Grade 4 Semester Outline 1

Grade 4 Semester Outline

English Conversation (生活美語)

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June 14, 2011/6/14

At the grade 4 level we begin to move towards more advanced subjects in English, such as phonics and topical vocabulary.  Spelling becomes more important at this level, and students are expected to remember more of the sentence patterns presented in the textbook.

The phonics for grade 4 consists of consonant sounds and short vowels.  I find that students have little trouble with consonants – at least not if they’ve memorized the alphabet by this time – but they usually have trouble distinguishing one vowel sound from another.  This is partly because letter sounds such as short “A” and short “E” sound very similar, because these sounds are all pronounced with the mouth open, and also because students confuse the long and short vowel sounds.  To this end, the grade 4 students will have more phonics practice than students in any other grade level.

Topical vocabulary is also important at this stage.  Students will learn vocabulary related to transportation, household objects, classroom objects, and will also review the alphabet and the numbers from 1 to 50.  These words are presented for the sake of describing their environment, though many students often neglect the sentence patterns in which these words are used.

Spelling is of critical importance in grade 4.  The number of vocabulary words presented cannot be memorized through their beginning sounds alone, even though many students assume that this is the case.  Students must begin to remember ALL of the letters that make up a word, instead of the just the first letter.  For this reason, memorizing the alphabet in grade 3 is crucial, and students who have not done so will begin to struggle in grade 4.

Sentence patterns are introduced in the grade 4 textbook, and should be memorized alongside the vocabulary at the beginning of each chapter.  These sentence patterns are very useful in English, and mastering them sets the stage for future success.

The grade 4 book seems easy, but many students who think so haven’t really mastered the material.  Learning this book, and learning it well, provides a good foundation for more advanced English study.

Week	Topics Covered
1	ABCs, 1-50, “at” and “an” sounds, Commands/Actions
2	ABCs, 1-50, “at” and “an” sounds, Commands/Actions, art project
3	ABCs, 1-50, “at” and “an” sounds, Commands/Actions, ball game
4	ABCs, 1-50, “at” and “an” sounds, Commands/Actions, review
5	Written Test #1/DVD
6	Transportation, “ed” and “et” sounds, commands/actions
7	Transportation, “ed” and “et” sounds, commands/actions, art project
8	Transportation, “ed” and “et” sounds, commands/actions, ball game
9	Transportation, “ed” and “et” sounds, commands/actions, review
10	Written Test #2/DVD
11	Asking for things, household objects, these/those, “it,” “ig,” “op,” and “ot” sounds, commands/actions
12	Asking for things, household objects, these/those, “it,” “ig,” “op,” and “ot” sounds, commands/actions s, art project
13	Asking for things, household objects, these/those, “it,” “ig,” “op,” and “ot” sounds, commands/actions, ball game
14	Asking for things, household objects, these/those, “it,” “ig,” “op,” and “ot” sounds, commands/actions
15	Directions and spelling, classroom objects, have/don’t have, “ug” and “un” sounds, commands/actions
16	Directions and spelling, classroom objects, have/don’t have, “ug” and “un” sounds, commands/actions
17	Special Topic #1
18	Special Topic #2
19	Special Topic #3/DVD
20	Oral (Speaking) Test #1

Notes

l   This class follows a month-by-month schedule, with an art project, a ball game, a test, and a DVD presentation presented with a four-week timeframe.  Not every class will have their lessons on the same week.

l   Written tests are tests of written English and reading comprehension.  The oral test is a test of listening comprehension and speaking ability.  All of the material tested is to be found within the book.

l   Every class will be made as interactive as possible, with a variety of learning styles accommodated.  I use songs, movement, and other methods throughout the semester.

l   Each semester we have a “special topic,” which is an extension of something in the textbook.  The subjects/vocabulary covered during these “special topic” sessions will not be the subject of any test.

Overview of Longman English Book Three

Unit	Vocabulary Introduced	Sentence Patterns
Starter Unit: Get Ready	Alphabet Aa-Zz, hello, I’m, what’s, your, name, this, is, hi, how, are, you, fine, thanks, and, great, thank, look, around, wave, to, friend, take, a, picture, shake, hands, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, forty, fifty, cat, fat, hat, van, can, man, it’s, with, by, how	Look around. Wave to your friend. Take a picture. Shake hands. I’m __________. What’s your name? How are you?
Unit 1: Looking Around	Look, at, the, bird, cute, time, to, go, home, OK, let’s, goodbye, see, home, on, bike, bus, car, MRT, foot, spaceship, finished, this, is, come, here, look, left, right, cross, street, bed, Ted, red, pet, vet, jet, flower, big, number, it, no, up, down, yes, that’s, twelve	Look at the __________. It’s __________. Time to go home. OK.  Let’s go. Goodbye. See you. I go home by ________. I go home on _________. How do you go home? Finished! This is my _________. That is my __________. Come here. Look left. Look right. Cross the street. What’s the number? Is it _________? No.  Go up. No.  Go down. Yes!  That’s it!
Unit 2: At the Toy Shop	May, I, have, comic books, please, excuse, me, sorry, buy, doll, these, those, toy cars, dolls, robots, balloons, video games, what, they’re, yeah, start, throw, dice, count, dots, move, marker, sit, kit, pig, wig, hop, top, pot, cot, on, ready, for, party, yo-yos, oh	These are _________. Those are _________. What are these? What are those? They’re _________. Yeah! Go to start. Throw the dice. Count the dots. Move your marker. Ready for the party? Let’s go! Oh, no!
Unit 3: In the Classroom	Come, whiteboard, sure, spell, desk, don’t, know, have, don’t, marker, pencil case, eraser, ruler, notebook, crayon, choice, draw, fish, color, write, rug, hug, bug, sun, run, fun, dinner, scissors, glue, snap, cards, now, do	I have a __________. I don’t have a __________. Do you have a _________? Yes, I do. No, I don’t. Draw a fish. Color it. Spell _________. Write it down. What’s that? Here is your _________.
Culture 1: Halloween	Wear, costume, make, jack-o’-lantern, witch, ghost, black cat, play, party, games, trick-or-treating, mummy, spider, give, me, something, good, eat, toast
Culture 2: Moon Festival	Pomelo, look, moon, barbeque, looks, hungry, taste, cakes, tell, stories