Details regarding the E3 program and the new E.A.S.E. program can be found here.

So that there is ample time and space for all families to attend, the schedule will be as follows:

Kindergarten and First Grade:            9:00am – 10:30am
Second and Third Grade:                    11:00am – 12:30pm
Fourth and Fifth Grade                        1:00pm – 2:30pm

Monday, September 13, 2010

The class schedules starting Monday September 13 are as follows:

AM Kindergarten: Drop Off 8:45am. Class 9:00am – 1:40pm. Pick Up 1:40pm.

PM Kindergarten: Drop Off 10:15am. Class 10:30am – 3:10pm. Pick Up 3:10pm.

1st Grade: Drop Off 8:45am. Class 9:00am – 3:00pm. Pick Up 3:00pm.

2nd & 3rd Grades: Drop Off 8:25am. Class 8:40am – 2:50pm. Pick Up 2:50pm.

4th & 5th Grades: Drop Off 8:05am. Class 8:20am – 2:30pm. Pick Up 2:30pm.

Supervision will be available on the playground for siblings with different drop off/pick up times. Please make an effort to carpool. Stay tuned for an email list of addresses to coordinate with LFCSA families in your neighborhood. Thank you!

2010-2011 SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR

Next year’s annual school calendar can be found here.

All School Media Center Orientation

Friday, September 10.

Kindergarten and First Grade:            9:00am – 10:30am
Second and Third Grade:                  11:00am – 12:30pm
Fourth and Fifth Grade                        1:00pm – 2:30pm

What is the 3^rd Grade up to? We invite you to read all about our May happenings!

Reading
Our students have learned how to synthesize to better comprehend what they are reading. When they finish reading a book, a student can infer the author’s message(s). Students worked in teams of 4-5 children to read and synthesize a story of virtue from Love Your Neighbor. They collaborated to make a poster to show how they collectively comprehended the story by using the five comprehension strategies: making connections, inferring, sensory imagery, determining importance, and questioning. Posters were designed, illustrated, and shared with their peers. When sharing their story and poster with the class, we heard their synthesis of the author’s message(s). It was truly delightful to hear such higher-level thinking.

Mid-month we began focusing on reading and comprehending following directions. We learned how to read and comprehend multiple-step directions to draw many cartoon insects. Next, students were given step-by-step drawings of animal babies. From the drawings only, students created multiple-step directions to teach someone else how to create it without the picture. (Not an easy task!) We posed the question, “Does it impact the reader to see the pictures with the directions?” Be sure to ask your child his/her opinion. We are ending this reading unit by practicing reading and comprehending multiple-step directions to learn how to make environmental-friendly crafts. Our reading attention in June will turn to summarizing what all students have learned with assessments and time to read our “just right” books.
Guiding Questions: How do I use the comprehension strategy of synthesis? How can a reader comprehend simple multiple-step written directions?
Reading Tips:
- Go to the public library and check out the “how-to” or craft and activities area in the non-fiction section. You are sure to find many amazing books where your child can do amazing activities AND learn how to read and comprehend multiple-step directions.
- Support your child in following the directions to make some of the activities we read about in school (directions to be sent home by teacher).
- Invite your child to participate in cooking and following a recipe at home – a great source for simple multiple-step direction following.
- Head to a craft supply store and find something to do together or independently. Many of the exciting crafts have step-by-step directions to follow.

Declan and Jaedon typing their fiction stories.

Writing

This month, students continued to work on their creative fictional stories.  Students studied strategies to make their stories stronger. We brainstormed characteristics that make an interesting introduction and a satisfying ending. Students know that good writers keep the reader engaged with action.  Third graders learned that the events that lead up to the climactic scene are significant puzzle pieces in a story and eventually end in a resolution.  Third grade writers also played the role of editors and used peer-editing checklists to monitor each other’s work. By end of May, students were ready to publish their stories. Students will continue to transfer their imaginative stories from their notebooks onto laptops and are excited to share their next published work with you.
Guiding Question: How do writers write fictional stories?
Writing Tips: Have your child create a story from another character’s point of view. Let your child publish their work on a computer.

