Curriculum & Instruction Newsletter
Fair Haven Public Schools
April 2022 - Volume 4, Issue 3
Goodbye winter blues, spring is here! Our staff and students have sprung into action with another marking period of engaging and fun-filled activities for our students. Students are reinforcing their learning in creative ways and are also seeing lessons in a new light, as content carries through into art and STEM opportunities.
Our students have grown so much since the beginning of the year and they have much to be proud of! While the next few months will undoubtedly fly by and we are already looking at plans for the fall, I have to remind myself to stop and smell the roses. Being attentive and aware in the present moment, appreciating each day for the little things that are good for the soul. The smiles, the laughs, the celebrations of learning...those things that make our learning community truly special.
I hope you all had a wonderful spring break!
Sincerely,
Cheryl Romano
Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Twitter: @FHCurriculum
“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.”
— Chinese Proverb
Structures of Life
Throughout the Structures of Life unit, students observe, compare, categorize, and care for a
selection of organisms. Students also engage in science and engineering practices to investigate structures and behaviors of the organisms and learn how some of the structures function in growth and survival.
In this current science adventure, students were investigating how seeds and beans can grow in only water, without soil. They have recorded their observations each day making sure to update the changes daily! Do you see the little sprouts? So exciting!
Bricks 4 Kidz
In this particular kindergarten class, Ms. Robinson's students work with Mrs. Sustick to create skyscrapers. With the Bricks 4 Kidz LEGO® building workshop, students can work collaboratively to create, allowing them to use their imagination to construct these tall buildings, with some added enhancements, such as stairs and bridges. Some students chose to collaborate and put their buildings together to form a new skyscraper complex!
The really amazing part about this is that the students came in knowing so much about skyscrapers because they just learned all about them in their Creative Curriculum Building Study! It is so wonderful to see how our curricula intersect in so many ways, providing students with experiences that will last a lifetime.
French Fashion
As students learn about French fashion and clothing, they put on a real fashion show in class! Students selected their own clothing and music, then did their best runway walk while describing their outfits in French. What a great way to show what they know and have fun too!
Algebra is Amazing
In real life, the quadratic formula helps in determining the area of space, the speed of a moving object, the value of profit gained on a product, and more. Even the path of a space rocket is described in terms of a quadratic equation.
Students in Mrs. Cook's and Mr. O'Hare's classes have the opportunity to do a multimedia project, showing how creative they can be in understanding the quadratic formula. From videos, to poems, to programming a virtual turtle, these students really represented their knowledge in truly unique ways. Below, please check out the links to a few videos produced by Kat Harvey, Hannah Delaney, and Missy McCaskill-Schock:
Check out this Voki created by Bobby Quaglia:
And let's also celebrate our amazing writers. Check out Conor Quinn's poem about the quadratic formula:
To be or not to be, x is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
Or use the negative b
Or to take or add to it
The slings and arrows of
An outrageous discriminant
Of a squarish b
And a 4ac of troubles,
And by opposing square root them.
To divide, to sleep, to place a 2a; and by a sleep to say
We end
The heartache of
The quadratic equation
Nonfiction in First Grade
Art Across All Grades
Dr. LaBrocca's third graders are creating sculptures using Plastercraft. These sculptures will become characters in a short skit.
World Trade Simulation
Celebrating Folktales and Fairytales
Peer Leaders and Student Council Support Learning
Student Voice...Exploring a Student's Passion
When thinking back to when I was an 8th grade student, I tried to remember what, if any, in depth knowledge I had about any one subject or a topic that I was extremely passionate about. Quite honestly, I don't think I did. I was a good student with good grades, I did the work that was required of me, but that is the extent of my middle school knowledge.
I am writing this to say that I have had the opportunity to meet an exceptional student, one that made me, as an adult, think deeply about a topic. Conor Quinn is this student. With a deep knowledge of Russian history and a passion for the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Conor has tracked the war, the military strategies, the equipment, and a host of other related topics to create a "Ukrainian War Findings" presentation.
Conor's passion was infectious, as he not only presented his findings one time, he had to hold a second and third session for interested students. Students voluntarily gave up their recess time to spend 30 minutes with Conor to learn the facts associated with the war. They asked questions relevant to the content and Conor, without skipping a beat, responded with the facts he had uncovered.
Conor expertly discussed the implications of war and the military strategies that have been employed thus far. He analyzed the tactics used to draw conclusions about what is to come next. He also talked about the weaponry that has been utilized, showing a decline in the use of military tanks from the Russian armies, as they can easily be destroyed with weapons that take little practice to use and deploy. Conor also talked about the rise in use of armed drones, which can be impactful in warfare.
Other considerations in Conor's war findings included that while this can be considered asymmetrical warfare, with a large, armed super power, morale can play a huge role in the success of any army. With many Russian soldiers being conscripts, their drive to fight is not one of a personal nature, that would fuel their patriotic passion. Additionally, through the use of social media, Ukraine has been successfully rallying national support. Conor also brings the war findings back to reality, sharing the fear there is to escalate a war when nuclear weapons can be brought into the fold.
While this assignment was not part of a class, the motivation that Conor had to delve into this current event, reflect on the history of Ukraine and Russia, present the current facts surrounding the war, and share his findings was remarkable. It takes courage to present to your classmates, and Conor is one brave, extremely talented student with a passion that is hard to match.