Fourth Grade

Fourth Grade prepares the boys for the transition to the Middle School. Increased independence and accountability lead to immeasurable successes at school and at home. One homeroom teacher instructs language arts and social studies, while the other homeroom teacher teaches math and science.

Being leaders of the Lower School, Fourth Graders experience distinctive privileges from writing with erasable ink pens to leading the Jesse Tree celebration each Advent season. Apple TVs, iPads, and weekly access to the computer lab are essential technology tools used by these inquisitive learners. 

Language Arts

Various reading strategies through the Daily Five model and novel studies expose learners to guided reading, independent reading, partner reading, literature circles, poetry, and read alouds. Learners challenge their individual reading abilities through book reports, the Accelerated Reader program, and the STAR Assessment. Spellography teaches concepts explicitly, systematically, cumulatively, and enjoyably. Spellography’s humorous games and engaging instruction reinforce multisyllabic decoding skills, develop reading fluency, teach vocabulary using word roots, and strengthen spelling retention. Direct vocabulary instruction improves reading comprehension. The writing program is developed throughout all disciplines. Journaling encourages learners to reflect and imagine, as well as improve specific writing styles. Learners are confident and competent writers through grammar practice, essays, research, and responses to literature.      

Math

The main objectives of the Fourth Grade enVision Math series are numeration, lines, angles, shapes, understanding fractions and decimals, area, perimeter, solids, measurement, time, and temperature. Simple Solutions is a supplemental program that reinforces concepts such as transformations, congruence, symmetry, probability, operations, and data and graphs.

Social Studies

Throughout the entire year, learners delve into geography skills with a variety of methods and resources through class discussions, group work, projects, and special interest books. Migration to the Americas, Native Americans, life in the eastern hemisphere, exploration, the first colonies, and the American Revolution are the social studies units explored in Fourth Grade. Topics investigated in science include body systems, the Earth, the rock cycle, renewable and nonrenewable resources, weathering and erosion, volcanoes and earthquakes, and weather. Learners absorb knowledge of these concepts through FOSS kits which provide enrichment and hands-on experiments.

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