekly projects are
assigned to link reading across the curriculum to science and social studies topics.
Spelling
Spelling words are related to the current story and use definition, context, and phonetic patterns to help students develop spelling skills.
Grammar
The grammar lessons are included as a part of the MacMillan McGraw-Hill reading series. Through the grammar program and additional “Daily Oral Language” activities students study usage, mechanics, sentences structure, paragraph development, knowledge of parts of speech, and the use of graphic organizers to develop advanced grammar skills. Diagramming and analogies are introduced at the 4th grade level.
Writing
Students are instructed in the stages of the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, and publishing. There is concentration on writing complete sentences and paragraphs. The students learn different forms of writing including: expository writing, narrative writing, descriptive writing, persuasive writing, journal writing, writing letters, and poetry. They learn to use graphic organizers as planning tools for effective writing.
Social Studies
The social studies program, utilizing the MacMillan McGraw-Hill series, strives to develop citizens who are capable of full participation in a democracy. The students learn active citizenship though skill lessons, interactive activities, and concrete examples. They learn geography literacy through the co-authorship of the National Geographic Society, through the presentation and development of the “Five Themes of Geography, and the development of map skills. History lessons begin to explore the cultures of the West and East and continue through the exploration stage. They learn to link the past and present of history lesson in ways that make sense for the students. The goal of the social studies program is to help students see the history of our country by studying its lands and regions. The students also study current events which are integrated into the curriculum to help them apply history to their real lives.
Science
The focus of the 4th grade science curriculum is self-discovery, cooperative learning, communication, and life-long learning. Hands-on, student-centered, and inquiry based approaches are the methods of instruction. Emphasis is on developing the ability to ask questions, to observe, measure, experiment, problem solve/reason, use computers, to use tools of science, gather data, and communicate findings. Each of these components is designed to meet the unique needs of the student. Students explore and investigate ecosystems, the rock cycle, plant growth and reproduction, body systems, and the classification of living things.
Mathematics
The Saxon math series, specifically Saxon 6/5, is used to instruct the 4th grade students. The math program builds foundational concepts and critical thinking skills. Real world problem solving and application is incorporated in the daily lesson. There is continual practice and assessment. Students have a math journal where they learn to communicate mathematically.