Throughout the year in 4th grade ELA , students will read four novels.

The first one will be The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman. Students will read literary and informational texts to understand the class system of the Middle Ages through the fictional tale of two unlikely friends, Prince Brat and his whipping boy. Students will express their understanding by using the knowledge they gained about the history of the Middle Ages to study how the actions and changes in characters affect the events in a text and the development of theme.

The second one will be Pushing Up the Sky by
Joseph Bruchac. Students will read literary and informational texts to learn about folktales in order to understand how they help to preserve the culture of societies that have disappeared. Students will express their understanding by comparing an element in two different folktales.

The third novel will be If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore. Students will read texts about the American Revolution to understand the decisions and choices colonists had to make leading up to and during the Revolutionary War. Students will express their understanding of the concept of "taking sides" and how, despite having different points of view about an issue or a situation, those engaged in conflict can still share common ground.

The last novel will be The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Students will read literary texts to understand traditional stories that focus on common patterns in literature, specifically the quest. Students will express their understanding of how literature helps us make sense of the world, and how literature from the past influences our current lives and contemporary stories.

In Social Studies, students will begin by learning about and exploring the creation of the 13 American Colonies, the American Revolution, and the and the formation of a national government under the Constitution. Students will continue their studies with the development and growth of the United States through Manifest Destiny and the division of our country. Finally, students will explore the causes and effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Students will utilize primary source documents, geographic tools, analysis, and critical thinking within this concentrated study of early U.S. history.

4th Grade ELA Scope & Sequence

4th Grade Social Studies Scope & Sequence

Dorothy & Noble Harrelson School

Aimee Hollingsworth

4th Grade ELA & Social Studies

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