Fourth Grade Happenings

Oreo Project

Fall Festivities!

Fourth Graders write, illustrate their biographies

Annabelle Reese and Meg Howell with their biographies

Meg Howell's favorite childhood memory is getting her black belt in karate when she was nine. Annabelle Reese's favorite memory was when her mom spent two hours trying to coax a stray cat from their neighbor's truck transmission.

You'll find both events documented with a story and drawing in the girls' biography books that were printed and published when they were in Fourth Grade.

Even though they've moved on from Fourth Grade, the biographies are still a source of pride for the girls and their families. "Every year in the Fourth Grade we become authors," says Fourth Grade Teacher Laura Moore. "Throughout the year, every Fourth Grader writes and illustrates stories. The students design a cover and personalize it with a picture of themselves."

The students wrote about themselves, their families, a favorite vacation, a favorite holiday, and even what they thought they'd be doing 10 years in the future. Annabelle, for example, imagined she would be a student at Vanderbilt with a double major in English and biology. Then she would get a master's degree in zoology. Meg plans to be in college getting ready for a career as an orthodontist.
Once the books are finished, Moore sends them off to a publisher, who prints and binds the sheets into an original hardbound book.

"These books are a great incentive to get students involved in the writing process," Moore says. "They also make great keepsakes they will have for years to come."

Annabelle, for one, enjoyed the process: "It was cool how you could write your book with no restrictions," she says. "Miss Laura gave us a topic, and I could write what I felt."

Medieval Feast

Ever wonder what life was like back in the Medieval Period? Each year, Fourth Grade students get a real taste of it during their annual Medieval Feast, the culmination of the grade’s study of the period and all things medieval.

The school’s cafeteria and entryway are transformed into a castle for the feast, which is attended by knights, princesses, ladies, executioners, jesters and monks. Presiding over the feast is the queen and her court, who are served by the peasants (the hard working fourth grade moms). The traditional medieval meal is eaten in traditional medieval fashion, without utensils. A magician adds to the festive environment before the serving of the feast.

Participants arrive at the feast by way of a parade led by Queen Lisa Cates, her court and a bagpipe player. The festival attendees wind their way throughout the Lower School to the cheers of the students and faculty. The parade ends as each class crosses the moat into the castle, and each student is presented by his or her medieval name to the queen.

Third graders who will get to take part in the fun next year are allowed to watch the presentation from the stage on which the royal party is seated, but, to the delight of the fourth graders, are banished to their classrooms when the feast starts.

See a photo gallery of the 2009 Medieval Feast.