Blog readers, you may have noticed (or can refer to) my exchange with fourth grade teacher Leslie Leff, writing from a charter school in Philly about the pros and cons of keeping fourth grade classrooms self-contained. I thought parents of eight-, nine-, and ten-year-olds and fourth grade teachers everywhere might like to hear more on this. Fourth grade can be a tough year!
Enter grandson Isaiah, at nine years, seven months. You haven’t heard about him recently, but he just happens to be in fourth grade in his local public school. Well, actually, he’s in a third/fourth combination classroom with an experienced and caring teacher who is challenged to stretch her curriculum and social structures over a two-grade, four-year developmental span. There’s another full, single fourth grade classroom in the building, but, as is true in many rural schools, there were too many children to fit in one class and not enough to make two in tight fiscal times.
The developmental mix, from Isaiah’s point of view, worked well in the first half of the year. The teacher has paraprofessional assistance and she does a lot of differentiation and small group work. Children work on assignments independently with specific deadlines over several days. I had a chance to be a guest in the room recently and was impressed with the friendliness and energy and intellectual curiosity of the children, as well as with the good teaching going on.
Recently, Isaiah has begun to complain about being in class with third graders. While he can’t be real specific about this, I have a hunch this is hugely about the turn of the year developmentally for him and many of the fourth graders beginning to eye fifth grade. And it may also have to do with their fourth grade buddies down the hall who just might be talking to them about fifth grade at recess these days. Yes, this talk starts early, because–surprise!–kids do, occasionally, think ahead. And remember, these fourth graders tend to be full of anxiety about most anything and everything. True enough about Isaiah, right at the zenith of his ninth year. (By the way, the third graders in his class seemed to be hitting their stride in the social mix, but I’ll bet it took awhile for them to find their voices earlier on.)
So not only is it important for fourth graders to have a single teacher and not switch from class to class like middle schoolers, but in mixed-grade decisions the 3/4 combination takes a very skillful teacher very aware of the broad range of developmental needs in this span.
Seasoned fourth grade teachers also have learned how useful it can be to invite specialist teachers (art, music, PE) into their classrooms at the beginning of the year for quick introductions before sending their kids out into the new territory of gyms, music rooms, and art rooms, even when the faces and places are familiar from last year.
The bottom line: Predictability at home and school helps make happier fourth graders.
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Jules — It is interesting that there is this little flurry of discussion about fourth grade right now and I hope other readers will weigh in. Yes, Yardsticks will help your sister to help others understand the level of anxiety and uncertainty that goes along with being nine and how many tranistions and different teachers in a school day is likely to lower performance and achievement, not have the opposite affect which is sought. I doubt there is any scientifically-based research to support this one way or the other, but I will do some looking when I get a moment and try to post what I find. I can tell you from my 35 years in the field that departmentalized 4th grades will not be as successful as more self-contained programs. Chip
Hello,
I am trying to help my sister whose family is in distress. Her fourth grade child is switching classes all day long to different teachers. I am looking for some solid research I can send her that explains why this is not age appropriate for fourth graders. I have read yardsticks a few years back when I took the responsive classroom week long seminar. Will that book help her? Please also let me know of other books or publications that will help.
Respectfully,
Jules Graeve
Hello, Dan
As someone who taught 4th, 5th and 6th grade for several years, I would rather have a class of 25 at the upper grade level, than a mixed age group of 4th graders for some of the reasons I mentioned above. also I always felt comfortable with larger class sizes at upper grades because I was focused on cooperative learning, student leadership and responsibility for building a real learning community. The kids really responded to working with each other and learning from each other and other than having tons of journals to respond to (whiich I loved) and grading lots of work, I always enjoyed the mix of kids. larger classes at these grade levels, I think, also help with cliques and social concerns in a positive way, because you can keep mixing things up in terms of grouping, etc.
My grandson is going into a 5th grade with 27 and a mom said, “Don’t worry, they do lots of projects and the kids love her.” This is the way 5th grade should be.
Good luck, Chip
Hello, I’m a 16 year elementary teacher who’s taught 2nd through 6th grade. Now, as a seasoned 4th grade teacher, I’m being asked to take on a 4/5 combo. Our summer placement classes dropped from 28 per teacher to 25. District administrators want to save money by splitting a 5th grade class across 3 teachers and putting the remainder back into a 4th/5 combo.
I’m very concerned about the age span development as well as curricular spans. Any advice on this one?
Thanks, Dan Wise