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Focus:
Grade 4 CKVA consists of five units. The first, Art and Architecture: Middle Ages in Europe, focuses on the religious nature of medieval art, due to the political and social dominance of the Church. Students will learn about the artistic features, and patronage of images of the Madonna, tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, and Gothic architecture.

The second unit, Islamic Art and Architecture, explores both sacred and secular Islamic art; the main idea is that Islamic design relies on the use of geometric, floral, and plant patterns as well as calligraphy.

The Art of Africa unit looks at both traditional and contemporary African artwork, underscoring its function and its stylized emphasis on design and symbolic shapes.

The Art of China unit teaches about traditional Chinese art forms, including calligraphy, scroll painting, and porcelain, exploring the cultural significance and artistic techniques of each form and how they reflect China’s rich history, and the development of silk and paper.

In the unit Art and Architecture: Early United States, students explore the role that art played leading up to the American Revolution, how early American artists portrayed their heroes, and then discuss the neoclassical architecture of the new nation.

Number of Lessons: 26

Instruction Time: 45 minutes each. Each lesson may be divided into smaller segments.

Additional Search Terms:
cathedral • flying buttress • gargoyle illuminated manuscript • pointed arch • spire • stained glass window • Allah • aniconism • arabesque • calligraphy • idolatry • mausoleum • minaret • mosque • muezzin • apprenticeship • collage • ivory • pigment • dynasty • scroll • Taoism • Doric column • history painting

 

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Focus:
Grade 4 CKMusic continues a basic study of music through three units. In Elements of Music, students learn about different musical concepts, such as rhythm and tempo, melody and form, dynamics, notation, and articulations. In The Orchestra and Vocal Ranges unit, students explore how instruments are classified into families within the orchestra, based on how they produce sound. Students also learn about the characteristics of the human voice and its ranges as they study the elements of orchestral and choral music. The Composers unit introduces students to various composers’ conventions throughout different periods in time. They will explore Gregorian chants as well as the life and work of composers George Frideric Handel, Joseph Haydn, and Mozart.

Number of Lessons: 20

Instruction Time: 45 minutes each. Each lesson may be divided into smaller segments.

Additional Search Terms:
acapella • accelerando • coda • compound meter • dotted note • fortissimo • half step • mezzo forte • middle C • pianissimo • range • repeat • sharp • staccato • tie • variation • waltz • whole step • alto • baritone • bass • soprano • tenor • adagio • andante • Gregorian chant • prodigy

 

PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE: Receive free shipping on the Classroom set when you purchase before 4/10/26.

Focus:
In this unit, students explore the young lives and current professional careers of three researchers: Pearl, Dan, and Kendrick. Pearl studies how to make medicines that are designed specifically for one person—but she also loves developing new kinds of perfumes and makeup. Dan is a teacher who loves teaching not only science but math as well. He knows both are important for understanding the natural world. Kendrick studies wasps, but not the big ones we commonly see. Kendrick studies tiny wasps that are an important part of many kinds of ecosystems. Students start out by reading incidents of the young lives of each of these people and they then see the current, active lives of both. They see how inspiration, experiences, and challenges in life can lead to decisions that led to exciting, rewarding careers in science through a person’s life. Students will also learn how scientists from the past inspired these researchers. Along the way students learn scientific facts that are an integral part of the lives of these science researchers.

  • Who are some of the people that inspired these two researchers when they were young?
  • What experiences first awakened scholarly interest in these two people?
  • How did going to school help both people recognize their interests and achieve their goals?
  • How did going to college help these researchers become mature thinkers?
  • What is biochemistry and why does an engineer need to know it?
  • What is a “personalized medicine” and how can it help people?
  • In what ways can a science teacher help inspire his or her students?
  • What is a parasitoid wasp and are they harmful to people?
  • How can working toward a Scout merit badge help a person become a scientist?
  • What is conservations biology?
  • Why do ALL the animals and plants in an ecosystem matter?

Number of Lessons: 4

Instruction Time:

  • Each Chapter is designed to be completed in one 30-45-minute class period.
  • Some single-day activities and performance tasks might require setting aside a longer block of time.
  • This Unit should be completed in about 6-8 classroom days.
  • A complete list of Materials needed to complete the unit is provided in Online Resources.
  • Activity pages and answers are included in the Teacher Guide.
  • Online Resources contain a wealth of additional teacher support.

Additional Search Terms:
dwarf planet • solar system • orbit • constraints • engineer • STEM • pharmaceutical • signature scent • air pressure • forecast • meteorologist • weather • physics • binoculars • habitat • ecosystem • parasitoid wasp • conservation biology • dark taxa • physics • biodiversity • mimicry • ecologist

Focus:
Everyone uses math every day, but many times people don’t realize it! The Core Knowledge Connecting Math to Our World series underscores the ubiquity of math and encourages learners to “find the math” in familiar situations. The purpose of this program is not to teach math skills, but instead to encourage students to see why the skills are relevant.

