Grade 4 Curriculum at a Glance June 2026

Introduction to the Elementary School’s Curriculum At A Glance

At ACS Athens Elementary School, students build the necessary skill sets for the years ahead. The elementary curriculum is based on interdisciplinary methods and materials supported and guided by the U.S. State Board of Education. At the heart of the interdisciplinary method is literacy, which is woven throughout all subject areas, such as in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, including conceptual connections to Mathematics.

Language Arts - The Elementary School Language Arts curriculum is guided by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts, which establish rigorous, research-based expectations in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language strands that are closely connected and mutually reinforcing. Our program reflects this integrated vision alongside a commitment to structured literacy: foundational skills including phonological awareness, phonics, and fluency are taught explicitly and systematically, while comprehension, writing, and language work develop alongside them. Students engage with a wide range of literary and informational texts, apply reading strategies, write for varied purposes and audiences, participate in collaborative discussions, and build vocabulary and language conventions across grades. Instruction emphasizes critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, and effective communication, supported by carefully selected programs and resources. Our classroom libraries, Elementary School Library, and digital literacy resources further expand students' access to diverse texts nurturing each student as a curious, confident reader, writer, and lifelong learner.

Mathematics - The Mathematics curriculum is guided by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and is taught through the Dimensions Math textbook series. This approach emphasizes deep conceptual understanding, problem solving, mathematical reasoning, and the development of strong computational fluency. The aim of the Elementary School Mathematics Program is for students to build a solid foundation in mathematical concepts and skills while developing confidence and perseverance as problem solvers. Students learn to make connections between concrete experiences, visual models, and abstract mathematical thinking through a progression known as the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) approach. Instruction focuses on the major domains of mathematics, including number and operations, algebraic thinking, measurement, geometry, and data analysis. Students are encouraged to explain their thinking, justify solutions, apply mathematics to real-world situations, and communicate mathematical ideas clearly.

Science - The Science curriculum is guided by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and supported by the TCI Bring Science Alive! program. Instruction is built around the three dimensions of the NGSS: disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. Through inquiry-based learning, hands-on investigations, and engineering design challenges, students develop an understanding of how scientific knowledge is developed and applied. The aim of the Elementary School Science Program is to foster scientific literacy by helping students understand the fundamental concepts of life science, physical science, earth and space science, and engineering. Students are encouraged to ask questions, develop models, plan and conduct investigations, analyze data, construct explanations, and communicate evidence-based conclusions. Through active exploration of real-world phenomena, students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and scientific reasoning skills. The curriculum promotes curiosity about the natural world while helping students make connections between science, technology, engineering, and everyday life.

Social Studies - The Elementary Social Studies curriculum is guided by the AERO (American Education Reaches Out) Social Studies Standards, which promote inquiry, critical thinking, and global understanding. In the primary years (K-2), students develop an understanding of themselves, their communities, and the world around them. They explore concepts of past and present, learn how people cooperate and resolve conflicts, and begin using maps and geographic tools to understand places and environments. Students examine culture, identity, citizenship, leadership, and community responsibilities while learning basic economic concepts such as needs, wants, goods, and services. Through stories, inquiry, and real-world connections, they build foundational skills for understanding how people, places, and societies are connected. In the upper elementary years (3-5), students deepen their understanding of history, geography, culture, government, economics, and the impact of science and technology on society. They investigate how people, events, and ideas shape communities and nations over time; explore global connections, trade, migration, and cultural diversity; and examine rights, responsibilities, and systems of government. Through the use of primary and secondary sources, students develop critical thinking skills as they analyze cause-and-effect relationships, compare perspectives, and better understand their role as informed and responsible global citizens.

Fourth Grade Language Arts Curriculum at a Glance

Reading Writing

Reading Fourth graders read closely across literary and informational texts, citing details and examples to support explicit understanding and inference. They determine themes, main ideas, and character development; analyze text structure, point of view, and author’s craft; and compare texts across genres, cultures, and formats. By year’s end, students read and comprehend literature and informational texts independently within the grades 4–5 complexity band. Foundational skills in phonics, word analysis, and fluency continue to support comprehension.

Selected CCSS Anchor Standards

● RL.4.1 / RI.4.1 – Refer to details and examples to explain what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences.

