HEBREW
The 4th Grade Ivrit curriculum focuses on the following areas:
V Reading fluency and accuracy at the sentence and paragraph levels
V Writing clear and accurate sentences
V Using grammatical forms: present, past, and introduction to future tense
V Preparing for, and participating in, group discussions
V Formulating questions and responses
Themes:
V Read and explain prayers
V Greetings and etiquette
V Yearlong focus on utilizing problem-solving skills throughout curriculum
V Memory folder - focus on classifying and retaining knowledge
JEWISH STUDIES (CHUMASH & JUDAICS)
Lessons on each Jewish holiday will fill the calendar as we proceed from Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays through Chanukah, Purim, Passover, Shavuot and other special days. The students will gain practical instruction in the traditions through arts & crafts and hands-on learning. They will also learn about the meanings of each holiday and their relevant customs and importance today.
V Parshat Hashavua: Student will understand the story and details from that week’s Torah Portion. Student will also bring home questions to discuss the Parsha at home
V Yamim Meryuchadim: Student will identify the date and significance of specific special days on the calendar
V Chagim (Jewish Holidays): Student will identify date and significance of Jewish Holidays. Students will also learn customs and blessing of the holiday
V Tefila: Students will learn to be fluent in reading the morning prayers and understand the significance of specific blessings. Students will progressively learn new blessings for their morning prayers throughout the unit
V Pirkei Avot Unit: Students will understand the background, lessons, and stories of Pirkei Avot
V Yidios Klaliyos: Students will gain knowledge in Judacis, and various other general topics
V Shabbat Unit: Students will understand the importance of Shabbat and some of the laws that apply on that day
LANGUAGE ARTS (ELA)
Reading is continuing to be the most important part of 4th grade English. Now the focus of reading is transitioning from learning to read into reading to learn with developing the ability to analyze, critique and argue points of view.. However, it is important to remember that each child in Shaloh House has his/her own starting point and plan based on initial assessment and ongoing growth throughout the year.
4th Grade ELA students will participate in daily routines outlined by the instructor, such as daily homework checks and announcements, grammar review, Wordly Wise activities, in-class writing, and other class readings.
Areas of focus will be reading comprehension, writing longer, multi-paragraph essays, journalism, creative writing, and using proper grammar.
This year students will also learn to “show not tell” in their writing, a deeper understanding of writing style and how to express ideas. They will read Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook in the first half of the year.
Students’ nightly reading assignment is to read for 25 minutes and write a reading summary. Each week, students will be responsible for knowing 10 words from the Wordly Wise lesson they are on in the textbook.
Additionally, the students will be given prompts and asked to engage with their creativity. Major themes and concepts explored this year will be magic realism, narrative style, and peer review. Students will continue to work on various written essays on history topics and reading selections.
MATH
V Decimal Division and Decimal Arithmetic Word Problems
V Symmetry – Identification + Drawing
V Solid Figures – Identification and Building, Measuring
V Numbers to 10,000,000 – Order of Operations and Word Problems
V Multiplying / Dividing by Multiples of 10, 100, 1000
V Long Division with 2-digit Divisor and Word Problems
V Fractions – Relation to Division + Mixed Numbers
V Fractions – Conversion of Metric Units, Product of 2 Fractions
V Area of Triangle
SCIENCE
Using the many materials from the PEARSON Interactive Science Curriculum, all classes will cover basic information on Scientific Inquiry, Experiments, and Research. All students will have some level of information about the formation of the earth, planets, evolution, and global warming. We will all do a series of lessons on the use of water & will have the Boston Water Department in to do presentations on the use and conservation of water, tied in with the water cycle, weather etc…
Each week will be working through pages from the Interactive Science Workbook, supplementing with National Resource Materials provided by groups such as NASA, as well as working towards hands-on science experiments at the culmination of each chapter. There are approximately 10 Chapters in each science book, as well as a myriad of extra materials available to supplement the study work. Please read your child’s tracker for the most up to date information regarding the chapters we are reading and discussing. This month we will be focused on the formation of the earth, which will fall in nicely with discussion of geography in Social Studies.
Grades 4 will be working on a Science Project during the last semester, which will utilize English writing skills, as well as Scientific Experimentation and Documentation.
SOCIAL STUDIES
In 4th Grade Social Studies (History), we will be learning about different ancient civilizations, starting with Mesopotamia and ending with the fall of Rome. Through studying the process by which different ancient societies were structured, what life was like and reading primary sources, students will be able to see the evolution and eventual destruction of some of the most notable civilizations in history. The students will also be conducting research projects that challenge them to find sources and back up any claim with proper evidence.