Need Insight/advice on Fourth Graders!

My daughter is just finishing up 4th grade, so I can give you a girl perspective. She is in a Montessori curriculum public school, so it may be a bit different. However, 9/10 year old girls I think are 9/10 year old girls any way you slice it!!!!!

So, she and all her friends are reading the Twighlight books so I would read all 4 books in the series over the summer, if have time. None have seen the movie, but they started a lunch book club and every Wed she and a bunch of her friends sit at this one table in the lunchroom and talk about the books. The teacher let them have a Twighlight day - they separated the class into "team Jacob" and "team Edward" and everyone brought in their fave twighlight stuff and for an hour did basically a 'show and tell'. The whole class had fun - even those who had never read the books.

I think this is the age where they really need to become independent, but it's hard, because they are still so young. But socially, this is the big year of big changes. Lots of girls get bras this year, some started their periods and most of the girls in my daughter's class started to shave their legs this year.

Also - know who Justin Beiber is, but don't try to be too cool..... overlook that they have pics and posters of him, but don't have any yourself!!!!! Hannah Montana is out, babies watch that show (but they secretly still watch cuz it's the last year). Fineous and Pherb is good at any age and will be forever!!!! DON'T let them actually do the single ladies dance (cuz it's inappropriate to move that way when you are 9) but let them sing the song!!!!!!

My mantra is "notice and mention, but don't make a big deal". I find that attitude gets me way further with my daughter. I think the best advice would be don't treat them like kids, but remember that (at heart) that's still what they are!

I think this is a great age (it's been my most favorite since she was 6). But it's also tough, cuz the attitude starts in a MAJOR way and the cliques start at school and then feelings get hurt etc etc.

Good Luck!

Congratulations on your new job! My DSS just finished the 4th grade. This was a tough year for him. He really struggled to follow his teacher's expectations. He also struggled with math and being a leader rather than a folower this year. He really seemed influenced by his peers even more so than in the past. He is very impressionable right now. He is into leggos(especially Star Wars), sports-anything football,baseball, basketball, really into airplanes. He loves to swim, do things outdoors,fishing. He is involved in Cub Scouts. He was into art this year and had his drawing displayed in a local art show. His science class raised and released brook trout. That was a fun time for all of us. You could put slim,putty,small wooden airplanes,balls,mini skateboards etc. in your treasure box. He has been reading The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series this year and just loved them. We are hoping to go see the movie at the drive in soon. He just saw Iron Man 2 and loved it. He has also been reading a lot of sports books, sports facts, guiness world records. etc. He is also very into his video games(which irks me :) so we limit them!! ) Good luck, I hope this helps a little bit.

My son is going into 7th now, and daughter into 4th this year. They do start to become more independent and think of themselves as no longer "little" kids. But they still love a LOT of the little kids stuff... you might be surprised. My son's teacher also let them "earn" what they called "do good dollars", and they had an auction every other month or so for them to spend their "$". (Actually, they all got a little slip of paper of Mondays, and if they went all week without getting it punched with a single hole punch, they earned 5 "do good dollars". They turned in the card. Next week, same thing. If they got their "ticket/card" punched more than 5 times, they got NO dollars. Basically, they start out with 5, and lose them if they get called out for misbehavior or not being prepared for class (no homework, no book, etc) Each week the kids get to start over and try to earn points. The auction consisted of donated items. Silly stuff you wouldnt think they would like... (the punching bag balloons with the long rubberband handle; funky pens/markers; kites; picture frames; etc. My son even "bought" a pair of slipper socks that have a rubber sole!!).

