Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,
It was great seeing you all last week at the parent/teacher conferences. I enjoyed sharing with you all what your children do here at school and having the opportunity to hear from you about how they are doing and adjusting to the new school year.
Last week, the students began the Human and Animal Block. This block brings an awareness of the connectedness between humans and animals, as well as the plant and mineral world. We began by thinking about rocks and minerals and what they can and cannot do. We then moved on to plants, animals, and finally, humans, comparing and contrasting, finding similarities, differences, and what makes them all unique. From the human perspective, the students looked at the head and the importance of the location of their head in relation to the rest of the body and all the sensory inputs and outputs located in the head space. They had an opportunity to walk on all fours around the classroom from the perspective of an animal, such as a cat or a dog. They quickly noticed how difficult it was for the head to be in a downward position and how their eyesight had to adjust to looking at the ground. The class also experienced the importance of the sense of sight and the challenges that can come when someone has limited or no sight. In pairs, the students were blindfolded while their seeing partner led them around the forest. The feedback from this activity is that it is very difficult not to be able to see, that they felt immediately disoriented, that it was hard to trust someone to lead them safely, and it was also difficult to be the leader. The class discussed the sense of hearing, closing their eyes and listening to the forest around them, noticing other classes talking, the creek water rushing, cars passing by on Canton Road, and birds chirping. They noticed how their sense of hearing became more heightened when their eyes were closed. Finally, the class learned about the sense of smell and how this is a very important sense for many animals, particularly those who hunt. For this sense, the class was able to smell different scents (lemon, cinnamon, vanilla, cumin, garlic) and had a great time deciphering which was which.
This week, the class has been learning about animals that relate to the “head” part of humans, such as the octopus and cuttlefish. They listened to a fun poem about octopi and drew a beautiful picture of an octopus in the ocean, accompanied by an entry about octopi in their Main Lesson books. They then will continue on with the torso and those animals that share the qualities of this part of the human, such as mice and worms. Finally, the class will learn about the limbs of humans and the animals that share these qualities, such as monkeys.
The class has been enjoying this block’s reader, A Wolf Called Wander. The story is rich in imagery, and this has helped the students' spelling skills as we build on our weekly spelling word list. Thank you to everyone who has worked with your student at home on weekly spelling words. I have seen a great improvement in their skills and their confidence when we review the words at the end of the week.
Announcements and Reminders for Fourth & Fifth Grade:
PLEASE remember to sign up for Kingdom of Halloween volunteer spots. This year, 4/5th grade will be working at the Troll Booth(s). Please sign up for a spot to allow us to cover the booth and to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy the festival! Sign up HERE!
Please send in two full water bottles daily. The children get very warm with all the speech and movement work they do in addition to recess.
Layers, layers, layers! They will continue to keep your child comfortable regardless of the weather/temperature range of the day.
Our entire class is beginning to train for the Fifth Grade Pentathlon in April. Each morning, during circle, the students will jog/run laps around the forest. Please make sure your child has enough water and is wearing appropriate shoes for this activity.
With Gratitude,
Ki Paulyna
