I am pleased to present this year's curriculum.

Each subject is listed along with a brief overview.

 

  

Text: Progress in Mathematics (including workbook); Sadlier-Oxford

Topics covered:

• Place value

• Addition and subtraction concepts

• Three and four digit addition and subtraction

• Multiplication up to three digits

• Division up to four digits

• Measurement

• Statistics/Probability

• Fraction concepts

• Addition and subtraction of fractions

• Geometry

• Perimeter/Area/Volume

• Decimals

• Algebra

 

Text: Science; Scott Foresman

Topics covered:

Life Science

• Plant structure and function

• Animal structure and function

• Energy in Ecosystems

• Surviving in the environment

Physical Science

• Measuring matter

• Force and motion

• Electricity and magnetism

• Light and sound

Earth Science

• Measuring weather

• The makeup of the Earth

• Exploring the oceans

• Movements in the Solar System

Human Body

• Digestive, Circulatory, and Nervous systems

• Keeping body systems healthy

  RELIGION

Text: Blest Are We; Silver Burdett Ginn

Our text focuses on the following units:

• The Goodness of God

• Jesus is the Son of God

• The Holy Spirit

• The Church

• Social Justice

We attend Mass every Wednesday with the entire school. 4th grade will be responsible for planning the liturgy on Oct. 8, Jan. 14 and Apr. 29. Each student is encouraged to participate.

We visit the Blessed Sacrament every Thursday for Eucharistic Adoration.

We will pray the rosary a decade at a time, rotating the mysteries.

Prayers are said at the beginning of the school day, before lunch, and at dismissal time.

 

  WORDLY WISE

Text: Wordly Wise 3000 - Book 4; Educators Publishing Service

Wordly Wise is a vocabulary development series that introduces new words and their meanings. Words are presented in a list with their meanings, and in a variety of exercises including questions, stories, fill in the blanks, and puzzles.

Wordly Wise is a once a week class on Wednesday. During class we will begin a new lesson by reviewing the word list (15 words) and definitions. We will also do the "Applying Meanings" - section C - together. Students will be assigned other sections within the lesson to complete at home and due the following Wednesday. Students may take the book home during the week and on the weekend.

The lessons will be graded and students may have parents help them. A test will be given each Wednesday on the word list due that week.

 

Text: THE LITERATURE EXPERIENCE; Houghton Mifflin (Level 4 - Dinosauring)

The anthology is used along with a Student Resource Book for vocabulary, supporting skills, and comprehension assessment. Students also use a Journal workbook that provides response activities as well as strategy and skill practice.

This series recognizes that learning to read and write happen simultaneously and are mutually supportive, so we incorporate writing into the reading curriculum.

The heart of the program is literature. Student anthologies are filled with excellent, original children's literature divided into the following themes:

• Folktales

• Nonfiction

• Author

• Fantasy

• Mystery

• Biography

• Fiction

Students will be required to choose a book to read and complete a monthly book report based on a different theme each month.This book should be at school with the student each day so it can be read during quiet reading time. If the student finishes their book and/or report before the end of the month, another book of the student's choice should be brought to school for quiet reading time.

Monthly Book Report themes:

Sept.       Mystery

Oct.         Fairy Tales, SciFi, Ghosts

Nov.        Adventure

Dec.        Holiday

Jan.         Biography/Autobiography

Feb.         Historical Fiction

Mar.         Animal

Apr.         Reader's Choice

May         Classics

 

Text: Regions; Macmillan/McGraw-Hill

Each unit includes a study of the environment, and people and heritage, of the following regions of the United States:

• Overview of our Country

• The Southeast

• The Northeast

• The Middle West

• The Southwest

• The West

 

Text: VOYAGES in English; Loyola Press

The text is composed of two distinct sections: Written and Oral Communication and Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics. Instruction will interweave the two sections rather than be taught without reference to the other. This allows students to develop an understanding of how these separate skills work together.

Written and Oral Communication topics:

• Descriptive Writing

• Beginning Paragraph Writing

• Extending and Improving Paragraph Writing

• Exploring Characters, Plot, and Setting

• Outlines and Short Reports

• Letter Writing

• Speaking and Listening Skills

• Library and Dictionary Skills

Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics topics:

• Sentences

• Nouns

• Pronouns

• Adjectives

• Verbs

• Adverbs

• Punctuation and Capitalization

 

 Text:HBJ Spelling ; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Students will complete one lesson focusing on a different phoenetic sound or pattern each week. Each lesson will start on Thursday and finish with a test on the following Thursday. Students will be tested on the twenty Unit Words and  six Mastery Words. The Bonus Words will also be part of the test. Correct spelling of these Bonus Words will be awarded extra points, yet no points will be taken away for incorrect spelling.

Each lesson contains several activities; these are completed for homework and due each Thursday. Students are encouraged to bring their Spelling books home over the weekend to complete the lesson and study for the test.

 GRADING SCALE

A+.....97 - 100

A.......93 - 96

B+.....89 - 92

B.......85 - 88

C+.....82 - 84

C.......78 - 81

D+.....74 - 77

D.......70 - 73

 

Clip art is licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com