Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,
Last week, we were finally greeted with “cooler” weather, so we took advantage of that by spending more time outside. The students continued reading from our class reader, Soft Rain. They discussed the different ways and traditions of the Cherokee people at the time, as well as the challenging reality of the Cherokees losing their land and being forced to move westward. The class looked at maps of our state, the country, and the world. We spoke about perspective, distance, and estimation. Our lessons on cardinal directions continued and included the importance of being able to orient oneself and find true north as a guide for where one might need to go.
The class walked around the campus, enjoying a cooler morning, as we traced the boundaries of the property. Students pointed out different areas of importance, both natural and human-made. They observed the changes in the terrain, in elevation, and even in temperature. When we returned to the picnic tables, each took time to develop a map of the campus from a bird’s eye perspective. This task proved to be quite challenging for some. After working on maps individually and with a partner, the students guided the teacher in drawing a large map of the campus on the board, which was then copied into Main Lesson books. In another lesson, the class was asked to imagine the place where they spend the most time at home. Each student was asked to imagine what their room looks like and, when at home, to walk around, crawl around, and maybe even stand on a chair and look at it from a different perspective. Perspective maps of bedrooms were also drawn from memory in Main Lesson books.
This week, the students will focus on writing their address and giving directions from school to home and vice versa. Our class will then move to learning more about their wider surroundings - their city, their county, and finally, their state. Sharing conversations about where a parent grew up and what the areas were like (way back) then, are encouraged to have together as a family.
Announcements and Reminders for Fourth & Fifth Grade:
Please remember to send your child in with two full bottles of water.
During the school day, I have office hours the following days/times:
Monday - Wednesday - 10:50 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
Thursday: 10:50 - 11:30
If you need to communicate something time sensitive (such as a carpool change, early pick-up etc), please call the front desk or email hello@thegardenmarietta.org as it is entirely possible that I may not see your email and/or text message until the school day is over.
With Gratitude,
Paulyna
