Grade 4

Religion

Students in Fourth Grade learn about the Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments in the Blest Are We series. Students learn about their obligation as Christians to live like Jesus by loving God and others. Students attend Mass every other Wednesday and on all Holy Days. During this time, students are nourishing their faith with prayer and the sacraments. To help them with this process the students complete a Mass reflection sheet after they return from Mass. Benziger’s Family Life is also a part of our religion curriculum. This series covers five themes centered on God’s gifts of family, self, life, love, and community.

Language Arts and Literature

The CAFÉ Reading framework provides students in fourth grade the strategies to improve comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and extend vocabulary. The students also use Daily 3, which consists of three parts: read to self, word work, and work on writing. Daily 3 fosters literacy independence by first building stamina in silent reading and progresses into writing and word building activities. It allows for individualized attention in small groups and one-on-one. Students also complete novel studies within this framework, incorporate lessons in literary terms, and practice in comprehension.

Fourth grade students increase their writings skills by studying essay, expository, and descriptive writing. The Step Up to Writing program is used in conjunction with Step Up to Writing and other graphic organizers to assist students in developing their writing voice.

Vocabulary and grammar skills are enhanced through daily grammar practice as well as working with the grammar program Voyages through English. The Zaner-Bloser spelling and vocabulary programs allow for practice with spelling, word origins, prefixes, suffixes, word meanings, analogies as well as synonyms and antonyms.

Mathematics

In Fourth Grade, students use the Go Math program for a hands-on approach to math. Lessons begin with problem-based situations and then build up to more abstract problems. Multiplication and division are the primary focus in fourth grade. Students use manipulatives to help develop a deeper understanding of math concepts.

Social Studies

The focus in Fourth Grade Social Studies is on California’s past and present. Students study the culture, economics, civics and government, and the history of our Golden State. The year culminates with a 2-part mission study in which students research and report on one of the California missions and then apply that knowledge to build their own mission.

Physical Education

In Fourth Grade, the continuing refinement of previous skills, including fundamental motor skills, allows the students to participate successfully in lead-up games of increasing complexity. Students participate in P.E. three times a week for 30 minutes.

Spanish

Students in Fourth Grade participate in Spanish class twice a week.

Music

Fourth Grade students are able to read twenty notes per minute and begin their soprano recorder performance lessons. As they are introduced to this simple woodwind instrument they also learn to recognize the other woodwinds, as well as brass, string and percussion instruments of the symphony orchestra.

Technology

Our technology is integrated at the classroom level and part of the curriculum. Fourth grade students may use the iPads to work on vocabulary, research their Mission project, or work on Math problems, among other activities. The students are assigned their own iPad for use during the school year. Each iPad includes a keyboard.