Curriculum Overview

Religion

Here at St. Mary School we attempt to create an atmosphere of Christian values and ideals. We teach the children to look upon Religion, not as another subject, but rather as a way of living, a process of developing a lifelong relationship with God. This goal is achieved through various means, one of which is our Religion textbook. In addition to the basic text, we begin and end our school day with prayer. All students learn about Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, the Saints, the Blessed Mother, and the Holy Days of Obligation. During the seasons of Advent and Lent, the Fourth and Fifth Graders are given the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In May all the children participate in the "Living Rosary" and the crowning of Mary.

In the Fourth Grade Religion curriculum, the main focus is on the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Ten Commandments. Students prepare to receive God's mercy and forgiveness. They closely examine each of the Ten Commandments as a guide by which to live their lives. The textbook they use is entitled We Believe, God's Law Guides Us by Sadlier Publishing Co.

The students are taught to enflesh the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and the Beatitudes by reaching out to those in need through various service projects performed throughout the school year. They respond to the particular needs that arise as far away as Haiti, or as close as St. Anne's Food Bank here in Shrewsbury. The children are taught to put their love of God into action.

The student body participates in liturgies each month throughout the school year providing opportunities for the children to develop a greater love and appreciation of the Mass. Each grade is responsible for the preparation and direct participation at the Liturgy through Scripture readings, altar servers, gift bearers, or choir members.

Reading

Text:  Storytown   Harcourt School Publishers 2009

The fourth grade reading program is a literature-based reading program that integrates language arts and holistic instruction into classroom reality.  It continues with emphasis placed on further developing comprehension, phonetics, listening, critical thinking, and speaking skills. An appreciation and mastery of independent reading continues to be fostered by weekly visitations to the school library and by making use of the classroom library.

We use the Rebecca Sitton Spelling Program and the writing instruction that is integrated in the reading program as well as a variety of other sources.
Specific skills taught in Grade Four:

English/Writing

Review of previous year’s skills

• Empowering Writers writing program
• Integrating grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and vocabulary in order to provide a thorough development of language skills
• Further developing the students’ understanding of the mechanics of grammar, parts of speech, punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure
• Developing a strong reason for writing
• Developing critical, creative, and logical thinking skills
• Developing the students’ mastery of the four steps of the writing process: prewriting, writing, revising and publishing
• Promoting students’ competence in effective oral communication
• Developing listening and speaking skills through oral presentations
• Narrative, persuasive, expository ,and descriptive writing

Social Studies

Text: Our Country’s Regions   MacMillan/ McGraw-Hill 2005

The grade 4 social studies program is organized around eight categories, or strands: History; Geography; Economics; Government; Citizenship; Culture; Science, Technology, and Society; and Social Studies Skills. It is a comprehensive program that pays tribute to the noble values of our country while teaching the importance of freedom and patriotism. The curriculum includes the following:

• Map Skills
• Civics/citizenship
• The three branches of government
• The state of Massachusetts
• The Southwest
• The Southeast
• The Northeast
• The Middle West
• The Mountain States
• The West

Science

Text: Elevate Science 4, Savvas Learning Company 2019

We are currently using the Next Generation Science Standards

PHYSICAL SCIENCE

• Energy and motion
• Human Uses of Energy
• Waves and Information

• Earth's Features
• Earth's Natural Hazards
• The History of Planet Earth

• Structures and Functions
• Human Body Systems

Math

Houghton Mifflin Math series 2007 edition.

Math Common Core Standards

Grade 4 Overview

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

• Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve problems.
• Gain familiarity with factors and multiples.
• Generate and analyze patterns.

Numbers and Operations in Base Ten

• Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.
• Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.

Numbers and Operations-Fractions

• Extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering.
• Build fractions from unit fractions by applying and extending previous understandings of operations on whole numbers.
• Understand decimal notation for fractions, and compare decimal fractions.

Measurement and Data

• Solve problems involving measurement and conversion of measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit.
• Represent and interpret data.
• Geometric measurement: understand concepts of angle and measure angles.

Geometry

•  draw and identify lines and angles, and classify shapes by properties of their lines and angles.

Mathematical Practices

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

4. Model with mathematics.

5. Use appropriate tools strategically.

6. Attend to precision.

7. Look for and make use of structure.

8. look for an express regularity in repeated reasoning

Grades

Grades are based on chapter tests, quizzes, participation, daily work including classwork and homework.

It is important that students master all of the basic facts. Practice using flash cards. or utlizing online math games are excellent ways to gain mastery, 

 

Technology

 Essential Question: How is technology affecting the learning process?

Technology is integrated across the curriculum in Grades PreK-8. Technology activities build on prior knowledge of software and Internet use. 

Students in Grade 4 have been assigned a Saint Mary Google email account. This email account is strictly for school use. Students will use a Chromebook and access class assignments found in the Grade 4 Google Classroom. 

Students in grade 4 have a weekly technology class.

The following is a sampling of technology use and is subject to change based on new applications and curriculum.

• Internet safety
• Typing drills
• Word processing using Google Docs; insert clipart or picture, increase or decrease size, reposition graphic on the page
• Internet research using search engines and/or teacher approved websites or online encyclopedia
• Curriculum supported websites for social studies, language arts, and/or science
• Introduction to Google Slides
• Students continue to advance to a higher level of coding using www.code.org