Drew Elementary Arts Team
Marking Period One News
Art News from Mrs. Forman
Hello, Drew community! I’m Kristen Forman and I’m honored to be starting my 7th year of teaching with the Drew family as the full-time art teacher. Ms. Kimberly Hernandez is also joining our team. She is teaching fourth and fifth grade students on Tuesday afternoons. Please welcome Ms. Hernandez to art classes 4C and 5C.
Many students explored what “peace” meant to them through Pinwheels for Peace and International Day of Peace (which was on Thursday, September 21st, 2017) during this first marking period. Preschool, Head Start, and first grade put their Pinwheels for Peace outside the school so that their peaceful messages could blow in the breeze and spread throughout the Drew community. Second graders were inspired by Picasso—they interpreted the use of the dove in his artwork in their own art. Third graders made clay Pinwheels for Peace.
Fourth grade students are preparing for field trips to Glenstone sculpture park in Potomac on October 12th and 13th. This destination features the work of Richard Serra, Jeff Koons, and Tony Smith, among others. Stay tuned for more information!
Fifth grade students have been refreshing their paint techniques through primary color gradients.
Please email me with any questions at Kristen_E_Forman@mcpsmd.org.
Media News with Mrs. Gardner
Drew Elementary students are off to a fantastic start in Media this year! Students now come to Media every other week on a set day. On the other weeks, I will be supporting students in their classrooms, as well as working with students on grade-level extended writing projects and project-based learning opportunities. Students are welcome and encouraged to exchange their media books whenever the media center is open.
We have a new learning space in our Media Center this year – a Maker Space! This space will be used by teachers and students to work on hands-on learning activities and engaging projects.
Our first marking period has already been quite busy. Students are working hard to practice their PBIS behavior expectations, as well as reviewing what it looks like to be responsible, respectful, and safe with their books.
For Marking Period One, in Kindergarten, students will focus on identifying parts of a book, making great book choices, and hearing awesome read alouds to encourage literacy. First grade students will be learning about Super 3. Super 3 is an introductory information literacy model used to help students learn how to solve problems and find information using the strategies of Plan, Do, and Review. Second graders will also be introduced to Super 3 as they work on their classroom nutrition research. Third graders will incorporate information literacy resources and skills into their Community Action Research projects. Fourth graders will learn about the next level of information literacy, Eisenberg and Berkowitz’s Big 6 information literacy model. Fourth graders will use this model in future projects, including their historical fiction extended writing project for this marking period. Fifth graders will also learn about the Big 6 as they work on their Sources of Energy extended writing project in their classrooms and in Media.
It is going to be a great year in Media!
Please email me with any questions at Eileen_Gardner@mcpsmd.org.
Music News from Mrs. Mauck
Welcoming our students back to Drew has been great! It's good to see everyone returning with a smile and excited face to see friends young and old ready to learn together! That word, "together" is one of the cornerstones of music; each and every student moving, singing, playing and in some cases, such as chorus, BREATHING at the same time! Now THAT, is collaboration!
Setting the stage at every grade level begins with establishing routines in the music room, which is what we have been doing for most of the first marking period. Fifth graders have a field trip to Strathmore Music Center in the last full week of October, where a multi-media blues concert will take place. In preparation, students learn to play and notate 12 Bar Blues progression and compose their own blues lyrics. Drew fourth graders will have a unique experience this year because of a grant provided to us by Glenstone Foundation and Strathmore's "Think Big Cafe." Throughout the year fourth graders will go on a series of field trips that lead students to create stories and instruments on their own, and in a non-traditional way. In the music room, students are experiencing abstract sculpture from a creative movement perspective so that when they travel to Glenstone Sculpture Garden on October 12th or 13th, they will have a resource from which to view the unusual sculptures. Stay "tuned" as our project comes together!
Please email me with any questions at Shelly_H_Mauck@mcpsmd.org.
P.E. Happenings with Mrs. Rinker
Hello Drew Families!
Our students are working very hard in the gym. All classes are familiar with what our Drew expectations, respect, responsibility, and safety, look like in P.E. class. Please help to remind your child to be safe by wearing sneakers on their assigned day.
This marking period, Pre-K to Grade 2 are learning about movement skills such as locomotor movements, special awareness, pathways, levels, and directions. We are also discussing the importance of rules and safety.
Our third through fifth graders are learning ball skills with hands and feet, (dribbling, passing, and shooting). We are also learning the four components of fitness, (cardio, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility). The students are practicing to find their resting heart rates and trying to stay in their target heart rate zone during activity time, (approximately 130-160 beats per minute).
If you have any questions, please email me at Lauren_G_Rinker@mcpsmd.org.