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Fourth Grade
In the words of past and present fourth grade students of Allendale Christian School, “Fourth grade at ACS, is a year of:
  • prayer partners, prayer journals, and learning how to pray.”
  • learning more about your classmates.” · growing in our friendships.”
  • learning to be yourself.”
  • loving reading more than ever.”
  • learning how to work with partners and groups.”
  • becoming more responsible.”
  • how to write better paragraphs.”
  • realizing that I am smart.”
  • becoming a better Christian.”
 

Bible: The first half of the year we study the book of Philippians, the history and the writing of the Bible as a book, reviewing the main stories of the Old Testament, and learning about the time during the Judges. The second half of the year will include King Saul, King David, and King Solomon’s reign and other rulers and prophets of Israel and Judah. Every week we have Bible memory verses that coincide with the unit we are studying or with the school’s spiritual theme.

Math: We believe that math is an area of learning that brings order to our world in which God has created for His people! We use the math curriculum called Math Expressions. The areas of study are: addition and subtraction strategies, multiplication and division with whole numbers, fact fluency, equations and word problems, measurements, fraction concepts and operations, decimals, and geometry.

Reading: Our reading program uses a reading workshop style of learning focusing on a variety of genres and reading skills. This consists of a mini-lesson, time of silent independent reading, teacher read aloud, book clubs, literature circles, and teacher-guided reading.

Spelling and Grammar: Because we believe students are always learning and practicing spelling skills, our spelling curriculum, Sitton Spelling, utilizes spelling within context and encourages correct spelling in all of their daily work by proofreading for level four priority words. And unique spelling lists are generated for each child from the level four core words. We also refine our grammar through the Easy Grammar program. We explore all the parts of speech along with sentence structure and editing skills. 

Writing Workshop: A writing workshop time will take place four to five times a week with mini-lessons, time for free writing, grammar and mechanics practice, and teacher-student conferences. Each student will have a writer’s notebook where they will share stories and ideas that are important to them. We will write stories, personal narratives, personal essays, opinion pieces, poems, and nonfiction essays. During the workshop, students will go through the writing process to eventually publish at least three pieces of writing.

Science and Social Studies: Not only do we see God as the Creator of our universe, but He reveals Himself to us through the intricate creation of his people, animals, processes, and systems. The science units consist of a study of soils, rocks, and landforms, energy, and environments. In social studies we study the four types of social scientists: geographer, economist, political scientist, and historian and their jobs, questions they may ask, and the tools they use. These concepts help us connect facts about Michigan and how they compare to the different states and regions of our country.

Physical Education: Fourth grade students receive fifty minutes of PE each week. Students learn about the different areas of physical fitness, why they are important and what activities can be done to increase each area. As students move into lead-up games for specific sports, they learn how to communicate with each other and also how to use skills in a game-like situation.

Art: Fourth Grade students receive forty-five minutes of art instruction each week. In fourth grade students create using a variety of art mediums. Students continue to study the Elements of Art.

Music: Fourth Grade students receive two-one half hour classes of music instruction each week. The mission of the music program at Allendale Christian School is to allow students to discover and develop the musical gifts that God has given them through an appreciation of, enjoyment of, and success in music. Through movement activities, composition, improvisation, singing, and the use of instruments, specifically recorders, fourth graders will develop the following musical skills: reading complex rhythms, reading pitches on the treble clef, performing harmonies as a class, and recognizing instruments and their families.  Students will also participate in the Annual Christmas Concert in December.

Library: Fourth grade students have one half-hour library class a week. In the library, students listen to a read-aloud book and have discussions on the book, aiming to meet fourth grade reading standards and allow us to learn about the story God is writing. They also have time to find, read, and check-out books they want to read independently. 

Spanish: Fourth grade students have one forty-five minute Spanish class each week. Students practice basic greetings and learn numbers 1-100, calendar, transportation, and jobs/professions vocabulary through songs, games, and interactive activities. They work on a “Taking a Trip” presentation. They also learn short Bible verses, songs, and prayers. Cultural activities are woven throughout the different units.