Happenings in 4th Grade
We started the year with Systems Thinking in 4th grade in Mrs. Ghori’s and Mr. Suter’s science/social studies classes. The students set goals for the year and learned about Chevreul’s Pendulum and the power of suggestion. Kyle said, “It’s cool that if you think hard enough, anything is possible.” Garrett said, “It was fun that we could actually make the pendulum move!”
Garrett and Kyle
We also did an exercise on perspective called “Pencils in the Air”. This exercise is a great activity on perspective. Ask your 4th grader about it. This Systems Thinking activity was also done in China in the summer when Mrs. Ghori was one of eight teachers selected for a study abroad opportunity to visit schools in Nanjing, China. Other teachers from Canyon View were Kathy Newton and Tracy Mong. They taught lessons in sign language to a group of 6th graders.
Myles and Kalia 6th grade students in Nanjing, China Yanfei with master teacher
Kalia said, When you spin the pencil, you see it in a different way. In real life, it means when someone else is thinking something different, you can communicate to see what the other person is saying and you can learn from the other person.” Myles noticed when you look at the pencil up or down, it was going a different way. He said, “It doesn’t matter if you have a different point of view, you just think differently. Everybody doesn’t think the same.”
We challenge other grades to write about what you are learning in the classroom!
