Main Lesson BooksFor those of you who are unfamiliar with "Main Lesson Books", these are the books the children make while they are immersed in a certain theme or topic of study. Starting out with an absolutely blank page, students use crayons and colored pencils to make pieces of art-- almost every day! Often these pages are quite beautiful as they depict scenes from a story that was told in class, or writing by a student on a particular area of study. At the end of the year in our class the students actually sew these beautiful pages together. The resulting "book blocks" are bound into hardcover books to become anthologies of our school year. These beautiful collections are absolutely invaluable keepsakes, and a beautiful record of a busy school year!
Animal Project Pictures...
Norse Mythology
If there is one element of the Fourth Grade curriculum that really lives deeply within the new ten-year-old, I would have to say that the study of Norse Myths is it. What a fun block we have just had. The children were absolutely crazy about the Norse Myths! In fact as I think about it, the world of the Norse is very much like the Fourth Grade, a world of many different personalities and characters. The strong, victorious images of the Norse world entered strongly into the children’s being, empowering them to build and exhibit a newfound independent self-confidence that was palpable!
We began our study with the story of The Norse Creation. Students were both attracted and repelled by the sometimes graphic images conjured up by these stories. Frost Giants, Ice Cows, and armpit ooze welcomed the children into the world of the Norse. The Creation story was followed by a myriad of other stories that captured the escapades of the Gods and Goddesses of Asgard, the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, and the children of Loki. Students were also inspired in this block by a short history of the Vikings, and an exploration of the Runic alphabet. From Norse Myths Block #2 (April)
Click on image to view larger...
More From Norse Myths Block #1 (Autumn/Winter)
More Norse Myth Pages... click on one to view.
Fractions
Our
introduction to fractions began with an exploration into what on earth a fraction was. Children learned to name, write and read
fractional parts with fluency, as well as develop a beginning understanding of: equivalent factions, reducing/simplifying fractions, improper (monsters) and mixed forms of fractions.
Next came the more complicated step of actually
doing something with the fractions. Students began learning to add and subtract fractions with like and unlike denominators,
multiply, and divide fractions, reduce fractions into simpler form or expand
them, and rename fractions as mixed numbers and convert mixed numbers into
fractions.
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Last Animal Block
During our last "Animal" block of the year, the 4th Graders chose their own animal to research and learn about. Next, they wrote a story about their animal and read the story to the class. By listening to the story the audience learned about each animal's habitat, food, predators, shelter, and general daily life. Each story was accompanied by one or two beautiful pictures, like the one right here by Ila! More to come below as I get a chance to snap pics...
The History of Fort Ross, California (Russian America)
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From an early block focused on local geography, we we moved to the region of
The North Coast of California to learn about Fort Ross and the History of
Russian Settlement there (and in greater North America.) This was a magical block of study, and the
work from the children reflected this.
Children learned and imagined the history of the Russian American Company
and Fort Ross, and they drew beautiful pictures of the fort
and it’s surroundings, and the people that may have lived in and around the fort. Some children chose to create a board game in their main lesson book about the subject, and others created a moveable dial on their page to create a fun way for a reader to interact with the material in their published main lesson book. This block
culminated in a true Living History experience, where each child took on a
character who might have actually lived at or nearby Fort Ross, and then
became that character during an overnight visit to Fort Ross. Children “worked” at the fort, hunting,
guarding, cooking, building, exploring, hiking, and eating genuine Russian
foods! Through this hands-on experience,
children were able to immerse themselves in a simulated historical world, and
as a result, gain real insight into what life must have been like for settlers
and Native Peoples in California two hundred years ago.
We ended the block learning about Spanish and Mexican influence in California history, including a look at the Spanish Missions, the discovery of gold, and the settlement of John Sutter. Drawings of the Fort and Title Pages
Stories and Writing About Fort Ross
Fort Ross Game Boards & Interactive Wheels
Working on Fort Ross MLBooks...
Humans and Animals
_Humans and Animals or Zoology is our first true “science” block. It marks a transition from nature stories of the past three years to the more experimental sciences still to come in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. During this block the children draw, and write about animals, and explore what it means to be "animal-like" or "human-like" in their endeavors. Through imagination and art, and poetry and discussion it is my hope that children not only become better writers and thinkers, but also develop a more intimate connection with nature, and a feeling of gratitude towards the animal world.
Local Geography
We started the year off with Local Geography. With the question, “Where do I live?” students got their bearings by drawing a compass. From there each child experienced a movement from self --out towards the larger world through map-making. Children drew maps of their desks, the classroom, the school, the greater Napa area, Napa County, and the State of California.
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- 4th Archive Home (2011-2012)
- 6th Grade (2013-2014)
- 5th Grade (2012/2013)
- 3rd Archive (2010/2011)
- Main Lesson Book Inspiration (4th)
- For Teachers: Binding a Main Lesson Book
- Form Drawing (4th)
- Handwork (4th)
- Chalkboard Drawings (4th)
- Extravaganza Project (4th)
- Fort Ross (4th)
- 4th Grade Play (4th)
- Painting (4th)
- Spanish (4th)
- EVF (4th)