Curriculum Talking Points

For the Week Ending 10/1/10

 

Early Program:

• Students were introduced to materials in the classroom in areas such as practical life, math, sensorial, language, and geography, but have been busiest establishing a trusting relationship with their teachers and peers. Students practiced routines to help make the class happy and safe. They made connections with each other and functioned in the classroom both independently and in groups. They learned how to walk in lines, how to put away their work after they use it, how to push in their chairs, how to ask for help, and how to communicate with others. The class also sang songs, discussed the weather, enjoyed independent work time, and made friends.

• ART: Students got acquainted with the art studio and read the book Museum ABC.

• LIBRARY: The class was introduced to the library routine and began navigating their way around the room. After learning the appropriate way to take out books and look at them, students practiced these skills by looking at books quietly in a circle. The class read Mr. Whisper, by Joy Cowley, and learned to bring their whisper voices to library.

• MOVEMENT: After a fun warm-up, the class listened to music cues that told them to walk, gallop, tiptoe, run, skate, or jump. Each child picked a special movement for the rest of the class to follow, and students finished class by jumping on the trampoline.

• MUSIC: The class learned a new chant in asymmetrical (5/4) rhythm, and students sharpened their listening skills with a song that, without words, told their bodies what to do.

• SCIENCE: Throughout the month of September students learned about living and nonliving things, separating and sorting out one from another. Students learned that living things need water, food, and air in order to survive.

• SPANISH: Students began learning the sounds of Spanish through song, concentrating on the newest and most different sounds from English, the “rr” and the “j.” The class used hand puppets and poster vocabulary cards to learn vocabulary and expressions.

Kindergarten:

• ART: Students painted with Tempera paint, using only primary colors.

• LIBRARY: The class read folk tales by Joan Chase Bowden and learned that some stories can be classified as both fiction and nonfiction. These stories can also serve as tools for communities to better work together and understand the world. Please follow the link to read one of the stories on Ms. Vrazel’s Story of the Month page: https://sites.google.com/a/caedmonschool.org/caedlib/announcements/computer-wiki/how-to/home/story-of-the-month

• MUSIC: The class used the “Nothing Song” to work with locomotor movement and self-space. In a study of form, students noticed which melodic phrases in the song were the same, and which one was different. Students also played a passing game to learn to move sequentially on the beat.

• PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Students played games to learn how to listen well, follow directions, and play in groups.

• RELIGION: (This refers to the elective religious education that is provided upon request to Catholic families.) Students heard the story of St. Francis of Assisi and the Wolf of Gubbio, noting what they could learn about making peace. The class also learned how St. Francis loved all creation and praised God for it.

• SCIENCE: The class finished its unit on living and nonliving things by learning about fingerprints, which are unique and never change despite how much we grow. Students discovered that though fingerprints may appear invisible, they can be made visible by applying dust to a surface.

• YOGA: Students were introduced to the sound of om and the yoga sitting position. The class learned a sequence of yoga postures before concluding with a guided relaxation and yoga poem.

Lower Level:

• ART: The class began a unit on Pablo Picasso and drew themselves in his style by combining their portraits with their profiles.

• LIBRARY: The class read folk tales by Joan Chase Bowden and learned that some stories can be classified as both fiction and nonfiction. These stories can also serve as tools for communities to better work together and understand the world. Please follow the link to read one of the stories on Ms. Vrazel’s Story of the Month page: https://sites.google.com/a/caedmonschool.org/caedlib/announcements/computer-wiki/how-to/home/story-of-the-month

• MUSIC: The class began the year discussing personal goals for music class, and each student created index cards reflecting this goal. First graders learned the differences between beat and rhythm through vocalization and movement and learned to read and write quarter notes and eighth notes using felt manipulatives.  They know them as “ta” and “titi.” Second graders reviewed rhythmic notation, as well as steps and skips on the music staff.

• PHYSICAL EDUCATION: The class played various tag games learning skills such as how to listen to directions, how to move to the beat of music, how to move clockwise and counterclockwise, and body awareness. Students worked on distinguishing right from left through their movement.

• RELIGION: (This refers to the elective religious education that is provided upon request to Catholic families.) First graders talked about why the cross is a symbol of our faith. They learned how a church is a home to our faith community, just as our houses or apartments are homes to our families.

• SCIENCE: Students began constructing their dinosaur timelines by adding the names of the time periods when dinosaurs lived to their timelines, and noting how many millions of years ago each time period began and ended. The class thought of different mnemonic devices to help remember the order of the time periods––the Triassic Period, the Jurassic Period, and the Cretaceous Period.

• SPANISH: Students continued to learn alphabet letters A-P by reciting letters through an alphabet chant, as well as working on a class alphabet booklet.

• YOGA: Students were introduced to the sound of om and the yoga sitting position. The class learned a sequence of yoga postures before concluding with a guided relaxation and yoga poem.

Middle Level:

• LANGUAGE ARTS: Students began working in small groups on specific phonic skills to support their reading, writing, and spelling. They explored different vowel sounds, blends, and spelling patterns. Students made lists in their writer’s notebooks to generate ideas for future writing pieces. The class continued finding “just right” books and moving along with reading assessments. Students enjoyed listening to read-aloud books by Avi: Poppy (Schneider/Katz) and Poppy Returns (Page/Jennings).