There are two components to Connecting Math to Our World (K–5). Each grade level includes a Student Reader as well as an online Teacher Support document.

Each chapter in the Student Reader focuses on a Core Knowledge Sequence Math Standard and explores its real-world applications. This program is unique in that each chapter functions as a stand-alone activity, which can be used in any order, and covered in as little as 15 minutes. They are engaging and age-appropriate, featuring a mix of fictional stories to nonfiction narratives. Chapters can be used to introduce or review a math concept, or to tie concepts together. Additionally, they enable students to see how math intersects with other subjects, including science, language arts, music, and art. These chapters can increase engagement and develop mathematical vocabulary, all while helping clarify math concepts and make them more meaningful.

In fourth grade, chapters include topics such as: place value to 1,000,000, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, place value, fractions, decimals, units of measurement, lines and angles, and represent and interpret data.

Number of Chapters: 24

Instructional Time: 15 minutes

Additional Search Terms:
addition • subtraction • multiplication • division • fractions • base 10 • measurement • data • geometry

Focus:
The CKHG Primary Source Activity Book provides opportunities for students to develop and practice primary source analysis and informational literacy skills. Sources are closely aligned with CKHG Student Reader content, and carefully crafted questions guide students through analysis of each source. The activities can be used one by one to reinforce chapter content or can be grouped by unit for a culminating activity.

Number of Lessons: 8–32, depending on implementation model

Additional Search Terms:
social studies • history • primary sources • activities • Medieval Europe • Medieval Islamic Empires • Early and Medieval African Kingdoms • Dynasties of China • American Revolution • United States Constitution • U.S. Constitution • Early Presidents • American Reformers • Early Presidents and Social Reformers

Focus:
In this unit, students explore Science Literacy topics associated with the other content units of the CKSci Grade 4 curriculum. Science Literacy can be taught as a stand-alone unit or integrated throughout the year using suggestions from the Pacing Guide found in the Teacher Guide.

Grade 4 Topics

In Grades 4–5, science literacy expands students understanding of the uses of background knowledge and new information for decision-making and problem-solving. Topics include a wide range of literacy areas including:

  • What are methods, tools, and techniques?
  • What is a testable question?
  • What do concrete and abstract mean?
  • How is numerical data organized?
  • How does a scientist use charts and graphs?
  • Discerning weak and strong evidence.
  • What makes a good science report?
  • What are simple and complex systems?
  • Which changes are fast, and which are slow?
  • How are science and technology related?

What is Science Literacy?

Core Knowledge Foundation suggests that science literacy initially involves awareness of how scientists observe, ask questions, obtain and analyze data, experiment, form conclusions, and communicate. But a science-literate citizen also understands the role of science in our society, acknowledging the importance of science in helping private and public groups to make decisions based not on emotion or hearsay but on the foundation of careful research and established scientific facts. Additionally, a wider view of science literacy is that science interfaces with all aspects of human learning, such as art, history, biography, mathematics, music, philosophy, and literature.

Digital Engagements

All K-5 units of CKSci Science Literacy contain web-based Digital Engagements. These are accessed via the Core Knowledge website. Teacher driven, these engagements are game-like activities that, while quite entertaining, serve as a checkpoint of knowledge learned earlier in a lesson.

Number of Lessons: 20

Instruction Time:

  • Each Lesson is designed to be completed in one 30-45-minute class period.
  • Some single-day activities and performance tasks might require setting aside a longer block of time.
  • This Unit should be completed in about 20 classroom days.
  • A Pacing Guide Template is provided within the Teacher Guide so teachers can help pair lessons/chapters with other Grade K units.
  • A complete list of Materials needed to complete the unit is provided in Online Resources.

Additional Search Terms:
abstract • accurate • affect • claim • criteria • cause • complex • constraint • control • variable • criteria • data • effect • feedback loop • estimate • law • method • pattern • precise • reasoning • skeptical • system • testable question • theory • variable

Focus:
The Core Knowledge History and Geography (CKHG) Grade 4 Understanding Civics will provide an overview of the role of government and the rights and duties of citizenship. As well as answering the following questions: why do we have the government that we do? What do we expect of our government? What does our government expect of us? How is power distributed? Understanding Civics pursues answers to all of these questions and more. It explores who we are as a nation and how our government reflects that identity.

Number of Lessons: 4
(A total of ten days has been allocated to the Understanding Civics unit. You may choose to implement this unit in a ten-day block or spread the content throughout the year, as time allows.)

