FOURTH GRADE CURRICULUM

 

In accordance with the Michigan Curriculum Framework Content Standards and Benchmarks/Grade Level Content Expectations, fourth grade students will…

 

Reading:

 

·        Read a variety of historical fiction, legends, myths, realistic fiction fantasy, verify, and justify story elements.

·        Analyze various selections by reading, viewing, and listening to determine author’s, illustrator’s, or speaker’s purpose, craft, and voice.

·        Read to analyze the characteristics, sequence of events, and cause and effect relationships of biographical and autobiographical selections.

·        Read and analyze narrative and informational texts, using reading strategies to identify theme or main idea.

·        Novels: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Sadako, Night of the Full Moon, Bud Not Buddy.

·        Legends: Legend of Mackinac Island, Legend of Lady’s Slippers, Legend of the Loon, Legend of Sleeping Bear.

 

Writing:
 
 

 

 


·        Compose business letters, using legible cursive writing or word processing and correct format.

·        Process write an informational report by analyzing and applying the structure and technique of exemplary writing.

·        Process write an extended response to a prompt, making connections to his/her own experiences.

·        Correctly spell words independently in written work and correctly use content-related vocabulary words.

 

Speaking:

 

 

·        Deliver a presentation on an informational topic, focusing on effective delivery techniques and using a visual aid.

 

 

Listening:

 

·        Listen to auditory text and construct meaning by predicting, generating questions, and summarizing.

 

Research:

 

·        Research issues using multiple and varied resources to discriminate importance and synthesize key ideas.

 

Social Studies Strands studied:

 

·        Civics and government (explain meaning and significance of The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, citizenship, and public service, purpose of 3 branches of government, role of governor and state government, understand state laws and political leadership).

·        The focus of the social studies curriculum for Grade Four is “Michigan”.  A comprehensive approach to creating learning opportunities within the disciplines of history, geography, civics, economics, inquiry and decision making will be most effective when integrated with the subjects of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and the arts.

·        Economics (identify businesses that supply goods and services, examine the benefits of trade, interpret economic data on a chart, understand economic and social interdependence).

·        Geography (identify the meaning of geographical terms, associate geographical factors with economic growth, compare regions in this state to other regions, associate location with information given on a map, draw conclusions about maps, identify Earth’s hemispheres, compare the causes and effect of human migration, research and present a state report).

·        Historical perspective (analyze historical events using multiple sources, interpret information presented in timelines, analyze data presented in a chart or graph).

  • Summarize the events within Michigan history, understand how geography has impacted Michigan, explain how Michigan was granted statehood, explain Michigan’s role in the American Revolution and Civil War, identify historical figures from Michigan, describe early pioneers’ expansion of the West, draw conclusions about the indigenous people of North America using legends and myths, identify the order of events with Michigan’s state history

 

Mathematics Strands studied:

 

·        Algebraic Concepts (identify the missing part of an equation, compose problems and story problems requiring multiple operations, determine mathematical expressions from experiential rules).

·        Data Interpretation (interpret information given in graph, chart and table form, determine the correct use of graphs, plots, and tables, read a diagram).

·        Decimals (demonstrate a sense of how decimals are used to communicate information, add and subtract decimals, multiply a decimal number by a 1 digit whole number, identify the decimals that correspond to partially shaded figures, determine equivalent fractions and decimals).

·        Fractions (use fractions to express proportions appropriately, add/subtract fractions with different denominators, reduce a fraction to its lowest terms, solve multiple step problems involving fractions).

·        Geometry (explore properties of geometric figures, study right angle concepts, use protractors, build and draw geometric figures with certain measurements, recognize congruent figures).

·        Measurement (convert time between hours and minutes, find the perimeter of rectangles, compose and solve problems regarding perimeter and area, understand the concepts of volume, capacity, weight and area).

·        Numeration (round whole numbers to the nearest 1000, use rounding to determine the difference of a given equation, justify the use of an estimate or an exact calculation for a problem).

·        Percents (explain representation of percents less than 100).

·        Probability/Statistics (create and carry out appropriate experiments to find the probability of a given event).

·        Problem Solving (solve story problems which include irrelevant information, solve multi-step problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division).

  • Whole Numbers (perform multiplication/division on whole numbers, understand whole number operations as methods for solving real-world problems).

 

Science:

 

·         Earth and Space (identify the Earth’s composition, understand resources, understand weather, compare/classify rocks and minerals).

·        Life (understand basic needs for organisms to survive, characteristics of populations, understand personal health, nutrition and safety, recognize conservation efforts, understand how humans adversely effect environment, explore how living things inherit physical attributes).

·        Physical (develop understanding of electricity, heat, energy, chemical and physical changes, identify properties of materials and objects, read/analyze a bar graph about motion).

·        Research and Inquiry (describe a problem, its design, and its solution, understand methods of scientific inquiry, perform scientific investigations, work as a team to solve scientific problems, collect and interpret data, compare simple and compound machines, use scientific data to make reasonable explanations, produce and present a science fair project).

 

Spanish:

 

·        Comprehend simple sentences, based on known vocabulary.

·        Read simple sentences, based on known vocabulary, when presented in age-appropriate literature.

·        Verbalize in a manner that demonstrates understanding of the content.

·        Integrate known vocabulary into simple written sentences with teacher assistance.

 

Technology:

 

·        Demonstrate the proper care of technological systems and components.

·        Interpret, analyze and evaluate information with the assistance of technology.

·        Demonstrate and consistently use keyboarding skills acquired through the Mavis Beacon program.

·        Use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Hyperstudio, Encarta, and Web browser to produce an informational report/product.

  • Use age appropriate vocabulary related to technology.

 

Music:

 

 

·        Sing independently with 75% or better accuracy in two-part singing.

·        Match pitch with 90% accuracy in unison singing.

·        Master identification of:  half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, quarter rests, whole notes, half rests, whole rests, and eighth rests.

·        Begin identifying:  sixteenth notes and rests, dotted notes/rests.

·        Begin triple meter dictation.

·        Identify simple melodic patterns using solfege with 80% accuracy.

 

Physical Education:

 

·        Demonstrate sport-specific skills in individual, dual and team sports, and recreational games.

·        Perform and understand fitness activities that develop and maintain cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance of large muscle groups, and flexibility of major joints.

·        Use feedback from practice trials, teacher, and peers to improve skill performance.

·        Demonstrate on a daily basis, good personal/social character traits at least 75% of the time.

·        Enjoy participating in physical activity.

 

 

Assessments:

 

Assessment includes, but is not limited to observations, quizzes, tests, rubrics, scoring guides, Scantron Performance Series computer assessment, STAR diagnostic assessment, and MEAP ELA and mathematics assessments.