4th Grade
In fourth grade, language is seen as a transdisciplinary element of the curriculum rather that only a separate discipline. Student’s enthusiasm for language is a fundamental attitude, whether this be through choosing books with subjects that interest them or writing in “writer’s workshop” sessions where students chose subject and writing genre.
In fourth grade, students continue to develop confidence in group and class discussions where respect and cooperation are emphasized. Students are expected to pose and post questions regarding their studies. They are expected to provide evidence of their reasoning verbally and when answering questions and add appropriate elaboration and detail when sharing ideas. Students are expected to share advice, opinions and information.
Students have plenty of opportunity to develop good oral presentation skills, showing attention to language, sentence structure and vocabulary as well as attitude. Students are expected to begin to demonstrate the appropriate behaviors implicit in speaking to larger audiences (such as intonation, facial expressions, and gestures). All of these skills are practices and developed through meaningful contexts. Students are expected to listen carefully when interacting with others, peers or adults. Students not only listen for instructions, they listen to evaluate, draw inferences and make judgments.
Students enjoy a range of reading material from the wide choice of print in the class library, including fiction, poetry, biography, non-fiction texts, multimedia resources and the internet. Students are consistently encouraged to read for understanding. In fourth grade, students select reading books and are expected to read fluently and to think critically in order to evaluate and understand what is being read. They are expected to read for at least twenty minutes every day.
High quality literature is integrated into the units of inquiry that we study, such as “Indian Captive” by Lois Lanski and “Esperanza Rising” by Pam Munoz Ryan. In fourth grade, students are expected to reflect on language with an emphasis on discussion and analysis of texts.
There are independent reading times, and a regular library period where stories are read to students or they develop research skills. Students also take part in group reading and discussion. Additionally, students are required to select and produce a book report from each of the following genres: historical fiction, realistic fiction, biography, mystery, fantasy, and non-fiction.
Students in fourth grade are encouraged to write for a purpose and use the writing process, involving the planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing stages. Students are encouraged to reflect and develop their writing using tools provided. Students act as writing partners to their peers in the writing process. They take part in peer and teacher conferencing activities.
Sentence structure, including grammar and punctuation, are taught in meaningful contexts primarily through the student’s own writing. Students are taught to create more complex sentences and to use a variety of sentence structures, They learn about direct and reported speech. They should understand the basic language conventions, including agreement between nouns and verbs, and consistency of tense and subject. Students are expected to develop a deeper understanding of punctuation.
Spelling and vocabulary development are integral parts of the fourth grade curriculum. Spelling and vocabulary is taught regularly and children are encouraged to develop new vocabulary. They inquire into rules and patterns and are expected to apply these to their writing. Students collect words from their own writing and new vocabulary from the units of inquiry and other areas of the curriculum. Students are expected to use dictionaries and thesauruses as a regular independent tool for learning. Students take vocabulary tests focusing on spelling and word definitions.
Math in Grade 4
In fourth grade, students gain an understanding of important mathematical concepts and skills through and inquiry-based curriculum. There is a strong ethos of questioning, and students are expected to pose questions and take part in mathematical discussion, explaining their thinking and speculating about topics covered.
Learning is collaborative and active. Students are expected to try out and demonstrate their ideas in small and large groups. Students develop their skills of questioning, investigating, discussing, and justifying. Instruction is built on what the students know and can demonstrate. Students are expected to help cultivate a learning culture where mistakes or challenges are viewed as an opportunity to improve and learn something new.
Conceptual understanding in many areas of mathematics is the primary emphasis, regardless of the particular computational skills the students employs to arrive at their answer. It is insufficient to merely learn written methods of calculation without making connections between these and their meaning. Students continue to use manipulatives and are involved in practical activities in order to make math meaningful. Students demonstrate their understanding by applying their learning to relevant and “real life” applications wherever possible.
Students in fourth grade are expected to become aware of a variety of strategies for possible multiple solutions to the problem and investigations they are working on. Students are expected to be able to describe and explain the processes involved in finding solutions. Students are encouraged to use a variety of resources including, calculators, computers, internet resources as well as textbooks to answer their mathematical inquiries. Students are continually encouraged to reflect on their learning, orally and in writing through reflections.
In the number work, students’ awareness of place value extends to not only exploring numbers to the millions but also those less than 0. By representing and comparing decimals, students begin to generate equivalent forms of decimals. They deepen their understanding of fractions to include locating them on number lines and understanding them as divisions of whole numbers. Students develop and understanding of improper fractions, fractions in their simplest form and equivalent fractions. Students are expected to develop strategies that help them estimate whole numbers, fractions and decimals.
Students in fourth grade reinforce their understanding of multiplication and division through studying facts and applying them. They develop their understanding of the key concepts including the effects of multiplication and division on whole numbers, the relationship between these operations and the properties of them.
Students take part in activities that involve problem solving , reasoning, number patterns, estimations, data collecting, and using mental strategies for computation. They create and play games to show their understanding and/or help increase accuracy and speed in their number work.
Science in Grade 4
Science and technology aims to stimulate and challenge students’ ideas. Much of the science and technology curriculum is included in the units of inquiry, including work on the interrelationship of different body systems and developing an understanding of the causes and impact of natural disasters. Science taught outside the units of inquiry includes and examination of adaptations, an inquiry into the physical properties of matter, and study of inherited traits and learned characteristics.
Students are expected to work cooperatively and collaboratively when investigating and experimenting. Through experimentation and problem solving students develop an understanding of the key scientific concepts which form the fourth grade science curriculum. They explain their ideas, questions and concerns and are challenged to use observation and experimentation to help modify or abandon commonly held misconceptions.
Students formulate their own questions which drive the inquiry. They are given the flexibility and opportunity to explore a science interest when it arises. They make predictions and suggest hypotheses. Through discussion and dialogue students propose explanations and conclusions. They understand that science involves accepting a degree of uncertainty or ambiguity and that new questions always arise.
Students take part in hands-on activities to ensure that students experience science and technology process skills in a tangible fashion. They conduct scientific research through the use of reference books and internet resources. They also take part in scientific research through observation and planning as well as by collecting, recording, organizing, and interpreting data and presenting their research findings. Students produce models, posters, and reports. They are encouraged to find applications for, and take action on, what they have learned.
Social Studies in Grade 4
Fourth grade social studies is seen as a transdisciplinary element of the curriculum rather than just a separate discipline. The vast majority of the social studies curriculum is taught through our units of inquiry where in-depth coverage is valued over the “survey” approach to topics and knowledge. Local, multicultural, international, and global dimensions are examined.
Students are expected to access multiple primary and secondary resources, including fiction and non-fiction texts, atlases, almanacs, encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauruses, internet resources, magazines, newspapers, audio-visual media, people, artifacts, field trips and any reference materials that the students bring into the classroom. Students become more aware of the multiple perspectives involved in the topics studied.
Students work independently and collaboratively whether in pairs, small or large groups. In their learning, transdisciplinary skills are taught, practiced and applied through the inquiry driven curriculum. Focus is placed on macro skills including decision-making, problem solving, reflective learning, communicating, critical and creative thinking, and researching in the process of students constructing meaning.
Student initiative is valued and students are encouraged, for example, to visit when other classes, interview school personnel, community members, and local experts. Key questions drive inquiry in social studies, and students have the opportunity to take part in a variety of tasks which cater to different learning styles. They are expected to reflect on their learning at the end of units.