Elementary School

Fourth Grade Curriculum Overview

Bible

Old Testament: God’s leaders act in history; God’s purpose in history
New Testament: Paul’s mission to spread the good news
Weekly Scripture memory
Integration of Biblical worldview in all subjects

Language Arts

Listening: Demonstrate active listening skills; listen and respond to a variety of literary forms; listen to information to recall, summarize, and interpret
Speaking: Use oral language to inform, persuade, entertain, and question; practice effective communication skills.
Word Analysis: Apply phonetic strategies, syllable rules, and knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homophones
Fluency: use syntactic and semantic cues; apply principles of pacing and expression; participate in daily guided oral reading and independent, self selected silent reading;
Vocabulary: Learn new vocabulary in context; practice dictionary skills
Literature: Participate in guided reading and self selected reading of 40% fiction, 60% nonfiction; listen to literature read aloud
Comprehension: Read increasingly longer works for a variety of purposes; identify genre; identify elements of fiction and nonfiction; distinguish between fact and opinion; identify point of view; make predictions; compare and contrast; draw conclusions; make inferences and generalizations; respond to literal, inferential, and evaluative questions; recognize main idea, sequence, and cause and effect; identify and use figurative language; literary analysis of character, plot, setting, and theme
Spelling: Apply phonetic strategies; spell phonetic and non-phonetic words at fourth grade level or above; alphabetize words; identify roots, suffixes, and prefixes: learn and apply syllabication rules
Writing: Write legibly in manuscript and cursive; recognize and write complete sentences; write complete paragraphs; use the steps of the writing process to produce different types of writing including reflections, narratives, poems, letters, multi-paragraph essays, expository writing, and imaginative stories; use elaborations, increasingly descriptive vocabulary, and a variety of sentence types
Grammar: Identify and use different types of sentences; learn and apply standard rules for capitalization, punctuation, commas, apostrophes, quotations marks; identify and use nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and correct subject/verb agreement.
Reference skills: Locate information using a dictionary, encyclopedia, atlas, and globe; locate information using table of contents, title page, index, and glossary; introduction to the research process; use outlines and graphic organizers

Math

Numbers and operations: Addition and subtraction of whole numbers and decimal numbers with regrouping, mastery of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts; multi-digit multiplication with regrouping; long division; division of multi-digit whole numbers and decimal numbers place value to hundred millions; expanded notation
Fractions and decimals: decimal place to thousandths; fractional parts of a whole and a group; mixed numbers; improper fractions; equivalent fractions; addition and subtraction of fractions with like and unlike denominators
Measurement: Time, money, schedules, customary and metric measurement of length, weight, temperature, capacity, volume, area, and perimeter;
Geometry: Properties of plane and solid figures, congruence, symmetry; lines, points, rays; measurement of circles, terminology for angles
Graphs and statistics: Construction and interpretation of charts, tables, and graphs; use of ordered pairs on a first quadrant graph; mean, median, mode, and range
Probability: Terms and outcomes; experimentation, and prediction
Ratio, proportion, and percent
Estimation: Estimation of products, quotients, sums, and differences by rounding
Algebraic reasoning: commutative, associative, distributive, and identity properties; concept of equality; unknowns; order of operations
Problem solving: Multi-step problems; strategies

Mathematical concepts are taught with manipulatives, direct instruction, guided practice, small group exploration, independent practice, and written, oral, and performance assessments.

Social Studies

Civics: The Constitution; Bill of Rights
Economics: Supply and demand; Resources
Geography: States and capitals; Map Skills 4
History: American history: Exploration to nation-building
Other: Georgia state history

Science

Life science: Characteristics of organisms, animal vs. plant cells; ecosystems, food chains and webs; Plant parts and function, photosynthesis, respiration, pollination, fertilization; Life cycles; Animal classification; Structure and function of organs; Health – digestive and excretory systems
Earth science: Structure of the earth, igneous and sedimentary rocks, sources and uses of fresh water; Water cycle, types of precipitation; Climate zones; Seasons related to position of earth; Interpretation of weather maps and charts; Position of sun, moon, Earth related to day/month; Moon phases; Planets, stars, moon meteors, comets; Scientific study of space
Physical science: Metric measurement – length, area, volume; Mass, weight, density; Light spectrum, movement, shadow; Reflection and refraction; Light technology; Sound waves, pitch, volume, intensity, amplification, transmission; Static electricity – sources, transmission, magnetism, safety

Information Literacy

Orientation to the media center
Personal accountability with materials and information and democratic responsibility
Literary appreciation
Story elements
Task definition
Strategies for locating sources and information within a source
Understanding and recording relevant information
Organizing information using a graphic organizer
Presentation and synthesis
Product evaluation; plagiarism
Computer terms and operation
Basic keyboarding skills
Integration of skills with software
Internet navigation
Computer graphics
Word processing
Multimedia skills
Legal issues of electronic technology

Physical Education: Three classes per week

Personal fitness program, partner and team games, non-competitive games, skill development and knowledge of positions, strategies, rules, and scoring for soccer, volleyball, badminton, lacrosse, and basketball, adherence to team game rules and etiquette, drills, lead-up games, modified and official games, throwing and catching skills, knowledge of High School/Olympic level track and field events, technique and form for track and field events, and endurance and pacing in the weekly mile run.
Application of rules and techniques, participation, and sportsmanship

Fine Arts

Art: One class per week

Elements of visual arts: value, texture, pattern, color, principles of design
Media, techniques, and processes: Understand how different effects are produced
Selection and evaluation of subject matter: Select subject to communicate meaning, interpret and compare art pieces
Visual arts in relation to history and cultures: Describe and place a variety of art objects in historical and cultural contexts
Critical response: Recognize and describe purpose in specific artwork
Connecting visual arts and other disciplines: Use speaking/ writing skills in presentation and analysis of original artwork

Music: One class per week

Elements of music: Exploration of rhythm, melody, harmony, form, expression, tone, and color through singing, reading and writing notation, listening, moving, playing the soprano recorder and other classroom instruments, and performing improvised accompaniments and original recorder compositions
Vocal music: Singing on pitch with increased skill and accuracy, with focus on developing the head voice, good intonation, and breathing skills; exposure to singing in harmony through the use of rounds, partner songs, and simple two-part songs
Listening: Development of listening skills: learning how to intelligently evaluate, describe, and analyze music; learning to critique individual and ensemble recorder performances; recognition of orchestral families and instruments; exposure to various composers and their works, as well as music of various styles, cultures, and time periods
Music Appreciation: Understanding of music in relation to the Bible, history, culture, and other disciplines
Optional participation in 4th/5th grade Windsong Choir