GRADE 4

CURRICULUM STANDARDS

 

Dear Parents;

 

This document is a brief overview of the curriculum taught at St. Patrick School . It is a combination of Diocesan and State of California Standards . It includes textbooks used at the school and special projects assigned by classroom teachers. This is a living document that will be updated each year. More detailed descriptions are available to parents in the school office and soon on the school’s website.

 

Mrs. Kelly Stevens

Principal

Developmental Characteristics

Children develop in a natural sequence, moving through similar, predictable stages of development. We must be careful, however, not to expect all children to move at the same pace. Children are unique individuals and will pass through the developmental stages at their own rates. Generally, children in fourth and fifth grade are similar in the ways that they learn. They tend to learn best by doing and experiencing and using their senses. Broad characteristics for fourth grade students include the following:

 

Physical

• Is active

• Has growth spurts

• If a girl, is taller and heavier than a boy

• Has increasing strength

• Has gradual increase in speed and accuracy

• Has better control of body

• Moves with more grace and skill

• Develops skill in use of small muscles

Social/Emotional

• Interacts energetically with others

• Has increased ability to work in groups

• Has stable sense of identity

• Compares self to others

• Has wide mood swings

• Has sense of fairness

• Has beginnings of conscience

• Assumes responsibility

• Has difficulty finishing tasks, but feels need to complete

• Becomes more independent, self-motivated

• Values friendship

Mental

• Listens well, wants to discuss

• Displays good concentration, less distractibility

• Classifies by two properties

• Continues to use firsthand experiences to know things

• Enjoys jokes, riddles, puns, language play

• Has increasing short-term memory

• Bases reasoning on direct observation

• Solves problems by trial and error

Religion and Family Life

The religious and family life education program for St. Patrick School offers students a curriculum that intentionally strives from one grade level to the next to build on the cognitive foundations established in the previous years’ programs. Its content serves to inspire and to inform a way of life.

Theme 1:  We Remember

1. demonstrate the ability to read and reflect on scripture and its meaning for life today.

2. demonstrate a basic understanding of the history of the church.  

Theme 2:  We Believe

3. demonstrate an understanding that we are drawn to God who, in creating us, has placed a desire for happiness in our hearts.

4. demonstrate a basic understanding and appreciation of doctrine and dogma found in the Creedal Statements.

5. demonstrate a basic understanding and appreciation of the Trinity as the central mystery of the Christian faith.

6. demonstrate knowledge of the Church as people of God, Body of Christ, and Community of Faith.  

Theme 3:  We Celebrate and Play

7. demonstrate an understanding of the sacraments as important moments in the life of the community, with an emphasis on the Eucharist.

8. demonstrate an understanding that the Eucharistic Liturgy (the Mass) is the communal celebration of the Paschal Mystery in which each is called to full and active participation.

9. demonstrate a knowledge of and ability to participate in the Catholic tradition of prayer.  

Theme 4:  We Live

10. demonstrate an understanding of moral teaching, and an ability to make good moral decisions and act in a responsible, Christian manner.

11. demonstrate comprehension of seven key principles of Catholic social teaching and have the ability to apply them to personal and societal situations:

• The life and dignity of the human person

• The call to family, community and participation

• The rights and responsibilities of the human person

• Option for the poor and vulnerable

• The dignity of work and the rights of workers

• Solidarity of the human family

• Care for God’s creation

12. demonstrate an appreciation for and understanding of the basic principles of Catholic teaching on the family.

English Language Arts

For all these categories, students will…

Word Recognition

• Read narrative and expository text aloud with grade-appropriate fluency and accuracy and with appropriate pacing, intonation and expression

Vocabulary and Concept Development

• Apply knowledge of word origins, derivations, synonyms, antonyms, and idioms to determine the meaning of words and phrases

• Use knowledge of roots and affixes derived from Greek and Latin to analyze the meaning of complex words

• Distinguish and interpret words with multiple meanings

Reading Comprehension

• Read and understand narrative and expository text (social studies, science, etc.) appropriate to fourth grade

• Use appropriate strategies when reading for different purposes (e.g., full comprehension, location of information, personal enjoyment)

• Make and confirm predictions about text by using prior knowledge and ideas presented in the text itself

• Compare and contrast information on the same topic after reading several passages or articles

• Distinguish between cause and effect and between fact and opinion in expository text

Literary Response and Analysis

• Read and respond to a wide variety of significant works of children’s literature

• Describe the structural differences of various forms of literature including fantasies, fables, myths, legends, realistic and historical fiction, and biography

• Identify main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions

• Use knowledge of the situation and setting and of a character’s traits and motivations to determine the causes for that character’s actions

• Compare and contrast tales from different cultures

• Define figurative language (e.g., simile, metaphor, personification) and identify its use in literary works

Writing

• Write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea

• Progress through stages of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and publishing)

• Write narratives, responses to literature, informational reports and summaries

• Create multi-paragraph compositions with an introductory paragraph, topic sentence, support paragraphs, and a conclusion/summary

• Write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects events, and experiences

• Write fluidly and legibly in cursive

• Write with an increasing command of standard English conventions (e.g., sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling)

• Use various reference materials (e.g., dictionary, encyclopedia, online information) as an aid to writing

Listening and Speaking

• Listen critically and respond appropriately to oral communication

• Speak in a manner that guides the listener to understand important ideas by using proper phrasing, pitch and modulation

• Ask thoughtful questions and respond to relevant questions

• Summarize major ideas and supporting evidence presented in spoken messages and formal presentations

• Give precise directions and instructions

• Present effective introductions and conclusions

• Use details, examples, anecdotes, or experiences to explain or clarify information

• Make narrative and informational presentations

• Deliver oral summaries of articles and books

 

Mathematics

  By the end of fourth grade, students …

understand large numbers and addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers. They describe and compare simple fractions and decimals. They understand the properties of, and the relationships between, plane geometric figures. They collect, represent, and analyze data to answer questions.

 Number Sense

• Understand the place value of whole numbers and decimals to two decimal places and how whole numbers and decimals relate to simple fractions

• Extend their use and understanding of whole numbers to the addition and subtraction of simple decimals

• Solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers and understand the relationship among the operations

• Know how to factor small whole numbers

 Algebra and Functions

 • Use and interpret variables, mathematical symbols, and properties to write and simplify expressions and sentences

• Know how to manipulate equations

 Measurement and Geometry

 • Understand perimeter and area

• Use two-dimensional coordinate grids to represent points and graph lines and simple figures

• Demonstrate an understanding of plane and solid geometric objects and use this knowledge to show relationships and solve problems

 Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability

 • Organize, represent, and interpret numerical and categorical data and clearly communicate their findings

• Make predictions for simple probability situations

 Mathematical Reasoning

 • Make decisions about how to approach problems

• Use strategies, skills, and concepts in finding solutions

• Move beyond a particular problem by generalizing to other situations