Fourth Grade Academics

Parent Newsletter

What will my child learn?

English Language Arts

Standards

• Wisconsin English Language Arts Standards (Revised 2020)

Resources

• Curriculum Map 
• Scope and Sequence 

Fourth Grade Units

Parent Resources for ELA

• RAZ Information for Families
  Your child has access to an award winning literacy resource. Click on this link to learn more about Raz Plus from Learning A-Z!
• Act 20 Resources & Family Activities

Math

Standards

• Wisconsin Math Standards (revised 2020)

Resources

• Scope and Sequence

Fourth Grade Units

Parent Resources

• Math at Home – collection of activities, organized by mathematical content, uses familiar routines that can be used by students and families.
• Math Apps – free apps that are based on the visual models student use in Bridges in Mathematics

Social Studies

Standards

Wisconsin Social Studies Standards

Fourth Grade Units

Science

Standards

• Wisconsin Science Standards

Fourth Grade Units

Social Emotional Learning

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) helps children develop the skills they need to succeed in school and in life. These include:

• Understanding and managing emotions
• Making responsible decisions
• Showing empathy and kindness
• Building positive friendships
• Solving problems in peaceful ways

SEL supports the whole child—academically, socially, and emotionally—helping students feel safe, confident, and ready to learn.

Elementary school is a time when children are learning how to navigate the world around them. As they grow, they begin to understand themselves, others, and how to work together. SEL helps students:

• Develop self-confidence and independence
• Learn how to handle big emotions
• Build friendships and resolve conflicts
• Follow directions and stay focused in class
• Create a strong sense of belonging at school

When students feel supported socially and emotionally, they are more engaged in learning and better prepared for future academic success.

KUSD uses the Second Step Elementary program, a trusted, research-based curriculum that teaches SEL skills in a developmentally appropriate and engaging way.  Second Step lessons are taught in the elementary classroom and focus on:

• Skills for Learning – Listening, focusing attention, and being assertive
• Empathy – Understanding and caring about others’ feelings
• Emotion Management – Recognizing strong emotions and calming down
• Problem-Solving – Using step-by-step strategies to make good choices

Lessons include stories, songs, discussions, games, and role-playing to help students practice their skills in fun and meaningful ways.

• Second Step
• CASEL
• WI DPI Social Emotional Learning

Physical Education

All K-5 students in the Kenosha Unified School District participate in physical education for 75 minutes per week.

Wisconsin Physical Education Standards

Music

All K-5 students in the Kenosha Unified School District participate in general music for 45 minutes per week.

•  National Core Arts Standards

Fourth Grade Learning Objectives for Music

Students will demonstrate and understand the following concepts:

• Rhythm
  • Sixteenth Notes
  • Whole Note
  • Triplets
• Pitch 
  • Read and notate notes on the lines and spaces of the treble clef staff

Students will experience and interact with the following:

• Tonality
  • Major vs. minor
  • Pentatonic scale
  • Blues scale
• Harmony
  • Major and minor chords

Demonstrated Vocal Skills

• Sing accurately in head voice, with or without accompaniment
• Perform a variety of songs including rounds, partner songs, and two-part songs, and speech pieces

Demonstrated Instrumental Skills

• Perform pulse, rhythm, and melodies on classroom percussion instruments
• Improvise an original rhythm/melody/tune
• Proper Recorder performance technique
• Proper playing technique on classroom instruments

Demonstrated Performance Skills

• Follow the cues of a conductor with regard to nuance
• Perform various dynamics and tempi
• Perform with an ensemble

Demonstrated Interaction with Music

• Form
  • Explore theme and variations
  • Identify musical phrases
• Timbre
  • Identify the timbre of the string, percussion, woodwind and brass families
  • Identify the timbre of the soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices
• Dynamics (Loud and soft)
  • Pianissimo and fortissimo
• Slow and fast tempos
  • Adagio and vivace
  • Molto and poco
• Identify the expressive intent of music
• Identify characteristics of various styles/genres of music
• Creatively move to music with or without form

Art

All K-5 students in the Kenosha Unified School District participate in art for 45 minutes per week. 

• National Core Arts Standards

Fourth Grade Learning Objectives for Visual Art

Elements and Principles of Art

• Color
  
  • Understands and uses monochromatic colors.
• Space
  • Understands and demonstrates ways to create the illusion of space: overlapping shapes, size variation, placement of objects on the page, light and shadow, intensity and color (less brightness and color further away), focus (Less detail further away).
• Value
  • Uses value to create the illusion of 3D forms by including highlight, shadow, and midtones.
  • Incorporates tint, tone, and shades into artwork.
• Balance
  • Compares and contrasts different forms of symmetry including: symmetric, asymmetric, radial symmetry.

Artistic Process

• Collaboratively works through the artist process to create artwork. 

Craftsmanship

• Discusses personal artwork with their peers and decides on revisions based on the feedback. 

Responding

• Applies one set of criteria to evaluate more than one work of art.
• Analyzes message and mood communicated by an image.
  

Connecting

• Creates works of art that reflect community cultural traditions.  
• Compares and contrasts purposes of art museums, art galleries and other venues.

Contact Information