FOURTH GRADE CURRICULUM
BIBLICAL CONNECTION & BIBLE
Our students study the bible each day in their classrooms and in Chapel. More than just simply learning to recall bible stories, students are called to think deeper about the stories they learn by making connections to real world examples, evaluating ways they can add to their character, and putting into practice a service minded attitude. Students are also taught a love for scripture by learning weekly memory verses that are recited orally or written each week. Students are taught to be spiritual leaders by leading songs and prayers in the classroom and in chapel. Prayer requests are a wonderful way that students are able to build a sense of family in the classroom while developing communication skills.
Teachers diligently work each day to be a biblical role model inside and outside the classroom. Biblical connections are encouraged throughout the day whether planned or spontaneous.
This year we are covering a Survey of the Old Testament.
SPELLING
Greek and Latin Roots: We will begin the year with a study of the morphology of words focusing primarily on Greek and Latin roots. Knowing just one Latin or Greek root can help a reader unlock the meaning of 10 or more English words. It demonstrates the importance of expanding vocabularies through word roots instruction. Equally important, we know that most academic words (the words and concepts students need to know for mastering math, science, and social studies) in English are derived from Latin and Greek roots.
Differentiated Spelling: These lessons focus on spelling and word work skills that can be applied to countless words, rather than memorizing a set of specific words. The goal is to integrate spelling into all parts of the students’ day, including their reading and writing. These lessons will teach students how to notice spelling patterns and how those patterns work in words. Students will use a list of words that follow a given rule or skill to create their own list based on their specific learning needs. This empowers the students to be in charge of their own learning and makes learning more meaningful.
MATH
enVisionmath2.0 is a comprehensive mathematics curriculum for Grades 2-5. It offers the flexibility of print, digital, or blended instruction. enVisionmath2.0 provides the focus, coherence, and rigor of the Tennessee State Standards. Project-based learning, visual learning strategies, and extensive customization options empower every teacher and student.
In fourth grade there is a focus on mastery of multiplication facts to 12, multiplying up to three-digit numbers by two-digit numbers, division with two-digit and three-digit answers, decimal place value to the thousandths, solving for missing variables with basic operations, basic understanding of fractions and geometric concepts such as angle measurement, parallel and perpendicular lines, types of angles, and perimeter and area. The students will have a firm understanding of addition and subtraction of fractions, reducing fractions, and volume.
IXL Math IXL is not just about helping your children learn math or language arts, it is also about helping them enjoy learning. That means encouraging them to have fun! Unlike traditional workbooks and exercises, IXL offers hours of intrigue for students—without distracting them from grasping key concepts.
One of the ways IXL accomplishes this is through hundreds of virtual awards that reflect kids' favorite animals, foods, places, and hobbies. On IXL math, each grade level has its own themed game board, filled with hidden prizes, so practicing math is like one big treasure hunt. Kids can wander through a winter wonderland in fourth grade, enjoy the great outdoors in sixth grade, or discover the mysteries of outer space when practicing Geometry. A square with a question mark tells them a prize is just around the corner. If they hover over it, they can see what they need to do to collect their award—just the nudge they need to keep practicing!
READING
READING CURRICULUM MAPS
Curriculum Maps were written by teachers for teachers. The maps will continue to evolve and improve as they are used. The Unit’s Overview will explain the theme and provide a summary of what students will learn. It explains the structure and progression, and various components of the unit. The “essential questions” highlights the usefulness, the relevance, and the greater benefit of a unit. It should prompt intellectual exploration. The FOCUS standards are directly from the Tennessee State Standards. Teachers will pull from a range of options to meet these standards. Interdisciplinary connections will be made throughout the units. Concepts of print, phonological awareness, phonics, and text reading fluency are all addressed and woven into a developmental progression that leads to word recognition and text reading.
FOURTH GRADE
Fourth grade is an important time of transition in elementary school. At this point, students have learned the fundamentals of reading and writing, have read and listened to many stories and poems from a range of cultures, and have learned about a variety of historical and scientific topics, as well as myths. They now begin to consider the nature of literature--its forms, themes, and relation to nonfiction--as they write essays, speeches, reports, and stories. The units draw connections among literature and other subjects, including history, science, geography, and art. Students prepare and deliver persuasive speeches and compare differing accounts of historical events. They study vocabulary from different subject areas and begin to learn about word roots. They have learned to draw connections between literary form and meaning, identify common themes in stories from many cultures, and write short essays on a variety of topics.
Unit 1 - Design-The Cornerstone of Progress
Students examine how design affects the world around them and how it affects and impacts their own lives. Students will read about great designers beginning with the creation of the world and then examining non-fiction texts such as Mr. Ferris and His Great Wheel. They will write personal narratives to show how their lives have been impacted by a particular design. Essential Question: How do designs of the past affect our lives today?
