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4th Grade Curriculum for Secular Homeschoolers

Fourth grade brings more opportunities for deeper thinking and writing projects. You’ll find that homeschool curriculum will match these emerging skills. When I choose curriculum, I make sure that it meets or exceeds standards, is academically robust, is simple to use, and includes hands-on elements. This is the secular 4th grade homeschool curriculum we chose and would recommend to others.

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Subjects to Teach in 4th Grade

What subjects should you teach in fourth grade? In fourth grade, you’ll continue most subjects from previous years. I do recommend teaching kids to type if you haven’t yet. And you’ll find that the way you teach certain subjects might change a bit in 4th grade.

These are the subjects that most 4th graders need:

  • Language Arts
    • Reading / Literature
    • Writing
    • Grammar
    • Spelling
  • Typing
  • Math
  • History
  • Science
  • Art
  • Music
  • PE

4th Grade Language Arts Curriculum

It’s so important to further develop spelling and grammar skills in fourth grade. Kids need a good foundation in these areas to excel in writing. I highly recommend Logic of English Essentials for kids 8 and up.

Logic of English Essentials has 3 levels in each book. There is a placement test so you can know if you need to start in level A, B, or C. You will complete lessons 1-30 in 1 level, then move to the next level and complete lessons 1-30 again. I recommend splitting 1 level over the course of 2 years, but some people prefer completing 1 level per year.

So when you purchase Essentials, you’re actually getting 2-6 years of Language Arts curriculum, depending on pacing and what level your child tests into.

If your child is struggling with reading, then I highly recommend getting the Logic of English Struggling Reader Bundle. It has everything you’ll need to teach your child effectively.

If your child is a proficient reader, then you can get the regular Logic of English Essentials set. If you completed LOE Foundations, then you’ll need the Essentials After Foundations set.

It’s important to make this curriculum work for you! It’s so good, but can be intense, which is why I recommend taking it slow. You don’t need to rush through it.

Good Language Arts Alternatives:

4th Grade Homeschool Writing Curriculum

Fourth grade is a good time to dig into longer and more thought provoking writing assignments.

Logic of English Essentials does not include composition, though it does include thorough grammar instruction, so we add in additional writing embedded in the other subjects using methods from The Writing Revolution.

I created LitHouse Learning to sell the writing workbooks I use with my own kids! Right now there are history writing workbooks and novel studies.

4th Grade Literature Curriculum

We use Level 2 Novel Studies from LitHouse Learning in 4th grade. We do one novel study per month and read the books together, often taking turns reading aloud while we snuggle up on the couch. These are the novel studies we use in 4th grade:

4th Grade Typing Curriculum

Typing is a very important skill for kids to learn. We use Typing.com. It works well and is free. Once kids finish the curriculum playing games on NitroType will help them increase their speed.

4th Grade Independent Reading

It’s important for kids to read every day. Every year we do a reading challenge for our kids to read 100 books. It’s very motivating for my kids. At this age they are reading chapter books and graphic novels mostly. I don’t require them to read anything specific.

Since we want our kids to enjoy reading, it’s important that they get to choose the books they will read independently. I suggest a weekly trip to the library to let them pick chapter books or graphic novels to read. It can also be a good idea to get the Libby app to access ebooks.

My kids really enjoy reading fantasy books, and that’s what they tend to choose. I just ask them to read for at least 30 minutes every day. They often read more than that, though.

See my tips for using your local library here!

4th Grade Math Curriculum

We use Beast Academy Math online for 2nd to 6th grade math curriculum. I don’t enjoy teaching math beyond 2nd grade, so outsourcing this was important for me. My kids enjoy Beast Academy. It’s challenging, but it also gives them a thorough understanding of math.

4th Grade History Curriculum

For fourth grade history we’ll be using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History, vol 2. We get the full bundle with the instructor’s guide and student workbook. We also add the LitHouse Learning history writing workbook for CC Early Modern.

We’ve really enjoyed using Curiosity Chronicles to teach elementary school history. If you do not like the format of Curiosity Chronicles, I recommend History Quest by Pandia Press.

4th Grade Science Curriculum

We’ll be using REAL Science Odyssey for our 4th grade science curriculum. I love that this curriculum is open and go. It makes it so easy to teach, and my kids enjoy it! For 4th grade we’ll be doing Physics Level 1.

This curriculum is simple to use, but also includes hands-on experiments to help kids understand the science concepts they’re learning.

4th Grade Art Curriculum

We have come to love the Glitterbombers Art Membership! It’s great for the whole family. It’s so easy to find art projects that relate to history, literature, and even science. And my kids love browsing and finding fun projects that appeal to them.

Usually you can only join certain times of the year, but if you use my link, you can join right now!

4th Grade Music

I recommend having your kids choose an instrument to learn and getting regular lessons. If you can afford private lessons, that’s ideal. Your kids might also be able to take music classes at a co-op or your local public school. Alternatively, there are options for learning music online. Hoffman Academy has online piano lessons. You can also find lessons on Outschool.

4th Grade Homeschool Curriculum

These are all of our choices for 4th grade homeschool curriculum. I choose each subject based so that it academically rigorous, easy to teach, and fun for the kids as they learn.