Cursive Handwriting

Surely your 3^rd grader has already shared the exciting news that we have begun our unit on D’Nealian cursive handwriting. Students learned many helpful tips about excellent posture while writing. Children were introduced to the “track” where they write letters.  The bottom line is referred to as the “grass,” the middle, dotted line is the “fence,” and the top line is the “sky.” It has been exciting to review printing penmanship with the students and explicitly model the same cursive letters in both lower case and capital letters. Letters have been grouped based on similar beginning strokes of lower case letters. The letters that “swing up to the fence” (and most “reverse”) include: i, t, e, u, w, j, p, r, and s. As we teach the capital letters, we discuss which letters connect (E, U, J, and S) and which do not connect (I, T, W, P, and R). Next, we will begin teaching letters that “swing up to the 2 on the clock.” Once we have taught all the letters, we will send home a snapshot of all D’Nealian penmanship.
Guiding Question: How can I write letters, words, and sentences legibly in cursive handwriting?
Cursive Handwriting Tips:
- Allow your child time to practice the cursive handwriting letters we have learned.
- When writing with printing or cursive handwriting, encourage excellent posture.
- Research penmanship styles other than D’Nealian. Parents, maybe you will find the style YOU learned in school (if it was different).

Word Study

In May, we finished our antonym and synonym unit. Students started to learn the meaning of homophones and studied high frequency homophones such as your/you’re, their/there/ they’re and to/too/two. Third graders are creating a visual representation of each homophone to define its meaning and writing sentences using the correct homophone. Students have also created another list of homophones for students to work with and continue to brainstorm sets of words that they hear (here) everyday.
Guiding Question: How can I improve my vocabulary in reading in writing?
Word Study Tips: Look around for the homophones we have studied already. Use them in daily conversations and quiz your child on them: to/too/two, their/there/they’re, here/hear, your/you’re, knew/new, know/no, ate/eight, and tail/tale.

Math

Sofia and Ryan measuring the area of their feet

This month, our students showed us that they understand how to choose a problem-solving strategy that fits the problem and makes most sense to them. We saw evidence of this as we spent a couple weeks preparing for the Math CST. Students were able to apply the same strategies they use when solving their Problem of the Days each week. They also learned other strategies like the process of eliminating answer choices and narrowing down the question. For the rest of the month, we dived into the study of perimeter and area. Students took their knowledge of geometric figures and were able to find the perimeter by taking the sum of all the sides. For area, students played a fun math game called “Area Covered” where they used dice to generate two sides of a rectangle and tried to fill up a 10×10 grid. Students also practiced finding the area of a figure using geoboards and rubber bands to duplicate shapes. Lastly, our young mathematicians found the area of their hands or feet in square centimeters by counting (and rounding up fractions of a square) and found the perimeter of their hand or foot using a piece of yarn.
Guiding Question: What are different ways you can measure an object/figure? How do I solve a story problem?
Math tips: Estimate the perimeter and area of rooms in your house. Have students decide which unit of measurement should be used.

D.W.o.K.

Ivy and Lucas as Abraham Lincoln

Third graders wrapped up their American Hero research process with an incredible Living Walk of Fame presentation. Students were able to play the role of their hero and reflected upon what they have learned in the unit. Many learned the ways in which one individual can change the nation and how people can change history. Third graders will now look at the ways we could make a difference in our community and nation. Students took part in an activity supported by Project Paydirt and designed a “Fundred Dollar Bill.” The Fundred Dollar bill will be used to raise awareness for lead contaminated soil in New Orleans. More information can be found at Fundred.org. Third graders will continue to learn how to be community problem solvers and how to participate in environmental social actions.
Guiding Question: How can we make a difference in our community and nation?
DWoK Tips: Brainstorm ways to get involved with community, examples: Beach Clean Up, Feeding the homeless

Science

In Science, we wrapped up our Sun, Moon, and Stars unit by learning about constellations. Students learned that patterns in the sky resemble shapes and listened to different versions of star stories. These myths, many with Greek origin, explain why some constellations are near each other and even why some stars cannot be seen in the sky at the same time. Students expressed an eagerness to go stargazing and spot the backwards question mark formed by Leo the Lion or find Polaris, the North Star. Students also received pictures of well-known constellations and found creative ways to connect the stars in their own way, forming unique constellations, and finally writing a short myth of their own.
Guiding Questions: What can I learn about the stars?

Science Tips: Are you going camping this summer? What a great opportunity for stargazing! Make a trip to the Griffith Observatory and see an incredible view of the night sky with The Star Projector, or bring a telescope and attend a Public Star Party this summer with the whole family!