Also, that was the year that the teacher took up classroom donations and took them on a field trip to PetSmart to buy a class pet and supplies for it (gerbil, cage, food, bedding chips, toys). She went to the store (or online) and priced out several of different things and when the money was collected, the class had to budget using the available money. Of course, the food/bedding chips ran out and we parents brought in more as the year went on. Each child got a chance (with parent approval) to bring the gerbil home on the weekend (so it was cared for even when no one was at school). This was at a private school, so I'm not sure how much difference that makes in planning something like a class pet and donations....
But the kids were required to clean out the cage weekly, and they took the gerbil out to let it play in it's exercise ball during the day (rewards for good behavior for the kids).

They also played "Jeopardy!" for things like memorization of facts.

I think that the kids really appreciated being taught in a fun manner (not every day, but regularly doing out of the box things), as that appealed to them not just as a fun factor, but made them feel like individuals with interests and opinions and thinking skills.

They ALL liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid, too. And the subsequent volumes. As for a "treasure box" if you opt to go that route, my son liked little highlighter pens, funky erasers, mechanical pencils, sticky notes, even small journal type booklets or day planners and ANY kind of gelatinous thing you can find! lol.
hth

My daughters are much older but I do have a few suggestions. Watch Nickelodean. You'll get an idea of the shows they are watching. Although, a lot of them are reruns of shows that ran 3 years ago.

For the treasure chest they starting to get beyond the age of the cheapo gifts. In our eletary school they have a program where they earn tokens and then can use the tokens to "buy" prizes.

I was talking to my girls just yesterday about who their favorite teacher was during all their years of school. Both said their 5 grade teacher (they had the same one). Why? Because he had cool pets, one year the gerbil gave birth during math class. One year the praying manthis ate its mate. They also loved the fun and silly science projects, like the day no one was listening in math so the teacher grabbed the math book and a smaller object and asked the class if he dropped them out the window which would hit the ground first. So he dropped them out the window just as the principal was walking by. The principal scowled, the class yelled science experiment.

Congratulations on your new position.

For the treasure box - CANDY.

Keep your eyes open for those that really don't understand what was just taught.
Because kids this age will NOT say, "I'm sorry I don't understand". Talk to them on the side.

Some girls will be wearing bras and some won't.
Some girls will need to use the bathroom ALOT because they
are trying to learn how to work with their period.
It might help if you keep some extra pads in the classroom or bathroom.

Take lots of pictures and have a picture wall they will think that's fun.

Think about having the reading lessons outside or math.

Ask some other 4th grade teachers in the school, they might have better advice.

Oh, I wish you the best.
Have fun.

my son just finished the 4th grade. They didn't do treasure box but they earned coupons - free homework pass, get to sit in the teacher's rolling chair that day, free ice cream at lunch, etc. They are into sports, phineas & ferb, and wanting / needing a little more freedom. Books - Diary of a Wimpy Kid is big. My son - big sports fanatic - loves the books by Matt Christopher. It's a big growing and maturing age for us. But also a really fun year. Have a great year teaching !

ditch the treasure box! They'll make fun of it.

check out the Accelerated Reader program. It lists books by their reading grade level. Also check with Amazon & Barnes/Noble (or your local library/school library) for a list of current books.

Have class conferences & ask for fav lists....for books, movies, tv shows, & MUSIC. They will love having the autonomy of creating their play/read lists.
Use this conference time to tie in with math, science (experimenting, hypothesis, etc), & of course reading/language. It all works together!

Posters, posters, & more cool posters. Bright or a cool design painted in your room. AND kids LOVE having bean bags or a sitting area on the floor for reading time!

4th grade is very close to pre-teen. In some districts, that's when sex ed begins.....so think in those terms & it should be easier. Good Luck!

R.

My kids went to Mueller for a long time.
The fourth grade team you are joining is one of the best.
You should really contact Beth or Judy. I'm assuming they are still
there. I chose to remove my youngest from Mueller do displine
issues throughout the entire school. I know several teachers have
left. The fourth grade team has market day once a quarter which
the kids earn money for good behavior to spend during
the year. I don't remember treasure boxes being used in fourth
grade. I wish you good luck in your new position.
that my older two had treasure boxes in fourth grade.