ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

A Fourth Grade Curriculum

Updated on March 14, 2011

Now that my daughter has started fourth grade, it's my job to keep up with what she is learning and to help her stay on track. I can't attend classes with her, but I can find out what she is supposed to be studying.

The first step is to find copies of all the textbooks. They all have rather generic names, as if they weren't written by an author, but are just a product put out by a publisher. Here is the list:

1) McGraw-Hill Science ISBN 0-02-280037-9

2) Scott Foresman Language

3) MacMillan/McGraw Treasures

4) MacMillan Math Connects

5) Scott Foresman Regions.

We are very lucky that Sword has a wonderful teacher this year, who has already been more than helpful. The Science book is new, and hard to find on-line, but we have been lent an extra copy by the teacher.

The Science Book

Access to Textbooks at Home

Back in the days when children would trudge alone, unaccompanied by adults, knee deep in snow to school and back, they had small McGuffey readers to carry with them. Today, the textbooks are gigantic and they weigh a ton. Clearly, the children aren't expected to carry them on their backs over rough terrain and long distances. But even for the short distances involved, to and from the car or bus, the backpacks we have don't seem to be designed to bear the weight. Last year, Sword's backpack was badly damaged by the bulk and weight of the textbooks she was expected to transport to and from school.

This year, we are using a different system. This year we will have duplicate copies of the textbooks at home. Sword won't have to carry a book home in order to complete a homework assignment. This will also mean that "I forgot my textbook" will not be a viable excuse. In addition, we can go over the material each day at home, even when there is no homework assigned.

Grade Level Expectations

Finding out what your child's textbooks are like, and what material they present, is only the beginning. As an informed parent, I also want to know what my daughter is expected to get out of this material. Two people can read a passage in a book and come away with remarkably different conclusions. I want my daughter to be a critical reader, but in school, another crucial skill is emphasized: learn to get the intended message.

When preparing my daughter to take a standardized test, I have to explain that she should consider two isssues when answering a multiple choice question:

(1) Which answer, if any, is true.

(2) Which answer, if any, does the person who wrote the test think is true.

I tell my daughter that if there is a conflict between the two, and she wishes to do well on the test, she should keep in mind the person who wrote the test. This is an exercise in theory of mind, and it plays a very important part in our successful negotiation of relationships in the work-a-day world.

In our state, the person who wrote the test is a government employee. So, in order to help my daughter understand that person, I visit webpages of the department of education and learn about their grade level expectations.

Extracurricular Activities that Require School Participation

In addition to making sure that my daughter is up to speed in all required assignments and that she meets grade level expectations, I will also look into extracurricular activities that will encourage her in those subjects where she excels. Sometimes it helps if the school where your child is enrolled joins a national competition.

Sword is a good speller. I want to encourage her to go beyond meeting her grade level expectations. It would be very good for her to be involved in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. However, this requires that the school become enrolled in the competition. The deadline for school enrollment is October 15, 2008, for purposes of the 2009 competition. Here below is a link to the Scripps National Spelling Bee Competition website.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)