Fourth Grade

The Fourth Grade Curriculum Introduction

By the fourth grade students should be fluent, competent readers. They should be able to focus on the meaning and details of texts. Summaries, book reports and descriptive essays are part of the weekly learning program. The students become more responsible for organizing and proofreading their work.

The writing purpose must be identified. Paragraphs are organized using clear ideas with introduction and conclusion sticking to the main idea. Many different resources are used for research to write short reports and sources are documented. Regular practice in spelling and vocabulary enrichment are a daily part of the program.

English grammar and usage is a vital part of the fourth grade curriculum. Children learn to recognize complete sentences, to identify subject and predicates, subject-verb agreement, etc. They learn the following parts of speech and how to use them: nouns, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, conjunctions, and punctuation.

World geography is introduced. Maps and globes are used to pinpoint countries and continents. American History is studied from early exploration to the Civil War. Current events are also followed and country identification is reinforced. In Math the fourth grade continues to practice multiplication and division with whole numbers. Fractions and decimals are also studied. Students learn to convert between different units of measurement. They learn to use basic geometry formulas. Roman numerals are introduced.

Fourth grade science becomes more sophisticated. Children predict, hypothesize and learn to analyze different aspects of scientific inquiry. They learn to keep organized records of investigations and offer reasons for their findings. Virtues are put into action in fourth grade so they build habits for life. Children are expected to have a good attitude each day, prepare their lessons, dress neatly, and speak politely to students and adults. Teachers are fair and consistent about the standards of behavior, which are crucial to the standards of development. Teachers give the children goals to achieve, and opportunities to do their right thing. Living up to the codes of conduct provide experience in living well.

» Download the 4th Grade class curriculum.