Special Delivery October 2015
Oak Ridge Specials Teacher Newsletter Ed. 2
Kindergarten
Spotlight on Kindergarten Specials October 8th @6pm!
Media: Students are learning how to choose just the right book for us by using the IPICK method (letters C and K will come in time!). Students will create their own shelf marker and learn to use it when choosing a book from the library shelves.
Music: Students are creating rhythm patterns using steady beat, recognizing change in dynamics and tempo, as well as classifying sounds as musical or environmental. Coming up, students will use music to celebrate the fall season!
PE: Students are learning about the heart and being active, Work Out Buddies, Fundamental Fitness exercises, the skill cues and practice on rolling a ball and underhand throwing/catching.
Technology: Students have been fine tuning their mouse skills and integrating plant science using interactive websites, Smartboard lessons and eBooks. Coming up, we will be integrating reading skills by reviewing and reading more eBooks, identifying parts of books using Smartboard tools and discussing the roles of authors and illustrators.
Art: Students are learning about drawing the figure from head to toe, including: using parallel lines to create body forms like arms and legs, drawing arms from shoulders, not from heads or tummies; drawing legs from hips, not from one big ball for a body or drawing legs straight from the chest. Students will be creating personal family-memory drawings while learning how to create an artwork by: thinking of an idea, picturing the lines and shapes they will use to draw it, and then creating their drawings from foreground to background, then adding details to finish their compositions in Sharpie, (yes Sharpie!), before adding color. This will include learning about main idea and our ‘Stop, Hop, and Draw rule’, so the background goes behind the main idea and creates depth. Then students will learn to ‘see like an artist’, drawing what they actually see and not what they know in their heads! These realistic drawings will be of pumpkins with a scene of their choice created in the background. Please encourage students to practice these ideas with drawings at home!
First Grade
Media: Students will be learning how Everybody and Fiction books are arranged in the library.
Music: Students are using symbols to compose simple rhythm patterns, applying changes to dynamics and tempo when singing or playing, and classifying musical instruments as pitched or non-pitched. First graders will also explore how music is used in customs and traditions of various cultures.
PE: Students are learning about the heart and being active, Work Out Buddies, Fundamental Fitness Exercises, the skill cues and practice on rolling a ball and underhand throwing/catching.
Technology: Student have been fine tuning their mouse skills and integrating Forces in Motion science concepts using interactive websites, multimedia and Smartboard lessons. Coming up, we will be integrating reading skills as we use technology tools to gather information about fables, tall tales, fiction and nonfictional stories.
Art: The key elements of drawing the human figure have been reviewed, including: using parallel lines to create body forms like arms and legs, drawing arms from shoulders, not from heads or tummies; drawing legs from hips, not from one big ball for a body or drawing legs straight from the chest, using the class mannequin and themselves to understand the ball and socket of the arm and leg bones and how those bones rotate. Students will create personal family-memory drawings while reviewing and learning how to create a complete artwork by: thinking of an idea, picturing the lines and shapes they will use to draw it, and then creating their drawings from the foreground to background, and then adding details to finish their compositions before adding color. This will include reviewing main idea, the ‘Stop, hop, and draw rule’, so the background goes behind the main idea and creates depth, as well as learning how artists sometimes zoom into the main idea and have objects going off the page. From that lesson we will move into drawing what they see, not what they know in their heads. Students will learn about sketching and will do actual pumpkin stems and then pumpkins, before creating a final Fall artwork, including pumpkins with a background of their choice. Please encourage your child to practice these ideas with drawings at home!
Second Grade
Media: The students will reinforce classroom skills on nonfiction text features and nonfiction texts.
Music: Students are creating extended patterns over a steady beat and composing rhythm patterns in 3-beat measures Second graders will soon be beginning performance night preparations for December Round the World!
PE: Students are working on MVPA-Moderate to vigorous physical activities, breathing patterns when exercising and jogging techniques. Second graders are also exploring underhand throwing and catching skills.
Technology: Second graders have been integrating weather science using virtual labs, eBooks, multimedia and using online weather tools. Coming up we will review keyboarding skills and begin integrating reading skills. Students will explore both print and electronic text features using eBooks, Smartboard tools and online reading publications.
Art: The key elements of drawing the human figure have been reviewed, including: using parallel lines to create body forms like arms and legs, drawing arms from shoulders and legs from hips, using the class mannequin and themselves to understand the ball and socket of the arm and leg bones and how those bones rotate. Students will create personal family-memory drawings after reviewing and learning how to create a complete artwork by: thinking of an idea, picturing the lines and shapes they will use to draw their idea, and then creating their drawings from the foreground to background, then adding details to finish their compositions before adding color. This will include reviewing main idea, the ‘Stop, hop, and draw rule’, so the background goes behind the main idea and creates depth, as well as learning how artists sometimes zoom into the main idea and have objects going off the page. Second-graders will write a few sentences or more about their personal family-memory before beginning their drawings. From that lesson we will move into ‘drawing what they see’, not what they know in their heads. Students will learn about sketching and will do actual pumpkin stems and then pumpkins, before creating a final Fall artwork, including pumpkins with a background of their choice. Please encourage your child to practice these ideas with drawings at home!
Third Grade
Media: The third graders will reinforce dictionary skills that are being taught in the classroom.
Music: The third grade students are working on improvising, notating and composing rhythms in 4/4 meter. We will soon be beginning performance night preparations for December Round the World!
