Fourth grade is all about celebrating student success. Pictured is one of our students sharing a diorama he created following a research project on monkeys. The actual research paper found it's way into our class book pictured below.
Every year fourth grade produces a book (almost 80 pages!) that includes samples from every student of their favorite work...art, poetry, reflections, research, a bit of the whole year between the covers of this book. This is a huge accomplishment and a heirloom for life.
Art is a serious enterprise in fourth grade! We try to make time for art on a weekly basis. Like our student writing, art gives students the means to express themselves.
Music and theater arts are a critical part of the curriculum. Here students have painted scenes for the annual spring play and are shown dressed in costumes to perform the story of Lewis and Clark, a Hal Leonard musical.
Our language arts program utilizes the Journey's textbook and is enriched with over thirty novels from which the students can choose. The novels are read in small groups of 4-5 students. Reading is a central goal of our program and students can anticipate reading in small group for 40-45 minutes daily.
Science is a fun part of our curriculum. We use the Mystery Science curriculum and explore one unit each week. Here we are dissecting owl pellets.
Every year the fourth grade has the honor of leading the mass on All Saints' Day. Students dress up as a saint and educate the school about the lives of our favorite saints. It's a fun time for all! In addition, fourth grade will be leading the mass about every 6-7 weeks throughout the course of the year.
This is a short video showing Porto Moniz on Madeira Island, the childhood town of my father that I visited this summer. The island is so steep that there are some roads that cars can only travel down. A very long series of switchbacks wind their way up the volcanic mountain to the tiny farming village where my father was born. We are all excited for my brother to begin construction on the house he is building on this very hillside. The home will become our family seat where all seven siblings will be able to return yearly.
Here we are on the mainland before flying to Madeira Island. This is the world renowned Durao River.
Hope everyone had a lovely summer vacation! The highlight of my summer was traveling to the island of Madeira off the coast of Portugal where my father was born and raised. I walked on the very land he farmed, got my feet wet in the Atlantic Ocean where he swam, attended mass in the church in which my father was baptized, and met many of my extended relatives. There were four of us Paivas who made the pilgrimage. So many delightful memories.
A very special day! Our class had the honor of speaking to Roland Smith, a renowned writer of over 50 young adult novels. Our class read two of his books, Sasquatch and The Captain's Dog. He graciously visited with our class for 30 minutes and answered many of their questions about the stories he wrote and about what it is like to be a novelist. I think we will all remember this day for a very long time.
Our fourth grade project for Arbor Day was to plant this Akebono Flowering Cherry tree in front of our school. We look forward to seeing the blossoms next year and enjoying the shade this tree will provide during the warm season. When the tree is fully grown, it will grow to a height of 25 feet.
Great job Christians! These wonderful fourth graders put together a special event for the children in pre-k and kindergarten. They painted and planted a pot for every child and dyed over 150 eggs for an Easter egg hunt. This is the kind of selflessness that makes us all so proud of our children at Holy Family School. Tomorrow they hide the eggs and put smiles on all those children's faces!
Welcome to fourth grade!
This year should prove to be an exciting year for all of us, and I wanted to share some of the highlights. First of all, reading and writing are two of my priorities. Don't worry, we'll learn the basics in shared writing lessons where we work together to create one finished paragraph. As a class, we'll brainstorm new ideas together before working individually to create paragraphs and even longer works. The writing process will sometimes involve editing and rewriting, because we only get better with practice.
For reading, you can expect more of the great literature contained in the Journeys textbook, but that's not all! I've purchased a core literature novel for social studies that follows the exciting journey of Lewis and Clark. And guess who narrates the novel? A dog! Yep, a dog, and he's the most lovable dog you would ever want to meet. We'll also read lots of novels in reading groups. After lunch each day, you'll relax and listen to a chapter or two from a shared novel. The first novel I'll be reading is titled Nevermoor, The Trials of Morrigan Crow. If you enjoy this book, there are two more in the series that you can read on your own.
Another priority for us will be math where we'll explore new concepts and practice those skills in the classroom. Yes, there will be a little homework in math but I'll keep it to a minimum. I don't want frustrated students or parents.
There's more, much more (including a regular time for art because who doesn't love art?), but for now it's just one step at a time. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for this journey to begin. Here's to a blessed and wonderful 2023-2024 school year!
For reading, you can expect more of the great literature contained in the Journeys textbook, but that's not all! I've purchased a core literature novel for social studies that follows the exciting journey of Lewis and Clark. And guess who narrates the novel? A dog! Yep, a dog, and he's the most lovable dog you would ever want to meet. We'll also read lots of novels in reading groups. After lunch each day, you'll relax and listen to a chapter or two from a shared novel. The first novel I'll be reading is titled Nevermoor, The Trials of Morrigan Crow. If you enjoy this book, there are two more in the series that you can read on your own.
Another priority for us will be math where we'll explore new concepts and practice those skills in the classroom. Yes, there will be a little homework in math but I'll keep it to a minimum. I don't want frustrated students or parents.
There's more, much more (including a regular time for art because who doesn't love art?), but for now it's just one step at a time. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for this journey to begin. Here's to a blessed and wonderful 2023-2024 school year!
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