English Language Arts and Literacy
In Grade Four, students will continue to build important reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. They will read more challenging literature, articles, and other sources of information and continue to grow their vocabulary. They will also be expected to clearly explain in detail what they have read by referring to details or information from the text. In writing, students will organize their ideas and develop topics with reasons, facts, details, and other information. Activities in these areas will include:
- Identifying the theme or main idea of a story, play, or poem.
- Comparing stories from different cultures.
- Explaining how an author uses facts, details, and evidence to support their points.
- Reading and understanding information presented in charts, graphs, timelines, and other illustrations.
- Learning the rules of spoken and written English.
- Learning and using new words, including words related to specific subjects (such as science words).
- Participating in class discussions by listening, asking questions, sharing ideas, and building on the ideas of others.
- Giving a class presentation on a topic or telling a story using relevant, organized facts and details and speaking clearly.
- Writing stories with dialogue and descriptions of character’s actions, thoughts, and feelings.
- Taking notes and organizing information from books, articles, and online sources to learn more about a topic.
- Writing research or opinion papers over extended periods of time
In Grade Four, students will read a wide range of literature, including stories, plays, and poems. Additionally, they will read to learn information about history, the world, science, and other areas.
Writing tasks in Grade Four may include stories, essays, reports, and persuasive papers. Please review the chart below to see a few examples of how your child will develop important writing skills across grade levels.
This overview for English Language Arts provided by the Council of the Great City Schools, reflects how the Common Core State Standards have guided our development of a rich and comprehensive curriculum for our students.
The Illinois Learning Standards for Fine Arts were developed using the National Standards for Arts Education. District 103 adheres to the Illinois Learning Standards. Our most important goals throughout the Fine Arts program are to encourage students to reach their potential, gain confidence in their ability, think creatively, develop appreciation for various styles, and develop a positive feeling toward art and music and its integration into daily living.
The Grade Four art curriculum focuses on the following:
- Identify and describe the principles of design ( unity, movement, contrast, rhythm, emphasis, pattern & balance).
- Identify and describe monochromatic colors.
- Review and enhance symmetry and non-symmetry.
- Introduce perspective as the use of size and space to create an illusion of a 3 dimensional space on a 2 dimensional surface.
- Create 3 dimensional works of art using a variety of materials. (i.e. clay*, wood, plaster, fibers, etc.).
- Review the use of and understand the artistic process of printmaking, photography, weaving, and sculpture.
- Review how the arts contribute to communication, celebrations and recreation (i.e. Native American art, art from the regions of the U.S., Egypt and etc.).
- Explore the integration of art and other classroom curriculum areas (i.e. social studies, science, etc.).
- Discuss and explore the range of visual careers (i.e. graphic artist, architecture, fashion, illustration, etc.).
To view the comprehensive Scope and Sequence of the District Art Curriculum, please visit the District Art Curriculum Parents' Guide.
The Grade Four music curriculum* focuses on the following:
- Recognize the difference between major and minor scales aurally.
- Know all solfege syllables (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do).
- Experiment with melodic improvisation.
- Know the major scale on the staff in whole, half, and quarter notes.
- Recognize the meter signs 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4.
- Recognize whole rest and half rest.
- Know the definition of fermata, ending bar, measure bar, and tied notes.
- Know and recognize chords.
- Recognize chord changes.
- Know and recognize melody and countermelody.
- Know the forms AB, ABA, and Rondo.
- Recognize theme and variation and its function.
- Know the four instrument families.
- Know the difference between a band and an orchestra.
- Identify soprano, alto, tenor, and bass and its use in instrumental and vocal music.
* The music curriculum above is completed in third and fourth-grades.
The comprehensive Scope and Sequence of the District Music Curriculum is currently under review. It will be posted when finalized.
