Much like third grade, fourth grade is often experienced as a turning point in childhood.  Children at this age feel themselves growing into a new relationship with the world. They feel themselves in a new way as being separate from their family and from the world, independent, alone.  This comes with an increased impulse toward autonomy and a pull to be safe as they begin to feel themselves questioning everything they used to take for granted. They begin feeling themselves in relation to other sentient beings.  A wondering and curiosity about the similarities and differences between people and animals is met with the curriculum this year. In a subtle way they are trying to discover what it means to be a person. We continue supporting the practical matters of the material world. “How is a house built?” “Where does my food come from?” “ How do I cook?”  We look at and explore these questions in addition to our investigation into the world of animals in 4th grade. We also cultivate a connection to a sense of place.  where am I from? Where are others from? Where is my house? How do I get to school? We begin looking at local geography from maps of our homes, our street, our community, our region and our state.

Who was here before me?  We hear stories from the ancient Norse Mythology, and from Native American ( north, central and south), and African stories. These stories are rich with people’s first struggles to live on earth, to make shelters and to work the land. 

We learn to count measure and mix and weigh. We review and anchor our times tables and begin working with fractions: how do we share? We chop and cook and bake.  We garden. We investigate types of homes and then build both life-size and model shelters.