Mrs. Fine’s Fourth Grade GATE

Creative Thinking Skills (Creative Problem Solving, Thinking Hats, creative dramatics, SCAMPER, etc.)

Critical Thinking Skills (Socratic circles and seminars)

Technology Skills (Word, PowerPoint, MovieMaker, email, blogging, wikis)

Math skills (geometry, pentominoes, coordinate graphing, Roman numerals)

Art (Op art, tessellations)

Literature (Chasing Vermeer and The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett) We will discuss these books via our book blog.

Units covered (both units can be found on the GATE web page):
Endangered! Planet Earth – a concept based unit covering biomes of the world, adaptation of plants and animals, environmental issues. Concepts: adaptation, environment, survival, extinction, change

Time Trek – a concept based unit covering ancient civilizations – Egypt, Greece, Rome, Aztecs, Mayans, Vikings, China, etc. Concepts: culture, identity, conflict, uniqueness, beliefs/values, change

What is concept-based curriculum? A concept is an idea that is timeless, abstract, broad, and can be shown through a variety of examples. Conflict, change and perspective are concepts. Examples of the concept change can be found in social studies (historical events), science (erosion), literature (characters) and mathematics (trading).