Fourth Grade

Recently, fourth graders had the opportunity to help a published author complete her next work. Through cooperation with the Young Editors Project, an organization that connects young readers with authors who write for them, students were able to read an unfinished manuscript of a graphic novel targeted for children in their age group. As a class, we read the entire text of the story, and about a third of the illustrations were completed for us to enjoy. The chance to read a fantastic book, still unfinished and unavailable to others, was thrilling! As we read the story aloud, we placed...Read more

The global pandemic has changed nearly every aspect of our lives for the past year, including how we teach and our school experiences. As we approach the one year anniversary of the introduction of COVID-19 protocols into our daily lives at Rossman School, I have taken some time to reflect on the impact I have felt teaching Upper School science during the pandemic.

In Upper School science, Rossman students explore topics in life, earth and physical sciences in hand-on, engaging ways. They question, predict, design experiments, analyze results and communicate their findings in...Read more

The quintessential early childhood educator Fred Rogers has left us quite a legacy of knowledge regarding how children learn. His Six Necessities of Learning are basic ideas — practical and simple. During these times when learning at school and learning at home are the new “norm,” it’s more important than ever that teachers and parents partner in assisting each child to reach his full potential. The Six Necessities of Learning apply to...Read more

Many of our faculty have administered the ERB quite a few times over their years at Rossman. They have gotten to know the detailed set of directions read before each testing section quite well. These typically conclude by saying that we cannot answer questions about the test during testing and encourage students to ask any questions before starting. This year, one student quietly raised a hand and asked his teacher, “I do have a question. Why do we take this test?” Thankfully, our Rossman faculty understand the importance of answering that question. Ever wondered this yourself? Below I...Read more

Year after year, we witness fourth graders burst with excitement when participating in our service project, supporting the Humane Society. It’s easy to see how much children love animals. More recently, we’ve noticed this affection in our fourth grade Zoom meetings. During any given virtual gathering, you may see dogs, cats, hamsters and other beloved family pets pop on the screen while hearing a collective “awww” from the class. While many of us feel a deep connection with animals, children in particular form especially strong relationships with our furry friends. The best part is that...Read more

You’ve heard English teachers talk about passive and active voice, but people don’t often pay the same attention to passive and active listening. As humans, we each experience passive and active listening every day, and both play important roles in our lives. People often assume that passive listening is a bad thing, but it’s not, and it occurs often. Whether you’re humming along absentmindedly to music while driving, or zoning out while smiling and nodding at an acquaintance who’s telling a long-winded tale, there will always be moments of passive listening in your day. Everyone is a...Read more

Comprehension is an essential part of the learning process. This constructive process is one that requires students to make connections in order to understand what they are hearing and reading. Comprehension should be interactive between teachers and students. This is where students learn to become problem solvers, infer, compare and contrast, relate what they are learning to background knowledge, among many other meaning-making benefits.

Comprehension is a vital skill to one’s everyday life no matter what walk of life he or she is in. Students must be able to make connections in...Read more