4th Grade
Physical
· Puberty beginning in girls- half and half
· Increased interest in sports- many of the students live for basketball—several put basketball as their favorite free time activity—they are always asking us to practice and games
· Fine motor coordination- some students have very good handwriting and seem to have more control over their fine motor skills, but others are a little less coordinated in this aspect

Intellectual
· Children can write thoughts and give examples- students had no problem putting their responses to our survey questions into written form— when asked for examples of a toy for either a boy or a girl, some gave answers to both (A said boys- ninja people, girls- hair bows and J and A said boys- gundam wing, girls- dolls)
· Use logical reasoning- we asked them if and how boys and girls are similar or different on TV as in real life—most noted the money differences (TV kids are snotty and rich and real kids are nice and poor)

Social and Emotional
· Narrower variety of friends- the girls seem to have fewer, closer relationships (they have very defined cliques and are quite mean to “outsiders” at times)—boys have more, less intimate relationships (most of them get along)
· Social support is necessary- both boys and girls, but particularly girls look for their friends to back up their opinions and approve of their ideas
· Increased interest in video games- particularly boys—2 of the 4 boys mentioned playing play station as their favorite activity
· Increasingly interested in the opposite sex- both, mostly girls—they are always talking about their boyfriends or who they like

5th Grade
Physical
· Have acquired fine motor development- more legible and neater handwriting, though some are still not developed as others-J likes to use his hands to carve and sculpt
· Girls are ahead of boys in physical maturity- overall the girls are “beginning to bud” (like my mom used to say), while the boys just keep plugging along
· Relate to knowledge and experience of coach, trainer, or instructor- when asked what they want to be, B said a teacher like Ms. M

Intellectual
· Interested in discussing a future career-  all were very involved in the survey about what they wanted to be—in between the questions they were chatting to Ms. M and their friends about their plans
· Capable of understanding concepts without having direct hands-on experience- in a small reading group with T and J., I asked about a picture on a page we had just read—T would interpret the story correctly and then she wanted to act out the passage or illustrations after explaining them—she thought it would help J. understand better

Social and Emotional
· Appreciates the linkage between moral rules and social conventions- when reprimanded for name calling or poking fun, students tend to say (when asked why they shouldn’t do it) they should not because it causes hurt feelings
· Sibling rivalry tends to increase- sometimes they are quite vicious, using mean words and rough physical contact (particularly J and K vs. A)

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