4th Grade Class Syllabus
Subjects
Reading
Each week we will focus on mastering a specific reading skill. The skill will be introduced on Monday, along with the vocabulary words that correlates with the story of the week. Students will use the texts, workbooks, and other creative activities to connect with their reading. In addition to the required text, readering stations will be mixed into the curriculum throughout the week to regularly review skills. Every Friday students are tested on the focus reading skill of the week, as well as the Reading Comprehension & Vocabulary Test.Spelling
Every Monday morning students will be given a spelling pretest. If your child scores 100%, they will not be required to take the final test on Friday. However, all students must complete the weekly spelling assignments and activities towards their spelling grade during the week. Throughout the week students will be required to practice their spelling words on classroom assignments, in addition to their weekly Spelling Pie. Spelling Pie is a student-selected assignment in which students will complete 3 out of 8 spelling activities. Each activity must be completed and attached to the Spelling Pie. These will be given out on Monday and due back by Friday. Students will wrap-up the unit with a final spelling test on Friday morning.English/Writing
English will consist of assignments and projects based on skills such as the 6-traits of writing, grammar, parts of speech, learning to research, report writing, as well as fine-tuning presentation skills.Writing is an essential skill for the upper grades. As we work on writing projects, students’ handwriting will progressively improve by taking the time necessary for quality work. We will practice cursive on a daily basis, and gradually move to writing assignments in cursive.
Science
Some of the units covered in my class are: the scientific method, animal and plant adaptations, weathering & erosion, earthquakes & volcanoes, electricity & magnetism, and inventions. Students will work on assignments from the text and other supplemental resources. Students will also be conducting hands-on experiments to test their hypothesis. We will have an assessment after the completion of each unit.Social Studies
Students will study both the fifty states, Arizona History, and a fraction of our Nation’s History. In Social Studies, we will include work from textbooks, Scholastic News Magazines, and other supplemental resources.Tests or a culmination project will be given at the end of each unit.The 50 States-Quizzes
Every Monday, two new states will be introduced to our study map. Students are responsible for keeping this map in their Homework Folder. They are to study this each week. Every Friday, they will be tested on the states covered. They will be responsible for knowing all fifty states by the end of the year
Math
Students will work daily from the math text. The text will be supplemented by hands-on or group activities and other related materials. The students will be tested at the end of each unit. Homework will be given accordingly. The expectations for fourth-grade math are high. A general overview of the skills covered are place value, muli-digit multiplication & division, decimals, fractions, measurements & temperatures, order of operations, geometry, and algebra. The weekly focus skill will be posted on our clasdroom website with helpful tutorials to demonstrate the skill requirements.*Multiplication Tables Requirement:
All students are expected to memorize the multiplication tables by Thanksgiving. Students are to know the tables (up to twelves) to the extent that they can answer, within 30 seconds, any given table asked of them in random order.