Hey everyone! We made it to the end of the week and now I’m going to share all the curriculum I will be using for my oldest for her 4th grade year. If you missed my other posts this week, you can still read all we are using for Kindergarten and 2nd grade.
I typically call my oldest my guinea pig when it comes to trying new curriculum, and this year will be no different. It has been really helpful to be able to chat with her and see how she feels about certain curriculums and how she wants to learn. I can feel us inching into the older grades and I’m excited for her to be more independent in her studies. We are excited to try some new curriculm and new subjects.
In addition to these, she will also do history, science, and geography. We like to do those studies all together as a family, so I will be sharing those on a separate post next week. I’m really excited for our plans!
Here is all the curriculum we will be using for 4th grade for the 2023-2024 school year:
Language Arts- Brave Writer Darts Bundle & IEW Fix It Grammar
Last year we decided to try a new language arts program and fell in love with it. We are going to continue using Brave Writer Darts for 4th grade. You can read all about this curriculum HERE and our review of it HERE. Each Dart is a 4 week guide and uses a novel to teach grammar and writing concepts. My daughter loved these and was able to identify the concepts she was learning while reading the books and apply them in everyday life. Each month is a new book and guide, so it always feels new and fresh, even though our rhythm of using the guides was the same. She is always excited and looking forward to the next book.
Last year I purchased the Dart guides individually (literature singles) as we were trying them out and typically picked out books I thought she would enjoy. This coming year I’m going to purchase the Dart bundle (not released until next month!) A NEW bundle of books is released every year and the PDF download for the guide is sent to your email each month. The bundle will save some money and I’m excited to just follow the program and have her read books that maybe I wouldn’t have chosen for her. Broaden her reading horizons!
Alongside the Dart curriculum we are going to try IEW Fix It Grammar. This is something she can do on her own each day that is great practice for grammar concepts. Each day they are given a sentence to “fix.” They have to find and mark what it asks at the top (adjectives, nouns, pronouns, etc.), they have to fix any mistakes (punctuation, capitals, etc.), and rewrite the sentence correctly. There is also a new vocabulary word they will learn each day. My daughter loves to correct sentences like this, so I think she will really enjoy it.
Writing- IEW Themed-Based Writing: Fables, Myths, and Fairytales
The Brave Writer Dart guides don’t have a ton of writing involved (some short writing activities,) but I wanted her to try something a little more structured for writing (her least favorite subject.) We are going to try the IEW Theme-Based Writing curriculum this coming year but will be taking it very slow. It seems like a lot to jump into and do every week, so we are going to do it every other week to start. I have heard SO many great reviews about this program, so I am excited to try it. I’m sure I will have more follow up blog posts on this curriculum and how we are using it once we get into it.
Math- Simply Good and Beautiful Math Level 4
We LOVE The Good and the Beautiful math curriculum and will be continuing with Level 4. This math curriculum teaches concepts in such a thorough and fun way! It is a spiral method, so they are always reviewing and keeping up with the concepts they have previously learned. I am also really excited to have the option for video lessons starting in Level 4. I think she will really enjoy learning from someone else sometimes and it will free up my time to work with my other kids as well.
Spelling- A Reason For Spelling Level D
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Last year we did a very laid-back year with spelling and used THESE free spelling lists. This year I am excited to try a more guided spelling curriculum and have more fun ways to practice the words she needs to work on. We will do the pre-test at the beginning of the week, one page each day to practice any words missed, and the game/activity at the end of the week. If my kids get all of the words correctly on their pre-test, then they can choose to skip the activities and other pages for the week.
Handwriting- A Reason For Handwriting Level C
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Last year we used The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting Level 3 and it is a GREAT book for beginning cursive. I think it was a great foundation on how to correctly form each alphabet letter in cursive. This year I want her to focus more on writing words and sentences together in cursive. We are switching to A Reason For Handwriting because I really like how it uses bible verses and scripture for handwriting practice. Each day they complete a short section and then write the entire bible verse at the end of the week.
Typing- The Good and the Beautiful Typing 1
Last year we started this typing book from The Good and the Beautiful, by my daughter’s request, and really enjoyed it. We took it very slow, only doing one lesson each week. This year we will pick up where we left off and do it more frequently; 2-3 lessons a week. Each lesson is very short and something she can complete on her own. There are also free typing lessons on typing.com if you wanted to try something there first.
