Homeschool Curriculum Blog Online Learning for PreK-8th

Time4Learning presents a logical and sequential approach to teaching science and social studies

In the fourth grade science lessons, scientific investigation skills are further developed, along with changes in matter and energy. Science lessons introduce sound and the solar system, while work on living things continues.  These units will cover subjects such as: simple experiments, heat as energy, sounds of music, composition of rocks, naming of planets, body systems, and recycling. Complete details are in the fourth grade science lesson plans.

In fourth grade, ancient civilizations, the Incas, Mayas and Aztecs and the American Revolutionary war period are studied in the social studies curriculum. Geography lesson focus on land formations and how people interact with their physical environment. United States civics are introduced. Individual lessons cover subjects such as: Egyptian culture, Mayan science, the causes of the French and Indian war, longitude and latitude, the constitution, and the role of economics in today’s society. Complete details are in the fourth grade social studies lesson plans.

There are 115 science lessons and 137 social studies lessons included in the curriculum for fourth grade at Time4Learning. The Time4Learning program combines illustration, animation, real pictures, audio, text, video and embedded simulations in multimedia online lessons and activities.  It also combines math and writing skills in cross-curricular activities that are completed both on and offline.

To find out more about the Fourth Grade science or social studies program at Time4Learning, try out one of the demo lessons, ask a question in our parents forum, or even view the entire Fourth Grade Scope and Sequence. Sign up today to let your Fourth Grader experience the fun and learning encompassed in the Time4Learning Fourth Grade Science and Social Studies Program.

Posted under Online Learning, elementary homeschool curriculum, fourth grade curriculum, grade levels, homeschool curriculum, science, social studies

A fourth grade language arts program should be taught using a system of fourth grade reading lesson plans including interactive activities, learning games, printable worksheets, assessments, and positive reinforcement. Guided reading is also a vital part of a fourth grade reading program.

And fourth grade language arts lessons should cover all English language arts strands. The major language arts strands for a fourth grade reading program are vocabulary development, reading comprehension, literature, writing strategies, writing applications, English language conventions, listening and speaking. While these language arts strands might surprise you, they are all critical lessons for a fourth grade reading program.

Fourth grade reading activities provide an opportunity for children to apply the knowledge of word origins, derivations, synonyms, antonyms, and idioms to determine the meaning of words and phrases. Children learn through guided reading, reading worksheets, language arts games, and many creative methods that make the fourth grade reading program fun for them.

A fourth grade language arts program should include word analysis, decoding, and vocabulary development. Reading skill develops as students continue to learn basic features of reading. They select letter patterns and learn to translate them into spoken language using phonics, syllabication, and word parts. They apply this knowledge to achieve fluent oral and silent, fourth grade guided reading skill.

The fourth grade language arts curriculum requires students to apply knowledge of word origins, derivations, synonyms, antonyms, and idioms to determine the meaning of words and phrases. Language arts lesson plans help fourth grade reading skill students use knowledge of root words to determine the meaning of unknown words within a passage.

Fourth graders learn common roots and affixes derived from Greek and Latin. They use this knowledge to analyze the meanings of complex words. The fourth grade reading program includes language arts lesson plans that help children distinguish and interpret words with multiple meanings. Fourth grade students are expected to use a thesaurus to determine related words and concepts.

During fourth grade, a student’s reading level is tested with reading skill comprehension strategies such as, generating and responding to essential questions, making predictions, and comparing information from several sources. By fourth grade students read one-half million words annually, including a good representation of grade-level-appropriate narrative and expository text, for example, classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, and online information. Fourth grade guided reading includes identification of structural patterns found in informational text. To strengthen comprehension, fourth grade students compare and contrast, discuss cause and effect, identify sequential or chronological order, and know about proposition and support.

Another vital component of the fourth grade reading program is literary response and analysis using a fourth grade reading list. Through guided reading they are introduced to a wide variety of significant works of reading level appropriate children’s literature. In fourth grade, students develop reading skill by distinguishing between structural features of various imaginative forms of literature including fantasies, fables, myths, legends, and fairy tales.

Language arts lesson plans for fourth grade students encourage them to identify the main events of the plot, their causes, and the influence of each event on future actions. They are expected to determine causes for a character’s actions using knowledge of the situation and setting and of a character’s traits and motivations. Via guided reading, fourth grade students learn to compare and contrast tales from different cultures by tracing the exploits of one character type and developing theories to account for similar tales in diverse cultures.

Time4Learning teaches a comprehensive fourth grade reading curriculum using fun, fourth grade reading activities to build a solid reading foundation. To find out more about the fourth grade language arts program at Time4Learning, try out one of the demo lessons, ask a question in our parents forum, or even view the entire fourth grade language arts scope and sequence. Sign up today to let your fourth grader experience the fun and learning encompassed in the Time4Learning Fourth Grade Language Arts Program.

Posted under Online Learning, elementary homeschool curriculum, fourth grade curriculum, grade levels, homeschool curriculum, language arts, learning to read, online reading, reading curriculum

 

Fourth grade math curriculum should be taught using 4th grade math worksheets and 4th grade math games. A fourth grade math curriculum should rely on many learning tools - fourth grade lessons with activities, worksheets, reinforcement exercises, and assessments.

