4th Grade Curriculum Guide for Parents
Characteristics of a Fourth Grade Student
- enjoy being given responsibility, but still require guidance and direction to keep on track
- need sets of guidelines and rules to follow
- enjoy learning new information and facts, but may not reflect deeply on them
- are generally able to read to learn, having passed the learning-to-read stage
- learn best by starting with concrete experiences
- place great emphasis on peer relationships
- like being and doing things with friends
- need to belong to a group, particularly an understanding family group
- often play to the point of exhaustion
- are becoming quite skillful in motor performance
- have fine motor skills that vary greatly with the individual
- have a heightened sense of right and wrong based on fairness
- are beginning to be able to understand and apply the message in a story
- strive to incorporate good works into daily living
5th Grade Curriculum Guide for Parents
Characteristics of a Fifth Grade Student
- are very curious
- need guidelines and rules to follow
- have an abundance of energy and are industrious workers
- need warm and supportive reinforcement from parents and other adults
- are sensitive to criticism but beginning to realize that criticism is necessary and helpful
- dislike being criticized in front of their friends
- transition into puberty, especially among the girls, with physical changes and difficult to control emotions
- as a group, display wide variations in rate of growth
- have increased interest in sexuality
- appreciate and develop personal talents and abilities
- are still mostly concrete in their thinking while developing expanded language skills
- recognize signs and symbols, e.g., in games, sports, and clothes
- have longer attention spans and enjoy reading
- have a great need to belong, so they make commitments to (sports, fun, service) groups or may belong to peer groups who develop their own codes of behavior
- enjoy cooperative learning activities with friends
- learn from role models
- continue closeness with family, but begin to make choices independent of adults
- grow in ability to distinguish right and wrong and have a heightened sense of justice
- begin to be aware of different customs and rituals among people
- become aware of past, present, and future community experiences, e.g., the Church as a committed community of believers