An Optional Fine Arts Program is available to students in Grade Four. This includes:
Library Media Center
Lincolnshire D103 provides a fully equipped library at Half Day School. The library is specifically designed to accommodate the age range and needs of the students within the building. In addition to a rich array of hard and soft cover books that have been carefully selected with the student body in mind, students will also find eBooks and databases, videos, reference books and pictures, computers, study areas, reading areas, and a staff of a trained librarian and assistant to provide support to the students as well as the teaching staff. Half Day maintains a collection of material that supports classroom curriculum and provides for individual needs, interests, abilities, and maturity levels. Based on classroom curricular needs, the library can provide classes and projects to enhance the learning process.
Students visit the library with their class and/or on an individual basis, depending on student needs, teacher discretion and/or assignment requirements. Specific or flexible scheduling is developed in collaboration with the classroom teacher and the library staff.
For additional information about the library program for District 103, please review the Library Media Center Standards.
In Grade Four, your child will use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to solve word problems, including problems involving measurement of volume, mass, and time. Students will continue to build their understanding of fractions—creating equal fractions, comparing the size of fractions, adding and subtracting fractions, and multiplying fractions by whole numbers. They will also start to understand the relationship between fractions and decimals. Activities in these areas will include:
- Adding and subtracting whole numbers up to 1 million.
- Solving multi-step word problems, including problems involving measurement and converting measurements from larger to smaller units.
- Multiplying and dividing multi-digit numbers.
- Extending understanding of fractions by comparing the size of two fractions with different numerators (top numbers) and different denominators (bottom numbers) • Creating equivalent fractions.
- Adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator • Building fractions from smaller fractions.
- Representing and interpreting data.
- Converting fractions with denominators of 10 or 100 into decimals.
- Locating decimals on a number line.
- Comparing decimals and fractions using the symbols > (more than), = (equal to), and < (less than).
The Grade Four math curriculum will incorporate the Standards for Mathematical Practice that will support the Common Core State Standards.
This overview for Mathematics, provided by the Council of the Great City Schools, reflects how the Common Core State Standards have guided our development of a rich and comprehensive curriculum for our students.
Physical Education and Health
District 103 provides students in Grade Four with a comprehensive Physical Education and Health curriculum. This curriculum reflects developmentally appropriate expectations for students in the areas of physical activity, movement, health-related fitness, sportsmanship and group cooperation in team and group activities. In addition to Physical Education classes, recess is offered to students on a daily basis.
Instruction in building habits for a healthy lifestyle is included in the Physical Education classes and the health classes. These habits for a healthy life style focus on taking care of your body, both physically and emotionally, and on making safe choices in a variety of situations.
The Grade Four Physical Education curriculum is based on the following goals:
- Demonstrate a combination of locomotor , non-locomotor, and manipulative motor patterns.
- Identify offensive, defensive, and cooperative strategies in selected activities.
- Identify the benefits of maintaining a heart -enhancing level of fitness.
- Participate daily in moderate to vigorous physical activity
Work cooperatively with a partner to reach a shared goal during physical activity.
- Use safe practices without reminders during group physical activity.
In the Grade Four performance expectations, students are expected to demonstrate grade-appropriate proficiency in asking questions, developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, constructing explanations and designing solutions, engaging in argument from evidence, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. Students are expected to use these practices to demonstrate understanding of the core ideas
A transition from the Illinois Learning Standards for Science to the Next Generation Science Standards will occur during the 2015-16 and the 2016-17 school years.
Science Units taught in Grade Four include:
- Plant and care for a plant.
- Observe, describe, and record changes in plants.
- Compare and analyze changes occurring in the plant over time.
- Measure and record the growth of plants.
- Use graphs to display, compare, and analyze growth patterns.
- Predict future growth from observations and measurements.
- Communicate results and reflect on experiences through writing.
- Research and draw two plant life cycles of fruit producing plants.
- Create a flower model.
- Investigate food chains and webs.
- Recognize adaptations animals use for survival.
- Examine the predator-prey relationship.
- Identify consumers, producers, herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores.
