Fourth Grade Subject Summaries
2012-2013
RELIGION: In religion, our main topics for the year will be the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. We will also be reviewing the sacraments, parts of the mass, the liturgical seasons, and the rosary. We will bring Jesus’ life and teaching into many parts of our day--in all of our subject areas, applying our Christian values to all areas of our lives. Please feel free to join us at our weekly school masses which will be on Tuesdays this year.
READING: In reading we will be using the basic format of the Daily 5 literacy program to structure our language arts block. We will spend time: Reading to Self, Reading to Someone, Listening to Reading, Working on Writing, and Word Work. We will stress comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and also work to expand vocabulary. We will incorporate the McGraw-Hill reading series for skill instructions and practice. Some of the novels that will also be a part of our reading curriculum are Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner, The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien, Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. I will be using a series of short, guided reading books to teach nonfiction reading comprehension skills. We also have subscribed to a weekly news magazine called Time For Kids. Students will be instructed in how to keep an independent reading log at school. I will be reading to your child every day for fifteen minutes--one of my favorite parts of the day!
LANGUAGE/WRITING: We will be using the G.U.M. text to learn and gain practice in grammar, usage, and writing mechanics. We will also do daily oral language activities which provide short, focused lessons on capitalization, punctuation, grammar, adding details, and sentence structure. We will practice all of the learned grammar and mechanics skills when we write our poems, short stories, and small research reports. We will be practicing the 6+1 Writing Traits, and there will be a strong emphasis on the whole writing process. To increase vocabulary we will be discussing daily oral analogies.
SPELLING: We will use the spelling book for our weekly lessons. Some students who are not challenged by our spelling book may test out of a lesson on Monday and will have a more challenging list of words generated by the student and me for that week. Some students who struggle with 20 new words each week may have only 10-15 words to learn. Our final tests will be on Friday of each week. Weekly spelling lists will be posted on Mrs. Lensen's Aquin website.
MATH: Aquin has purchased the new Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley math text: enVision MATH: Common Core. This textbook is directly aligned with the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Concepts and Practice. A solid grasp of math facts will be the foundation for fourth grade math so time will be spent reviewing and practicing these facts. A strong emphasis will be placed on strategies to use to solve word problems. All fourth grade students will spend an hour a week using the ALEKS online math program. Once students have their own password, this program may be accessed from your home computer. Students are encourage to take advantage of this math program because it is designed to assess, instruct, and challenge each student at his/her own level.
SCIENCE: The scientific method will be a large part of the focus for fourth grade science. Our textbooks are published by Harcourt School Publishers and are divided into the studies of Life Science (ecosystems, living things, the human body. . .), Earth Science (the rock cycle, water cycle, planets. . .), Physical Science ( matter and its properties, sound, light, heat, forces and motion, electricity. . .), and Health. Our previous FOSS kits will continue to be used to provide additional hands on opportunities.
SOCIAL STUDIES: The primary focus for fourth grade social studies is the study of the geography, history, and characteristics of the main regions of the United States. Students will be researching, comparing and contrasting regions, completing and presenting various projects about the famous people and places associated with the regions today as well as from the past. and completing a cumulative region final project in fourth grade.
2012-2013
RELIGION: In religion, our main topics for the year will be the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. We will also be reviewing the sacraments, parts of the mass, the liturgical seasons, and the rosary. We will bring Jesus’ life and teaching into many parts of our day--in all of our subject areas, applying our Christian values to all areas of our lives. Please feel free to join us at our weekly school masses which will be on Tuesdays this year.
READING: In reading we will be using the basic format of the Daily 5 literacy program to structure our language arts block. We will spend time: Reading to Self, Reading to Someone, Listening to Reading, Working on Writing, and Word Work. We will stress comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and also work to expand vocabulary. We will incorporate the McGraw-Hill reading series for skill instructions and practice. Some of the novels that will also be a part of our reading curriculum are Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner, The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien, Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. I will be using a series of short, guided reading books to teach nonfiction reading comprehension skills. We also have subscribed to a weekly news magazine called Time For Kids. Students will be instructed in how to keep an independent reading log at school. I will be reading to your child every day for fifteen minutes--one of my favorite parts of the day!
LANGUAGE/WRITING: We will be using the G.U.M. text to learn and gain practice in grammar, usage, and writing mechanics. We will also do daily oral language activities which provide short, focused lessons on capitalization, punctuation, grammar, adding details, and sentence structure. We will practice all of the learned grammar and mechanics skills when we write our poems, short stories, and small research reports. We will be practicing the 6+1 Writing Traits, and there will be a strong emphasis on the whole writing process. To increase vocabulary we will be discussing daily oral analogies.
SPELLING: We will use the spelling book for our weekly lessons. Some students who are not challenged by our spelling book may test out of a lesson on Monday and will have a more challenging list of words generated by the student and me for that week. Some students who struggle with 20 new words each week may have only 10-15 words to learn. Our final tests will be on Friday of each week. Weekly spelling lists will be posted on Mrs. Lensen's Aquin website.
MATH: Aquin has purchased the new Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley math text: enVision MATH: Common Core. This textbook is directly aligned with the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Concepts and Practice. A solid grasp of math facts will be the foundation for fourth grade math so time will be spent reviewing and practicing these facts. A strong emphasis will be placed on strategies to use to solve word problems. All fourth grade students will spend an hour a week using the ALEKS online math program. Once students have their own password, this program may be accessed from your home computer. Students are encourage to take advantage of this math program because it is designed to assess, instruct, and challenge each student at his/her own level.
SCIENCE: The scientific method will be a large part of the focus for fourth grade science. Our textbooks are published by Harcourt School Publishers and are divided into the studies of Life Science (ecosystems, living things, the human body. . .), Earth Science (the rock cycle, water cycle, planets. . .), Physical Science ( matter and its properties, sound, light, heat, forces and motion, electricity. . .), and Health. Our previous FOSS kits will continue to be used to provide additional hands on opportunities.
SOCIAL STUDIES: The primary focus for fourth grade social studies is the study of the geography, history, and characteristics of the main regions of the United States. Students will be researching, comparing and contrasting regions, completing and presenting various projects about the famous people and places associated with the regions today as well as from the past. and completing a cumulative region final project in fourth grade.