artspeak
Art, Music, & Spanish - Fort Thomas Independent Schools
Edition 2.1 - October 2015
For those new to our district, this web based newsletter provides a collection of highlights from our Art, Music, and Spanish classrooms at Johnson, Moyer, and Woodfill Elementary schools. As a team of primary and intermediate teachers district-wide, it is our goal to help you to learn about the incredible programs we offer in Fort Thomas Independent Schools each and every week.
Thank you,
Julie Dashley (K-2 Spanish)
Nikki Everett (K-2 Art)
Jennifer Flynn (3-5 Art)
Silvia McClamrock (3-5 Spanish)
David Rockel (3-5 Music)
Mary Scaggs (K-2 Music)
4th Grade Spanish - Señora McClamrock
In the 4th grade we are starting the year off by reviewing our daily questions (date, weather, emotions) and learning new vocabulary about fruit. This whole year we are concentrating on food! Students got to make a drawing of a person or animal made of fruit, labeled in Spanish. The examples are from Anna and Ava at Johnson.
Also, we were lucky to have Dominic’s mother and grandmother, visiting from Spain, help us with our fruit vocabulary and tell us about life in Spain. If you want extra practice, visit this link and sing the Frutas song with your student!
Silvia McClamrock
3-5 Spanish Educator FTIS
Kindergarten Music - Mrs. Scaggs
We are also learning about melody and rhythm. We play musical instruments and sing songs to reinforce these concepts. We are exploring the high and low pitches in melody and the using solfege signs to represent sol and mi. Your children have also been learning about rhythm in 4/4 time signature and creating rhythms using quarter notes/rests and eighth notes. We then use our singing voices to learn a few Christopher Columbus songs. Ask them to sing some of their songs that they have learned!
Mary Scaggs
K-2 Music Educator FTIS
3rd Grade Art with Mrs. Flynn
What does a choice-based art classroom look like? Our art program offers students the opportunity to create their own unique plan for artworks during the year, and during studio time the classroom is buzzing with artists utilizing a wide variety of materials. Students find a place in the room that best fits their work style, so some are standing, while others sit on the floor. It's an exciting space where students use big dreams and creative problem solving to see their ideas come to life.
Jennifer Flynn
3-5 Visual Art Educator FTIS
Big Idea - Community
What is community? How does art affect our community? Where is it in our community?
2nd grade Spanish with Señora Dashley
In Second grade Spanish, we are participating in Journey North's symbolic monarch migration to Mexico. In class, we make paper butterflies that we then to send to schools in Mexico. Just like real monarchs, our butterflies are "kept warm" there for the winter months in the hands of a student that lives near the Monarch's winter home. In the spring, we receive butterflies, but they are not our own, as monarchs never return to the exact location. I love this project because it connects us with Spanish-speaking students in a neat way. In this picture, Mrs. Kendall's class at Moyer shows their big class butterfly as well as the Mexican flags that they made.
Julie Dashley
K-2 Spanish Educator FTIS
1st Grade Art with Mrs. Everett
In Mrs. Everett's studio, the 1st graders have been learning how to "Think Like an Artist." We started out the year learning procedures and how to use our sketchbooks. The first step we learned was that artists PLAN their work. Part of planning is exploring and researching things that are interesting to you. Here are some of the 1st graders at Woodfill who are exploring and planning their work. They have been inspired by the materials at each center and by each other's ideas. Next, we will work on editing our work, writing about our work and sharing our work.
Each time we learn something - there is a "scribble" stage. This introductory year will be full of exploration and scribbles, but it will also be filled with growth, knowledge and experience needed to become a creative and independent thinker. One of the greatest parts of my job is seeing the pride and joy my students have when they finish a project that they came up with themselves!
Nikki Everett
K-2 Visual Art Educator FTIS
5th Grade Music with Mr. Rockel
The fifth grade is working on “Mallet Madness.” This is a program that uses Woods, metals, and skins to help better understand the elements of music and how they work together. We are now becoming proficient at reading rhythms using quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes. We even composed our own two-measure rhythm.
David Rockel
3-5 Music Educator FTIS
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Art in Bloom 2015
Celebrate the Cincinnati Art Museum’s fine art collections highlighted with 70 varied floral interpretations and special events.
Thursday, October 22 through Sunday, October 25, 2015
Open daily, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
8th Biennial Celebration
Symphony Spooktacular
Saturday, October 31, 2015
What are YOU planning for Halloween morning?
Symphony Spooktacular is the first in the season of Lollipop Concerts at Cincinnati Music Hall. "Enrich your child's world with dynamic musical programs recommended for families with children ages 2-10."
"Costumes are encouraged at this family-friendly concert of fun and spooky music, including Night on Bald Mountain and music from Harry Potter!"
FREE Family Fun Zone starts at 9:30 am
Concert at 10:30 am (Tickets required)
Visit Website for more information and to purchase tickets
Latin American Culture Fest
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Saturday, November 15, 2015
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Read blog posts, see pictures, and view resource information for every grade!
Art room donations!
Thank you for your help in keeping our art studio stocked!
Clean plastic caps from milk, juice, pop bottles, etc.
Paper towel / Toilet paper rolls
Tissue paper pre-cut into rectangles of various sizes
Pre-cut magazine images of plants, animals, and food
Online Art Exhibits
Don't forget to visit our ever-expanding online exhibits!