Reading- Little House on the Prairie Book Set
For history this year we are studying American History again. (I’ll share lots more details on this next week!) We will be doing history all together as a family, but for my 4th grader she will be reading through the Little House on the Prairie series as well. She LOVES this time period (thanks to American Girl History) and is SO excited to read through these! She already has a few pioneer dress up outfits she plays in constantly so I know she will love reading these stories. This was my set from when I was little.
To go with these books, she will be doing comprehension questions in a journal. I will be reading each book first and every few chapters adding a post it with a question for her to answer. She typically reads 45 minutes each day in the afternoons. When she gets to a post it, she will answer the question in her journal and can draw a picture if she wants too.
She just has a simple 6×8 lined notebook, like THIS, to write in.
Bible- Into the Deep Level 2
This year we are also trying a new Bible curriculum! We are very excited to try Into the Deep. I have been reading through it and it looks so wonderful! Level 2 is written for 4th-6th graders, but it can easily be adapted to fit younger kids if you are doing it together. They also have a Level 1 and other unit study options.
“Level Two draws the child deeper into the Story of Salvation History, exploring the typology in the Old Testament and how Christ is the fulfillment of the promise.” You can see more inside looks on their website. It has 72 lessons that we will using over the course of a few years, typically only doing 1-2 lessons each week. They are also written to where they can do this study on their own or together with a parent.
That is everything my daughter will be using for her 4th grade year! We try to have all these completed before lunch each day, have a quiet reading time after lunch, and then complete our extra studies (history and science) in the afternoons. Next week I’ll be sharing what we are using for history and science.
As my daughter is getting older, she is able to complete a LOT of this curriculum on her own. I make her an independent checklist, so she knows what to complete each day and it has been extremely helpful. You can grab an editable version HERE. She can take this list and get started without me or knows what to work on while I am working with one of her siblings.
We are so excited for another great year of learning ahead!
Have a great weekend!
– Lindsay
4th Grade Curriculum Roundup:
Language Arts: Brave Writer Darts & IEW Fix It Grammar
Writing: IEW Theme-Based Writing: Fables, Myths, and Fairytales
Math: Simply Good and the Beautiful Math Level 4
Handwriting: A Reason For Level C
Spelling: A Reason For Level D
Typing: The Good and the Beautiful Level 1
Reading: Little House on the Prairie Series
Thanks so much for sharing! We have a lot of overlapping curriculum we are using – we also love TGTB math! And we’ve just finished up level 1 Into the Deep after the last 2 years and really enjoyed it. I’ve got kiddos going into 6th, 4th, 2nd, pre-k nest year and a 1 year old in the mix! I’m wondering, how do you handle your oldest daughter when she’s doing independent work but gets stuck and needs help? That was a big challenge for me this year – both my oldest have independent checklists, but they got really frustrated when they were stuck and needed help, and I couldn’t come right away…Thanks!
I always tell my kids that if they get stuck on something and I can’t help them that second, to put a star next to it and move on to something else or the next problem, etc. When I do get to them, we can go back to what they starred, and I can help them. Having them make a note and move on helps a lot with timing and them not getting frustrated waiting for me. 🙂
For the handwriting book, do you know which version of the Bible they use for the verse copy work? Thank you!
Great question! I looked into it and all verses are taken from The Living Bible, from Tyndale House Publishers.
For handwriting and spelling, do you use the teacher guidebook for both of those, or just the student workbook?
I do not feel like you need the teacher guide for the handwriting workbook; it is pretty self-explanatory. You do need the teacher guide for the spelling curriculum. The teacher guide has all the words for the pre-tests and instructions to some of the practice activities.
Thanks for sharing your picks! I also have an upcoming 4th grader. Just curious why you chose the second book for Fix it! grammar instead of starting with the first. You mentioned this was a new curricula so I’m guessing you didnt do the Nose Tree level already. Thanks again!
We have not done the Nose Tree Level. Looking through all the sample pages and description of that level, my daughter has covered almost all of it (grammar concepts) the past 2 years in her LA curriculums. I didn’t want to get something too easy or repetitive for her. I looked at all the samples of the second level and thought that would work better, so we are going to try it first. I definitely think she can handle it well, but I figure if it does end up being too difficult, we could always go back to the first level. 🙂