Grade 4 

Religion

In religion, grade four students strengthen personal spirituality, religious literacy, moral development, and faith formation in a spirit of joy. The text, RCL Benizger’s Blest are We, with its concentration on Christian morality, focuses on building the character of the children. It recognizes that Christian character formation has a twofold foundation: action and motivation. Emphasis is on the covenant relationship with God and responsibility to the community. Activities, readings, prayers and practices help the child turn to the church for guidance in following Jesus.

English/ Language Arts

In fourth grade students use a variety of books for English/Language Arts.  The reading series used is Pearson: My View. This series allows students to expand their understanding of key details, craft and structure, integration of prior knowledge and ideas, and improve their reading level and facility with text complexity.  In language arts, students use the Voyages in English textbook in conjunction with Exercises in English Grammar Workbook. Wordly Wise is used to improve students’ vocabulary acquisition and usage.

Math

Using the Pearson enVision Math Common Core text, math instruction aligns with Common Core Standards. Topics studied are operations and algebraic thinking, number and operations in base ten, fractions, measurement and data, and geometry. Learners will apply knowledge of multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction to solve problems. Students will become familiar with factors and multiples. Students will use place value to understand mathematical operations; expand their knowledge of fraction equivalence and ordering; decimal notation for fractions, and comparing decimal fractions. Geometry topics include measuring angles using protractors and drawing angles using protractors. Students expand their mathematical knowledge through problem solving, reasoning and application to real life. .

Science

Grade four science focuses on the development and application of scientific knowledge and skills.  The students learn to investigate, experiment, observe and record findings using the scientific method. Classroom activities teach respect for all living things as well as the mysteries of the universe. Topics cover different aspects of life science, physical science, and earth science. The series used is Interactive Science as well as supplementary materials and readings in Scholastic.

Social Studies

In grade four social studies, students examine the geographic regions of the United States with an emphasis on the relationship of people to their environment and how they adapt to it. The past, present, and future are studied utilizing the five themes of Social Studies and the five themes of Geography. The five themes of Social Studies are history, geography, government, economics, and culture. The five themes of Geography are location, place, human/environment interactions, movements, and regions. Students discover how people who share land, government, and other resources have learned to work together. The importance of history, geography, culture, economics, and government and civics are discussed. The text book used is Regions by Scott Foresman.

The fourth grade curriculum adheres to the Common Core Standards and Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.