Fourth Grade Curriculum

Literacy:  Houghton Mifflin, language and word study, Reader's Workshop, Writer's Workshop

Our fourth grade series consists of six themes:

THEME 1    Journeys: Focus on Mysteries
THEME 2    American Stories: Focus on Plays
THEME 3    That's Amazing
THEME 4    Problem Solvers: Focus on Poetry
THEME 5    Heroes: Focus on Pourquoi Tales
THEME 6    Nature: Friend and Foe

There are three Literacy components:

• Language and Word Study:  Students explore the intricacies of language across multiple genres including literature, informational texts and poetry.  They investigate the meaning and structure of words, the conventions and forms of written language.
• Reading Workshop:  Students read a variety of self-selected and teacher selected texts for extended periods.  They construct meaning and make personal and textual connections as they learn from and about reading.  Students learn effective comprehending strategies they apply to fiction and nonfiction texts.
• Writing Workshop:  Students develop writing strategies and skills, learn about the writer’s craft, and use writing as a tool for learning and communication.  Writing for sustained periods, they explore different genres and formats for a range of purposes and for a variety of audiences. They will then edit and revise their work before they come to conference with the teacher.

MATH:  Everyday Mathematics
Everyday Mathematics offers students a broad background in mathematics.  Some approaches in this program may differ from those you used as a student.  However, they are based on research results, field-test experiences, and the mathematics that students will need in the twenty-first century.  Following are some program highlights:
- a problem solving approach that uses mathematics in everyday situations
- partner and small group activities that promote cooperative learning
- concepts and skills introduced and reviewed throughout the school year, promoting retention through a
  variety of exposures
- concepts and skills developed through hands-on activities
- opportunities to discuss and communicate mathematically
- frequent practice using games as an alternative to tedious drills
- opportunities for home and school communication
Fourth Grade Emphasizes the following content:
Unit 1:  Naming and Constructing Geometric Figures
Unit 2:  Using Numbers and Organizing Data
Unit 3:  Multiplication and Division:Number Sentences and Algebra
Unit 4:  Decimals and Their Uses
Unit 5:  Big Numbers, Estimation, and Computation
Unit 6:  Division; Map Reference Frames; Measures of Angles
Unit 7:  Fractions and Their Uses; Chance and Probability
Unit 8: Perimeter and Area
Unit 9:  Percents
Unit 10:  Reflections and Symmetry
Unit 11:  Shapes, Weight, Volume, and Capacity
Unit 12:  Rates
 

SOCIAL STUDIES
Nystom: Hands-on Geography   Building Map Skills
Macmillan/McGraw-Hill:  Regions Near and Far (United States) Social Studies for a Changing World
classify, compare, and contrast common features and cultures
Business Adventure  A New World of Business (Economics)
 invent a product, market it, classroom auction
 

HEALTH:  The Great Body Shop
Our fourth grade health curriculum consists of five units.  These units are as follows:
       Unit  1:  Community Safety
       Unit  2:  The Digestive System
       Unit  3:  No Smoking
       Unit  4:  Be Cool, Keep Clean
       Unit  5:  Stay Drug Free!
 

SCIENCE:  FOSS (Full Option Science System)
The fourth grade science curriculum consists of three modules:  Structures of Life, Water, and Magnetism and Electricity.  Through out the year, fourth graders will be doing many different experiments and hands-on activities with these units.  Here is a brief overview and description of our units.

Structures of Life
Origin of Seeds, guides students to discover and observe seeds found in foods we eat.
Meet the Crayfish and Crayfish at Home, introduce an interesting organism that has a variety of structures and exhibits a wealth of behaviors.

Water
In Water Observations, students become familiar with the properties of water, an earth material. 

Magnetism and Electricity
The Force, deals with the concept of permanent magnetism.  Students discover how magnets interact with different materials and with each other.  They investigate variables that influence the force of attraction between two magnets.

Technology

Fourth graders spend at least three sessions a week in one of our computer labs for keyboarding, word processing, Study Island and other test prep sites.