Dear Parents,
Following is a brief summary of what each grade level has been doing. First, second, fourth and fifth will be wrapping up their fall units at the winter break.
First Grade has continued their "Thinking Skills" unit. We have been practicing divergent thinking. They did two different drawing activities to practice idea fluency; one by turning circles into as many different things they could think of and the other by completing some unfinished pictures. The focus was to come up with unique ideas that their classmates might not think of; they each had some unique ideas! We played a game today that they were awarded points for their fluency in coming up with as many answers as possible.,
Second Grade is continuing their "Perspective" unit. They explored implied perspective through minimalism. They illustrated books about the adventures of a character named Dot using simple illustrations that provided just enough information for the reader to create meaning. This week we learned about Cubism as "fractured perspective". They created self-portraits by cutting apart two photos of themselves and putting them back together in unexpected ways.
Third Grade has been busy on a mini medical unit about the Human Body. We are studying the systems. We began with the skeletal system by creating and labeling a model of the parts of a bone. Since the systems all work together they are simultaneously learning about muscles and the nervous system, which we'll cover more in-depth later.They made robotic hands and learned the names and number of the bones, and the function of tendons, ligaments and muscles. We learned the names of the 3 muscle types and hinges in our bodies and a little bit about how they work. We will continue learning about muscles types. The students are finishing making a model of an arm.
Fourth Grade finished learning about China by learning about and making a section of the Great Wall, creating and 3D printing a Chinese chop which we learned are still important in markets in China today. After watching our introductory video about Ancient Greece they brainstormed a list of topics they wanted to learn which included learning Greek, studying the Gods and Goddesses, and making Laurel Wreaths. After two days of learning Greek they agreed it was a very challenging language and moved on to studying the Gods and Goddesses. To wrap up ancient cultures they will each choose a culture we haven't studied to research and do a brief class presentation about. Following the break They will work in teams to create their own cultures.
Fifth grade has been busy creating business proposals for the former Iron Cactus location at the Hill Country Galleria. They researched the current offerings of the galleria and determined a "need" that they could fulfill. They have planned their business model (their products/services, target audience, features that make them unique, etc.). We calculated the scale ratio as a class and they are now working on their floor plans. These will be displayed in a window at the Hill Country Galleria when they are complete...stay tuned!
Following is a brief summary of what each grade level has been doing. First, second, fourth and fifth will be wrapping up their fall units at the winter break.
First Grade has continued their "Thinking Skills" unit. We have been practicing divergent thinking. They did two different drawing activities to practice idea fluency; one by turning circles into as many different things they could think of and the other by completing some unfinished pictures. The focus was to come up with unique ideas that their classmates might not think of; they each had some unique ideas! We played a game today that they were awarded points for their fluency in coming up with as many answers as possible.,
Second Grade is continuing their "Perspective" unit. They explored implied perspective through minimalism. They illustrated books about the adventures of a character named Dot using simple illustrations that provided just enough information for the reader to create meaning. This week we learned about Cubism as "fractured perspective". They created self-portraits by cutting apart two photos of themselves and putting them back together in unexpected ways.
Third Grade has been busy on a mini medical unit about the Human Body. We are studying the systems. We began with the skeletal system by creating and labeling a model of the parts of a bone. Since the systems all work together they are simultaneously learning about muscles and the nervous system, which we'll cover more in-depth later.They made robotic hands and learned the names and number of the bones, and the function of tendons, ligaments and muscles. We learned the names of the 3 muscle types and hinges in our bodies and a little bit about how they work. We will continue learning about muscles types. The students are finishing making a model of an arm.
Fourth Grade finished learning about China by learning about and making a section of the Great Wall, creating and 3D printing a Chinese chop which we learned are still important in markets in China today. After watching our introductory video about Ancient Greece they brainstormed a list of topics they wanted to learn which included learning Greek, studying the Gods and Goddesses, and making Laurel Wreaths. After two days of learning Greek they agreed it was a very challenging language and moved on to studying the Gods and Goddesses. To wrap up ancient cultures they will each choose a culture we haven't studied to research and do a brief class presentation about. Following the break They will work in teams to create their own cultures.
Fifth grade has been busy creating business proposals for the former Iron Cactus location at the Hill Country Galleria. They researched the current offerings of the galleria and determined a "need" that they could fulfill. They have planned their business model (their products/services, target audience, features that make them unique, etc.). We calculated the scale ratio as a class and they are now working on their floor plans. These will be displayed in a window at the Hill Country Galleria when they are complete...stay tuned!