Fourth Grade Curriculum
 
Religion:
-Catholic faith development based on the life of Christ                      
-Emphasis on the Beatitudes, fruits of the Spirit and personal prayer                              
-Mass planning and participation

-Bible verse memorization
 
Spelling:
-Weekly lists (plus challenge words) with group games and  independent practice 
 
English/Writing:
-Daily oral language practice in grammar skills
-Emphasis on sentence and paragraph structure, writing friendly letters and narratives, research and using the writing process
-English workbook practice focused on parts of speech, punctuation and mechanics of language
-Development of keyboarding and computer skills
-Vocabulary workshop  
 
Reading:
-Chapter book studies based on classic children’s literature such as: “Charlotte’s Web,” “Flat Stanley,” “Shiloh,” “Stone Fox,” and “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” as well as selections in the reading series
-Accelerated Reader incentives to promote independent reading at appropriate ability level
-Reading comprehension and vocabulary development
 
Math:
-Daily instruction and review of basic operations
-Units on time, data and a variety of graphing methods
-Geometry lessons including figures, perimeter, area and volume
-Introduction of algebraic terms and equations
-Exploration of fractions, probability and statistics, and decimals
-Accelerated Math for remediation and enrichment
                               
Social Studies:
-United States regions: geography, history and economy
-Students’ creation of a book of United States facts
-Study of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania
-Internet research projects, including famous Pennsylvanians
-Current events in Time for Kids magazine
                                               
Science:
-Questioning and exploring along with the Harcourt Brace textbook, additional science literature and hands-on activities
-Units include human body systems, ecosystems, earth science, atmosphere and planets, matter, electricity, and simple machines
 
Computer:
-Basic skills, formatting of documents, editing text and insertion of pictures
-Advanced critical thinking skills through simulations, problem solving and conclusion drawing
-Finding of reference materials using the library browser and detailed search screens
-Ethical use of the Internet and computer
-Intermediate use of the Internet search and navigation tools