Spotlight on Specials
Fourth Grade -First Quarter 2016-2017
Exploratory Team
Library
I truly enjoy being the Library Media Specialist here at Riverview Elementary! We have an amazing school filled with eager-to-learn, wonderful students and dedicated, caring staff! It is so much fun getting to work with former students again and getting acquainted with all the fantastic kindergarten through fifth graders here at Riverview. I love getting kids excited about reading, introducing them to new books and authors they may not have read before, and researching with them! My goal is to develop lifelong readers!
This year is my 26th year of teaching. I taught second grade a total of 12 years, first grade for 2 years, and Tutorial Math Grades 3-6 for 1 year. I also was a substitute teacher for 5 years after taking time off to raise my own children. This will be my eleventh year as the Library Media Specialist at Riverview.
In our library classes we reviewed rules and appropriate voice levels in the library, identified ways to care for our books, and discussed the proper use of shelf markers. We also discussed our safety procedures at RE, where we would go, and what our jobs are. We talked about different acronyms to help us in choosing a “good fit” book such as “I PICK” and “CAN IT BE FOR ME?” We reviewed library and reading vocabulary terms by playing a fun game called, “Library Lingo.” We took a look at the nominees for the William Allen White Award. Students are encouraged to participate in the William Allen White Reading Program for 3rd-5th graders by reading books off the lists. Students are able to vote on the book they want to win the WAW award as well as read some different authors they might not have read otherwise. More information is available on my website at: http://riverviewlibrary.weebly.com/ We watched a preview of some of the books coming to our Scholastic Book Fair which will be in the library on October 27th and 28th.
Art
I'm very excited to be teaching art at Riverview Elementary and I'm proud to say I work for the DeSoto School District. I have my BA in Studio Art and my MA in Curriculum and Instruction. I most recently taught middle school art for 11 years in Lawrence, KS. My family and I live in Lenexa, so I'm happy to be teaching very close to home now.
It is my philosophy that all Riverview students are artists. I teach art so my students can experience the art process of creating, using critical thinking, and developing problem-solving skills.
4th grade has been working on creating self-identity projects. The first was a drawing of their shoe or an idealized shoe of choice. Currently, we are finishing self-portraits of our faces that use proportion and guiding lines in the creation process. Five portrait styles and artists from different historical time periods were introduced. In addition, we spend one class period watching a PBS movie about a lost work of art by Leonardo Da Vinci that follows the forensic, scientific, historical and artistic evidence used to attribute this work of art to Leonardo Da Vinci.
Music
I’m so excited to be teaching Music at Riverview! This is my 23rd year in education, my 18th as a music teacher, and my 9th here as a Falcon! I received a Bachelor of Music Education from Louisiana State University, and Level 1 Certification for Orff-Schulwerk Music Education from Baker University.
During the first quarter, fourth grade students have been working diligently to prepare for Riverview’s annual Veterans Day assembly! As I have told the students, this is a fantastic opportunity for them to give a special gift to say “thank you” to those who have given so much for all of us. This program requires a great amount of maturity from our students. I have high expectations for them, and I know they will do a spectacular job on November 10th and 11th! Looking into the rest of the year, students will be working on rhythm and note reading writing, singing, dancing, and playing. This year we will be playing recorders again! Look for information coming soon on when students should start bringing in their instruments and what new materials we’ll be using. Each year I try to incorporate different musicians or styles of music in our lessons. This year we started with Frank Sinatra! Students listened to some of his music, like “Fly Me to the Moon,” and had a chance to share their ideas of what they’d like to do if they flew to the moon! Throughout the year, we will continue to build students’ listening stamina and discover new ways to describe the music we hear. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!
P.E.
I am so thankful I get to be the P.E. teacher at Riverview Elementary! This is my 2nd year in education, and I am so glad I was able to begin my career at Riverview. I absolutely love it! I received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the University of Kansas -- Rock Chalk! I love teaching the students the importance of physical activity, as well as how to live a healthy lifestyle, all while having tons of fun in the process!
It has been a great start to what is shaping up to be a great year for 4th grade! We began the year reviewing the importance of P.E. and how to live a healthy and active lifestyle outside of school. We spent a good portion of the quarter learning about cooperation and how important teamwork and sportsmanship is, not just in P.E., but also in life in general! The students have showed such great understanding and knowledge of sportsmanship and teamwork. I am constantly proud of them! They participated in many activities where their teamwork and sportsmanship was tested, such as “Capture the Flag”, “Yoshi”, “Pass the Chicken”, “Scavengers”, “Rocket” Attack”, and a few more! We were also able to reflect on how the students felt about their teamwork, and they were very proud of their class and how they worked together. They ran their first Pacer Test of the year and I am so proud of them! Each and every student did so amazing. It is a great way for students to set goals and also a great way to practice pacing themselves (to learn to not just run as fast as they can!). It is incredibly important to me to make sure the students know that this is not a race and that all I am looking for is for them to try their hardest and do their best. I will be proud of them no matter the amount of laps they run. We will learn a new “Word of the Week” each week. So far the words we have learned about are: sportsmanship, cooperation, responsibility, encourage, self-control, and compromise. This is going to be a great year, and we’ve just gotten started!
Technology
We started the year reviewing expectations, the district’s acceptable use policy.
Students also began working on keyboarding skills. We practice a portion of technology specials working with the Type to Learn Keyboarding Program. Students learned home row finger placement and various keyboarding techniques via lessons and games. Practice time at home tends to increase their words per minute and accuracy level. There are many free sites available. Our portal currently has Ainsworth Keyboarding available to kids for at home practice.
Fourth graders finished up their group digital footprint project. We discussed internet safety and what that could mean to them in the future as well as now. Students are encouraged to talk to parents or a trusted adult if they feel uncomfortable about anything anyone sends them or asks them to do online. Believe it or not, they are at the age where they start to feel confidence in "friending" strangers on Xbox, Playstation etc.... Some fourth graders have social apps like Instagram and SnapChat. Parents may or may not know that they have accounts. Please begin to have those talks with your children about their online presence and being overly trusting of those people you haven't met in person. As a parent, you need to know who your children are online with. Don't know where to start? Checkout the following resources:
http://www.internetsafety.com/internet-safety-tips-for-parents.php