Spotlight on Specials
Second 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 behavior, 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 worked together in small groups to match and sequence the steps we follow when checking out books in the library. We discussed the acronym “I PICK” and other strategies when choosing a good fit book to check out. 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.
2nd grade has created a paper and yarn weaving project with chosen shape designs. Students are finishing oil pastel drawing of cupcakes in the style of Wayne Thiebaud. I made a cupcake for each student to draw from observation and enjoy at the end of class. These have turned out very fun and colorful!
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.
Second grade students have spent the first quarter building on rhythm skills we began in first grade. We spent time working to read, write, and sing melodies with sol, mi, and la (using hand signs along with voices). Students did a fantastic job with these skills! We also learned about reading the text of a song while following the music score – not an easy task! Folk dancing and creative movement are an important part of learning music. Students learn to listen for changes in music and they learn how to interpret music through their movement. This quarter, students learned a Ukranian folk dance, “Sasha!” and a traditional American song/dance, “Draw a Bucket of Water,” in addition to learning lots of other songs. 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! These pictures were on display outside the music classroom for all students and visitors to see. There were some really creative ideas! I’m looking forward to many more fun activities with this fabulous group of 2nd grade musicians! 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!
The 2nd graders began the year learning about the importance of P.E. and the rules and expectations I have for the students. It is my goal to help students learn why physical activity is so important, and how to live a healthy lifestyle outside of school. And of course we get to have fun in the process! We spent a lot of time doing many different cooperative activities, where students were able to learn more about teamwork and sportsmanship. After all, teamwork makes the dream work! I have been so impressed with the 2nd graders and their teamwork. They all have such caring and thoughtful personalities and really look out for one another. This quarter we also learned some new warm-up activities that will help them get started in the gym automatically upon their arrival, some of their favorites being “Laundry Tag”, “Hot Feet”, and “Lap Run”. Along with working on teamwork and sportsmanship, we began our throwing and catching unit, which we will continue on into 2nd quarter. So far, I am seeing such great talent and understanding and growing from all the students. 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. It has already been a great year, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the school year brings!
Technology
Second graders have been working on their Kidspiration skills. Kidspiration offers a rich opportunity to utilize flow charts and various graphic organizers. We started the year studying spiders with Mrs. Hallier. Students gathered facts in library and then we published our “spider webs in computers.
Students also began keyboarding. Your child is more than welcome to practice the skills we learn at home. The website we will be using is called Dance Mat Typing and can be accessed at the following address: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/