Terminology:
Non-fiction text, personal narrative, text structures - cause and effect/problem and solution
Unit 2 - Forces of Freedom
Unit Essential Question: What forces are responsible for moving things in a new direction?
Literature Essential Question: How were individual participants in the Revolutionary War forces to move the nation toward freedom ?
Students will examine the cost of freedom by examining the price individuals paid for their involvement in the Revolutionary War. Students will research and report on key figures involved in the Revolutionary War.
Terminology:
biography | point of view | speech
first person point of view | primary source
informational text structure | secondary source
Unit 3 - Living and Surviving in the World
Unit Essential Question: How do our basic needs help us to survive in the world in which we live?
Literature Essential Question: How are animals portrayed differently in fiction and non-fiction? Are there examples in
fiction that accurately portray what animals have to do or need in order to survive?
Students will examine the needs of animals by reading both fiction and non-fiction texts.
Terminology:
characterization | problem and solution compare/contrast
Informative texts
Unit 4 - Protecting Our World
Unit Essential Question: What impact do humans and natural forces have on the world around us?
Literature Essential Question: How has recycling changed over the years?
Students will research recycling through the years. They will write an informative writing piece after conducting interviews with their parents and grandparents.
Unit 5 - Power to Change
Unit Essential Question: To what extent can we use power to change our world?
Literature Essential Question: How do we receive power from different sources?
Students will learn about different types of power sources through research. They will be able to apply those power sources to their everyday lives. Students will develop an argument about the best sources of power and will create a multi-media presentation to explain their reasoning.
Unit 6 - Stories of the Earth and Sky
Unit Essential Question: How does studying the past and present states of Earth help us to predict its future state?
Literature Essential Question: How is the creation of the earth represented in different cultures?
Learning about the past and present of our planet will help us to be able to predict its future state. Students will examine the beginnings of the earth by examining creation stories from around the world and comparing them to the Biblical account.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Fourth grade students will learn about native civilizations in North America, European explorations to the New World during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and the political, economic, and social development of the British colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They will also study the early development of democratic institutions, including the ideas and events that led to the independence of the original thirteen colonies and the formation of a national government under the Constitution. In addition, they will examine the history of Tennessee parallel to the development of the United States and how our state impacted our nation and the world. The purpose of fourth grade social studies is to give students their first concentrated study of the formative years of United States and Tennessee history, utilizing primary source documents, geographic tools, research, analysis and critical thinking.
SCIENCE
With the introduction of our new STREAM program (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts, and math), fourth grade science uses project-based learning, Next Generation Science Standards and NWEA standards-based curriculum, and technological resources to provide a well-rounded, comprehensive learning experience. The STREAM units integrate all subject areas into one central theme. Lab safety skills, the engineering design process and the scientific method are constantly reinforced. Fourth grade science curriculum combines life, physical, and earth science with the reinforcement of technology skills, reading/writing in the content area, problem-solving and critical thinking.
Developing Skills Needed for Scientific Inquiry
Students will develop a set of systematic inquiry skills which define what a student should be able to do when conducting activities and investigations. Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions. The Makerspace is a venue that provides them with the supplies they need to use project-based learning to solve real-world problems.
WRITING
Students in fourth grade use all stages of the writing process—prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing—to produce clear, coherent writing suited to the purpose and audience. Students develop proficiency in each form of writing by having opportunities to practice their writing and by receiving prompt feedback from their teacher. They learn about the links between reading different types of text structures and writing using those same structures, drawing on what they have read as examples of how to write.
Students will learn to write multi-paragraph texts with a central idea, supporting details, and a concluding paragraph. Students learn to use the organizational structure (e.g., cause and effect, chronological order) that best fits the purpose of their composition. They learn and use keyboarding and other basic computer skills to produce and publish at least one page of writing in a single sitting.
Students learn to draw evidence from literary and informational texts to support their main idea with facts, details, and explanations. They use multiple sources of information, including online resources. They also learn to quote and paraphrase relevant information, and cite the source of information correctly.
Students write opinion pieces, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives. They also conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. They learn how to link ideas within categories of information using words or phrases such as another, because, and for example. They use domain-specific vocabulary to explain or provide information about a topic, as well as how to use precise language in their informational/explanatory writing.
Students practice taking notes, paraphrasing, and categorizing the information they gather from print and digital sources. They also learn how to develop a list of their resources. Through the school year, students write routinely over both extended time frames (several days or weeks with time for research, reflection, revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two). They write for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences on topics and texts in all fourth-grade subjects.