Major Units of Study

Mathematics: We start the year exploring and telling time. Graphing is the next unit of study. The children will learn how to read, understand and create their own graphs. We will then study place value and building number sense. Next, we will be analyzing word problems, using addition and subtraction. By November, we will be starting multiplication. It is VERY important that your child knows his or her facts. If this is an area in which your child struggles, it would be helpful to purchase flashcards, so that he or she may study them each night.

Writing: We spend the first month working on narrative writing and reviewing the writing process. We will explore many different genres of writing, including memoirs,reports, friendly letters, personal narratives, and journal writing. Time is also spent each day working on grammar and punctuation, as this is an important component of the writing process. Towards the end of the year we will work on expository writing.

Vocabulary: In 4th grade we will study vocabulary using the Worldy Wise 3000 series. This series will expand important grade level vocabulary and will improve reading comprehension, writing skills and critical thinking skills. Students will be exposed to a variety of different ways in which to use and understand vocabulary words.

Social Studies: We will begin Social Studies by working on mapping skills and direction, which is a great lead into our study of immigration and our great state of Connecticut. During the year, we will study colonization focusing on families that made Connecticut their home.  We will be taking a few field trips around our state throughout the spring time. Students will be learing all about our state and government.

Science: We begin the year studying Dinosaurs. The students will explore prehistoric life. We discover what dinosaurs were, when they lived, what they were like, and how they may have become extinct. We will discuss and brainstorm ways to help animals that are now in danger of becoming extinct. We will also discuss the food chain and how dinosaurs fit in. Forces and Motion will be the 2nd unit. Students will examine how the position and motion of objects are changed by pushing and pulling. The 3rd unit of study is Electricity and Magnetism. The focus will be how electrical and magentic energy is transferred and transformed. Our final unit of study is Water. We will be exploring how water plays a major role in shaping the Earth. These hands-on units give students the opportunity to learn about the scientific thinking processes and to conduct experiments as well.

Reading: We are very busy in reading! We are immersed in Reader's Workshop every day. This gives us the opportunity to have time each day to conference, after a whole group mini-sesson, with the students and read aloud with the students and help them to develop strategies to become better readers. These strategies include using context clues, recognizing mistakes and trying again, and sounding out unfamiliar words phonetically. This also allows me to make reading observations to pinpoint weaknesses and give children a goal to work on. Later in the year we will incorporate literature circle groups. Students also have the opportunity for Independent Reading. During independent reading time, or 100 Book Challenge, children read books that are fairly easy for them. This allows them to practice reading strategies, solidify sight words and work on reading fluency and comprehension. Children should be reading books in which they can read most of the words easily, and can figure the rest out on their own.