A fourth grade math curriculum should cover all the math strands, not just arithmetic. The major math strands for fourth grade curriculum are number sense and operations, algebra, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, and data analysis and probability.

Fourth grade math students build on what they learned in kindergarten, first grade and second grade math, which led them to the number 1000. In fourth grade math they work with numbers through the hundred-thousands or more. They learn about decimals in the context of money and get experience with fractions up to 100. 4th grade math opens them up to a greater understanding of measurement techniques, geometry and algebraic thinking. It will be a challenging year as they are presented with many new and complex concepts.

During fourth grade math, children compare and order numbers, recognizing equivalent or non-equivalent numbers. This year they are expected to know basic multiplication and division facts from memory. They’ll learn the inverse relationship between multiplication and division and demonstrate their understanding by writing fact families.

Fourth grade math students learn about the identity, commutative and associative properties of addition. They’ll review the zero and identity properties of multiplication. They’ll learn the commutative, associative, and distributive properties of multiplication. They should be able to predict the relative size of solutions in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers, the addition and subtraction of common fractions, and the addition and subtraction of decimals to hundredths.

Expanded notation will be introduced during fourth grade math. Children are taught the value of a given digit in numbers from hundredths to millions, including writing and interpreting expanded forms of numbers. They learn to show numbers in bases other than base ten, for example, base five, or base eight. Using estimation the children choose, describe, and explain strategies and discuss the reasonableness of their solutions for real-world problems. They will be asked to estimate quantities of objects to 500 or more, then to justify and explain the reasoning for their estimations.

Fourth grade math students will be expected to multiply by multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000. They should recognize and demonstrate multiplication patterns by now. They will use multiplication to solve real-life problems of up to three digits by one digit. Using models they will identify perfect squares to 100. In division, fourth grade math students demonstrate an understanding of the rules of divisibility for 2, 3, 5, 9, and 10. They’ll solve real-world problems having divisors of one digit and dividends of three digits, with and without remainders.

Use of fractions will be an important part of fourth grade math work. They’ll work with fractions whose denominators include 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, 25, 100, and 1000. The children will compare and order fractions to hundredths, locate fractions on a number line and use fractions in diagrams. They will recognize that two fractions are equivalent or non-equivalent and learn to add and subtract fractions using drawings, story problems and algorithms.

Study of decimals will become an important part of math from now on. Fourth grade math students learn about decimals through the hundredths. They’ll learn to use decimals including money notation to translate problem situations into diagrams and models. They’ll be able to recognize equivalent and non-equivalent decimal numbers and compare the decimal number system with the Roman numeral system using Roman numerals I, V, X, L, C, D, and M.

The 4th grade math word problems are more complicated and can require strong language arts. Expect a lot of practice of 4th grade math skills to help 4th grade math students past those 4th grade math tests and quizzes.

During fourth grade, math students use a wide variety of tools and procedures to measure length, area, volume, and perimeter. They investigate angle measures, learning about the common angles of 45°, 90°, and 180° (straight angle). They’ll learn to use these angles as reference for measurement of other angles.

Fourth grade math students solve real-world problems by measuring length to the nearest half-inch or centimeter; weight to the nearest ounce or gram; capacity; angles; and more. They learn about millimeters, quarter-inches, feet, yards, meters; pounds, ounces, kilograms, grams; cups and milliliters. They also learn about perimeter, area, and volume. During fourth grade they use non-standard or indirect ways to compare lengths. They use customary and metric units. Using multiplication and division they’ll convert units within the customary or metric system. The students learn to estimate area, perimeter and irregular polygons using graph paper, geoboards, or other means. They also estimate the volume of a rectangular prism.

Continuing their study of time, fourth grade math students learn about many time units including decades, hours, minutes and seconds. They learn about time to the nearest five-minute interval. They use schedules, calendars and elapsed time to solve real-world problems.

Fourth grade math students estimate and record temperatures to the nearest five-degree interval. They solve real-world problems involving measurement of Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures. They estimate money to the nearest dollar.

Time4Learning is an online learning system for homeschool education, enrichment, e-tutoring, or for sharpening summer skills. We provide 4th grade math worksheets and 4th grade math games in a total curriculum. Each unit has multimedia lessons, interactive exercises, printable worksheets for reinforcement, and assessments. Click to see the details on Time4Learning’s online 4th grade math lesson plan.

There are 214 math activities in the fourth grade curriculum, and children can either move through them sequentially, or pick and choose from the lessons, using the Activity Finder. Parents can easily follow their child’s progress by logging into the child’s portfolio and viewing day by day lessons or a customizable and printable report than can be sorted by subject, lesson type, or date range.

To find out more about the third grade math program at Time4Learning, try out one of the demo lessons, ask a question in our parents forum, or even view the entire fourth grade math scope and sequence. Sign up today to let your fourth grader experience the fun and learning encompassed in the Time4Learning Fourth Grade Math Program.

Posted under Homeschool, elementary homeschool curriculum, fourth grade curriculum, grade levels, homeschool curriculum, math, math curriculum, online math curriculum