Each year Alabama Christian Academy accepts 48 students into the fourth grade program. There are two teachers with 24 students in each room.  Students change classes midway through the day for Alabama history, math, science and language arts.  The majority of the students' time, however, is still spent with their homeroom teacher. 

Application Process

After turning in an application with the non-refundable application fee as well as previous report cards and testing information, you will be contacted to schedule a time for a family interview. Your child will be administered a short reading and math test to determine grade level placement also at that time. Within three weeks of the screening date, parents are notified if their children have been accepted into our program.

Language Arts

The fourth grade classes at ACA utilize the Harcourt Reading Series. In addition to the various comprehension activities, much of the reading instruction takes place using novels which are read as a class. The Accelerated Reader Program is also a major part of the students' individual reading time. Language in fourth grade is taught using the Shurley Method. Special emphasis is put on understanding sentence structure, the parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs), and writing. Writing themes include research reports, persuasive paragraphs, descriptions, stories, letters, comparisons, contrasts, and personal narratives. Fourth grade Spelling is taught using the Harcourt spelling text. Words are presented in groups of 25, used in a variety of activities, and tested.

Bible

The fourth grade Bible curriculum covers the life of Christ. A memory verse and notes are given each Monday, discussed and worked on through the week and a test is given each Friday. The students begin the year with the Old Testament prophecies about Christ, then, study His birth, childhood, and ministry. They end the year with His ascension into heaven.

Math

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Math Expressions program is used here at ACA. This program uses math workbooks, testing workbooks, lesson guides, and manipulative and visual materials. The students review addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Much time is spent on using those skills with fractions. They also learn measurement and graph-reading skills, as well as beginning algebraic and geometric concepts.

Science

Science in fourth grade is taught using the A Beka Science Series to better understand the scientific wonders of God's world. Topics covered include insects, plants, birds, matter, energy, geology, oceanography, and astronomy.

Social Studies

The Alabama History curriculum involves learning about the state's history and geography. It includes a study of native inhabitants, European discovery, the Civil Right's Movement, and the 9/11 Tragedy as well as the workings of state government. To help enliven our social studies curriculum, field trips are taken to Fort Toulouse on Frontier Day, AUM's Water Festival, and various historical spots in downtown Montgomery.

Technology

Fourth graders are exposed each day to many aspects of technology, mostly through a twelve-computer, wireless lab. The students use MS PowerPoint to present information they have researched on the Internet (at sites designated by the teacher). MS Excel is used to teach graphing in math. Basic typing skills are taught and reinforced throughout the year with the introduction of "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing." Other programs such as MS Word, MS Publisher, Math Blasters, USA Explorer, Kidspiration, and Space Explorer GX-1 are used throughout the year to enhance their learning in all the different subject areas. They also use the computers in their classrooms for Accelerated Reader, a school-wide reading education program which encourages students to read novels independently.

Updated: Nov. 2011