Lesson Time:
Flexible

Additional Search Terms:
legislature • citizen • democracy • economy • representative • constitution • confederation • monarchy • prime minister • monarchy • dictatorship • oligarchy • immigration • social contract • amendment • federalism • ratification • heritage • diversity • patriotism • naturalization • tradition

Focus:
Grade 4 of the Louisiana Bayou Bridges Curriculum Series introduces students to the world’s early civilizations, from the first human societies to the development of complex civilizations around the globe. Students will explore cave art, examine Neolithic pottery, discover cuneiform and hieroglyphics, explore pyramids and ancient cities, and encounter the ancient roots of democracy. They will read about the growth of Chinese and Roman empires and “meet” some of the first cultures to develop in the Americas, including the mighty Maya.

Instruction Time: 45–55 minutes per class period

 

Each unit includes the following:

TEACHER GUIDE: Each Teacher Guide explains the program components and provides suggested pacing, detailed lesson plans, activity page masters, and chapter and unit assessments.

STUDENT READER: Each Student Reader is engagingly written and richly illustrated with maps and color images. Each volume includes primary sources, vocabulary call-outs, and a glossary.

STUDENT WORKBOOK: Each workbook includes selected primary sources and activity pages from the Student Reader and Teacher Guide, plus  note-taking graphic organizers and pages for completing the Checks for Understanding and Performance Tasks. NOW INCLUDED IN THE DOWNLOAD!

ONLINE RESOURCES: The Online Resources for each unit provides links to background information for teachers, timeline card slide decks, resources to support guided reading, and additional activities, including artifact studies, primary source examinations, and virtual field trips.

Focus:
In this Grade 4 unit, Problem-Solving and Computers, the goal of the instruction and cumulative experiences is for students to continue articulating steps of increasing complexity to solve problems. Their understanding of developing and following a correct step-by-step procedure when developing computer programs is enhanced by the reading and activities in this unit.

The key question guiding the unit is: What kinds of problems can we solve with computers?

In this unit students build on their understanding of symbols, codes, signals, and step-by-step instructions established in the previous grade. Beyond dissecting solutions into granular steps, students think forward in scenarios with conditional branching options (if-then statements) and loops (if-then, repeat prior instruction). Students relate what computing devices do to their programming, and they build an understanding that complex computer programming is the outcome of building, layering, and chaining together links of fundamentally simple code.

Students explore questions that include the following:

  • What is a system and what are common objects and common parts?
  • How do I model how information is broken down into packets, transmitted, and reassembled?
  • What is the difference between private and personal information?
  • What are the different tools for collection of various types of data?
  • How do algorithms provide instructions to computers?
  • What are common examples of events, sequences, loops, and conditionals?
  • How do you credit the creative work of others?
  • What is design accessibility and how can I use it when programming computers?
  • What are the positive and negative impacts of technology on society?

Number of Lessons: 10 (Each Lesson is divided into Lesson Parts.)

Instruction Time:

  • Each Lesson may be divided into Lesson Segments.
  • Each Lesson Segment is designed to be completed in one 30–45-minute class period.
  • Some single-day activities and performance tasks might require setting aside a longer block of time.
  • This Unit should be completed in about 27 classroom days.
  • A Pacing Guide Template is provided within the Teacher Guide so teachers can map out customized instructional days for this unit.
  • A complete list of Materials needed to complete the unit is provided in Online Resources.

Additional Search Terms:
computer system • troubleshooting • trial and error • private • IP address • packet • identity theft • data • personal and private information • online • if-then statements • algorithm • code • event • loop • sequence • usability • bug • debug • crash • ethics • attribute • copyright • credit • barcode • nonfiction • informational text

Focus:
In this unit, students revisit major work and fluency goals of the grade, applying their learning from the year. In Section A, students reinforce what they learn about comparing fractions, adding and subtracting fractions, and multiplying fractions and whole numbers. In Section B, they strengthen their  ability to add and subtract multi-digit numbers fluently using the standard algorithm. They also multiply and divide numbers by reasoning about place value and practice doing so strategically. In Section C, students practice making sense of situations and solving problems that involve reasoning with multiplication and division, including multiplicative comparison and interpreting remainders. In the final section, students review major work of the grade as they create activities in the format of the warm-ups routines they have encountered throughout the year (Estimation Exploration, Number Talk, and Which One Doesn’t Belong?). The sections in this unit are standalone sections, not required to be completed in order. Within a section, lessons can also be completed selectively and without competing prior lessons. The goal is to offer ample opportunities for students to integrate the knowledge they have gained and to practice skills related to the expected fluencies of the grade.

Number of Lessons: 12

Instruction Time:
Approximately 60 minutes
(Please note that each lesson is designed for one instructional block, and may be divided into shorter or longer segments based on teacher pacing and student needs.)