Special Subjects Fourth Grade

Eurythmy

In grade four we discover grammar through different choreographic forms, expressing nouns, verbs, active and passive voice and alliteration. We perform a variety of copper rod, concentration and mirror-choreography exercises, which involves practicing fine motor skills fast and slow. We learn listening skills through exercises with major and minor cords and intervals. We also experience several different tone scales.

Movement – Breath

The fourth grade child has an increased ability to control his/her own movements and thus gains increasing satisfaction from the skills of ball throwing, catching, running, leaping, climbing and swinging. This is the year when the child’s heart and breathing rate reaches that of an adult - four heart beats to one breath. The children learn the “4th grade rhythm”, a Bothmer exercise, and begin circus arts, which include unicycling, juggling, tight wire walking, pyramid building and other balance activities. They enjoy relays, games of vigorous and energetic “Deeds” and orienteering, as well as continuing to work on their ability to be part of a team.

Handwork

In grade four the children learn about needlework. We begin the year by using embroidery and sewing needles to make a book that holds our needles. In this project we learn to knot, thread and sew the seed and running back stitch. We enhance the beauty of the book by decorating the front with descending colors from light to dark and then shading them. We also outline a thumbprint in the top corner, which invites us to open the book. Our next project is to make a cross-stitch sachet. In this difficult project, the children must follow specific rules and create a mirrored pattern in all four quadrants and across the diagonal in each quadrant. They work from the center outward, and their final pattern is always a surprise of great beauty. They also learn about the harmony and movement of color from light to dark.

The first impulse toward ego-development comes during the ninth and tenth year. Cross-stitching strengthens the forces of self-awareness, which must gradually develop at this time. The cross-stitch project strengthens the mind and sharpens and clarifies the thinking process.

Gardening

The expanding awareness and classroom experience of fourth grade students makes it possible to present gardening in a more conceptual way. We consider our garden in relation to the human and natural history of our school’s site as well as to the wildlife that lives in and around it. Observations of animal life are an ongoing activity, and we also learn about beneficial insects and animals and how to foster their presence in the garden.

We begin the year by harvesting, threshing, winnowing and grinding into flour the grains we grew in grade three. Using a stone mortar and pestle and a hand-powered grain mill gives the students an appreciation for the efforts people took to provide their food in the past. We prepare a feast of bread, salad and chili all grown, baked and enjoyed in the garden. The children feel grateful to the creation and their good working together in it.

The children save their best grain seed and pass it on to the third grade class for planting. This instills the importance of saving and replanting the best seeds so that we can continue to improve crop plants and protect and share heirloom varieties.

During the rainy season, each child makes a birdhouse to take home. In the spring we study the gully next to our school. Through observations and imaginations we build a scale model of it as it might have looked prior to human intervention. This exercise helps us understand the piece of ground our garden is on, which encourages us to seek ways of working that are compatible with our natural environment.

Violin (and cello)

In grade four, children are introduced to the violin or cello and learn how to hold the instrument and bow, where to place the fingers and how to care for the instrument. We spend most of the year playing on two strings and learning to read the notes on those strings. We work on reading music and playing by ear. We learn to play as an ensemble and start playing rounds. By the end of the year everyone can play Twinkle Little Star, Hot Cross Buns and Branch of May. With consistent practice, students can also play Scotland’s Burning, French Folk Song, Mari's Wedding and Ode to Joy.

From the very beginning we make musical contributions to the school, “fiddle caroling” to celebrate the seasonal holidays and to share our music with other classes, as well as playing more formally for two dances and for the May Day celebration.
Spanish

The fourth grade language curriculum acknowledges the need for self-expression and asks that students make their own contribution to their learning. They receive a notebook in which they neatly write familiar poems, stories and dialogues, beautifully illustrating them with pictures. At this time the children also begin to read what they have written. They begin the study of grammar and syntax, from the whole to the parts at first and later including the conjugation of verbs. The focus of grammar this year is personal pronouns and verb conjugations in the present tense.

The Spanish lessons continue to have a three-part rhythmical organization, beginning with opening verse, riddle and song, moving to the more concentrated listening and interaction portion, followed by work in the Spanish book. The lesson ends with a concert. A volunteer plays a piece of music, previously rehearsed on his/her personal instrument, while the class sings in Spanish.

The class begins the year by reviewing material learned previously, then starts new material: daily routines, state geography, Hispanic geography, states of mind and health. The students also learn by heart a variety of poems, songs and riddles.