April 1, 2010

Dear Fourth Grade Parents:

My apologies if this week your Fourth Grader called you a knotty-pated, greasy tallow-catch or a luxurious mountain goat. It is all in good fun as we begin our unit on Shakespeare. We are studying Shakespeare’s use of language and how he employs it to great effect in his plays and sonnets. We read an adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream aloud in class, and today we will choose a picture book that the students will re-write in the style of a Shakespeare play. We are researching facts about life during the Elizabethan period. Students are fascinated with this time in history, particularly some of the gruesome details of crimes and punishments.

Our current literature selection is In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. This story, set in Brooklyn, NY, in 1947, is the tale of a young girl who moves from China to New York at the age of 8. It chronicles the challenges and successes she experiences in her new life. Students have engaged in lively discussions about the cultural differences the main character must contend with. It is a wonderful and touching story, rich with imagery and evocative language.

In math, we are exploring fractions and mixed numbers, plotting coordinate points, and investigating probability. In science we have been engaged in a study of bubbles – their properties, the best bubble producing solutions, and what makes a good bubble maker. We will begin a more extensive science study next week when we begin our unit Stories in Stone, in which we will explore rocks and minerals and examine the basic processes that have shaped and transformed the Earth over billions of years.

This week we have also begun our unit on Ancient Egypt, which we are studying with the Third Graders. As part of this study, on Friday, April 16, Linda and I will be taking the class to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts to see the Egyptian collection and a new exhibit, The Secrets of Tomb 10A. A letter will come home tomorrow with further details of this trip.

Thanks to all of you for consenting to have your children be in the cast of The Music Man, Jr. We had our first rehearsal on Monday, and it should be a fun experience for all. Several parents have asked if 4^th graders need to be at the after-school rehearsals. They do not. Alli and Lili are not sure if they will need the children for any Saturday rehearsals but will let us all know a.s.a.p. if they do.

A few housekeeping items – cross-country ski equipment can go home. Also, given how muddy it is outside, I request that students have inside shoes so that our rugs and floors sustain minimal mud damage. Thanks in advance for your help with this.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your wonderful, curious, and engaging children.

Best,

Libby