Reading and Writing Workshop: Students will build their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills as they respond to literature selections as well as non - fiction texts. We will work on developing inferential skills to analyze fictional text. Reading for information is also a large part of the language arts curriculum. The students will be working on analyzing expository text, make generalizations about the text, and draw conclusions based on textual evidence. We will be working on writing for different purposes such as journal writing, research papers, and responses to literature. We will be working on personal narratives, opinion and argument essays. I will be giving instruction around these skills within the Reading and Writing Workshop model. Writers will be developing their organization, voice, conventions, ideas, word choice, and sentence fluency.
Social Studies:
The study of California is the central theme of the 4th Grade Social Studies Curriculum. We will be learning about the regions of California, Exploration, the settlement of the California Missions, the Gold Rush and the Settlement of California. Geography and map skills will also be taught and reinforced.
The study of United States is the focal point of 5th Grade Social Studies Curriculum. Native Americans, Explorers, The American Revolution and State Reports are highlights of study. The study of Colonial Times is always a favorite! We will culminate our studies with an “in-house” field trip in the spring where we spend the whole day living in Colonial Times. Geography and map skills will also be taught and reinforced.