PE: Students are working on the pacer pre-test (aerobic capacity), the curl-up/sit-sit up pre-test and push up pre-test (muscular strength and endurance) and the sit and reach and trunk lift pre-tests (flexibility). They are also continuing their W.O.W.s (work out of the week).
Technology: The students have been integrating science/geography using online research skills. The students researched a body of water found in North Carolina and created a Word document to present their information. Coming up, we will review keyboarding skills and take a virtual field trip to Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.
Art: Students are learning about sketching; why artists sketch and how artists sketch, before creating multiple sketches of figures in motion as practice towards a final artwork of a scene with figures in motion. A basic understanding of how arms and legs move and rotate in a ball and socket motion was presented in addition to basic skeletal structure and correct proportions between upper and lower arms and legs. A review of how figures (bodies) are drawn was also given, which was then broken down for them into simple sketch form before proceeding with full drawings of figures in motion. As we proceed with this unit, each student will have use of a moveable wooden mannequin, (which they can hardly wait to use!), artist pencils and kneaded erasers, as well as drawing boards, to create their action sketches for their final artwork, which they will draw in Sharpie around their sketches, erase sketch lines, and then add, background, details, and color. Drawing the figure in motion is not easy, but gets easier with lots of practice in and outside of the Art Room.
Fourth Grade
Media: Students will be reviewing using Destiny to find books in the library as well as the organization of the nonfiction books in the library using the Dewey Decimal System.
Music: We have been working on notating and composing rhythms in music class. Coming up, students will arrange compositions with tempo and dynamics and incorporate an improvisation section.
PE: Students are working on the pacer pre-test (aerobic capacity), the curl-up/sit-sit up pre-test and push up pre-test (muscular strength and endurance) and the sit and reach and trunk lift pre-tests (flexibility). They are also continuing their W.O.W.s (work out of the week).
Technology: Fourth graders have been integrating science with technology. Students collaborated to conduct research on three different moon phases. We then recorded Paper Slide videos to present the research. Coming up, students will focus on social studies by gathering information about North Carolina landmarks and symbols. Students will go on an Internet Scavenger Hunt and present information learned using ToonDoo.
Art: Students are learning the basics of drawing three-dimensionally; using gradual shading to create depth, and foreshortening to draw the way an object is actually seen by our eyes. Students have learned about light source, gradual change, pen and ink drawings, and crosshatching, to enhance their drawing of objects with depth, starting with spheres and cylinders. In addition, students are using a variety of new tools including artist pencils from HB-6B, kneaded erasers, drawing boards, and three-dimensional foam forms (sphere, cone, cylinder, cube, etc.). Students will have multiple opportunities to sketch and shade objects in three-dimension before applying that knowledge and understanding to a still life of pumpkins and other natural forms for a final artwork in color. Mastery of these drawing techniques and knowledge rely on lots of practice in and outside of the Art Room.
Fifth Grade
Media: Students are going to focus on Theme to reinforce standards being taught in the regular classroom.
Music: In class we are working to compose and arrange in simple meter and include tempo markings. Students will also notate, improvise, compose and arrange in 6/8 meter.
PE: Students are working on the pacer pre-test (aerobic capacity), the curl-up/sit-sit up pre-test and push up pre-test (muscular strength and endurance) and the sit and reach and trunk lift pre-tests (flexibility). They are also continuing their W.O.W.s (work out of the week).
Technology: Students have been continuing to work on keyboarding skills using typing.com. Students can also practice on this site at home with their individual usernames and the "techlab" password. Fifth graders have also explored the States of Matter in the Tech Lab using interactive websites and an Internet Scavenger Hunt! Coming up, students will integrate reading skills as they explore characters and their conflicts and present that information using ToonDoo.
Art: Students are learning the basics of drawing three-dimensionally; using gradual shading to create depth, and foreshortening to draw the way an object is actually seen by our eyes. Students have learned about light source, gradual change, pen and ink drawings, and crosshatching, to enhance their drawing of objects with depth, starting with a sphere and cylinder. In addition, students are using a variety of new tools including artist pencils from HB-6B, kneaded erasers, drawing boards, and three-dimensional foam forms (sphere, cone, cylinder, cube, etc.). Students will have multiple opportunities to sketch and shade objects in three-dimension before applying that knowledge and understanding to a still life of pumpkins and other natural forms for a final artwork in color. Mastery of these drawing techniques and knowledge rely on lots of practice in and outside of the Art Room.
Research Lab
Mrs. Newman is partnering with your child’s classroom teacher to offer research-based activities in the Research Lab.
Monster Book Fair
The Monster Book Fair is coming to the ORE school library! All profits earned will be used to purchase new books in the library.
Book Fair Preview Days (Each classroom will sign up for a time to visit the book fair. Students will make a wish list plus they will receive a book fair flyer.) – Friday, September 30 and Thursday, October 1
Book Fair will be open each day Monday, October 5 – Friday, October 9. Monday through Thursday the book fair will be open 7:20am until 6:00pm.
Monday, October 5 from 7:20-7:45am we will have Doughnuts for Dads in the media center. Enjoy a light breakfast snack and shop the book fair.
Thursday, October 8 will be Family Night. We’ll be open 6pm until 8pm with family activities and shopping!
Friday, October 9 will be our Loved Ones Lunch and shopping. We’ll be open this day 7:20am until 3:00pm.