Fourth Grade

"4th Grade" is the title of episode 412 of the South Park television series. This fourth season episode originally aired November 8, 2000 and covers the main characters' first day of fourth grade. The three previous seasons of the program featured the main characters in the 3rd grade with Mr. Garrison in the role of teacher. This grade-change plot device allowed the writers to introduce a new teacher, Ms. Choksondik and also make a new opening sequence in which the show was said to be "Faster", have "more explosions" and that "You love it".

Synopsis
Upon entering fourth grade, the storyline has the boys lamenting their days in the third grade. Driven by the strictness of their new teacher, they realize that they took the ease of the third grade for granted. As part of the story, they contact a couple of science nerds to build them a time machine so they can travel back in time.

Ms. Choksondik then goes on a journey to find Mr. Garrison in order to learn how to handle her new class. It turns out that Mr Garrison went insane after his book was officially named the gayest book of all time, going into the mountains to be a hermit. Mr. Garrison trains Ms. Choksondik, then comes to the realization that he needs to admit and confront his homosexuality, which leads to the episode's conclusion where Mr. Garrison openly acknowledges his homosexuality to Principal Victoria, Chef and Mr. Mackey.

Kenny's Death
Kenny is put onto a relay, which rolls down the road straight on at Timmy's out of control wheelchair. While trying to cut the wires on Timmy's wheelchair, Kenny misses the wheelchair and goes straight past it. Kenny hit a pothole, and flipped over onto his face. He says "I'm okay," then suddenly gets jerked back. His face gets dragged along the road, and that kills him. Stan comments (sarcastically): "Well, who didn't see that coming?"

Surprisingly, in a later scene directly after Cartman says: "Au revoir, teacher," Kenny is sitting next to Stan in the class again. He is seen up until one of the nerds yells: "I'll kill you!" In the next scene, Kenny is nowhere to be found.

Trivia

 * This episode references a "Geek Debate" attempting to determine how many episodes of Star Trek exist. The debate centers on the status of the episode "The Menagerie." Additionally, both amounts of episodes quoted by the geeks (72 and 73) are incorrect; the original series of Star Trek had 79 episodes.
 * In this episode only, Ms.Choksondik speaks in a British-like accent.
 * The two geeks are based on the sound people who work on the show.
 * Parodies The Empire Strikes Back with Mr. Garrison acting like Yoda while training Ms. Choksondik how to handle the children. Mr. Garrison even speaks in a Yoda-like voice for a moment.
 * Timmy, whose vocabulary has previously appeared to be restricted to his own name, in this episode manages to expand his vocabulary to "Please help me!"
 * This episode features a new opening, used until the end of the fifth season.
 * The geek's room is littered with aliens from other episodes; including a toy Marklar, a poster of the South Park alien and Spooky Fish on their door.
 * Cartman says "Ha ha, charade you are" to Mrs. Choksondik, a reference to Pink Floyd's song Pigs (Three Different Ones). This is the third time he cites this song, first in Cat Orgy and later in Scott Tenorman Must Die
 * The situation with Timmy unable to stop the wheelchair or get off it is a parody of the movie Speed, The 5mph reference may be a nod at an episode of the popular Irish/UK comedy Father Ted.
 * The duck taped to the microwave is possibly a reference to The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars.
 * When the two nerds talks about the number of episodes in Star Trek the blonde nerd changes his mind; The first time he claims there are 72 episodes but when Stan, Kyle and Cartman visits him he says there are 73 episodes.
 * Although Principal Victoria says that Mr. Garrison hasn't been seen since the last school year, he can be seen in a pew at the South Park church behind a man behind Ms. Cartman in Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?.
 * There is a poster on the geeks wall which says Lena, an obvious parody of Xena.