● RL.4.2 / RI.4.2 – Determine theme or main idea and summarize the text.

● RL.4.3 – Describe in depth a character, setting, or event using specific details.

● RF.4.3 / RF.4.4 – Apply phonics and word analysis skills; read with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

● RI.4.5 – Describe the overall structure of a text (chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution).

● RL.4.10 / RI.4.10 – Read and comprehend literature and informational texts in the grades 4–5 complexity band.

Writing Students write opinion, informative/explanatory, and narrative pieces with clear organization, supporting details, and appropriate conventions. They develop writing through planning, revising, and editing; conduct short research projects; draw evidence from texts; and use technology to produce and publish. Writing occurs routinely across both extended and shorter time frames.

Selected CCSS Anchor Standards

● W.4.1 – Write opinion pieces supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

● W.4.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas clearly.

● W.4.3 – Write narratives using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

● W.4.5 – Develop and strengthen writing through planning, revising, and editing.

● W.4.7 – Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation.

● W.4.9 – Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis and research.

Speaking & Listening

Speaking & Listening Students engage in collaborative discussions, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. They paraphrase information from diverse media, evaluate a speaker’s reasoning and evidence, and present ideas and findings in organized, well-supported ways using formal English when appropriate.

Selected CCSS Anchor Standards

● SL.4.1 – Engage effectively in collaborative discussions, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly

● SL.4.2 – Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats.

● SL.4.3 – Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

● SL.4.4 – Report on a topic or text in an organized manner using appropriate facts and descriptive details.

● SL.4.6 – Differentiate between contexts calling for formal English and situations where informal discourse is appropriate.

Language Students demonstrate command of grammar, conventions, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. They apply knowledge of language across contexts; use a range of strategies to determine word meaning; and acquire and use grade-appropriate academic and domain-specific vocabulary with precision.

Selected CCSS Anchor Standards

● L.4.1 – Demonstrate command of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

● L.4.2 – Demonstrate command of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

● L.4.3 – Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts.

● L.4.4 – Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

● L.4.5 – Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

● L.4.6 – Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.

Fourth Grade Math Curriculum at a Glance

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

CCLS-M Standards: 4.OA.2, 4.OA.3, and 4.OA.5.

● Interpret and solve multiplication and division word problems involving equal groups, arrays, comparison situations, and measurement quantities.

● Use the four operations to solve multistep real-world problems

● Identify and explain patterns in numbers and operations.

● Generate and analyze number patterns using given rules.

CCLS-M Standards: 4.NBT.1, 4.NBT.2, 4.NBT.3, 4.NBT.4, 4.NBT.5, and 4.NBT.6.

● Read, write, compare, and order multi-digit whole numbers.

● Demonstrate understanding of place value through the millions period.

● Use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers.

● Add and subtract multi-digit numbers fluently using standard algorithms.

● Multiply multi-digit whole numbers using a variety of strategies and algorithms.

● Divide whole numbers using place value, properties of operations, and the relationship between multiplication and division

CCLS-M Standards: 4.NF.1, 4.NF.2, 4.NF.3, and 4.NF.4.

● Extend understanding of fractions as numbers.

● Compare and order fractions with different numerators and denominators.

● Recognize and generate equivalent fractions.

● Add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers with like denominators.

● Multiply a fraction by a whole number

● Represent fractions using visual models and number lines.

● Solve real-world problems involving fractions.

● Express fractions as equivalent forms, including decimals and

CCLS-M Standards: 4.MD.1, 4.MD.2, 4.MD.3, 4.MD.4, 4.MD.5, 4.MD.6, and 4.MD.7.

● Solve problems involving measurement and conversion of units within a given measurement system.

● Apply measurement concepts to real-world situations.

● Solve problems involving area and perimeter of rectangles.

● Use formulas to determine area and perimeter

● Measure and estimate lengths, distances, masses, volumes, and elapsed time.

● Represent and interpret data using line plots, tables, and graphs.

CCLS-M Standards: 4.G.1, 4.G.2, and 4.G.3.

● Identify, classify, and draw points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles.

● Classify two-dimensional figures based on their properties.

● Identify and describe parallel and perpendicular lines.

● Recognize and describe symmetry in geometric figures.

