4th Grade Curriculum
Language Arts and Writing
Grammar, cursive, spelling, novel studies, and library science! Comprehension is the cornerstone of the work of a 4th grader at Holy Cross. Building on the strong foundation of reading and writing from the lower elementary grades, we dive deeper into structure, meaning and process of writing to communicate through personal narrative, daily reflections, content summary and culminating research with The Wax Museum project. We write across the curriculum with social studies, science and religion. We extend our writing repertoire with weekly creative prompts and begin each day with a centering statement on our hopes and goals for the academics ahead. Supported by our in-school library and local library, silent reading, reading aloud and library science grow our love of print and curiosity in the world around us.
Math
Our math classroom is filled with problem solving, reasoning, collaboration, and communication of our ideas. Yes, one might enter our room and think “Is this a math party?” It is. Seeing and understanding all the math in the world around us is central to our work as mathematicians. The goal in 4th grade is to enter 5th grade and middle school with solid multiplicative reasoning mind and the ability to approach any mathematical situation with a plan to understand and solve. Our process is driven by Number Theory and operations with real numbers, algebraic thinking, geometry, measurement, data analysis, statistics and probability.
Social Studies
The 4th grade Social Studies curriculum centers on Maine – it’s unique geography, industry and story in relationship to other states in the United States. We compare characteristics such as geography, economics, statehood and population. We use the Primary Source Set https://mainestatemuseum.org/learn/primary-source-sets/ from the Maine State Museum to support our ability to become the historian, the analyzer and experience the value of learning through primary documents.
Science
4th grade students understand that God calls us to care for the world and all His creations. Through our science curriculum we build our knowledge and experience of the world around us through inquiry-based lessons, Mystery Science Curriculum, as well as hands-on activities where we hypothesize, design, build, critique and extend our knowledge.
Religion
We continue to learn about the life of Jesus and his inspiration for us to do our very best every day as members of the 4th grade class and the larger Holy Cross community. We pause and reflect at the beginning of each day by writing our HHK statement – How can I be hopeful, humble and kind today? What am I grateful for? 4th graders assist in Mass preparations on a rotating schedule, serving as readers, bringing up the gifts, and participating in altar server training. We begin the year with The Circle of Grace curriculum to provide a cornerstone to the safety, well-being, and spiritual formation of our children and youth. Fourth graders are partnered with the pre-kindergarten class to meet regularly, develop positive relationships, and help the pre-kindergarteners grow as community members.