OVERVIEW
What is a Fourth-Grade Teacher?
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From basic punctuation to multiple-digit division, fourth-graders learn a variety of concepts in the classroom. Fourth-grade teachers are fundamental to the success of their students, encouraging creativity, learning, and development in a nonjudgmental setting.Ìý
If you thrive in a classroom environment and maintain a passion for educating young students, the career of a fourth-grade teacher is ideal for you. And with anÌýongoing national teacher shortage, there’s never been a better time to realize your calling as a fourth-grade teacher.
RESPONSIBILITIES
What Does a Fourth-Grade Teacher Do?
Fourth-grade teachers fulfill a variety of important responsibilities. These can include basic lesson creation, in-classroom teaching, student supervision, and correspondence with parents regarding the success of their students.
The exact responsibilities of a fourth-grade teacher can include:
- Planning lessonsÌýthat build on one another, designed with concepts that fourth-grade students can understand and retain.
- Communicating with parentsÌýregarding student classroom performance, socialization, and interactions with peers.
- Supervising studentsÌýin a variety of classroom, indoor, outdoor, and field trip settings.
- Grading student workÌýto determine proficiencies and deficits, and to identify which concepts might need to be retaught.
- Developing curriculumsÌýthat foster learning in individual subjects and include dynamic elements that encourage student participation.
- Addressing student questionsÌýin the classroom.
- Creating and enforcing rulesÌýthat protect the rights of all students and foster a learning environment where students can learn and grow without judgment.
- Collaborating with other school teachersÌýto coordinate student schedules and curriculums whenever necessary.
- Researching new teaching methodsÌýthat can make your fourth-grade curriculums even more effective.
These responsibilities define the daily tasks that a fourth-grade teacher faces. From planning lessons to honing your craft as a teacher, you’ll stay busy inside and outside of the classroom as a fourth-grade teacher.
What Is Taught in Fourth Grade?
The fourth grade is an important time in a student’s life where they are moving into more advanced learning. Teachers need to be ready to help students as they are growing older and working to grasp more difficult concepts in the classroom. Skills that fourth-graders learn include:
Reading
- Advanced vocabulary
- Prefixes
- Suffixes
- Reading myths and legends
- Learning from folktales and fables
- Nonfiction materials, including encyclopedias, internet sites, and other research materials
Writing
- Connecting reading with writing
- Writing their own folktales and fables
- Focus on punctuation to create sentences
- Quotation marks and dialogue in stories
- Developing personal voice and writing style
- Utilize research tools to write a coherent report
Social Studies
- Learning extensively about their home state
- Industry and settlement of their state
- Geographic features of their state
- History and government of their state
- Government at a local and state level
- Different job functions of a community
Math
- Factors and multiples of numbers
- Convert and calculate units of measure
- Fractions
- Add and subtract fractions
- Recognize equivalent and non-equivalent fractions
- Understand lines and angles
- Analyze, collect, organize, and present data
Science
- Organisms
- Arrangement of objects by properties
- Measuring events
- Motion of objects
- Electricity and circuits
- Fossils
- Meteorology
- Inherited traits
EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES
What Education Does a Fourth-Grade Teacher Need?
Before assuming a rewarding career as a fourth-grade teacher, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree. AÌýbachelor’s degree in elementary educationÌýfrom an accredited institution will be key in preparing you for teacher licensure and a career in the classroom. You will learn concepts like classroom management, curriculum creation, technology use, and other skills from this advanced educational program, all of which immediately benefit your future teaching career.Ìý
If you already have a bachelor’s degree in a non-teaching field or you’re a teacher for older students, aÌýMaster of Arts in Teaching with a focus on elementary educationÌýcan help you get the credentials you need to be licensed to teach in an elementary school classroom. Each state has its own requirements for licensure, so it’s smart to be sure you know the specific licensure requirements in your state.
Best Degrees for Fourth-Grade Teachers
Education
Bachelor's Degrees Elementary Education
Online bachelor's degree programs built for aspiring elementary school...
Online bachelor's degree programs built for aspiring elementary school teachers who are looking to earn a teaching license.
Leads to a teaching license. Specific grade levels will vary depending on teaching certification in your state.
- Time:Ìý68% of students finish within 36 to 38 months.
- Tuition:Ìý$3825 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 37 to 45 (47 for Washington residents) total courses in your degree, depending on which program you pursue.
Concepts included in this program:
- Lesson Planning
- Ethics
- Behavioral Support Strategies
- Educational Psychology & Development
- Classroom Management
These online bachelor's degrees require in-classroom observation and a term of full-timeÌýstudent teaching.
Education
Bachelor's Degrees Special Education
Online bachelor's degree programs built for aspiring special education...
Online bachelor's degree programs built for aspiring special education teachers who are looking to earn a teaching license.
