Homeschool Sneak Peek | 4th Grade Curriculum

June 11, 2026

Recently, I shared a sneak peek for my 1st grade student, and today I am sharing a sneak peek of my 4th grade curriculum!

Before the school year ends, I like to have all of my books for the next year gathered and ready-to-go in our homeschool dresser. This way I am able to calmly start the new schoolyear instead of already feeling behind from the get-go.

As I mentioned in my previous post about 1st grade curriculum, I always strive to be an encouragement to fellow homeschoolers. I never want to be the cause of someone second-guessing her curriculum or school choices, but rather I want to provide fresh inspiration.

Now a few words to all my careful, studious friends who want to find the perfect curriculum and who might be worried about their curriculum choices…

• I never want to discourage someone from her curriculum choices. If you love your curriculum, then stick with it!

  
  

• There is so much good curriculum available today that ultimately you just have to pick one.

  
  

• The teacher is the key to the classroom (or homeschool). My mom, an educator for over 40 years, has shared this wisdom with me many times and I’ve taken it to heart.

  
  

• A great teacher can take a poorly written curriculum (or no curriculum at all!) and effectively teach her students. At the end of the day, you—mom or dad or guardian—are the key to your student’s success, not a book or a video!

Without further ado, here are some of my 4th grade curriculum selections for this coming year…

Math

Fourth Grade Math With Confidence by Kate Snow

Reading

Honestly, I have not completely decided what books my student will read this year. I prefer to focus on chapter books at this point, but here are a few books that we can always fall back on.

History

Notgrass History, Our Star-Spangled Story, Part 1

For both history and science I take a read-aloud approach with all of my students. We usually read together on the couch and then discuss what we have read. This method keeps school simpler for me, and I find that younger students grasp far more than what is considered age-appropriate.

I’m not sure how far we will make it this year in this book, but we will take our time. I love the colorful pictures/illustrations and the emphasis on real people throughout history.

Science

I bought BJU’s 4th Grade science textbook (an older edition, the book on the right) at a homeschool thrift store that I plan to use in a read-aloud fashion for all of my kids.

I also grabbed Science Level Four by Purposeful Design off of the “free” table at another local homeschool store (book on the left). I haven’t quite decided which book I will focus on yet, but I’m glad to know that I have two Christian-based science textbooks to choose from.

Writing/Handwriting

My goal is for my student to do some form of writing in her composition journal every single day. She may

• Copy a verse

• Copy well-written sentences from a read-aloud book

• Write a journal entry

• Write several sentences about anything she picks

My oldest loves, loves, loves to draw so usually there is an elaborate illustration coordinating with her writing.

The sky is the limit for writing ideas, but the main point is that each day my student writes something. I am not grading spelling and grammar in her composition journal; this is a place for her to practice and create, not feel constantly judged.

Writing articulately and accurately is one of the greatest abilities that a student can master. My husband and I have discussed on many occasions that clear writing is one of the greatest skills that an employee can bring to the workplace and will instantly set him (or her) apart. Clear communication is a valuable asset for any industry, and I want to prepare our children for any job or calling.

I do plan on having my student write a short report on a topic of her choosing at some point this year, but I have not worked out all of the particulars on this project yet.

Grammar

Language 3 by Abeka.

As I have mentioned before, I believe that some of the Abeka curriculum is a grade above what children are comfortably capable of mastering. My solution is simply to scale back a year which works just fine for us. So much of grammar study repeats itself year after year, so I do not feel that we are behind.

Spelling

I like how Rod and Staff focuses on everyday words.

---

Well, friends, I hope this was a small help and encouragement. Happy homeschooling to all my fellow teachers and students!

-Ashley

More Homeschool Posts

Homeschooling a 3 Year-Old, Part 1

Homeschooling a 4 Year-Old

Homeschooling a 5 Year-Old

1st Grade: Homeschool Review

Simplifying Homeschool (this post is about 2nd grade)

3rd Grade Homeschool | Reaching the Heart, Head, and Hands

#homeschool #home #school #learn #learning #educate #education #mom #mother #student #teacher #teach #students #child #children #kids #kid #math #reading #read #grammar #spelling #writing #write #life #skills #lifeskills #science #history #socialstudies #kindergarten #1stgrade #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #christian #christianschool #sahm #review #welltrainedmindpress #abeka #bjupress #americanlanguageseries #readers #basal #phonics #handwriting #prepare #plan #planningforthenextyear #schedule #organized #organizedmama #mama #getready #getreadyforhomeschool #books #curriculum #rodandstaff