In 4th grade at Ophir STEAM Academy, our overarching theme is California Connections! We will be exploring many fascinating topics this year, including (but not limited to) what is listed below.
Science:
- Environments (nature stewardship, food webs/food chains, ecosystems)
- Solid Earth (rocks, minerals, landforms, volcanoes, earthquakes)
- Magnetism and Electricity (circuits and their numerous uses, power transfer and generation, e.g., solar, wind, hydroelectric)
- Mystery Science as a bridge to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
Technology:
- Google Chromebooks in the classroom
- Google Apps for Education
- Keyboarding/Typing skills
- Robotics
Engineering:
- Engineering Design Process
- Projects throughout the year and across curriculum
ASL/Art:
- Art classes are 45 minutes long, 2 times a month
- American Sign Language (ASL) classes are 30 minutes long, 2 days a week
- Music class is 30 minutes per week
- Music Docent program
- 4th grade students can join the LUSD Chorus
Math:
- Number Talks
- Problem Solving
- Real-world applications of math
- Scale models
- Graphing, mapping
- Math applications in science
In Social Studies, our main themes are:
- Where Are We? (latitude / longitude, hemispheres, etc.)
- California regions
- Native Californians and being “nature’s stewards”
- European contact (explorers, California missions)
- Westward expansion and the Gold Rush
- 20th Century California
