CCES Special Areas Newsletter
September Art, Music and PE Updates
Art with Mrs. Steffensen
We have been busy working on our first lessons in Art. Kindergarteners are mixing primary colors to make secondary colors. We’re planning to use this “painted paper” to create animals in the style of Eric Carle. First graders have been studying the moon and creating a Ghost Eye painting. They have been mixing tints and shades and learning about showing distance in an artwork. Second graders are working in the style of Hundertwasser, an Austrian painter and architect. They are trying out the medium of liquid watercolor and loving its vibrant colors. Third graders are creating a Blue Dog in the style of painter George Rodrigue. It will include visual texture, making our dogs look fuzzy. Fourth graders are playing with proportion, creating an artwork that contains a mini selfie. And our Fifth grade artists are creating self-portrait paintings in a posterized style, with different areas of value. Mrs. Steffensen feels lucky to spend her days in our amazing Art Room with the CCES artists! Thank you Colt families for your support of our Art program.
Email: steffensen@fultonschools.org
Twitter: @ColtsArt
Music with Mr. DeStefano
To start off the year, we have been focusing on beat and rhythm in music classes. Students are experiencing beat and rhythm through playing and listening to music and are even able to tell the difference between beat and rhythm. Kindergarten and First grade classes march into class every day, feeling the beat in their bodies. Kindergarten classes have been learning about long and short sounds (rhythm), have created name clapping patterns and have started playing rhythmic rhymes using instruments. First graders have been reading beginning rhythm notation and decoding what they hear into rhythm patterns. Second graders have reviewed rhythm patterns they learned in first grade and have used instruments to create variations of a rhythmic rhyme. Second graders will soon be learning about meter, which is how music beats are grouped together in a song. Third graders have worked in small groups to arrange music notes to create rhythm variations. Third graders have also started working on music for their grade level concert which is on November 1st. In fourth grade, students have reviewed reading sixteenth notes. They have learned a theme song using sixteenth notes, then worked in groups to arrange beats into their own variations. In fifth grade, we are learning about syncopated rhythms by using body percussion and singing a traditional African welcome song. In addition, we have been working on drumming skills.
Our after school music groups are off to a great start! The Orff Ensemble has grown to 27 students! It looks like Mr. D will have to buy a few more xylophones to make sure everyone has a part to play! Chorus has almost 70 students so far! We are excited to be getting started and look forward to an exciting year of making music together.
FUN FACT: the ability to keep a steady beat has been linked to improved reading fluency.
Email: destefanodc@fultonschools.org
Twitter: @MusicAtCCES
Physical Education with Mr. Abel and Mr. Sylvester
For the next couple of weeks we will be focusing on throwing and catching and the many games and activities associated with that skill.
WELLNESS TIP OF THE MONTH: PRIORITIZE YOUR TIME WITH EXERCISE, HEALTHY MEALS AND FAMILY FUN.
Email: abel@fultonschools.org