Grade 4

Religion

  • Fourth grade’s program is Blest Are We, supplemented by Benziger Family Life coursework and activities. The focus for fourth grade is:

    • Scriptural passages that speak of God’s love for us, our love for humankind and God, and our need for mercy and forgiveness. 
    • To Teach the Ten Commandments, rules to help us live God’s life of love
    • The Beatitudes Way of Life to bring happiness.
    • Teach about Jesus’ Great Commandments of love are a Christian’s way of life 
    • Ten Commandments help us live God’s life of love
    • The lives of Catholic Saints
    • Forgiveness:  Importance of forgiving others, ask for forgiveness and accept forgiveness when it is offered
    • The Catholic Church is a community of worship, witness, and service which carries on the work and mission of Christ in which we share through Baptism.

    Resources

    • Blest Are We – Benziger
    • Family Life – Benziger

Math

  • In Grade 4 emphasis is placed on mental math, the concept of place value, reading numbers to 100,000,000, measurement (i.e., length, weight, and temperature), and adding and subtracting whole numbers. Students learn how to multiply two-digit numbers and divide a one-digit divisor into a larger dividend and money. Other areas of focus include problem-solving with opportunities to use their skills in computation, estimation, time, money, measurement, geometry, graphing, probability, and algebra to solve a wide variety of everyday problems.  Equivalent fractions, decimal-fractions relationships, adding and subtracting with like and unlike denominators are introduced.

    Resources

    Progress in Mathematics – Sadlier Oxford

Science

  • Fourth grade science emphasis is life science and physical science and focuses on organisms and their interactions, as well as forms of energy. Life science lessons include introduction to cells and cell structures, botany (plants are examined and classified), characteristics of vertebrate and invertebrate animals, and ecosystems, including adaptations and behaviors of plants and animals. Physical science lessons explore energy, including kinetic and potential energy, sound, radiant energy, visible light, heat, and renewable and non-renewable energy resources.

    Resources

    • Nancy Larson Science 4
    • Science Through Experiments Program (STEP) – Mary Garniewicz and Emily Rose 2010

     

Social Studies

  • Regions of the United States:  The fourth grade Social Studies curriculum is tied together by the five themes of Geography (Location, Place, Regions, Movement, and Human and Environmental Interaction). Students will study the reasons why early settlers wanted to make the United States their home, and the cultures of indigenous peoples in various regions of the United States.  They will become aware of how the geography of each region varies and its impact on each region’s economy.  The course study will also examine the relationships between events in world history as it relates to United States history.

     Resources

    Scott Foresman Social Studies – Regions

     

STEP

  • Students are also introduced to the hands-on Science Through Experiment Program (STEP).  STEP’s focus is Simple Machines:  force, friction, and mechanical advantage.  We experiment and interpret data by asking questions and establishing hypothesis while observing and recording data and findings to determine experiment conclusions.

Reading

  • In fourth grade, students continue to be introduced to a wide variety of genres, fiction and nonfiction literature which will serve as a basis for instruction and practice in phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and writing.  Students can expect the following instruction practices:

    • Guided Reading Groups: graphic organizers, comprehension strategies including characterization, plot, theme, figurative language, point of view and using context clues to understand key vocabulary
    • Reading Comprehension Strategies:  predicting, inferring, making connections, drawing conclusions, rereading, reading ahead, questioning, and paraphrasing
    • Valuate and analyze interrelationships among story elements, cause-and-effect relationships, sequences, comparisons, contrasts, and main ideas in various genres
    • Ask why, if and how questions to understand an author’s message
    • Recognize the poetic sound of devices of alliteration and onomatopoeia

    Resources

    Scott Foresman – Reading Street

Language Arts

  • In fourth grade language arts, students will learn the mechanics and conventions for good writing.  They will practice and compose different genres of writing (descriptive, narrative, imaginative, expository, and persuasive), paragraph writing, friendly letter, and poetry.  Other student writing expectations include:

    • Daily oral language activities
    • Grammar lessons, practice, and review for application activities
    • Sentence structure, context clues, dictation (spelling)
    • Weekly spelling assignments and tests
    • Latin & Greek – The Rooted Mind:  daily practice of Latin & Greek roots, prefixes, and suffixes within the English Language.  
    • Book report skills and writing assignments, incorporating various learned mediums and formats.

    Students also have an opportunity to present orally, emphasizing the importance of both written and oral communication skills.

    Resources

    • Spelling Connections – Zaner Bloser
    • Voyages in English – Loyola Press
    • Latin & Greek Roots Challenge – The Rooted Mind, Maureen and John Riley