4th grade “rocks” this trimester! We have been working on our study of soil and different types of rocks in science. Students learned about physical weathering by shaking rocks in a fun (but noisy!) lab, observed the changes rocks experience during chemical weathering, and will soon be creating their own fossils. For our seasonal STEM activity, we were inspired by the engineering feats of Punkin Chunkin and researched how catapults work. We then designed our own and tested how far we could launch a candy pumpkin.
In Social Studies, we have been learning about how people are connected in our community and how our local government and economy works. Students worked in groups to identify problems in our community and created viable solutions that they presented to the class. Our 4th graders also had a blast creating their own businesses based on what they felt the community needed. Next up we will dive into the history of New Jersey.