4th Grade
What is Culture?
This unit introduces fourth grade GRO students to the many facets that make up a culture. By exploring past civilizations and comparing them to our way of life today, students will come to a deeper understanding of how societies thrive and perish. Students will explore the fields of anthropology, sociology and archaelogly as they evaluate characteristics of cultures.
Throughout this unit, your child will stretch their critical thinking abilities, their creative problem solving capabilities as they create their own culture. This culuminating project will allow students to gain a first hand understanding how culture impacts our everyday lives.
What is Culture Additional Resources:
Books:
Hartland, Jessie. (2010). How the Sphinx got to the museum. Maplewood, NJ: Blue Apple Books.
Coan, Julie. (1999). Digging into archaeology. Critical thinking books and software: Pacific Grove, California.
Online Resources
Roxaboxen by Alice Mclerran. Picture Book about Imagination Read Aloud
Cultures of the World A fun overview of the world cultures for kids
Google Earth: A Lesson in Lifestyle (World Culture) find under resources https://earth.google.com/web/
GRO Investigators: CSI
The GRO Investigators unit focuses on deductive reasoning, observation, listening & inferential skills.
Throughout this unit, fourth grade GRO students become detectives and will visit imaginary crime scenes and solve fictitious crimes. We will work to solve these mysteries using many different investigative techniques including questioning strategies, fingerprinting, chromatography, artists’ sketchbooks and message deciphering.
By stepping into the roles of detectives and forensic investigators students will learn many intriguing scientific strategies and skills, perhaps create mysteries of their own or even catch the culprit of a crime!
Crime Scene Investigations Additional Resources
Books:
Beals, Kevin and Willard, Carolyn. (1994). LHS Gems Mystery Festival. U.C. Berkeley: Gems Hall of Science.
Carr, Mary Ann. ((1994). One–hour mysteries. San Luis Obispo, C A: Dandy Lion Publication.
Levy, Nathan. (1990). Stories with holes. Hightstown, NJ: N.L. Associates, Inc. Great Forensic Challenge (game) by Clint Twist.
Nilsen, Anna. (2000). Art Fraud Detective. London: Kingfisher Publications. Solve It! The mystery for PBL.
Smith, Stan. (1997). Five-minute whodunnits. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
Walker, Pam and Wood, Elaine. (1999). Crime Scene Investigations: Real life activities for elementary grades. West Nyack, NY: The Center for Applied Research in Education.
For more information about the district's GRO curriculum please click on the above link.