Fourth Grade

Fourth Grade Announcements

• Asia Studies

  Posted April 8, 2013

  For our final Social Studies unit we will be traveling to Asia as students choose to study about China, Japan or India. In each unit, students will be learning about the culture of the country as they read a variety of fiction and non-fiction material, conduct research on different topics, learn some of the language, write essays and poems, eat foods native to the region, create artwork, raise silkworms, fly kites, and give performances. Please read the unit letters found in the Resources section on the right for particular information on each study group.

• Ancient Greek Studies

  Posted January 28, 2013

  For the next eight weeks, our social studies unit will be based on ancient Greece. In class, we will read D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths. At home, the children will read The Odyssey, retold by Robin Lister. This book is beautifully written and has powerful, dramatic illustrations to go along with the story. It was by far the favorite book according to our fourth grade survey which we took at the end of last year. The vocabulary used in the book is difficult, and we strongly encourage parents to read along with our fourth graders, enjoying the book together and using the vocabulary list and definitions that we have prepared. Click to read letter for unit homework and quiz information.

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• Letter from Middle School Head Dave Magnus

  Posted January 15, 2013

  Greetings from the Barn! While it seems early to be writing to you about your children as fifth graders, it is at this time that we begin discussions with parents about what lies ahead at Key School. As you have experienced in the Lower School, we continue to have “fly-up” meetings for parents as your children move from one grade to the next. In addition, during the last half of the school year, a number of events have been scheduled to get your children excited about the fifth grade. Our main goals are to provide information to you and your children, to let your children get to know us and their new spaces, and to begin building the important personal relationships with you as parents.

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• Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Program

  Posted January 14, 2013

  It is almost Black-Eyed Susan book award time! Each year Maryland students have the opportunity to honor a special book chosen from a list developed by librarians around the state. After hearing the majority of the nominated picture books, the students vote for their favorite. The votes are tallied from participating schools and a statewide winner is announced. Key students love this “students’ choice” award!

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• Ancient Egypt, Caribbean and Maori Studies

  Posted December 3, 2012

  For our next Social Studies units, the students have chosen to study about one of the following cultures: Ancient Egypt, the Maori of New Zealand, or the islands of the Caribbean. In each unit, students will be learning about the culture of the people as they read a variety of fiction and non-fiction materials, conduct research on different topics, write essays and poems, and create artwork. At the end of the unit, we will have an assembly during which each class will give a performance. Please read the unit letters in the Resource section for particular information on each study group.

• The Travels of Ibn Battuta

  Posted October 5, 2012

  We are beginning our social studies unit about The Travels of Ibn Battuta, the renowned Moroccan scholar who dictated an account of his extensive journey through the Islamic world of the 14th century. In class we will be reading a children’s version of his travels in four volumes. We will use the descriptions of his trip to introduce the children to the various cultures of the countries that he visited during his life. We will also learn about some of the important aspects of the religion of Islam that were a unifying factor among the people of that world. In addition, we will be reading a collection of poetry from the Islamic world. Click for more information.

• Native American Studies

  Posted September 8, 2010

  For the next six weeks our class will study the Indians of the western United States. In class, we will be reading Sing Down the Moon by Scott O’Dell. As we read the book, we will discuss the geography of the region and the lifestyles of the people in the past and present. We will study their religion and their folklore. We will also be doing some arts and crafts project in connection with the unit. At the end of the unit we will be having a feast. Click to read letter for unit homework and quiz information.

• Letter from Middle School Head Dave Magnus

  Posted June 6, 2012

  Greetings from the Middle School! I have enjoyed meeting your children over the past month during their library time, which gave them an opportunity to barrage me with questions that ranged from, “How much homework will we have?” and “What are activities?” to the more pragmatic, “How much does lunch cost?” and “What are the rooms like in Williamsburg?” I thoroughly enjoyed these discussions and it gave your children a nice forum for meeting me. To increase their familiarity with the current fifth grade, the fifth grade homeroom teachers visited the fourth grade classes in the spring and your fourth graders joined the fifth graders this week for a fun scavenger hunt that will introduce them to other fifth grade teachers and staff. As I mentioned at the “fly-up” meeting earlier in the year, our overall purpose for these activities is to introduce your children more fully to the sights, sounds and people in the fifth grade before the end of the year. We know they will continue to have questions and their nervous anticipation about next year will naturally arise, but we hope this process plants seeds of excitement and familiarity with their next in a line of terrific years at Key School.

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• After School Chess Club Takes Second Place at Invitational Tourney

  Posted May 1, 2012

  Congratulations to all members of Key’s After School Chess Club, comprising eight second through fifth grade students, for winning second place at the Broadneck Elementary Invitational Chess Tournament. Eight local elementary schools took part in the three-round tournament. Key’s team comprised fifth graders Tim Duckett, Racheal Fisher and Eden Valdivieso; fourth graders Luca Barranco, Sam Fisher and Kalden Namgyal; third grader Carter Janney; and second grader Christopher Zomber.

• Key School Fourth Graders Raise Money for Breast Cancer Research

  Posted November 7, 2011

  Fourth graders Max Shapiro and Mimi Cheston organized a day of races to raise money for breast cancer awareness. Click to read the article in the Capital Gazette.

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