Academics

Elementary Program Grades 3-4

Reading - Writing - Phonics : Language Arts
A large part of language arts focuses on skills and process. Writer’s workshop provides formal instruction in mechanics, grammar, and the writing process. Self directed and assigned writing pieces are ongoing and open-ended. These provide authentic practice of taught skills, and experience with the writing process. Projects are often integrated into social studies and science units, and provide opportunities for research and presentation. Students are exposed to, interact with, and analyze fiction and non-fiction across the curriculum. Students participate in differentiated reading groups, where the skills taught around class read-aloud are practiced. Students engage in drama, writing, art, and research to extend comprehension and skills. Students are also engaged in a spiraling spelling program, which emphasizes spelling skills and the first 350 high frequency words. Students learn cursive handwriting in 3rd grade. Assessment is conducted informally through ongoing observation, conferencing with students about their writing, and student’s editing their own work for content and mechanics. Formal assessment includes running records, spelling tests, student publication and presentation of their own work, and collecting work into portfolios.

Mathematics
There are 3rd and 4th grade math groups, with flexibility depending on student readiness and maturity. The curriculum is based on the Everyday Mathematics Program; a spiraling curriculum which emphasizes authentic understanding and incorporates many activities, games, and manipulatives. 3/4 focuses on solidifying basic skills, including mastery of math facts and place value concepts. Students also study geometry, decimals, fractions, percents, probability, and measurement. Investigations and challenges provide opportunities for application and synthesis of skills and concepts. Both grades experiment with strategies such as estimation, and rounding to strengthen number sense. 4th grade also focuses on group work, creative problem solving, and ‘proof’. Assessment is addressed on an ongoing informal basis and with unit tests every 2-3 weeks. Testing includes oral written and practical components. Math is incorporated into the general curriculum on an informal everyday basis, emphasizing real world application of practical skills.

Science
Science parallels social studies where possible, studying California geology, ecology, and the importance of water to the development of the state, for instance. However, science process and content are also addressed in mini units where students engage in developmentally appropriate hands-on investigations to hone skills, practice the scientific method, and nurture curiosity, creative problem solving, critical thinking, and application of understanding. For instance, the year always opens with a unit on ‘what is science?’ Students encounter a mystery substance and are guided through an organized, thorough, and creative investigation employing the tools and basic skills of practical science. These same skills are practiced throughout the two years, as students generate their own investigations and seek their own answers empirically. Content in the 3/4 grade includes geology and earth sciences, chemistry (pH, and water quality analysis, chromatography, states of matter) physics (gravity, balance and motion) processes in life sciences (including photosynthesis, habitat, adaptation, niche, and structure/function relationships, critical systems in the human body), and topics in environmental science including key environmental problems and the challenges involved in solving them. Students practice the scientific method in each area, forming hypotheses, designing experiments, and recording and analyzing results in order to draw conclusions. Assessment happens through this process of ongoing hands-on investigation, and in formal end of unit reviews and presentations.

Social Studies
This area is addressed thematically, with units of study addressing learning objectives and content standards through in-depth project based learning. The language arts curriculum parallels and enriches this curriculum, integrating reading and writing as much as possible. One of the two years addresses content and skill standards relating to California History and culture. Units on California Indians, Exploration, Missions, and the Gold Rush guide students’ understanding of the complexity of the varied cultures coexisting in California today, and how the particular geography and human history of the area have shaped its present and future. Projects include a mock lands unit to investigate the factors and pressures determining exploration and settlement, creating a class government to explore the development and problems of state government and economics, and a simulation to explore the Gold rush era, with students becoming individual immigrants with a ‘stake’ in the collective adventure. The other year includes an American history unit, and is balanced with more content in the sciences. Ongoing informal observation of students’ participation and work is combined with an end of unit test to assess retention of content and grasp of concepts. Tests combine written and oral review, and options for creative application of material and concepts.

Spanish
Students in third and fourth grades review the basic classroom vocabulary and basic conversations learned in the primary grades for the first few weeks of the school year. For the remainder of the year students learn higher numbers, math connections, more adjectives and vocabulary related to animals and insects on their habitats, calendar, places in the community, everyday actions, likes and dislikes and seasons. Fourth grade students will learn the different persons (yo, tú, él, nosotros, ustedes, ellos/ellas) and how the verbs change according to different persons; forms of the verb to be and to have, and present tense conjugation of -ar verbs.

In conversation, students learn by repeating, practicing, memorizing and acting out six different dialogues-situations based on questions and answers. As the year progresses, the dialogues becomes more complex with more information.

· Text book and listening program: “Viva el Español I”
· Parents as Partners: Homework is once a week, It is usually vocabulary review.
Parents can help students reading aloud and playing matching games with pictures and flashcards. Have a Spanish/English dictionary at home.

The Arts
Visual Arts
Students in third and fourth grade begin to perceive and describe rhythm and movement in works of art and in the environment. They describe how artists use tints and shades in painting. Students focus on creating the illusion of space in art by identifying foreground, middle ground, and background. Students identify objects of art from different parts of the world. Students are able to describe contrast and emphasis in works of art and in the environment. They also describe how negative shapes/forms and positive shapes/forms are used in a chosen work of art. Students will use the interaction between positive and negative space expressively in works of art. Students will focus on the use of complimentary colors in their works of art. The students create projects in clay, wire, plaster, and wax. Each month third and fourth grade students focus on a different artist’s work and life and take part in a culminating project depicting each artist’ style.

Performing Arts: See The Arts page

Physical Education
The physical education curriculum for third and fourth grade increases students' basic knowledge of movement patterns and movement skills. Individual activities and motor skills are practiced and reinforced and students are introduced to a variety of team sports. All students engage in a variety of health related fitness activities and are introduced to basic health related fitness concepts and healthy lifestyle choices.