4th Grade

Teachers

Teacher: Callan Hostetler

Paraeducator: Camilla Lockard

About Mrs. Hostetler:

My name is Callan Hostetler, and I have been teaching for the last five years. I attended the University of Portland, and I obtained my undergraduate degree in Biology, B.A. and minor in Psychology. I earned my master’s degree in Elementary Education, M.A. I love teaching 4th grade because this is a formative time for students where they gain independence, self-advocacy, and become role models for younger grades, while continuing to grow in faith. Catholic Education and our school’s mission are very important to me; I grew up attending Catholic schools up until my master’s program. I love the PNW, and my favorite activities are hiking, camping, and skiing.

During the year, 4th grade students will focus on the following:

Religion: The Yakima Diocese religion standards states that 4th graders should learn to recite the Memorare and the Prayer of St. Francis (aka the Prayer of Peace). The theme for 4th grade Religion is Morality.  To support the Catholic understanding of morality, students will also memorize the Ten Commandments the second trimester.

English Language Arts: Our reading and writing program is “Wit and Wisdom”. It is broken into four modules that focus on a topic essential for building background knowledge, vocabulary, and writing skills. In 4th grade the modules are, Great Heart, Extreme Settings, The Redcoats are Coming!, and Myth Making. Students explore works of literature, informational text and high quality artwork. Essential topics will reoccur helping students deepen their understanding of core knowledge across grades.

Math: The goal of this curriculum is to develop problem solvers by incorporating both inquiry-focused and teacher-guided instructional strategies within each lesson. 4th graders will deepen conceptual understanding while building a growth mindset.

This year in Math, 4th graders will focus on:

• Place Value up to 1,000,000

• Use partial sums and differences to add and subtract

• Use standard algorithm to subtract

• Use partial products to divide

• Use Area Model to multiply

• Understand fractions, finding common denominators and factors, adding, subtracting, and multiplying

• Introduce decimals

• Geometry and Measurement

Science: Students will complete hands-on experiments to design buildings and other structures that could withstand an earthquake in the first trimester, in the second trimester students will mimic fireflies and observe structures of animals eyes and physical features, in the third trimester students will conduct other experiments including building ramps to display and observe kinetic and potential energy.

Science Topics include:

• Evidence of a Changing Earth

• Animal Adaptation

• Collision/Energy Change

Social Studies: Our Social Studies curriculum aligns with seventh grade, and the theme of Washington State History. The curriculum is broken into 7 chapters: Geography, Explorers and Fur Traders, Early Immigration and Settlement, Territories and Treaties, Our Government, and Working in Washington.

Spelling: This spelling curriculum is a word study approach. This means students’ will be taught spelling along side phonological awareness, phonics, sight word recognition, morphology, and vocabulary building. Students will learn word patterns. These patterns will help students recognize and predict patterns.

Fourth grade is a transition year, preparing students for fifth grade and beyond. Responsibility is continued to be built from third grade as fourth graders have nightly homework, required reading goals, and work to memorize their multiplication/division facts. Students participate in Physical Education, Art, Technology and Music weekly.

Fun in 4th Grade

Top Left: Students put their engineering skills to the test, designing and building earthquake-resistant structures that can withstand the shake!

Top Right: A proud student shares their biography project, highlighting an influential figure they personally chose to research and celebrate.

Bottom: Deep thinking in action! Students dive into a Socratic Seminar, engaging in thoughtful discussion and debate during ELA.

Annual Classroom Events

Living History Field Trip

Biography Project

Building Earthquake Resistant Structures

Leading Advent Wreath

Leading Holy Thursday Prayer Service

Class Auctions