Curriculum

Religion

Fourth graders will learn through stories, activities, Scripture, prayer, discussion and reflection about their Catholic faith. Catholic values are discussed and integrated not only in Religion, but in all learning. Publisher Silver Burdett Ginn Religion offers a helpful website at http://www.blestarewe.com
The focus is on:

God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit
participation in liturgy and other forms of worship
the Commandments and Beatitudes service
use of Scripture to learn more about God
Family Life and healthy living
sacrament of Reconciliation

Language Arts/Reading

The Language Arts Program includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and the study of literature. The components of the program emphasize the development of those skills that allow students to read with fluency, comprehend and interpret written materials, communicate well, and listen and speak effectively. The skills acquired and understood are applied and reinforced in all content areas. The textbook used for reading is Storytown by Harcourt School Publishers. The publisher offers information and activities at their website http://www.thinkcentral.com.

Reading/Literature

Through the series, children experience authentic literature in the form of poetry, folktales, nonfiction, fiction, biographies, fantasies and plays. Reading fluency will develop and improve as students are presented with the following skills:

understanding cause and effect
understanding setting and plot
identifying figurative language
sequencing events of a story
analyzing details
using context clues and other resources to enhance vocabulary
identifying the characteristics of genres
stating the author's purpose
creating graphic organizers
self-correcting while reading
drawing conclusions/making inferences

Writing

Fourth grade students use writing to convey meaning
Students will:

write legibly using cursive
write sequential paragraphs on a given topic
apply grammar and mechanics
spell correctly
learn and use correct parts of speech, tenses and punctuation
construct an outline
use the writing process including pre-writing, writing, revising, editing, and final draft
write in multiple forms –narrative, descriptive and expository essays

Listening/Speaking

Fourth graders will listen for understanding, follow directions and respond appropriately to the speaker. Students will use acquired language and vocabulary to express opinions.
Students will:

present material orally
make presentations to individuals and small groups
participate in small & large group discussion
express ideas clearly when speaking

Mathematics

Fourth grade students develop proficiency in conceptual understanding, computational and procedural skills, and problem-solving ability through the use of the Harcourt School Publishers HSP Math, a standards based curriculum that diagnoses prerequisite skills, monitors progress and provides a variety of summative evaluations. Harcourt School Publishers offers information and activities at their website http://www.thinkcentral.com

All of the following skills are taught in the 4th grade textbook. We try our best to achieve all of them, but do not always get as far into fractions and decimals as I would hope. Students usually feel their greatest achievement is mastering double digit multiplication and division by double digit divisors, and getting a great deal of practice in solving word problems.

I plan that students will:

demonstrate multiple problem solving strategies
compare and order whole numbers, money, decimals and fractions
identify place value in whole numbers and decimals
recognize and use negative numbers
recognize prime numbers
relate fractions and decimals
add and subtract whole numbers and fractions
multiply and divide 2, 3, 4, and 5 digit numbers
divide by two digit divisors
make and use graphs
describe and use patterns
compare and construct geometric shapes
measure and compare units of length, capacity and weight
explore probability

Science

Students use concrete, hands -on experiences to understand science in the physical and natural world around them, They learn through observing, predicting, questioning and explaining. Publisher Houghton Mifflin offers an on-line textbook for home use at http://www.eduplace.com/eservices/ as well as other information and games at http://www.eduplace.com/sct/
Students will:

explain relationship of living things to their environment
describe characteristics of magnets
describe and use simple electrical circuits
identify and classify weather patterns and clouds
identify effects of water and rock cycles
compare properties of solids, liquids and gases
describe factors affecting ecosystems
recognize ecological needs and make plans to help

Social Studies

Fourth grade students acquire a social and cultural understanding of the world around them. The focus is on the 5 regions of the United States.
Publisher Scott Foresman, offers an on-line textbook and other resources at
http://www.sfsocialstudies.com

Students will:

Explore the history, geography, economy, culture, and government of the United States
Identify important sites, people, and events in United States history
Review and demonstrate map and globe skills
Identify and interpret maps
Name the 5 regions of the United States
Describe the landforms, climate, resources, and people of the 5 regions
Explain how a region’s resources shape the industries that grow there
Describe the production and delivery of a product
Define profit and how it might change based on supply and demand
Identify and describe traditions from around the world
Recognize the diversity of cultures and traditions within the United States
Identify and explain the United States system of government
List the rights and responsibilities of citizens of the United States

Students also participate in the Jr. Achievement program.

Technology & Reference Skills

Fourth grade students will study, retain and use information from a variety of sources.
Students will:

retrieve materials using a library classification system and individual reference tools
define a research topic through key work searches
combine text and use of other tools to create a project
use tool bar and menus for productivity navigation
create and use a database
understand copyright violations
create a multimedia presentation