Fourth grade is the “bridge” between the primary and intermediate grades. Students develop into more independent learners and are encouraged to use higher-level thinking skills. The curriculum advances the attainment of these goals.
Bible
Our goal at Faith Christian is to present a Biblical worldview in all subjects. I addition to that influence, Bible lessons are taught daily. Fourth graders learn Bible doctrine with the help of two fictional characters, Randy “Sherlock” Holmes and his dog Woofson. These characters assist the students in discovering how to use Bible tools such as timelines, maps, concordance, and context clues. The doctrinal truths investigated are: God, His Word, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the church, salvation, as well as heaven and hell. Students learn how to apply these truths in a personal way through Bible stories, visual aids, memory verses, and a variety of class activities.
Reading
The reading curriculum for Faith Christian School is Reading for Christian Schools. It is a very strong reading program with an emphasis on comprehension. Study skills are taught to enhance comprehension and opportunities for creative writing are provided to correlate with language. Biblical principals and Godly character traits are integrated throughout the lessons. It includes a wide variety of good quality literature for students which helps develop and maintain an interest in and a love for reading.
Social Studies
Fourth grade students will study the history of the world and the features of the earth. They will see the illustrations of God’s wisdom, omnipotence, sovereignty, and benevolence. History concepts and geography skills are studied along with Christian philosophy, character, and attitudes to promote a balanced approach to social studies. In addition, our program examines the state of North Carolina. The history, geography, industry, agriculture, and landmarks are key components of this unit of study. Field trips enhance the students’ learning experiences.
Math
Skills including the following will be mastered in the fourth grade at Faith Christian: quick recall of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts; understanding place value to the billions place; reading analog and digital time; using money and making change; multiplication of up to three-digit numbers; division up to two-digit numbers; reading and making graphs; identifying geometric shapes including triangles, quadrilaterals, and other polygons; finding perimeter, area, and volume; adding and subtracting like and unlike fractions; factoring; using customary and metric measurement for linear, weight, and capacity; adding and subtracting decimals; finding probability.
Spelling
Spelling is a vital element of written communication. Our curriculum has been set up with this in mind. In fourth grade we want to expand visual memory skills and have a stronger focus on the meanings and uses of words. Phonetic principles are reviewed with information on exceptions to these principles and to the basic generalizations in spelling. Accurate spelling is an important element in written communication. It is more than memorizing a list for a weekly test. The students are encouraged and reminded that spelling is a tool for precise, and understandable communication. Errors in spelling create confusion and have the ability to destroy meaning. The Bible is God’s form of written communication. His message is clear and precise. Students should strive to achieve that same standard of excellence.
Language
The study of grammar is valuable in helping students to express themselves clearly and creatively. Our goals are three-fold covering composition, grammar, and word usage. In our study of composition our students will recognize and write good sentences; write friendly letters, business letter, thank-you notes, and post card; learn the writing process; use the internet/encyclopedia to write a report; write and give book reports; review all capitalization and punctuation rules learned in third grade along with learning additional rules; enjoy creative writing. In grammar our students will master simple and compound subjects and predicates; recognize and use all eights parts of speech; diagram subjects, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. In word usage our students will learn to use the dictionary; make subjects and verbs agree; use troublesome words (e.g., lie/lay, can/may, to/too/two)
Science
Throughout the textbook, “Science 4 for Christian Schools” students learn some of the details to the wonders of God’s creation. The students will read exciting facts about themselves, animals and other facets of God’s creation. As a fourth grader, the students are encouraged to discover God’s truth through hands-on experiments and projects. They will learn that God has created everything in an orderly fashion and has given all of his creation a purpose on this earth. Fourth grade science will continue adding the details about the great God who created all that we see and have.