Fourth Grade
Language Arts: Little Silver provides a Balanced Literacy program that supports a Gradual Release of Responsibility instructional model. The fourth grade curriculum guide provides a resource that guides instruction to create a foundation for lifelong literacy. Students are exposed to: Phonics, Word Recognition, Fluency, Literature, Informational Text, Writing, Speaking, Listening and Language with Common Core standards that prepare them for college and career readiness. The curriculum is supported with leveled resources, mentor text and digital on-line sites that include rigorous text for both instructional and independent work. In compliance with the Common Core Standards, curriculum in the fourth grade enhances students’ ability to:
- Demonstrate independence
- Gain strong content knowledge
- Comprehend, critique, value and provide evidence
- Use digital media capably
- Understand others’ perspectives and cultures
Math: The fourth grade Math curriculum in Little Silver includes criteria established in the Common Core Standards. The curriculum guide provides enduring understandings and essential questions that begin to prepare our students to be ready for college and career. A variety of concrete resources and lessons provide students with hands-on learning tools that are relevant to their developmental level and are differentiated to their learning needs. Instructional time focuses on four critical areas, as required by the Common Core Standards: (1) developing understanding of multiplication and division and strategies for multiplication and division within 100; (2) developing understanding of fractions, especially unit fractions (fractions with numerator 1); (3) developing understanding of the structure of rectangular arrays and of area; and (4) describing and analyzing two-dimensional shapes. Curriculum is supported with a variety of resources including, but not limited to, Envision, a Scott Foresman publication, concrete manipulatives, and on-line sites.
Science: Little Silver’s Science curriculum is based on the NJ 2009 standards. The curriculum is supported with resources in Language Arts, technology, and published texts by Scott Foresman. Four areas of knowledge are covered by the end of fourth grade: Science Practices, Physical Science, Life Science and Earth Systems Science.
Social Studies: Students learn to collaborate and work with others in their ever day life guided by the Social Studies curriculum. They gain information that will equip them to make life decisions such as where to live and what kind of careers to choose. Students will take part in activities related to the geography of United States regions, will acquire map skills, and a sense of the history that has shaped the culture of the various regions.
Through Social Studies they gain confidence and understanding in the areas of chronological thinking, spatial thinking, critical thinking and presentation skills. The curriculum is supported with resources in Language Arts, technology, and published content by Houghton-Mifflin.