Physical Education The fourth grade physical education program offers a diverse range of activities designed to develop well-rounded student-athletes. Students focus on mastering fundamental skills like throwing, catching, striking, kicking, and dribbling, preparing them for participation in various sports. Students refine their locomotor skills – running, jumping, skipping, sliding – and conquer challenging obstacle courses that test their agility and balance. Students are then introduced to different games and activities that promote teamwork and sportsmanship both in the gymnasium and on the school’s eight turf fields. Students also practice jump rope routines, master basic stunts and tumbling routines, and explore and practice on the Cook Road gymnasium’s rock climbing wall and ladder challenges. Students utilize the expansive facilities at our disposal. Students also continue to develop their ice skating skills through lessons on the ice at the McCann Ice Arena. Science Fourth graders work on building their scientific vocabulary and describe scientific concepts in their own words. They explore three different branches of science including, environmental science, life and earth science. The curriculum builds on the knowledge the students have gained in the previous grades to focus on a deeper understanding. They work on exploring the components of various systems and explaining the relationships between them. They formulate predictions based on cause and effect relationships. Experience is guided by student interest through an inquiry-based lens. Visual Art Fourth grade students continue to build skills in drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, fibers, and printmaking while using line, shape, texture, form, and color more deliberately. Students practice value and monochromatic color schemes through understanding and creating tints and shades. Students identify the concept of radial symmetry, and study self-portraiture (both two-dimensional and three-dimensional) in more depth. A fourth grade project might include, but is not limited to, using plaster to create a self-portrait sculpture, or creating a monochromatic painting inspired by feeling and emotion.
Some examples of fourth grade projects from previous years include: • Land and water formations • Famous African-Americans and history • Biography interviews • Poetry Café Health Fourth grade students participate in activities and discussions about health and wellness topics. These topics include: nutrition, physical fitness, personal and cyber safety, dental hygiene, and social and emotional wellbeing. At this grade level, a unit on pubertal development is taught also introduced by facilitators, including the Director of Medical Services and Wellness. Built to Thrive The Built to Thrive program meets twice a month for all fourth grade students. This program enhances social- emotional intelligence through literature, play, and reflection. Built to Thrive provides thoughtful activities to practice students’ social-emotional learning, develop empathy for others, and practice problem-solving skills. Children also work on identifying and managing their own and others’ emotions. Music Fourth grade students refine their musicianship through deeper exploration of harmony, form, and expressive movement. They identify, perform, and compose music using musical modes and sight-read pentatonic melodies with increasing fluency. Vocal work includes partner songs that require independence and musical confidence. On the ukulele, students read chord charts and perform unfamiliar songs, applying transferable skills. Composition culminates in full elemental arrangements using borduns, color parts, and complementary ostinati. Movement study draws from Laban Movement Efforts, helping students intentionally shape musical expression through dynamics, energy, and flow. Orchestra Students build on their skills by refining posture and bowing techniques, developing a more advanced bow hold. Rhythms become more complex, and note reading is practiced with an emphasis on increasing independence. Continued exploration of sound production encourages students to focus on creating a beautiful tone. Regular opportunities for solo and group performances help build confidence, while individual practice routines are encouraged and supported.
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Lower School | Fourth Grade
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