4th Grade Curriculum

Below are the 4th Grade Standards we focus on throughout the school year.  These standards are in direct alignment with the Colorado Academic Standards and the curriculum outlined by Douglas County School District.  

The standards are the basis for the content rich environment and activities we work at Buffalo Ridge.  We also emphasize the 4C's with our kindergarteners at a developmentally appropriate level.  Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration are vital skills for them to start developing at this young age as they learn to become learners.  


4th Grade Reading, Writing and Communicating

Oral Expression and Listening

  • A clear communication plan is necessary to effectively deliver and receive information

Reading for All Purposes

  • Comprehension and fluency matter when reading literary texts in a fluent way

  • Comprehension and fluency matter when reading informational and persuasive texts in a fluent way

  • Knowledge of complex orthography (spelling patterns), morphology (word meanings), and word relationships to decode (read) multisyllabic words contributes to better reading skills

Writing and Composition

  • The recursive writing process is used to create a variety of literary genres for an intended audience

  • Informational and persuasive texts use the recursive writing process

  • Correct sentence formation, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling are applied to make the meaning clear to the reader

Research and Reasoning

  • Comprehending new information for research is a process undertaken with discipline both alone and within groups

  • Identifying implications, concepts, and ideas enriches reasoning skills


4th Grade
Mathematics

Number Sense, Properties, and Operations

  • The decimal number system to the hundredths place describes place value patterns and relationships that are repeated in large and small numbers and forms the foundation for efficient algorithms

  • Different models and representations can be used to compare fractional parts

  • Formulate, represent, and use algorithms to compute with flexibility, accuracy, and efficiency

Patterns, Functions, and Algebraic Structures

  • Number patterns and relationships can be represented by symbols

Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability

  • Visual displays are used to represent data

Shape, Dimension, and Geometric Relationships

  • Geometric figures in the plane and in space are described and analyzed by their attributes

  • Appropriate measurement tools, units, and systems are used to measure different attributes of objects and time


4th Grade
Science

Life Science:  Evidence of Life (Compare/Contrast)

  • All living things share similar characteristics, but they also have differences that can be described and classified

  • Comparing fossils to each other or to living organisms reveals features of prehistoric environments and provides information about organisms today

Earth Systems Science:  Habitats & Ecosystems (Systems)

  • There is interaction and interdependence between and among living and nonliving components of systems

Physical Science:  Forms of Energy (Systems/Transformation)

  • Energy comes in many forms such as light, heat, sound, magnetic, chemical, and electrical

Earth Systems Science:  Solar System (Patterns/Relationships)

  • Earth is part of the solar system, which includes the Sun, Moon, and other bodies that orbit the Sun in predictable patterns that lead to observable paths of objects in the sky as seen from Earth

4th Grade
Social Studies

History

  • Organize a sequence of events to understand the concepts of chronology and cause and effect in the history of Colorado

  • The historical eras, individuals, groups, ideas, and themes in Colorado history and their relationships to key events in the United States

Geography

  • Use several types of geographic tools to answer questions about the geography of Colorado

  • Connections within and across human and physical systems are developed

Economics

  • People responded to positive and negative incentives

  • The relationship between choice and opportunity cost   

Civics

  • Analyze and debate multiple perspectives on an issue

  • The origins, structure, and functions of the Colorado government

4th Grade
Visual Arts

Observe and Learn to Comprehend

  • Artists and viewers determine artistic intent by comparing and contrasting the characteristics and expressive features of art and design

  • Works of art articulate and express different points of view

  • Artists, viewers and patrons respond to works of art using inference and empathy

Envision and Critique to Reflect

  • The critique process informs judgments about artistic and aesthetic merits in works of art

  • The processes and philosophies of art and design inform interpretations in works of art

Invent and Discover to Create

  • Use media to express and communicate ideas about an issue of personal interest

  • Materials and processes can be used in traditional, unique, and inventive ways

Relate and Connect to Transfer

  • Viewers and patrons make personal meaning and infer artistic intent

  • Historical time periods and cultural settings are interpreted in works of art

4th Grade
Music

Expression of Music

  • Perform using accurate production techniques

  • Perform a variety of rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic patterns

  • Perform extended melodies from the treble staff using traditional notation

Creation of Music

  • Improvise simple musical phrases

  • Notate simple musical selections

Theory of Music

  • Application and demonstration of the use of more advanced dynamics, tempo, meter, and articulation using appropriate music vocabulary

  • Identification of aural and visual notations of basic musical forms

  • Analyze vocal and instrumental examples

  • Identify and aurally recognize melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns

Aesthetic Valuation of Music

  • Explain personal preferences for specific music

  • Comprehend and respect the musical values of others considering cultural context as an element of musical evaluation and meaning


4th Grade
Physical Education

Movement Competence and Understanding

  • Identify the major characteristics of mature locomotor, non-locomotor, manipulative, and rhythmic skills

  • Provide and receive feedback to and from peers using the major characteristics of mature locomotor and manipulative skills

Physical and Personal Wellness

  • Explain how the health-related components of fitness affect performance when participating in physical activity

  • Recognize the relationship between healthy nutrition and exercise

  • Recognize the benefits derived from regular, moderate, and vigorous physical activity

Emotional and Social Wellness

  • There are no expectations for this standard at this grade level.

Prevention and Risk Management

  • Identify and describe the benefits, risks, and safety factors associated with regular participation in physical activity