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| Owl Projects in Mr. Gay's Class |
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| Making Predictions |
Students are officially back at it! Work began before break is now ready for display and post-break work is in evidence as well. Mrs. Pappert's second graders have been learning about weather and clouds, while across the hall, Mr. Gay's students displayed their annual Owl Research Projects with another Process & Product Display (a unit of study completed by all second grade). Kinder is going strong, with our youngest students participating in everything from writing workshop in Mrs. Ryan's class to beginning their day with making predictions about their decodable readers in Ms. Farmer's classroom (and consistent use of our Innovation Stations as a teaching tool - love that!)
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| "Misplaced Nose Bikini Mommy" by Gustavo |
Fourth grade students are showcasing their work as well with some very interesting student created art in Mrs. Hunter's Language Arts classes. She tells me students researched art forms, Renaissance period through the late 1800's and beyond, in connection with their novel
The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler; they also will use their research as an intro to their upcoming Shakespearean unit of study. All well done, including Andres' "granite" sculpture modeled after a family friend's real-life piece and Gustavo's piece inspired by da Vinci's
Mona Lisa... and his mom. When asked, Gustavo readily told me he used the Italian art style of "chiaroscuro, which uses contrasts between light and dark". Something I didn't know. Impressive.
Of course, this week there were many lessons and activities connected to the upcoming Martin Luther King holiday, as well as introductory lessons connected to February's Black History Month. Our language arts units of study, particularly in grades 2-5, explore many themes connected to African American experiences, art classes are using the Faith Ringgold book
Tar Beach to "create...mixed media artwork similar to the book's illustrations", and much more. Our children are learning valuable life lessons on the sacrifices, courage, and contributions of African American people in our society and the struggles they experienced by speaking their truth. Not an easy road by any means, but a necessary one in order to affect real, good, and needed change. This week was specifically dedicated to Dr. King's life and a celebration of who he was and what he stood for...and still symbolizes today. Some of these celebrations are detailed below.
Mrs. Ryan's K students learned a song and practiced their piece for me one day, a piece entitled "Stand Up for Martin Luther King". And they did.
Second graders used the arts integration strategy DAR (describe, analyze, and relate) with a poster depicting Dr. King and the expansive crowd at his
I Have a Dream speech. They will carry what they learn into the next few weeks' research on Black inventors and other prominent African Americans in the upcoming Biography Unit.
Mrs. Leibick's LA students discussed the life story of Galileo and the immense personal sacrifice he made - house arrest in fact - for defending the Copernicus Theory. Students did a pair share of their own personal injustice experiences, tying it all into a discussion of Dr. King. Mrs. Leibick tells me students will eventually "discuss 'Speaking Truth to Power' and what happens when people stand up for an unpopular view or challenge the accepted thinking of their society. Students are making portrait reports on 16 different individuals, including Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Marian Anderson, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela...on individuals throughout history who challenged the views of their times". And the impact that their life and work still has today.
And finally, I listened in as Mrs. Davis was sharing the picture book
My Big Brother Martin, written by his sister Christine King Farris. These first grader's learned about the childhood of Dr. King, his intelligence and aptitude in school, and his watershed moment where he and his siblings were no longer allowed to play with their white friends because of the color of their skin. And the statement he made to his mother, "Mother Dear, one day I'm going to turn the world upside down". And he did. When asked by Mrs. Davis if Dr. King is known today for his violent ways, Morgan very simply said, "He fought with his words". And so he did. One very good reason to continue honoring and celebrating the life and work of this very important man.
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| Dr. Martin Luther King celebrated by Mrs. Davis' artists |
Fourth grade students are showcasing their work as well with some very interesting student created art in Mrs. Hunter's Language Arts classes. She tells me students researched art forms, Renaissance period through the late 1800's and beyond, in connection with their novel The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler; they also will use their research as an intro to their upcoming Shakespearean unit of study. All well done, including Andres' "granite" sculpture modeled after a family friend's real-life piece and Gustavo's piece inspired by da Vinci's Mona Lisa... and his mom. When asked, Gustavo readily told me he used the Italian art style of "chiaroscuro, which uses contrasts between light and dark". Something I didn't know. Impressive.
Mrs. Ryan's K students learned a song and practiced their piece for me one day, a piece entitled "Stand Up for Martin Luther King". And they did.
Second graders used the arts integration strategy DAR (describe, analyze, and relate) with a poster depicting Dr. King and the expansive crowd at his I Have a Dream speech. They will carry what they learn into the next few weeks' research on Black inventors and other prominent African Americans in the upcoming Biography Unit.
Mrs. Leibick's LA students discussed the life story of Galileo and the immense personal sacrifice he made - house arrest in fact - for defending the Copernicus Theory. Students did a pair share of their own personal injustice experiences, tying it all into a discussion of Dr. King. Mrs. Leibick tells me students will eventually "discuss 'Speaking Truth to Power' and what happens when people stand up for an unpopular view or challenge the accepted thinking of their society. Students are making portrait reports on 16 different individuals, including Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Marian Anderson, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela...on individuals throughout history who challenged the views of their times". And the impact that their life and work still has today.
And finally, I listened in as Mrs. Davis was sharing the picture book My Big Brother Martin, written by his sister Christine King Farris. These first grader's learned about the childhood of Dr. King, his intelligence and aptitude in school, and his watershed moment where he and his siblings were no longer allowed to play with their white friends because of the color of their skin. And the statement he made to his mother, "Mother Dear, one day I'm going to turn the world upside down". And he did. When asked by Mrs. Davis if Dr. King is known today for his violent ways, Morgan very simply said, "He fought with his words". And so he did. One very good reason to continue honoring and celebrating the life and work of this very important man.