• MATH: Third graders continued a unit on adding and subtracting tens and ones using a number line. They played a game in small groups called Capture 5, in which they practiced adding and subtracting on a hundreds board. Fourth graders continued their unit on multiplication, playing Factor Pairs to practice their facts and understanding of arrays. Students were introduced to a fun activity called Quick Images, in which students study an image of arrays for three seconds, and use their understanding of arrays and multiplication in order to determine the total number of dots in each image. Students also made multiplication combination cards that they divided into two groups: “combinations I know” and “combinations I'm working on.” They will use these cards to practice and review their facts.

• ART: Students finished their surrealist inspired ink drop paintings by adding watercolor to the backgrounds. They then used crayons and colored pencils to work up a design for their sketchbook covers using their own names.

• LATIN: Fourth graders composed their own sentences to reinforce their understanding of vocabulary and roots in Units I and II.

• LIBRARY: The class read folk tales by Joan Chase Bowden and learned that some stories can be classified as both fiction and nonfiction. These stories can also serve as tools for communities to better work together and understand the world. Please follow the link to read one of the stories on Ms. Vrazel’s Story of the Month page: https://sites.google.com/a/caedmonschool.org/caedlib/announcements/computer-wiki/how-to/home/story-of-the-month

• MUSIC: The class began the year discussing personal goals for music class and how these goals relate to classroom rules and guidelines. Third graders reviewed patterns (so, mi and la) and began recorder work for the year. They also began a music appreciation unit about the invention of music notation. Fourth graders learned two canons, “Freedom Train,” and “Three Blinde Mice (1609).” Students began a unit on the invention of music notation one thousand years ago.

• PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Students played three-on-three and four-on-four soccer games, demonstrating good technical skills by dribbling and passing with both feet. The class also practiced more aspects of the game, including throw-ins, goalie play, and a variety of offensive and defensive strategies. In fitness, students focused on core abdominal exercises, attempting to hold the plank position for 45-60 seconds.

• RELIGION: (This refers to the elective religious education that is provided upon request to Catholic families.) Third graders learned that God calls us all to unity. They heard about the conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus and admired how he continued spreading Jesus’ word even while imprisoned. The class read from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, which calls Christians to unity. Fourth graders read the Last Supper narratives of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and related them to the Eucharistic Prayer at mass. Students had the option to bring home the Last Supper story from John’s Gospel to read on their own.

• SCIENCE: Students completed work on their posters about the native creatures in the Caedmon Aquarium. Students made the posters using Microsoft Word and found all of the necessary information on the Internet. They were not allowed to cut and paste from websites onto their posters and instead wrote all information, including the animals’ ranges, habitats, sizes, lifestyles and other interesting facts.

• SPANISH: Students received their Spanish folders and continued learning alphabet letters through whole class and group activities.

• YOGA: In anticipation of a science field trip, the class explored some of the animals that they will see on the trip, such as heron birds, turtles, and fish. Students practiced being as steady as a sleeping fish.

Upper Level:

• LANGUAGE ARTS: Students began a study of essays using the topic “dreadful chores” as their first in-class essay. They started off with a broad review of the parts of an essay and will later circle back to an in-depth explanation of each part. In grammar work, the class covered homophones and a broad review of parts of speech in order to gauge what part of speech they will study first.

• MATH: The class began a study of fractions, percents, and decimals, focusing on generating definitions and examples, and using the 100 grid to show percents and equivalent fractions.

• ART: Students completed their personal timelines with illustrations of four special moments of their lives. They then worked up a design for the cover pages on their sketchbooks using their own names.

• LATIN: Students worked on Unit II vocabulary and the Latin/Greek roots audi and phon.

• LIBRARY: The class read folk tales by Joan Chase Bowden and learned that some stories can be classified as both fiction and nonfiction. These stories can also serve as tools for communities to better work together and understand the world. Please follow the link to read one of the stories on Ms. Vrazel’s Story of the Month page: https://sites.google.com/a/caedmonschool.org/caedlib/announcements/computer-wiki/how-to/home/story-of-the-month

• MUSIC: The class learned two canons, “Freedom Train,” and “Three Blinde Mice (1609),” and began their music appreciation work for the year, a unit on the invention of music notation one thousand years ago.

• PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Students played three-on-three and four-on-four soccer games, demonstrating good technical skills by dribbling and passing with both feet. The class learned more aspects of the game, including throw-ins, goalie play, and a variety of offensive and defensive strategies. In fitness, students focused on core abdominal exercises, attempting to hold the plank position for 45-60 seconds.

• SCIENCE: Students finished preparations for the Caedmon Water Walk by working on the thank you cards they will hand out to all donors and practicing how to ask for donations. The class discussed the importance of being knowledgeable and polite when approaching potential donors. Students do not need to memorize their research on global water issues but they do have to know the information well enough to share it with confidence.

• SPANISH: Students received their Spanish folders and continued reviewing alphabet letters.