I had such an awesome time with my fourth graders yesterday and today!! I have taught most of these kids for two years (and a few for three), and I feel that it is definitely a bonus, because I already know their individual personalities/strengths and weaknesses/interests/etc., and they know what to expect from me in return. It has been fun watching them as they meet new friends from other schools and get to know one another. I have such a great mix of kids in both my Thursday and Friday classes, and I can already tell it is going to be a fabulous year!
Our year-long humanities theme for fourth grade is the Middle Ages. Today, we learned about a major event preceding the beginning of this era of history - the fall of Rome. Students first worked in groups to brainstorm the "gifts" of ancient Greece and Rome; then, we learned about some internal reasons leading to the decline of the Roman Empire. Next week - Beware! Students will "become" barbarian tribes as they learn firsthand how Barbarian tribes invaded Rome and led to its fall. In the following weeks, we will learn about the feudal system, and students will rotate to different teachers to participate in four units related to aspects of life in the Middle Ages: Those Who Work, Those Who Pray, Those Who Fight, and Those Who Entertain. They will complete individual projects for each rotation, and the points they earn for these projects will determine their rank at our culminating fourth grade event, the Medieval Feast!
In addition, each afternoon at TARGET, students will get to participate in three different Mini-Courses for six weeks each: Art (Mrs. Coleman), Science/Chemistry (Mrs. Wallace), and Problem Solving (Mrs. Belew).
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