- Investigate owl pellets through hands-on dissection.
- Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of the object.
- Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat and electric currents. was
- Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.
- Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.
- Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.
- Develop a model of waves to describe patterns and causes of movement.
- Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information.
Scientific Inquiry Method is integrated into the Science Curriculum.
The Science Performance Expectations for Grade Four have been recommended by the Next Generation Science Standards, a collaborative group of over 20 states, including Illinois.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Erin's Law
Social and emotional learning is the process through which children develop awareness and management of their emotions; set and achieve important personal and academic goals; use social awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships; and demonstrate decision-making and responsible behaviors to achieve school and life success. There is a strong research base that these SEL competencies improve students’ social/emotional development, readiness to learn, classroom behavior, and academic performance. Please visit the District’s Scope and Sequence for Social Emotional Learning.
In addition to our curriculum for Social Emotional Learning, the district also provides lessons based on the Child Protection units for the prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse (Erin’s Law). The Committee for Children, a National organization, has developed these lessons. Please visit the link below to view the Scope and Sequence for these classroom lessons.
District 103, using the support of an expert consultant in the field of Digital Media and Technology, has developed procedures and policies for a 1:1 Teaching & Learning environment. These procedures are based on:
- Best practices in teaching digital citizenship.
- Integrating digital tools with instruction.
- Role playing various classroom situations and discussing guidelines.
- The integration of technology in today's society at large
Using the Common Sense Media Curriculum, student lessons were developed at each grade level to support the expectations of being a good citizen while on line and when using technology in the classroom and at home. Lessons for Fourth Grade include:
- Strong Passwords.
- Digital Citizenship Pledge.
- You’ve Won a Prize!.
- How to Cite a Site
- Picture Perfect.
The aim of Social Studies is the promotion of civic competence – the knowledge, intellectual processes, and democratic dispositions required of students to be active and engaged participants in public life. Civic ideals and practices enable students to learn about the rights and responsibilities of citizens of a democracy, and to appreciate the importance of active citizenship.
District 103, in partnership with neighboring districts, has begun the revision of the Social Studies curriculum which currently reflects the Illinois Social Studies Standards. The revision process is being guided by the newly issued College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework, and is supported by the Illinois State Board of Education. To view the entire document that explains the C3 Framework, please visit the National Council for the Social Studies website.
Students explore the Southeast region and learn how its geographic features, resources, climates and cultures play an important role in the way people live there. They identify the location of each state and its important cities. Some factors that have influenced the way people live in the Southeast are geography (climate, proximity to bodies of water, hurricanes), social change (slavery, segregation, Civil Rights) and musical traditions. They identify an aspect of this region that makes it important to the Nation and support their decision with facts. Finally they categorize key elements of the economy, geography, government, history and people and then compare these elements with the Northeast Region.
As a culmination of our regional studies, the students take a close look at our home state of Illinois. As geographers, they identify and explain how the major geographic features of Illinois impacted the settlement, growth and development of Illinois. As historians, they learn about major Illinois historical events. As economists, they identify the primary economic activities of Illinois, and how our economy is related to our state’s geography and natural resources.
Students explore the Midwest region and learn how its geographic features, resources, climates and cultures play an important role in the way people live there. They identify the location of each state and its important cities. Some factors that have influenced the way people in the Midwest live are transportation, industry and farming. Using charts and photographs, they analyze how farming has changed over time. They identify an aspect of this region that makes it important to the Nation and support their decision with facts. Finally they categorize key elements of the economy, geography, government, history and people and then compare these elements with the Northeast and Southeast regions.
Social Science and Our World (Intro)
In this introductory unit, students learn why the study of the social sciences is important to understanding human behavior and their world. They create simple definitions of the different social scientists (economist, geographer, political scientist and historian). They also use their developing map skills to examine their world from a geographical perspective.
