The Water of Life

Here we are, hot weather, a packed schedule, and our last few weeks of 4^th grade… I am just going day by day so it doesn’t seem like it is almost over. We have been very busy, and the days speed by.

What have we been doing? We had a terrific Grandparent Day turn out. It was a treat to teach a class and give our guests a chance to see these fabulous kids work together to solve a problem and play a game in pairs. The kids shared their interests, read from their writing portfolios, and showed off their artwork on display. We had an assembly and 4^th graders sang “Country Life”. It was a memorable day complete with adoration, generous laughter, and sincere attention from our TGS extended family.

We are finishing up the math book and doing problem solving every morning.  We are working with integers, learning vocabulary and concepts of 3D geometry and how to solve volume of rectangular prisms, and practicing/reviewing all our skills to be prepared to take an end of the year test. This group is very strong in math and will be well prepared for next year. They are good at sharing and communicating solutions and helping each other understand new concepts. I am lucky to have had such a gifted group my first year teaching at TGS.

Our Egypt Unit is winding down. Students are working on a non-fiction research project by creating a 6-page book on a topic of their choice. We will finish these next week and celebrate our study with a fun culminating activity. We will end the year by exploring some natural history and current uses of the Connecticut River.

Our main agenda these past two weeks has been planning, practicing, and filming our medieval movie, The Water of Life. It is a motivating group project. I see students helping each other, being supportive, problem solving, and working for the greater goal.  It is student driven, essentially, each has specific roles and is contributing to a common project. It is a very engaging story with lots of twists and turns in the plot. Making a film is a very different experience than acting on stage. In our latest discussion the consensus was that film is much more forgiving. Mostly it is a lot of fun to wear costumes and be outside making a story come to life. Students are editing and adding sound and transitions to the film under the direction of Matt, our chief editor. We will show the film to the school at the last All School Meeting (6/13). Be there to see it on the big screen!

Everything is set for our end of the year overnight in the Path of Life Garden. It will be a fun way to celebrate a great year. Thank you for all the encouragement, compliments, and appreciation throughout the year. I love doing what I do and your good feedback helps me do the best I can. The students at TGS are really the greatest joy. A teacher is granted so much interaction with exuberant, curious, and energetic young minds and hearts. I learn right along with everybody.

Many thanks, Emily

Dates to remember:

Monday, May 28- No School, Memorial Day

Thurs. May 31- June 1—Overnight rafting/ camping trip

Tues. June 12—trip to TransCanada Hydro- electric dam and CT River (need a    driver—leave 9:00- 2:30)

Wed. June 13- Film presentation at ASM 2:15

Fri. June 15 – Last day- noon dismissal (graduation at 4:30)

Ancient Egypt…

The last three weeks have been immersed in our study of ancient Egypt. It is a rich topic that lends itself to be inspired by amazing artwork, design, and story telling. Linda and I each led focus groups—where we split the ¾ graders into 2 groups and each held two classes on a topic. Both groups did each focus group classes. Linda had the students research “every day life” in ancient Egypt and make a beautiful “Tomb Painting” on real papyrus paper. The artwork is Egypt-inspired and depicts scenes of people doing crafts, creating art, writing hieroglyphs, farming, building, and fishing. These are hanging in the hallway. I led a series of lessons called, “Myths, Gods, and Death Rituals”. We read some mythology and saw some short videos about the creator god, Ra and the story of Osiris and how he becomes the god of the afterlife. These myths are the foundation of the Egyptian’s belief system. We studied the significance of the important symbols and students made watercolor pictures of the “Eye of Ra/Horus” and the scarab beetle. We also made amulets out of colored clay, which were used for protection and as magic charms for one’s trip to the afterlife.

Last week we traveled to the Boston Museum of Fine Art to see the fabulous Egyptian collection. There were 8 rooms of artwork, both large and small. The favorite room, Funerary Arts, had dimmed lights and beautiful sarcophagi, coffins, mummies, statues called ushabitis, amulets, and canophic jars. Everything we had seen in books was there to view and read about. Our kids did a great job looking at everything, finding things for the scavenger hunt, and sketching artifacts. It was a long day and a terrific experience.

This week students are making a “mummy mask”. Students work in pairs and cover each other’s faces with plaster gauze to make the mask. It is a calming and trust building experience. The person being masked had to close his/her eyes and be wrapped like a mummy and wait until the mask dries. It is an unusual experience to lay still with eyes closed and be attended to as your face is being molded to a mask.

The musical is a real treat. Both casts do a spectacular job and what a fun adaptation of Shakespeare! The schedule has been very different but we carry on 4^th grade with the academic routine. In math, I introduced integers and how to add and subtract with negative numbers. We played a very successful game called Credits/Debits where kids add or subtract positive or negative numbers according to a coin toss and card pick. It was great practice of a new skill with the excitement of winning the lottery.  In literacy, students are learning how to express their opinions and write a persuasive essay on a topic. This is a great assignment for this age because kids are so committed to their opinions on things. I will guide each student to explain his/her reasons tactfully and knowledgeably in order to be persuasive. Topic ideas range from environmental issues, making healthy choices, taking a stance on the tax laws, to having less homework. We will create drafts and go through the revision process to create a revised and finished essay.

That’s all for now…

--Emily

May 31- June 1- overnight rafting/ camping trip

Field Trip addition: Tues. June 12 (the last week of school)- we will go to Bellows Falls to learn about the hydroelectric dam, see the fish ladder, and go down to the CT River to study water quality and then have a picnic. I will need 2-3 drivers- 8:30- 2:30.