Toronto Catholic District School Board

TEACHERS: MRS. METE, MS. DOMENEGATO, MR. MAGEAU

We look forward to a year filled with productive and rewarding activities that will lead to an enriching Grade 4 year for all. This document is outlined with various routines, expectations, and academic overviews for the 2014 – 2015 year.

CURRICULM OVERVIEW

RELIGION & FAMILY LIFE

Text: God Fulfills His Promise

The religion text explores the life of Jesus Christ as revealed to us in the Gospel of the New Testament. Students will be also be exploring the virtues of the month and how these virtues are present through bible scriptures. Our program will also be enhanced with weekly visits from Father Kachur.

Text: Grade 4 - Fully Alive

The family life aspect of the curriculum is guided by the Fully Alive text, which was written, produced and approved by the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops for the use in the Catholic schools. The themes that will be covered this year are:

Theme one: Created and Loved by God
Theme two: Living in Relationships
Theme three: Created sexual: Male and Female
Theme four: Growing in Commitment
Theme five: Living in the World

LANGUAGE ARTS

“Literacy In the Middle Grades” is a board-wide literacy instruction framework for Grades 4-8. This literacy framework provides a balance of direct instruction of reading and comprehension strategies for students and is based on exemplary practices.

Reading Workshops	Writing Workshops
Teacher Read– Alouds	Writing Traits Mini-Lessons
Shared Reading	Use of Graphic Organizers
Guided Reading	Teacher/Student Writing Conferences
Self-Selected Reading	Participation in writing tasks (ie. graffiti, webs, place-mat, etc)
Literature Circles
Booktalks

Reading Workshop Goals

Read a variety of literary, biographical, informational and graphic texts
Develop and deepen reading skills through the following reading strategies: Making Connections, Synthesizing, Asking Questions, Inferring, Visualizing, and Determining Important Ideas
Respond to reading in a variety of ways, (ie. reading journals, drama, booktalks, etc.
Develop oral language and vocabulary skills across all subject areas

Writing Workshop Goals

Learn and appreciate the writing process through teacher modeling and scaffolding
Engage in the writing process through various forms of writing
Revise, edit, and share published pieces within community of writers
Receive direct instruction and teacher modeling of the writing traits: Word Choice, Ideas, Organization, Sentence Fluency, Conventions, & Voice

MATHEMATICS

Text: Nelson Mathematics 4

Students will be assigned a key assessment question on a regular basis in order to monitor their understanding of the math concepts taught. These questions are graded and recorded for assessment purposes. Please take the time to look through your child’s math notebook to see his/her progress. Students will also be assigned questions from the Nelson math workbook to reinforce the various skills taught and learned in class. If you would like extra exercises for your child, you may visit the Nelson website at http://www.mathK8.nelson.com. There is a “Parent Centre”, as well as, a “Student Centre”. The Nelson chapters will be covered in the following sequence:

TERM 1	TERM 2
Numeration	3- D Geometry & Measurement
Patterns in Mathematics	Fractions & Decimals
Data Management	Probability
Measuring Length & Time	Multiplying & Dividing Greater Numbers
2- D Geometry	Multiplication & Division
Addition and Subtraction	Motion Geometry
Area and Perimeter

SOCIAL STUDIES

Text: Many Gifts & Other Sources

Students will be studying Canada’s provinces and territories, focusing on Canada’s landform regions. Also, students will be developing their mapping skills. In the latter term, students will be examining the social and political aspects of the Medieval Times.

SCIENCE AND TECHOLOGY

Text: Addison Wesley Series & Other Sources

The science curriculum is organized into four strands which include:

Life Systems: Habitats and Communities
Earth and Space Systems: Rocks and Minerals
Matter and Energy: Light and Sound
Structures and Mechanisms: Pulleys and Gears

PHYSICAL EDUCATION & HEALTH

Students are expected to have appropriate clothing and shoes for the scheduled physical education time period. The following three strands will be covered throughout the year:

Fundamental Movement Skills	Healthy Living
Active Participation

VISUAL ARTS

The Grade 4 visual arts program focuses on self-expression and the ability to communicate through visual images. The students will be encouraged to develop their reading skills of various works of art. The students will have the opportunity to develop and explore various mediums of art, with a focus on line, colour, texture, form, shape and space.

DRAMA AND DANCE

Drama and dance will be incorporated into other subject areas of the curriculum like Family Life, Health, and Language Arts.

HOMEWORK/AGENDA

Homework will include research projects/major assignments, studying for tests or quizzes, and completing unfinished classroom work. Every morning, students will write down the homework assignments of the day. Most assignments will be completed in class and any unfinished work will have to be taken home and submitted on the assigned due date. If concerns arise because your child is experiencing difficulty in meeting homework demands and/or assignments, please express your written comments through the agenda or you may contact me at the school. If your child has not completed a homework assignment on time, you will be notified via a yellow slip. Yellow slips must be initialed by parents and the student is expected to complete the unfinished work for the next day.

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

The Grade 4 students have been discussing what is to be expected in our classroom in order to ensure a positive learning environment for everyone. The following list is an overview of expectations that were discussed:

Always show kindness in your words and actions towards others
Show respect towards your teachers, and peers by using polite words
Work quietly and do not disturb others during work periods
Listen attentively to what others have to say
Raise your hand when you would like to share your thoughts and ideas
Mistakes are welcome and we will learn from them
Enter and leave the classroom in a quiet and orderly manner so that other classrooms are not being disturbed
Keep your books neat and organized by always putting forth your best efforts
Always use polite words like: “Please, Thank you, and Excuse Me”
Be proud of your work and be ready to share your ideas with others

CLASSROOM TRIPS/SCIENTIST PROGRAMS

Hands-on experiences from excursions help to create a better understanding of the world outside the classroom. The table below is a tentative list of Grade 4 excursions and activities planned for the year. The exact dates and cost of the following activities will be announced to parents in advance through written notifications.

October	The Kortright Centre -- Habitats & Communities
November	Scientist in School -- Rocks & Minerals
January	Centennial Park skiing
February	Centennial Park skiing
March	Scientist in School -- Sound is Music to my Ears
April	Scientist in School -- Light Up Your Life
May	Scientist in School -- Pulleys & Gears
June	The Medieval Times Art Workshop – Medieval Brass Rubbings Workshop