• Math Overarching Concepts:

    In Grade 4, instructional time should focus on three critical areas: (1) developing understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication, and developing understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi-digit dividends; (2) developing an understanding of fraction equivalence, addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators, and multiplication of fractions by whole numbers; (3) understanding that geometric figures can be analyzed and classified based on their properties, such as having parallel sides, perpendicular sides, particular angle measures, and symmetry.

     

    Course Outline:

    Quarter 1: Number Sense and Base Ten & Algebraic Thinking and Operations

    Quarter 2: Number Sense and Base Ten, Geometry Concepts, & Number Sense - Fractions

    Quarter 3: Number Sense and Base Ten - Fractions

    Quarter 4: Measurement and Data

     

    Science

    At the conclusion of fourth grade, students will be able to test predictions, analyze and interpret data, and communicate their results. Students will also gain the knowledge, hands-on experiences, and confidence to pose questions about the science that is present all around them.

     

    The four General Topics of the fourth grade curriculum include:

    · Weather and Climate

    · Astronomy

    · Light and Sound

    · Characteristics and Growth of Living Organisms

     

    The following Overarching Concepts are an essential component to all units of instruction in fourth grade science:

    · Develop and use models

    · Plan and conduct scientific investigations

    · Construct explanations and scientific arguments

    · Analyze and interpret data from a variety of sources

    · Obtain and evaluate evidence from a variety of sources

    Cross Cutting Concepts (CCCs) are reoccurring themes that are evident in all domains of science and engineering. They transcend the boundaries of disciplines and serve to help students create a framework for connecting knowledge across disciplines. Instruction of CCCs should not be isolated, but rather teachers must plan to include intentional references to the CCCs within their science instruction.

    ELA

    Course Overview

    4th Grade ELA - Overarching Concepts

    1. Apply reading strategies to gain understanding of text

    2. Infer to make meaning from text

    3. Apply a range of strategies to deepen the meaning of known, unknown, and multi-meaning vocabulary

    4. Produce writings in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, discipline, and audience

    5. Students should be reading independently within the Lexile range of 561 - 865 (according to ACPSD RI Performance Chart)

     

    The following bulleted descriptors are the overarching concepts to be taught throughout the fourth grade year across the content areas of Inquiry, Reading, Writing and Communication.

     

    • Explore similarities and differences among textual, dramatic, visual, or oral presentations. (RL-7.1)

    • Ask and answer inferential questions to analyze meaning beyond the text; refer to details and examples within a text to support inferences and conclusions (RI-5.1)

    • Summarize multi-paragraph texts using key details to support the central idea. (RI-6.1)

    • Compare and contrast how events, topics, concepts, and ideas are depicted in primary and secondary sources. (RI-7.1)

    • Identify and describe the difference between a primary and secondary account of the same event or topic. (RI-10.1)

    • Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points.

    RI-11.2

    • Discuss the purpose and credibility of information presented in diverse media and formats. (RI-2.2)

    • Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. (W-1.1)

    • Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. (W-2.1)

    • Compare and contrast how ideas and topics are depicted in a variety of media and formats. (C-3.1)

    Social Studies

    Aiken County students in fourth grade will learn part one of a two part comprehensive history of the United States; which dates from the exploration of the New World to the end of the Civil War. Students will learn about the contributions of Native Americans, the exploration and settlement of the New World by the Europeans, the beginnings of the United States as a nation, westward expansion and its implications, and the problems that caused the Civil War. Students will also explore the documents, people, and events that have made the United States what it is today. Students will utilize Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century; which include tools, strategies, and perspectives that are necessary for a student’s understanding of the social studies content taught in fourth grade.

    Unit 1:  Native Americans and Early Explorers

    Unit 2:  European Settlement Overview

    Unit 3:  Road to Revolution Overview

    Unit 4:  American Revolution Overview

    Unit 5:  Government and Political Leaders Overview

    Unit 6:  Westward Expanson Overview

    Unit 7:  Slavery in the North and the South Overview

    Unit 8:  Civil War Overview