Click Here to See….

We were in 4TH Grade

It was a perfect end to a perfect year.  Click here to view photos from our trip to Kiyiwana Farm, courtesy of the Garbasz Family.  It didn’t rain until we were leaving and we had a blast playing with all of the animals and running around with each other!

On May 26th we went to the Met with Ms. Haneuer and Ms. Stavitsky.  We looked, we discussed, we sketched, and a fine (arts) time was had by all.  Check out the pics here!

Now Presenting…

We have been working for several weeks now translating the classic Brer Rabbit tales into our own graphic novel versions.  The illustrations are our own and we have tried to tell the story in our own words, often experimenting with dialect and Gullah language.  Click on the title of the story to open a PDF version and enjoy the show!

The Talking House

Brer Rabbit and the Little Girl

Brer Rabbit and Brer Lion

The Rope Pulling Contest

Dead Foxes Tell No Tales

The Laughing Place

The Great Race

Brer Rabbit Tricks Brer Bear

Brer Rabbit Eats the Butter

Our last poem assignment involved two artists and a doctor who was also a poet.   William Carlos Williams was born in 1883.  He went to high school right here in New York City and eventually opened a medical practice in New Jersey.  In his spare time, he wrote many poems, most notably his ones about the beauty in everyday life.  He died in 1963. Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525 -1569) was a Netherlandish Renaissance painter and printmaker known for his landscapes and peasant scenes.  These two men never met but there exists a body of work showing a special relationship between them in spite of this fact.  WCW was inspired by many of Bruegel’s painting and he wrote a series of poems about them, which you can view here.  We are inspired by the two of them and have begun to look at the work of Jonathan Green, who like Bruegel and William’s finds the beauty in everyday life, painting vibrant scenes of life in South Carolina Gullah culture.

We started by looking at Yellow Boat (2000) and making observations about it.  Ms. Younge showed us a sample poem that took the reader on a “walk” through the painting, pointing out little details the reader not might notice and making inferences about what might be happening in the picture.

Next we will each choose our own Jonathan Green painting to write a poem about!

On May 19th, the 4th grade had field day on Randall’s Island.  We all expressed our Yellow pride, with some of us getting WAY into the spirit.  The weather was great, and it was a blast as we ran, jumped, kicked, hopped, threw, blocked, tagged and captured. Thanks to the Physical Education Department for planning a great day.  Click here to see the pictures!

As our final literature study, Younge House is embarking on a journey to explore the lands beyond. We are reading some of the most classic books in children’s literature, exploring the fantastical journeys of beloved characters such as Milo, Dorothy, Alice, Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan. We began by reading Norman Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth (one of Ms. Younge’s favorite books of all time) as a class.  We will be creating a class mural about Milo, his adventures, and the many memorable characters he met on his fantastic journey, a sort of Guide to the Lands Beyond.  We hope to share it with you at our end of the year celebration.

We will also read a second book,  choosing either The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, or The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. We are specifically looking for common themes in books featuring a fantastic journey such as:

• The main character enters a “new world” completely different from our own.
• The main character goes on a journey, often to solve a problem.
• The main character meets other characters along the way, some who are helpful, some who are not.
• The main character has to overcome difficult obstacles.
• The main character changes and grows as a result of their journey.

Once we read the books, we will write book reviews that will be posted on this blog so watch out for them.  Soon it will be time for a fantastic journey of our own – summer vacation!

April 29th – April 30th, Younge House traveled from Dalton to Plymouth, Massachusetts…and from 2010 to 1627! We explored Plimoth Plantation, visiting Hobbamock’s village, the English colony and the Mayflower II. We dressed in Pilgrim clothes, ate a Pilgrim style dinner, wrote with quill pens, and played old-fashioned games like hoop-and-stick, nine pins, and whipping tops. We met lots of Pilgrims (well, people acting as Pilgrims) such as Miles Standish, Stephan Hopkins, and Captain Christopher Jones. They told us all about life in 17th century Plimoth and even had us help them with daily chores like building fences, tending laundry and gardening!

For our photo album, CLICK HERE.

Last week, Younge House returned to Black Rock Forest with Ms. Langteau, our science teacher.  It was a wonderful day in the forest as we tried to uncover the mysteries of the forest food web.  We searched for signs of plant life, primary consumers, and carnivores, following the food chain all the way to the top.  Along the way we saw fun fungus, cheery chimpmunks, slithering snakes, and soaring turkey vultures.  We took a long tough hike to a vernal spring that is created by winter water run-off and dries up in the summer.  Looking under various rocks and boards we discovered salamanders, millipedes, and other crawly things.  Once we were back at the science center, we used our notes from the field to make hypotheses about what ate what.  Then we touched some cool skulls and frozen turtles.   Black Rock Forest is always full of surprises.  The final snake count of the day was 5!  Many thanks to Jack of BRF, Ms. Langteau, and all of our chaperones who made such a great day possible.

CHECK OUT OUR PICTURES HERE!

Plymouth!

Plymouth!

We’re gonna have fun

Learning ‘bout the Pilgrims

And Native Americans!

Plymouth!

Plymouth!

We’re gonna have fun

Learning ‘bout the Pilgrims

And Native Americans!

The Separatists lived in England.

They just wanted to pray.

But they didn’t want to do it

In old King James way.

They left and went to Holland

Where they mingled with the Dutch.

But they didn’t like their culture.

It was just too much.

So they went back to London.

Bargained for a boat

But the Speedwell was wack

And wouldn’t stay afloat

They jumped on the Mayflower

It didn’t go fast

The storms tossed them about

And everyone cast

Plymouth!

Plymouth!

We’re having lots of fun

Learning bout the Pilgrims

and Native Americans!

Land Ho! In November

On Cape Cod they went aground

Some lived on the boat

While the others looked around.

They settled on a hill

That was easy to defend.

No one knew if the natives

Would be foe or friend.

Soon winter came

And they just weren’t down.

Most of them got sick

And half didn’t stick around.

Lucky for those left

Squanto saved the day.

He and the Wampanoag

Showed them the way.

They planted beans and squash

And lots of yellow maize.

Hunted rabbits turkeys deer

And had Thanksgiving Day.

Plymouth!

Plymouth!

We’re having lots of fun

Learning bout the Pilgrims

And Native Americans!

Plymouth!

Plymouth!

We’re having lots of fun

Learning bout the Pilgrims

and Native Americans!