● Analyze geometric shapes based on angle measures and line relationships

● Use geometric vocabulary to communicate mathematical ideas.

● Solve problems involving

● Use mathematical reasoning to explain relationships between patterns.

● Solve real-world problems involving the four operations with whole numbers.

● Explain and justify mathematical thinking using models, equations, and written explanations.

Fourth Grade Science Curriculum at a Glance

mixed numbers when appropriate.

NGSS Standards: 4-PS3-1, 4-PS3-2, 4-PS3-3, and 4-PS3-4.

Students will be able to:

● Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.

● Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred by sound, light, heat, and electrical currents.

● Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.

NGSS Standards: 4-PS4-1, 4-PS4-2, and 4-PS4-3.

Students will be able to:

● Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and how waves can cause objects to move.

● Describe waves using key properties such as frequency, amplitude, wavelength, and speed.

● Investigate how changing the amplitude affects the energy of a wave

● Investigate how different materials affect how sound travels.

● Compare how waves behave in different mediums (solid, liquid, gas).

● Describe how waves transfer energy without transferring matter.

● Solve problems involving data presented in charts and graphs.

● Explore concepts of angles and angle measurement. geometric figures in real-world contexts.

NGSS Standards: 4-ESS1-1, 4-ESS2-1, and 4-ESS2-2.

Students will be able to:

● Identify and describe Earth materials, including rocks, soil, sand, and sediments.

● Explain how rocks and landforms are formed and change over time.

● Investigate how weathering, erosion, and deposition shape and move Earth materials

● Compare how water, wind, ice, and gravity affect Earth’s surface in different ways.

● Describe how landforms such as mountains, valleys, canyons, plains, and hills form and change over time.

● Investigate how slow processes and sudden events such as landslides,

NGSS Standards: 4-LS1-1 and 4-LS1-2.

Students will be able to:

● Identify and compare the basic structures of plants, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds, and fruits.

● Explain how plant structures support survival, growth, and reproduction.

● Investigate how plants respond to environmental conditions such as light, water, space, and gravity

● Describe the life cycle of plants and how they change over time

● Identify and describe major animal body structures and how they support movement, protection, and survival.

● Explain how animals obtain food, move, breathe, and adapt using their body structures.

● Investigate how energy moves through systems and causes change.

● Explain that energy can be transferred from place to place and transformed from one form to another.

● Identify forms of energy, including light, sound, heat, electrical, and motion energy.

● Use evidence to explain the relationship between the speed of an object and the energy it possesses

● Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred by sound, light, heat, and electrical currents.

● Ask questions and predict outcomes about changes in energy when objects collide.

● Compare different types of waves, including sound and light waves.

● Explain how vibrations create waves.

● Explain how sound is produced by vibrations and travels from a source to a receiver.

● Investigate how pitch and volume are related to wave properties such as vibration strength and frequency (high/low, loud/soft).

● Explore how humans and animals use sound waves to communicate and gather information.

● Describe how light travels and helps us see objects

● Investigate how light interacts with different materials (transparent, translucent, opaque) and how this affects what we see.

● Explain how reflection, absorption, and shadows are formed and how they change based on light sources and objects.

floods, and volcanic eruptions change Earth’s surface.

● Use models to show how Earth’s surface changes over time.

● Explain how natural forces continuously reshape Earth’s surface.

● Describe how humans change the Earth’s surface through construction, farming, mining, and urban development.

● Explain how human activities can positively and negatively affect landforms and environments.

● Identify ways people can reduce environmental impact and protect land and natural resources

● Use maps, diagrams, photographs, and models to observe and explain changes to Earth’s surface.

● Communicate scientific explanations based on evidence of Earth’s changing surface.

● Describe the basic function of the digestive system and how it breaks down food for energy and growth.

● Describe the basic function of the circulatory system and how it transports nutrients, oxygen, and waste throughout the body.

● Compare internal and external structures of animals and how they work together to support survival.

● Investigate how animal adaptations help organisms survive in different environments.

● Classify animals based on shared physical and structural characteristics

● Describe similarities and differences between plant and animal structures in how they support life.

● Use models, diagrams, and observations to explain how structures and systems function in living organisms.

● Communicate scientific explanations using evidence from investigations of plants and animals.

