Upper Elementary Topics and Skills (Grades 4-6)
The following skills are developed in the Upper Elementary curriculum.
Language
- Learning to Read and Reading to Learn
Sight words and contextual clues, reading fluency and comprehension (reading for pleasure, reading for content/research, literature circles), poetry study, use of reference materials, internet - Language Skills
Word study, parts of speech, parts of the sentence, vocabulary/spelling - Communications Skills
Listening, storytelling, shared literature, oral presentations, public speaking/debate - Writing Skills
Penmanship, cursive writing, types of writing (fiction writing, non- fiction writing , letter writing, poetry writing, research writing), writing traits (ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, presentation ) writing techniques (outlining, note-taking, sequencing, summarization, graphic organizer, drafting, revising, editing, publishing)
Mathematics
- Numeration
Numerical quantities, numerical symbols, place value through millions, prime numbers, rounding, integers/number line - Computation
Continued reinforcement of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division operations, factors/multiples, divisibility, percent/ratio/proportion, exponents - Fractions
Fractions naming/vocabulary, equivalence study, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, simplifying and reducing - Measurement
Linear (standard and metric), time, temperature (Fahrenheit/Celsius), weight - Pre-Algebra
Binomials and trinomials, solving for the unknown, variables, squaring/cubing - Geometry
Segments and angles (construction, relationships between lines, relationships between angles (complementary, supplementary), operations with angles, advanced study of triangles, measurement and relationships of plane figures, quadrilaterals (classification, parts), complex polygons (regular and irregular), circles (parts, relationships), congruency, similarity, equivalence, use of ruler, protractor, compass, perimeter, area, volume, surface area - Problem Solving
Word problems and critical thinking, estimating, graphing (data collection, pie chart, ordered pairs), patterns and relationships, money
Cultural Studies
- History
Timeline of Civilization (from early humans through present day), fundamental needs of humans, study of early civilizations and cultures (early humans, first farmers, emerging cultures), world history, US history - Science
Physical science. Process of scientific inquiry, processes of life, motion, force and energy, heat, sound and light, astronomy, rocks and their properties, first chemistry (atomic, molecular structure, periodic table of the elements). - Botany/Zoology
Five kingdoms of life, tree of life, animal phyla, plant phyla, internal functions of animals, body functions of animals, the human body, internal functions of plants, structural function of plants, environmental ecology - Geography
Physical geography, political geography, economy, natural resources