Fourth Grade

Fourth Graders Explore New Ideas!

Fourth graders are maturing into questioning, concerned, and eager youngsters. They have mastered many basic skills and are ready to engage in deeper and more thought-provoking tasks. Students of this age have opinions, and concerns, and want to share and convince others of their beliefs. Social-emotional skills help students form solid friendships, be more confident, and find support as they begin to become more independent learners. Learning to be yourself and to respect others is a part of our curriculum in grade 4. Our teachers, together with our school counselors, assist students with these and other important behavioral milestones.

 

Students make great strides in reading and writing in the fourth grade.  Students learn to refer to details, examples, and drawing inferences when explaining what a text says. Students compare and contrast point of view, and first- and third-person narrations. We write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences using descriptive details, and a clear sequence of events. As we discuss texts, we begin to infer a theme, identify the main ideas, and support it with key details.  We produce a written summary of a text.

 

Mathematicians in fourth grade explore place value up to the millions.  We learn to multiply two digit by two digit numbers, divide four digit numbers by a single digit, and identify decimals to the tenths and hundredths.  Students find equivalent fractions, add, subtract, and multiply mixed numbers, and improper fractions. Students have many hands-on opportunities in customary and standard units of weight, length, and capacity.  In Geometry, we explore points, lines, and planes, and classify quadrilaterals and triangles.

 

Fourth-grade scientists explore the world around them.  We dig into landforms, natural processes, and plate tectonics.  We test our sense receptors and look more closely into light reflection, wavelength, and amplitude.  Fourth graders learn more about plant and animal parts, as well as understand concepts of electrical circuits, and the transfer of energy.

 

We are fortunate to live in such a historic state because fourth-grade social studies focuses on New York State history.  We begin with Native Americans in our region and travel through time into the colonization period.  We will examine our region's role in the writing of the Constitution, building the Erie Canal, and inspiring the Women’s Suffrage Movement.  

 

Parents can support our Fourth Grade Program by reading with your child daily and checking their planners each evening.  Children should practice basic math facts as well. Parents may check the planner for daily assignments. We appreciate the opportunity to work as a team with parents.