Grade 4 - Mrs. Ternan

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Claire Ternan Welcome to Fourth Grade! Hands-on activities are an integral part of the program. A favorite of the students is the butterfly garden, although working with electrical circuits is very popular too. I think the best part of teaching at St. Chris is the students; they are enthusiastic, curious, and eager to learn. If you have any questions or concerns, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Mrs. Ternan also teaches Science to all Third and Fourth Grade students.

Mrs. Claire Ternan has been teaching at St. Christopher School for over thirty years, mostly in the 4th grade. She is certified in elementary education and English. Although she will finally obtain her masters in 2010 in Writing and Literature, her greatest love is the teaching of science. Mrs. T has a grown son and daughter, both of whom graduated from St. Chris, and two toddler granddaughters, one in Brookline, MA and one in Santiago, Chile.

February News

We've just completed an exciting Catholic Schools Week, and the sudents proclaimed it the best ever. Highlights for 4th grade included a snow shoe hike through Beaver Brook in Hollis. Animal prints were easy to find, as there had been a light snowfall just the day before. The kids found deer, hare, coyote, field mice, and porcupines tracks. Mrs. Martin (MaryClare's mother) was our expert guide, and she even organized a scavenger hunt and a scent tracking game for the students. Thank you Mrs. Martin, and Mrs. Trabucchi who helped out. We predict this will be a yearly 4th grade event.

The Eighth Annual Poetry Slam occurred on Friday, February 5th. This year's theme was animals. We heard funny poems, poems with surprise endings, rhyming poems and also some free verse. We were both delighted and amazed at the students' use of figurative and imaginative language.

We've started fractions in math. We'll be adding and subtracting with unlike denominators in a week or so. Right now we are examining equivalent fractions in anticipation of more complex operations.

The fourth graders are working with partners on science kits right now. We're not only seeing what's magnetic, we're also doing activities which demonstrate the "attract and repel" properties of magnets.

So long for now... Remember Thursday of this week is our VIP reception--that's really our biography book reports. Students will dress as the subject of their biography and mingle at our inhouse reception as if they were that character.

I'm always available if you have questions.

Mrs. T

January Update

Happy New Year! Wishing you all health and happiness!

In December we were pleased to welcome as our guest, Msgr. Gilbert, who is our adopted priest. He retold the wonderful stories of Advent: the Annunciation, the birth of John the Baptist, the census that propelled Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem... We are grateful for his visits. He adds another dimension to our religion classes.

Senora Lourdes continues to beguile the students with Spanish phrases and songs. What a nice enrichment class!

I'm excited to get back to school. As the wind howls and the snow falls, I'm planning two new units in science. In 3rd grade, we'll be starting earth science. Water, weather, rocks, earthquakes and volcanoes will be our topics for the next few weeks. The 4th grade will begin with plenty of hands-on activities in physical science. We'll be studying static electricity, magnetism, electric circuits, and electromagnets to start.

After more practice with division, we'll be working on fractions in math.

Hopefully, the students have spent a lot of time outdoors during this break because they'll be writing narrative pieces about their adventures: winter stories about snow and ice. We'll also study several winter poems as we prepare for the Poetry Slam at the end of the month. January is a great month to get lots of studying and reading done. Let's take advantage of a little more time indoors and become a bookworm. Several students already are.

Please feel free to contact me anytime.

Mrs. T.

November News

Wow! What wonderful projects the third and fourth grade students created! They got to share their new knowledge of ecosystems orally as they presented their dioramas to their peers. Mr. Daniels was able to sit in on some of the presentations to the delight of the children. Here a few of the fascinating facts we heard:

Alligators can travel at 20 m.p.h. Flamingos are pink because of the shrimp they eat. (MaryClare)

Squirrels shade themselves with their tails, and brown bears have no natural enemies in deciduous forests. (Brittany)

There are 14 different species of tortoises on the Galapagos Islands. (Maggie)

Both male and female bison, found only on the American prairie, have horns. (Rheanna)

Sixteen per cent of the Earth is covered with frozen tundra. Brr!! So much for global warming! (Patrick)

Scorpions have lived on earth for four million years. It's no wonder because they can go without food for a whole year. (Keith)

Lake Winipesauke has 253 islands in it, and its outer perimeter measures 182 miles. (Alex B.)

The dioramas were displayed in the hall for everybody in the school to enjoy.

We're continuing to work hard. Double digit multipliers is the topic in math. In religion the students are learning the saga of Moses in Exodus: the ten plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the golden calf... A test on the Ten Commandments is the next big test on the agenda. Please continue to have your children read on a daily basis. Twenty minutes of reading is part of the daily homework. It need not be fiction; students are encouraged to reread science or social studies lessons from that day's class.

A Happy Thanksgivng to all of you. I am very grateful that I am your children's teacher. Keep in touch.

Mrs. T

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