Fourth Grade
Fourth grade responds to students’ increasing sense of intellectual curiosity and budding social independence. Fourth graders have made the critical transition from learning to read to reading to learn, so assigned texts weave together social studies, science, and math. Learning experiences require students to practice personal integrity, classroom responsibility, and community participation.
Goals
- to take academic risks
- to build self-reliance through organization and accountability
- to work successfully independently, in pairs, and in small groups
- to strengthen teamwork and cooperative skills
Highlights
- fall trip to Camp Orkila, with teambuilding and environmental education activities
- partnership with Wallingford Senior Center for intergenerational learning
- flight unit, including student-built gliders and trip to the Museum of Flight
Literacy instruction asks students to draw upon their life experiences to create, edit, and publish poetry, narratives, persuasive essays, and descriptive writing. Reading focuses on comprehension, by having students summarize, infer, and make connections with the text. Students consider point of view and the author’s purpose in reading and writing. The Six Traits of Writing guide students through drafting, editing, and revising their work. Spelling words highlight patterns, vocabulary, and etymology.
Math emphasizes building fluency and accuracy in computation. Arrays help students solidify multiplication fluency and build comprehension of other number concepts. Students collect and investigate data, conduct probability experiments, calculate area, perimeter, and volume, and determine fraction and decimal equivalencies. Lessons challenge students to solve problems, apply their knowledge to real-world situations, and explain their problem-solving strategies in writing. Fourth graders work with the Investigations and Bridges in Mathematics curricula.
Social studies focuses on Washington state history, politics, geography, geology, and Native peoples. By considering how environment shapes a way of life, students interpret regional culture as well as more distant communities. The school-wide Global Studies program encourages students to appreciate diversity by comparing and contrasting their lives with cultures and countries across the globe.
Science in fourth grade includes geology and physical geography, emphasizing Washington state and the Pacific Northwest. Students learn about volcanoes and plate tectonics, local landmarks and physical science terminology, maps and physical coordinates. Even more locally, students learn about pollution and ecosystems, focusing on the Good Shepherd Center grounds and immediate neighborhood. The curriculum includes an inquiry based unit on flight and rocketry; students create their own gliders and experiment with various surfaces and forms of propulsion.
Character education highlights independence and conflict resolution. Responsive Classroom and the Meridian CARES framework support respectful interactions, develop trust, and lead students to be contributing members of the community. Regular experience with good citizenship comes from serving as role models for first grade “buddy classes” as well as weekly volunteer commitments with the Wallingford Senior Center.