Update

Sorry I have fallen behind with my updates - Life has been so busy!! Two weeks ago in fourth grade, we learned about William the Conquerer and other famous leaders through time by visiting four centers where we completed the following activities: acted out the Battle of Hastings, read about William, and made a Norman hat; discussed and answered some "deep" questions about what a leader is and who are some effective leaders, ancient and modern; completed a WebQuest (online scavenger hunt) related to William and the Bayeux Tapestries (Check it out at www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk); and read biographies about famous leaders through time. This week, fourth graders were introduced to feudalism through a PowerPoint presentation and began working on a picture dictionary of many unusual new words they learned related to the Middle Ages. In art, they learned about Henri Matisse for the past two weeks, and they enjoyed making collages with colorful cut paper, in the style of Matisse, while listening to jazz music.

In third grade, two weeks ago, we learned about timelines by first making a timeline of familiar events in our own lives, then applying what we learned to make a timeline of important events in ancient Greece. Last week, we completed our Geography and History Unit by studying famous people in ancient Greece, including Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military leaders of all time, and Socrates, one of the most famous philosophers of all time. We had lots of fun discussing many deep philosophical ideas! Ask your child what he/she thinks about.... What makes people happy? In my Art Exploratory, students learned about color theory, as we mixed watercolors to make our own color charts. Then, we learned all about Claude Monet, the father of Impressionism, as they painted landscapes "en plein air" (outside), just like Monet! Their finished products are breathtaking! :)