Spotlight on Specials
Third 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, how to care for our books, and the proper use of shelf markers. We also discussed our safety procedures at RE, where we would go, and what our jobs are. We discussed ways to find a “just right” book to check out of the library. We talked about choosing “good fit” books when we come to the library using the acronym “I PICK. 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.
3rd grade has created a secret message watercolor art project in the style of Paul Klee. These turned out beautiful and very vibrant. As a class, we have talked about our 3rd-grade field trip in February to the symphony and Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Over the next few months, we will be doing projects that relate to musical instruments from the symphony followed by art with mythical creatures. All of these projects support and lead up to our trip.
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.
Third grade students spent this first quarter preparing for their program, “Spaced Out! A musical about our solar system and beyond.” I am very proud of the hard work and effort your children are putting into this project. Looking into the rest of the year, students will be working on rhythm and note reading, writing, singing, creative movement, and playing. We will also begin a recorder unit during the 3rd quarter! 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 with 3rd grade! They are so much fun to teach! We began the year reviewing the importance of P.E. and how to live a healthy and active lifestyle outside of school. The 3rd-5th graders have P.E. for one hour a week, and it has been a great and exciting adjustment for 3rd grade, as it is their first year to have that full hour on their P.E. day. 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! 3rd grade is also an exciting year because it is the first year the students participate in the Pacer Test. The pacer test is a test to see how long students can run. 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. That being said, I am so extremely proud of them after their first pacer test! They all did amazing. 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 and the Acceptable Use Policy.
Students began working on keyboarding skills. We practice a portion of technology specials working with our 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 remote app currently has Ainsworth Keyboarding available to kids for at home practice. We also took a little time to learn where special commands were at in our new MS 2016. Students had to do a scavenger hunt for various commands.