Dan Lenhart

READING

An overview of 4th grade reading goals:

• For students to be “nose in the book” type readers.

• Responsibility of book selections will fall on the reader.

• Readers will work on comprehension and fluency at their reading level.

• Readers will be encouraged to have deep engagement with their novels as well as to read with intensity.

• Shifting away from surface reading and building interpretation.

• Encouraging readers to connect ideas from interpretations.

• Being more aware to notice details and to add more depth to their reading.

Reading assessments will be administered throughout the entire year. 

Further instruction and coaching will be taught to help lift our student’s level of reading as they grow to be a fluent reader.

WRITING

Our 4th grade students will continue to work on:

• Realistic Fiction - students will be learning ways to live like writers; to take notice and pay attention to the moments and issues in their lives.

• Informational - writing research reports with citations, using primary documents to back research, read about conflicting views on a subject, and then incorporating and synthesizing into logically structures chapters.

• Persuasive / Argumentation - writers will learn to collect evidence, write thesis statements that will lead to a persuasive essay.

• Literary Essay - this style bridges reading closely and writing to respond with supporting ideas and evidence

Writers will learn to draft, revise, edit, research, collaborate and publish their writing work.

Performance Assessments - students will write “On-Demand” pieces before and after each unit. These writing pieces are continually used for data and learning analysis.

MATH

There are eight Mathematical Practices to support the problem solving process. Problem solving is a complex process that can vary considerably from one student to another. Students should be able to explain, conceptualize, represent, and explain any given problems in different ways.

Math focus will be on:

• Place value and multi-digit addition and subtraction

• Multiplication with whole numbers

• Division with whole numbers

• Equations and word problems

• Measurement

• Fraction concepts and operations

• Fractions and decimals

• Geometry

Throughout the year students will be working towards meeting these goals for mastery.

SCIENCE

4th grade students will be learning about:

• Earth Science - the Changing Earth: Rocks and Minerals

• Life Science - Ecosystem

• Physical Science - Electricity and Magnetism

Class materials include:

FOSS online and Textbook, supplemental materials and a notebook

SOCIAL STUDIES

4th grade will focus on California’s History. Historical events that will be covered:

• Early people of California

• Explorers to Spanish Colonizers

• Gold Rush to the building of the railroad

• Early immigration to establishing California’s statehood

• California’s local government system

Class materials include:

TCI - newly adopted Student textbook, supplemental reading materials, and notebook