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Grade 4: Building empathy

In fourth grade, students explore socioeconomic diversity. We read the book Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts and explore the important theme of want versus need. We also engage in a novel study on Yang the Youngest and his Terrible Ear that explores cultural differences where the main character struggles to maintain his cultural identity while adapting to life in a new country. This book also explores themes of socioeconomic diversity as the family balances the wants and needs of their children. 
 
Fourth grade also introduces neurodiversity through reading Fish in a Tree, where the protagonist struggles to understand her learning disability and how it impacts her life. During this unit, we teach students about learning differences and explore what it's like to learn and be successful with a learning disability.
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