Grades 4 and 5
Grades 4 and 5 are special years at Nashoba Brooks as students enter the all girls middle school. The strong, supportive class community we build together provides a stable foundation for students as they move through their middle school years.
Students in Grade 4 are energetic, empathetic, and like being part of social and learning groups. We develop a strong, supportive class community that allows students to ask good questions, make connections, meet new friends, explore and solve problems, take risks, learn how to collaborate, and create. Together, we write and revise stories, expand our vocabularies, research, read novels, play games, make maps, explore history, perform on stage, and much more. Every day is a new opportunity to grow and learn!
In Grade 5, students are eager to try new things and take on more independence as they explore the balance between individual and group responsibilities. There are a number of similarities between Grade 4 and Grade 5, as our Middle School’s foundational years, including: schedules, organizational systems, homeroom structures, hands-on learning, and executive functioning support. In Grade 5, we are readers, writers, thinkers, problem-solvers, friends, and collaborators. We can't wait for our adventure together to begin!
Curriculum Highlights
Invention Convention
Invention Convention
Students explore the concept of invention by defining what an invention is and discussing how inventions solve problems or make life easier. They examine a variety of well-known inventions, past and present, to inspire creativity and spark ideas for their own projects. Students are also introduced to their personal logbooks, which they will use throughout the process to document their progress, from brainstorming initial ideas to testing and refining their final creations. At the conclusion of the unit, students will present their prototypes to a panel of judges.
Science of Sound
Science of Sound
Students examine different instruments to build their understanding of how sound is created; then, they use a motion sensor to graph the motion of a sound source, and look at models of particles to see how sound travels through a medium. Using data collected throughout these processes allows students to practice interpreting and writing about results in a clear and concise way. In order to apply what they learn about sound, students work in collaboration with their music class to design and build modern day folk instruments. We spend time drafting blueprints, creating a materials list within a budget, and building the instruments in the STEAM Lab. Students make design choices, gain skills using hand tools, and learn about the importance of testing multiple iterations of a project to ultimately create an instrument that works in the way they intend.
National Parks Project
National Parks Project
During the National Parks research project, students first learn what a national park is, where they are located, and why they are unique. Next, students conduct an extensive research project in pairs on one of the parks. During the research phase, students learn to cite sources and use their atlases to gather information on key geographic features of their parks, such as the physical geography, climate, and absolute and relative location. Students identify the history of their parks, plants and animals, an environmental threat the park faces, and things to do. Using this information, students create dioramas in the STEAM Lab, and present their research and products to their peers, teachers, and community members.
Devised Theater
Devised Theater
Students explore devised theater: a method of theater-making where the performance piece originates from collaborative work, like improvisation, and other forms of creative discovery explored in a performance ensemble. Students select a work of art from the The Metropolitan Museum of Art through and then create their performance pieces entirely on their own. An integrated project between their drama and music classes, each performance ensemble group composes their own background music to add another layer of feeling to their dramatic performance. This unit provides lessons in creative expression and collaboration.
| Sample Schedule | |
|---|---|
|
7:30-8:15 |
Optional enrichment clubs and groups (including: Jazz Band, World Music Ensemble, yoga, Art Club, Math Club, and more) |
|
8:00-8:25 |
Arrival and homeroom |
|
8:25-8:40 |
Morning Meeting and Open Circle (SEL) in Homeroom |
|
8:40-9:25 |
Science |
|
9:25-10:10 |
Humanities |
|
10:10-10:25 |
Outdoor snack and recess |
|
10:25-11:10 |
Reading |
|
11:10-11:55 |
Math |
|
11:55-12:40 |
Chorus (other Performing Arts specials include: General Music and Drama) |
|
12:40-1:15 |
Lunch and outdoor recess |
|
1:15-2:00 |
Spanish |
|
2:00-2:45 |
P.E. (other specials include Art, Transliteracy, and Health & Wellness) |
|
2:45-3:30 |
Coaching and Closing Circle |
|
3:35 |
Dismissal |
Students engage in each special listed above one to three times per week. Their core content classes meet daily.
Grade 4/5 students are dismissed at 3:35 PM on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and at 12:30 PM on Tuesday. The School offers a number of fee-based Auxiliary Programs after school that can run until 5:30 PM.
Interscholastic athletics begin in Grade 5 and practice after school 3:35-4:55 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Please see our Athletics page for further details about seasonal offerings.
Sample areas of focus:
- Why is every role in a performance important?
- How can we interact with our peers and those in our community in a healthy and constructive way?
- How do you ask open and closed questions? How can you research these different questions?
- How do you create a strong argument?
- How do you write a clear and concise personal essay?
- How is our understanding of part/whole relationships and their equivalents applied to our everyday lives? What strategies can we use to help us solve problems we have not encountered before?
- What strengths do we bring to our journey as lifelong learners? What goals can we set for ourselves?
- What are the habits of innovators?
- How do musicians improve the quality of their performance?
- How do humans interact with the natural world?
Full STEAM Ahead:
Girls joining Nashoba Brooks in Grade 4 who are passionate about pursuing their interest in STEAM subjects are eligible to apply for the Nashoba Brooks School STEAM Scholarship!
