Fourth Grade

d .	d .
Mrs. Geneva Maready .	Mrs. Brenda Saunders .

The goal of the fourth grade is to move students toward increasing independence in the use of communication skills and strategies. By this level, students read sufficiently well to comprehend, analyze, criticize, respond, and reflect on any text or task. Emphasis is placed on teaching strategies and study skills that encourage students to become true independent learners.

The fourth grade language arts and social studies curriculums are integrated in many ways. By now students should be fluent, competent readers who tend to focus on meaning and details of text. At this level, many genres of literature are explored as well as skills such as chart, graph, timeline, and map reading. Along with the basal texts and AR, novels are used to enhance the reading and social studies programs. Students get many opportunities for writing, both creative and informative, with an increased emphasis on summaries, autobiographies, personal and imaginative narratives. Children are given more responsibility for organizing, editing, and proofreading their work. Vocabulary strategies and phonetic spelling strategies continue to be stressed in all subject areas. Students are given many opportunities for oral expression and developing listening skills through the use of research reports, trade books, North Carolina current events, and technology. With the integration of these two areas, students will gain knowledge and experience the joy of learning.

The fourth grade math curriculum centers on the mastery of basic skills and how to use these skills to logically and creatively solve everyday math problems. Using a basic text and a variety of other materials, students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. Manipulatives and games are vital to the development of a good understanding and strong mathematical foundation.

The fourth grade science curriculum uses three approaches to help students think and make decisions. The approaches are hands-on activities, reading science content, and visualizing science concepts. Independent study, teamwork, experimentation, and individual and group projects help students develop problem solving and critical thinking skills. The process skills (observe, infer, classify, communicate, predict, interpret data, hypothesize, experiment, and make a model) are taught, practiced, and assessed.

Health issues are discussed and supplement the science curriculum. Students will be informed about how to make wise decisions for a lifetime of fitness and wellness. Supplementary materials, including Weekly Readers, are used to help educate students about health issues and provide interesting and current information.

In addition to academics, fourth graders develop socially and spiritually in order to succeed at school, at home, with friends, and in the community. At this level, the students are truly becoming independent and responsible learners.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Spelling and vocabulary development strategies:

• Consonant and vowel spellings
• Diphthongs and digraphs
• Compound words
• Homophones
• Synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms
• Root words, prefixes, and suffixes
• Plurals
• Strategies for troublesome spellings
• Multiple meanings
• Use of dictionary, glossary, and thesaurus
• Proofreading
• Analogies
• Increase reading and writing vocabularies

Strategies for comprehension of written, spoken and viewed text:

• Analyze literary elements - character, setting, plot, theme
• Recognize author’s style and purpose
• Read and respond to various genres of literature
• Identify elements of fiction and nonfiction
• Make inferences
• Draw conclusions
• Summarize information
• Listen attentively and actively
• Figurative language
• Classifying
• Sequence details
• Comparing/contrasting
• Make predictions
• Fact/opinion

Make connections through the use of oral and written language, and media & technology:

• Respond to all literature genres using different strategies and processes
• Interpret text by analyzing and examining story elements
• Integrate information
• Conduct research for assigned projects
• Read a variety of texts, such as:

Short stories	Fantasy	Realistic Fiction
Plays	Mysteries	Historical Fiction
Legends	Biographies	Autobiographies
Nonfiction	Personal Narratives	...

Apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual text:

• Read aloud grade-appropriate written and visual text
• Make oral and written presentations
• Use planning strategies - brainstorming, mapping, webbing, discussion
• Compose personal and imaginative narratives
• Focus on revision skills
• Use technology to gather, organize, and present information

Apply and use language conventions and grammar:

• Capitalization and punctuation
• Subject/verb agreement
• Sentence structure
• Parts of speech - nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions
• Proofreading and editing skills when writing
• Legible handwriting and word processing

MATH

• Recognize place value - hundredths to millions
• Read and write numbers using standard, expanded, and word forms
• Ordering/comparing whole numbers, decimals, and fractions
• Rounding numbers and estimating answers
• Average numbers
• Work and check addition/subtraction problems with carrying/borrowing
• Properties of addition/multiplication
• Know 0-12 multiplication tables/work problems with carrying
• Find least common multiple
• Know 0-12 division tables/work and check division problems
• Factor numbers
• Know fraction terminology
• Add, subtract, and multiply fractions
• Recognize proper and improper fractions
• Fractional part of a number
• Write a fraction as a decimal and write a decimal as a fraction
• Add and subtract decimals
• Roman numerals 1 – 1,000
• Geometry, including area and perimeter
• Measurement
• Temperature
• Elapsed Time
• Money
• Problem Solving
• Collecting, organizing, and using data
• Graphs
• Probabilities
• Use range, median, and mode
• Solve equations

SOCIAL STUDIES

Social studies skills:

• Acquire information from a variety of sources
• Use information for problem solving, decision making, and planning
• Develop skills in constructive interpersonal relationships and social participation
• Participate effectively in civic affairs
• Understand and use map and globe skills

Study of North Carolina:

• Analyze the characteristics of the people of NC
• Assess the influence of major religions, beliefs, and values on life in NC
• Locate major physical features and suggest the influence on life in NC
• Study the regions of NC
• Evaluate ways the people of NC adapt to the physical environment
• Examine the governing ways of NC
• Study the economy of NC
• Study the history of NC

SCIENCE

Life Science:

• Human body – digestive, circulatory, and skeletal systems

Physical Science:

• Magnetism
• Electricity
• Matter on the move – matter, atoms, and elements

Earth Science:

• Earth’s history
• Rocks and minerals

HEALTH

• Proper Nutrition
• Avoiding drugs and smoking
• Behavior management

Textbook List

READING
Beat the Story Drum by Wood et. al.
Publisher/Copyright Date: Macmillan McGraw-Hill © 1995

Novels:

The Moon and I	Soft Rain	The War With Grandpa
Littlejim	Bridge to Terabithia	Indian in the Cupboard
Helen Keller’s Teacher	...	...

Books Read To Class:

The Pinballs	Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
The Wish Giver	NC Mysteries and Legends
The Castle in the Attic	Native American Legends
Summer of the Swans	Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
The Best School Year Ever

LANGUAGE
A BEKA
Language A by Rand
Publisher/Copyright Date: Pensacola Christian College © 1998

Houghton Mifflin English by Haley-James and Stewig
Publisher/Copyright Date: Houghton Mifflin © 1988

VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Workshop, Level Orange by Shostak
Publisher/Copyright Date: Sadlier Oxford © 1999

SPELLING
Spelling Connections by Gentry
Publisher/Copyright Date: Zaner-Bloser © 2000

MATH
A BEKA
Arithmetic 4 by Howe
Publisher/Copyright Date: Pensacola Christian College © 1995

SCIENCE
McGraw-Hill Science by Moyer et. al.
Publisher/Copyright Date: McGraw-Hill © 2000

Discover Science (supplemental text) by Cohen et. al.
Publisher/Copyright Date: Scott Foresman © 1989

Weekly Reader (supplemental reader)
Publisher/Copyright Date: Weekly Reader Publishing

SOCIAL STUDIES
Living in North Carolina by Clark
Publisher/Copyright Date: NCSU Publishing © 1998

Macmillan McGraw-Hill by Imperatore and Scher
Publisher/Copyright Date: Macmillan McGraw-Hill © 1993