Leads to a teaching license. Specific grade levels will vary depending on teaching certification in your state.
- Time:Ìý61% of students finish within 34 to 38 months.
- Tuition:Ìý$3825 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 38 to 39 total courses in your degree, depending on which program you pursue.
Skills for your résumé included in this program:
- Lesson Planning
- Ethics
- Behavioral Support Strategies
- Educational Psychology & Development
- Classroom Management
These online bachelor's degrees require in-classroom observation and a term of full-timeÌýstudent teaching.
Education
Teaching, Elementary Education – M.A.
An online master's of arts in education degree and teacher certification...
An online master's of arts in education degree and teacher certification program for aspiring elementary school teachers who already have a bachelor's degree in a non-teaching field.
Leads to a teaching license. Specific grade levels will vary depending on teaching certification in your state.
- Time:Ìý64% of students finish within 24 months.
- Tuition:Ìý$4125 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 28 total courses in this program (29 for Washington residents)
Concepts included in this program:
- Lesson Planning
- Ethics
- Behavioral Support Strategies
- Educational Psychology & Development
- Classroom Management
This online teacher's degree requires in-classroom observation and a term of full-timeÌýstudent teaching.
Education
Teaching, Special Education (K–12) – M.A.
An online master's degree for aspiring teachers looking to further their...
An online master's degree for aspiring teachers looking to further their careers with a focus on K–12 special education.
- Time:Ìý64% of students finish similar programs in 22 months.
- Tuition:Ìý$4125 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 30 total courses in this program.
This program is ideal for students who already have a bachelor's degree in a non-teaching field and are looking to earn their initial teaching license.
Concepts included in this program:
- Professional, Ethical and Legal Guidelines in Special Education
- Management Strategies for Academic and Social Behavior
- Assessment and Evaluation
- Methods of Instruction and Intervention
- Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Find a rewarding career teaching students with diverse challenges and special learning abilities with this teaching master's degree.
Education
Mathematics Education – Master's
Online master's program options for current teachers, and aspiring...
Online master's program options for current teachers, and aspiring teachers who want to pursue licensure. These programs prepare you to teach math at the approved level in your state.
- Time:Ìý64%Ìýof students finish these programs within 18 and 25 months.
- Tuition:Ìý$4125Ìýper 6-month term.
- Courses: 12 to 20 total courses in this program.
Completion time and total courses will vary based on the program you pursue.
Concepts included in this program:
- Trigonometry
- Calculus
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Statistics
Propel your career as a math teacher with a master's degree in mathematics education.
How Much Does a Fourth-Grade Teacher Make?
$43,224
The exact income of a fourth-grade teacher can depend on a wide variety of factors. These can include their years of experience, employer, employer location, tenure status, and available salary funding from local governments. In general, theÌýÌýcan average $43,224, with a range of roughly $29,000 to $80,000 earned each year.
What Is the Projected Job Growth?
4%
Fourth-grade teachers are expected to enjoy a favorable job outlook in the years to come.ÌýÌýfrom 2019 to 2029. This projected increase is closely related to the expected rise in total student volumes, likely requiring new fourth-grade teachers to provide for their education.Ìý
The exact number of created fourth-grade teacher positions in the future will largely depend on local governments. If governments reduce education-based spending, the total number of fourth-grade teachers could decline. On the other hand, increased spending on the local education budget could mean a rise in total fourth-grade teaching positions.
SKILLS
What Skills Does a Fourth-Grade Teacher Need?
Fourth-grade teachers operate with a defined skill set, one that helps them complete a full range of tasks each day. In particular, fourth-grade teachers regularly put to use skills that make it easier for them to communicate with students and parents, teaching in-class lessons, address any student conflicts, and prepare lesson plans for future use.
The exact skills a fourth-grade teacher needs can often include:
- Classroom management:ÌýThe ability to create and protect a classroom environment, so that all students can learn and express creativity in a judgment-free setting
- Problem-solving:ÌýThe ability to pair the unique problems you will face with unique solutions
- Interpersonal communication:ÌýThe ability to correspond on an individual level with both parents and students
- Instruction:ÌýThe ability to teach a variety of concepts to fourth-grade students, while answering their questions and ensuring that the subject matter can be recalled
- Research:ÌýThe ability to perform education-based research on an ongoing basis, searching for new teaching methods that will further improve the student experience
- Time management:ÌýThe ability to balance time requirements for lesson planning, grading student assignments, teaching the class, and providing students with unstructured time to learn, collaborate, and grow
- Technological proficiency:ÌýThe ability to sufficiently use all technology in the classroom, including any computers and online educational tools
These and other skills can form the basis for a successful fourth-grade teacher.
Whether they’re teaching in a classroom or preparing lesson plans during the summer months, fourth-grade teachers learn to develop and use this variety of skills regularly.
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