Fourth Grade Social Studies Curriculum at a Glance

Unit 1: US States and Regions

The US States and Regions unit consists of three major focal points. These focal points include government, geography, and state history. Students learn research, and map skills. They are exposed to early United States history and in their Technology class, they complete a research booklet about an assigned US State. This unit concludes to an Exhibition of Learning, where students represent a US State and educate visitors about this state.

Students will be able to:

● 1.5.b Describe changes in society (political, social, cultural).

● 1.5.c Identify cause-and-effect relationships in history.

● 1.5.d Identify and use primary and secondary sources to examine the past and present.

Unit 2: South America

Unit 3: Ancient & Modern Olympic Games

The South America unit exposes students to regions, which provides them with the opportunity to describe and compare places. There is a focus on the physical attributes, landscapes and landmarks of the continent and a study of South American people and culture. Students also research sustainability and migration. The unit concludes to an Exhibition of Learning, where students represent a S. American country through a role and educate visitors about this country.

Students will be able to:

● 2.5.a Describe how wants and needs have implications beyond the self.

● 2.5.c Explain the major ways groups, societies, and nations interact with one another.

● 3.5.a Explain and use the elements of maps and globes.

The Olympic Games unit analyzes Ancient and Modern Olympic Games. Compare and Contrast events, rituals, and ceremonies of the ancient Olympics and the modern-day Olympics. Students read and summarize passages. They also actively take part in designing their future Olympic Games posters, medals, torches, mascots, and emblems.

Students will be able to:

● 1.5.b Describe changes in society (political, social, cultural).

● 1.5.c Identify cause-and-effect relationships in history.

● 3.5.a Explain and use the elements of maps and globes.

● 3.5.b Apply appropriate resources and geographic tools to generate and interpret information about the earth.

● 3.5.c Apply concepts such as location, distance, direction, scale, movement, and region.

● 3.5.d Describe ways that the earth's physical and human-made features have changed over time.

● 6.5.a Identify issues involving rights, roles, and responsibilities of individuals in relation to broader society

● 6.5.b Describe how political institutions meet needs and wants of individuals and society.

● 7.5.a Describe characteristics, locations, uses, and management of renewable and non-renewable resources.

● 7.5.d Explain and compare ways in which people satisfy their basic needs and wants through the production of goods and services.

● 8.5.d Describe changes in scientific knowledge and technology that have affected a country.

● 3.5.b Apply appropriate resources and geographic tools to generate and interpret information about the earth.

● 3.5.c Apply concepts such as location, distance, direction, scale, movement, and region.

● 3.5.d Describe ways that the earth's physical and human-made features have changed over time.

● 3.5.e Describe factors that influence locations of human populations and human migration.

● 4.5.i Examine cultural diffusion.

● 4.5.f Define the elements of a belief system.

● 4.5.g Examine the principal tenets of one major world religion

● 5.5.b Identify how sociological circumstances influence an individual's perceptions of and reactions to the world.

● 5.5.f Identify how social systems prescribe racial, ethnic, and gendered identities.

● 7.5.a Describe characteristics, locations, uses, and management of renewable and non-renewable resources.

● 7.5.d Explain and compare ways in which people satisfy their basic needs and wants through the production of goods and services.

● 8.5.a Explain the difference between science and technology.

● 8.5.d Describe changes in scientific knowledge and technology that have affected a country

● 8.5.e Describe instances in which changes in values, beliefs, and attitudes have resulted from new scientific and technological knowledge.

● 1.5.d Identify and use primary and secondary sources to examine the past and present.

● 2.5.c Explain the major ways groups, societies, and nations interact with one another.

● 4.5.i Examine cultural diffusion.

● 4.5.f Define the elements of a belief system.

● 4.5.g Examine the principal tenets of one major world religion.

● 5.5.b Identify how sociological circumstances influence an individual's perceptions of and reactions to the world

● 6.5.a Identify issues involving rights, roles, and responsibilities of individuals in relation to broader society.

● 8.5.a Explain the difference between science and technology.

● 8.5.b Examine ways in which tools and techniques make certain tasks easier.

● 8.5.c Describe ways that tools and techniques can have both positive and negative effects.

● 8.5.e Describe instances in which changes in values, beliefs, and attitudes have resulted from new scientific and technological knowledge