Unit of Inquiry: We have begun our final unit of the year! We are working from the transdisciplinary theme of Sharing the Planet. Our central idea is...

Reaching a resolution during periods of conflict is influenced by the actions and reactions of those involved.

We have been using the following lines of inquiry to deepen our understanding of how skills help us to both to manage conflict and to maintain peace...

*the  points  of  view  of  the  par0cipants  in  a  conflict    

*using  perspec0ves  to  understand  ourselves  and  others  

*strategies  to  manage  or  resolve  conflict  and  maintain  peace  

This week, we have been reading a number of picture books, to help us examine peacemakers from a historical perspective. We have discussed the lives of Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams.

NEWSLETTERF R I D A Y , M A Y 1 6 , 2 0 1 4

4C

June 11Last day of schoolHalf day

June 12CI/Choate Joint ConcertMain Theatre 4 pm

May 17KISAC Swim MeetCI Aquatics Center

May 24Family Fun DaySoccer !eld 12 pm

June 6VS ConcertMain Theatre 1pm

June 6Conferences

Calendar Items

June 9Sports Day

June 10International Day

Additionally, we learned about five conflict management styles and the children took

a test to determine which style matched their personalities and their style of dealing

with personal disputes with their peers. Ask your child which style suits him/her!

! ! ! The Turtle: Avoidance The strength of this style is that this person can easily look past ! ! ! conflicts and realizes most conflicts will solve themselves. They are calm on the outside

! and ! ! help de-escalate emotions in conflict.

The Teddy Bear: Accommodation The strength of this style is how likeable and lovable

this person is in most situations. How could you be mad at them? They want and need

harmony. They will accept blame just to bring peace to angry situations. The struggle of this style is that a teddy bear may be taken advantage of, becoming a doormat. The can

enable others by not allowing them to face and wrestle with conflict.

The Owl: Collaboration The strength of this style is integrity. Owls can build trust, respect and deeper relationship. They are not tied to their way and tend to have an open mind for pragmatic solutions that create a win-win experience. The struggle is that owls must have

two willing parties to collaborate. These parties must have high levels of communication

skills and emotional intelligence.

The Shark: Competition The strength of this style is the ability to be strong, courageous, and

bring a conflict out in the open quickly. A shark is a leader that can confront bullies. The

struggles are becoming too pushy, tactless, and hurting peoples’ feelings. Sharks can escalate

emotions and create barriers easily.

The Fox: Compromise Their strength is communication and a willingness to find win-win

or lose-lose compromises. Often the fox is able to craft intelligent intermediate solutions. The struggles are deceptiveness and manipulation. People may feel “outfoxed” and cheated

by foxes.

In the last week, we have reflected on the previous unit, How the World Works. The students completed science experiments, answering a number of questions while utilizing the scientific inquiry cycle. The students posted demonstration videos from their experiments and investigations on their personal Chadwick blogs, explaining their procedures, showing their data collection process and publishing their findings. The experiments can also be found on the Fourth Grade Science Library Blog at http://blogs.chadwickschool.org/scienceexperimentlibrary/.

On June 6, 2014, we will have Student-Led Parent Conferences. By the end of next week, we will send a letter home, informing you of your specific conference time. Please be on the look-out for this important end-of-the-year information.