4th Grade Specials
Newtown Friends School :: February, 2016
Art
Fourth grade artists continue to study the art element of space, but in new and exciting ways. Students looked at and discussed the work of Stuart Davis. This painter creates abstract cityscapes inspired by sound, music and advertising. Students will be creating their own inspired landscapes but through collaging. We will focus on color, pattern, shape and filling the plane. We will later use music as inspiration for final details.
Library
Students will continue reading fiction and nonfiction about regions of the United States. In February we will read Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea (California), Apples to Oregon, and Rhyolite (Nevada).
Music
Fourth graders did a great job with their quick music history units. We are now ready to begin preparations for the 4th and 5th grade show which will take place in April. Be on the look out for a practice CD and script in the coming weeks. Our February composer of the month is Cole Porter.
P.E.
This month we will continue to develop our physical fitness and work on skill development in each class. Our lessons at the beginning of this month will focus on jumping rope. Students will participate in a variety of jump rope games, skills and challenges in preparation for our school wide event Jump Rope for Heart. During this month we will also play a team game called Speed Ball, which is a combination of soccer, basketball and football. Each class will use the rock wall once in February and our fitness challenge for each student will be how many times you can jump the rope in one minute. There will also be a bonus football activity the week of the Super Bowl!
Science
Fourth graders will conclude their solar oven exploration by presenting posters of their ovens to their peers. Students will use a rubric and be graded on their posters. We will then continue to explore energy by focusing on waves. During our investigations we will learn what a wave is and what makes it different than matter. We will start our inquiry with sound waves, which include the ideas of wavelength and amplitude. We will learn about similarities and differences in wave patterns and find out about how they relate to communication of days past and our current technological advances.
Spanish
February will be a busy month for fourth grade Spanish. The class will be learning food and restaurant vocabulary and practicing communication in context. The class will learn breakfast, lunch and dinner language to indicate what he/she wants in an eating establishment setting. Students will practice phrases in conversation with partners and in written exercises. They will also study eating utensils vocabulary through songs, games and activities.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday 2/11 - Noon Dismissal, Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday 2/12 - No School, Parent-Teacher Conferences
Monday 2/15 - No School, Presidents' Day