Students explore the Southwest region and learn how its geographic features, resources, climates and cultures play an important role in the way people live there. They explain how its cultural diversity contributes to our nation. They identify the location of each state and its important places and cities. Some factors that have influenced the way people in the Southwest live are the climate, availability of water and its major industries (oil, natural gas, ranching, tourism.) To understand the impact of limited resources on people, they conduct an in-depth study on water usage and the Colorado River over time. They identify an aspect of this region that makes it important to the Nation and support their decision with facts. Finally they categorize key elements of the economy, geography, government, history and people of the Southwest. They then compare these elements of the Southwest to those of the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest.
United States Regions
Students apply basic map skills as they are introduced to the regions of the United States including interpreting special purpose maps. From these maps and other resources, they identify details of the settlement, growth and development of our states and regions and major immigrant groups that have shaped our nation. They compare cultural data about their classroom to state and national data.
Students explore the West region and learn how its geographic features, resources, climates and cultures play an important role in the way people live there. They explain how its cultural diversity contributes to our nation. They identify the location of each state and its important places and cities. Historical events that have shaped the West include Westward Movement, the gold rush and immigration. Students identify factors that have influenced people moving to the West (adventure, opportunity, varying climates, beautiful places to explore and abundant natural resources) and design projects to persuade people of the benefits of visiting or moving to a city in the West. Finally they categorize key elements of the economy, geography, government, history and people of the Northeast. They then compare these elements of the West to those of the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and West regions.
Students explore the Northeast region and learn how its geographic features, resources, climates and cultures play an important role in the way people live there. They explain how its cultural diversity contributes to our nation. They identify the location of each state and its important cities. They identify an aspect of this region that makes it important to the nation and support their decision with facts. In a comparison of the population density of the Northeast with other regions, they evaluate the impact population density has on the lives of people in the Northeast. Finally they categorize key elements of the economy, geography, government, history and people of the Northeast. This comparison will be used to compare regions as they progress through the year.
The above units were selected and created by District 103 teaching staff.
Fourth-grade students at Half Day participate in Spanish language classes for 120 minutes per week. The curriculum addresses each of the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages — communication, cultures, connections, comparisons and community. The instructional goals for each thematic unit integrate language, culture and content in age-appropriate ways. The focus is on what students can do with the language and languages classes are taught almost entirely in Spanish.
Performance Goals – Novice Mid/Novice High
By the end of fourth grade, students will be able to communicate using phrases and sentences on topics they have studied in class. They will understand the Spanish that their teacher uses when working with phrases and sentences in familiar contexts and will be able to understand familiar language in authentic texts. They will communicate in sentences and will begin to extend a conversation by using memorized questions.
Unit 1: Geographical Adventures
Essential Question: Why do we travel?
Students will explore the geography and culture of Central and South America by visiting Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Honduras. They will discuss places to go and things to do in each location as they begin to consider personal preferences. They will talk with others commenting on what they like and don’t like to do commenting on what they can and can’t do in each location. Finally, students will express which country discussed in class they would like to visit considering both cultural attractions and activities that are of interest to them.
Unit 2: Amazon Rainforest
Essential Question: What makes the rainforest unique?
Students will take an imaginary trip to the Amazon Rainforest. They will begin their journey by describing the climate and weather in their current location and in the rainforest. They will create a list of rainforest animals and different plants and talk about what makes each different species unique. They will describe the different animals commenting on what each animal eats, how they move, and will name characteristics that are unique to each animal. Finally, they will describe the Amazon River and Rainforest and will explain why they want or don’t want to visit the region.
Unit 3: Needs and Wants
Essential Question: What do we all need?
Students will begin by exploring basic physical and biological needs and will be able to say what all people need to live a quality life. They will name their personal needs such as thirst, hunger, and sleep and comment on how they take care of their basic needs. They will focus on their water - where it comes from and just how much water their body actually needs. They will be asked to distinguish between basic needs and wants and will be able to state how they feel and what they need or want to deal with that feeling. Finally, they will identify and call attention to the rights of all children.