Mr. Triangle

Mr. Triangle fell into the mud.

His non-parallel sides made a loud thud.

Since he has three sides

It was hard to get up.

He finally made it with a loud “Shlup.”

With angles of three,

Mr. Triangle has victory!

  By Andres

Parent Letter 9/21/09

September 21, 2009

Dear Fourth Grade Families:

 We are settling into a rhythm in the Fourth Grade classroom.  Students are feeling more comfortable with their new schedule, and we are well into work on our first units of study.

 This past week students began to think about mapping when we made models of our classroom with pattern blocks.  It was interesting to see how the different teams approached this project.  This week students will have a homework project of mapping their bedrooms, and we will map The Grammar School as a group.  This is all part of our year-long unit on sustainability. These mapping projects are designed to give the class a better sense of the surrounding community and our place in it.  This foundation in mapping will also segue into our study of U.S. geography later in the school year.

 We have been involved in an in-depth study of mushrooms and their importance to the health of the forest.  Students have learned the parts of the mushroom and how they exists in a symbiotic relationship with many forest trees.  We also learned how mushrooms propagate; we made spore prints, and did observations of mushrooms under the microscope.  This week we will attempt to identify some mushroom species in the woods by TGS.

 In math we have finished our first unit, which provided an introduction to geometry.  We move on this week to Unit 2.  Please see the Family Letter sent home with your child today for details on this unit.

 We have been reading Beverly Cleary’s Dear Mr. Henshaw as a group in class.  The book tells the story of Leigh Botts and the challenges he faces in his young life.  We have had some interesting discussions about these conflicts and how Leigh deals with them.  The class is also enjoying a read aloud of the classic, Half Magic, by Edward Eager. 

 In PSD, we are working on soccer and field hockey skills as well as playing a number of team games such as Capture the Flag and Go For Twenty.  Friday is usually our game day up in the woods, and the children enjoy such games as Fox and Hounds and Eagle Eye.  We will also be working throughout the year building core strength.  Students will jump rope, do crunches, and run either the ½ mile or mile.  These events will be timed at intervals during the year so that we can measure personal progress.  Students are encouraged to focus on doing their personal best and to support one another in all our endeavors. 

 Some important reminders – Please be sure to check your child’s homework folder each night.  There are sometimes important notices for you about sports, classroom projects, or field trips.  Also, please check the fourth grade blog (link through the TGS website) to see what’s happening in the classroom.

 Curriculum night is this Thursday.  I hope you can come and see what has been happening in the classroom and learn more about the year ahead.

 As always, please e-mail or call me with any questions or concerns.

 All best,

Libby

 

 

Parent Letter 9/9/09

September 8, 2009

Dear Fourth Grade Parents:

It’s wonderful to be back in school and working with all of your children.  We have an exciting year ahead, and we’re off to a great start. 

Our first week of school has been geared toward helping the students adjust to a new classroom and teacher, designing classroom rules and expectations, and beginning our curricular units for the fall.

An overarching theme for this year’s curriculum is a study of sustainability. We will begin by developing an understanding of the impact we have on the planet.  Good sustainable practices are based on an understanding of and commitment to our local communities.  To that end we will begin the year with several mapping projects to give students a tangible sense of our place within our community.  This year-long study will encompass a look at local farming practices, investigate the nutritional and environmental benefits of eating locally produced food when possible, and examine how the choices we make within our communities can have a positive impact on the health of our environment.

Our science work has started with a study of mysterious mushrooms.  We took an exploratory hike into the woods last week to see how many different varieties we could spot.  Students also did detailed pencil sketches and labeled all of the parts of these fascinating fungi.  Rest assured that we began this unit with a discussion of the importance of not handling any mushrooms from the woods due to the fact that some are poisonous.  Students will not be handling mushrooms themselves unless they are edible ones I have purchased from the store. You may notice a heightened awareness of mushrooms on your next hike through the woods.  I hope they will have lots to share with you. 

In math we have started our first unit in the Everyday Mathematics program with an exploration of lines, line segments, rays, and angles.   Students are also working on learning the properties of polygons.  Our Language Arts studies have begun with the class reading Dear Mr. Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary.  Students will respond to this literary selection by exploring new vocabulary words, answering comprehension questions in classroom discussions as well as in written form, and with drawings of certain sections from the text.  Regular journal writing is also a big part of the Language Arts program, as are poetry and story writing and research projects.

PSD as well as soccer and cross-country running practices began this week.  Please be sure your child has proper shoes with them for these activities.  Crocs are fine for indoor shoes but not ideal for running around.  It is also important that they have a bottle for water.

Some important dates to remember:

This Friday, September 11, is the all-school potluck, at 6:00 p.m.

September 16 is photo day for the lower school students

The Medieval Faire is just around the corner.  Please be sure to stop in the main hall and sign up for duties before and during the faire.  Thanks in advance for your help!

That’s all for now.  It has been a pleasure to start the year with this wonderful group.

Please call or e-mail if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

All best,

Libby

Recorder begins next Tuesday

If you own your recorder, or if you had a TGS recorder over the summer, please bring it next Tuesday, September 8th for your first recorder class. Have a great Labor Day weekend. Alli