Extensions

Since our students meet teachers during rotations only once or twice per week, our children are learning that the journey from idea conception to published book is a long and winding road. This being said, illustrations were finished this month, sent to a publishing house for the gluing of pages, carried by a currier to be prepared (hole-punched) for binding, and all the covers were mounted. We will finally get to bind them in June with the help of some parent volunteers. Thank you to all parent volunteers who have helped in the publishing of these AMAZING books. The nearly overwhelmingly positive feedback by the students in their reflections this week is that it was a long journey well worth every bit of effort. Our children are so proud to publish. Speaking of publishing, we also want to immensely thank Kaumudi Marathe for sharing her writing journey with our 3^rd graders. We not only enjoyed hearing from our LFCSA author and parent, but we were also so honored to listen to her read the book she just wrote and dedicated to our 3^rd graders. It was such a pleasure to learn all about writing and publishing as a career.
Guiding Question: What techniques do illustrators use to illustrate fictional stories?
Extensions Tips:
- Ask your child to analyze the following in books they are reading: illustrations/artist’s style, page layout, front cover, back cover, inside covers, dedication page, about the author page, etc.
- Ask your child if he/she wants to keep a diary or scrapbook (like in Diary of a Snail). They might want to keep a diary, journal, scrapbook, or event document their life on the computer.
- Contact your local bookstore (maybe even the library) to find out about upcoming children’s author visits. Take your child to such events.

Visual Art

As East Asian brush artists, the third grade is currently tackling the guiding question, “How does an artist learn from traditional techniques in order to inform new projects?”  It is important for artists of any kind, whether visual, musical, mathematical, or verbal, to recognize and respect what has come before, so that they might discover new and interesting ways to push the boundaries of their prospective field.  So far, the students have experimented with traditional brush strokes while painting bamboo and compared the energy in the brush strokes and marks with those needed to create the plum tree.  Coming up next, they will be thinking about how to use these traditions to create movement in their paintings of the third “Gentlemen”, the orchid.
Ms. Heather

Dance

Students have just concluded their extended unit on tap dancing.  The final, culminating experience allowed the students to show off their extensive work in both learning choreography and having the opportunity to choreograph. The students have tackled a wide variety of concepts such as the cultural development of a particular dance, energy, and performance. The dancers should be proud of the fact that they have not only developed a deep enough understanding of tap dancing to appreciate it and analyze it as a member of the audience, but are able to employ that understanding in the creative process as choreographers. Great job to all!
Ms. Heather

Theatre Arts

Third graders have gotten a chance to reflect on the process of creating an original play.  Now they are ready to zoom-in on some of the acting skills used in a performance.  We have begun playing games that will focus on the 5 W’s: who, what, where, when and why.  Students are also learning warm-up songs with movement that warm up the voice as well as the body.

The following standards were addressed:
- 1.2 Identify who, what, where, when, and why (the five Ws) in a theatrical experience.
- 5.1 Use problem-solving and cooperative skills to dramatize a story or a current event from another content area, with emphasis on the five Ws.
- 5.2 Develop problem-solving and communication skills by participating collaboratively in theatrical experiences.
Ms. Heneise

P. E.

Dear parents, dear students,

First I’d like to thank you all for your kind comments regarding last month’s “P.E. Poem”. I really appreciated the warm feedback. This month our students have again taken the California Physical Fitness Test (PFT). By law, all public schools in California are required to administer the PFT annually to all students in grades five, seven, and nine. The state-designated PFT is a set of tests designed to evaluate health-related fitness and to assist students in establishing lifetime habits of regular physical activity. Even though we are not required to do the PFT, I have done it with all grades ever since we opened our school, in order to assess the physical fitness of our students at the beginning and end of the year. And in shape they are!  We have always scored way above state averages!

What does the test consist of? Sit-ups, trunk lifts, push-ups, modified pull-ups, flexed arm hangs and two flexibility tests (stretches). For example: To be in the state’s Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) a 5 year old has to be able to do three push-ups, while a 10 year old needs to do seven. What I learned from the test is that sit-ups are the hardest exercise for the younger ones to do. Is it possible that the stomach muscles develop slower than other muscles? Probably only 50% of all kindergartners are in the HFZ when it comes to sit-ups. By the time they are in second grade sit-ups are no problem anymore. So if you are into working out with your child(ren) – do sit ups with them… Have fun! (Speaking of fun: Please rest assured that even though this is a test, I administer it in a way that they don’t even know it’s a test. They all look and feel good doing it and have lots of fun with it…)

Take care,
Mr. Wenger

Music

We began the most challenging aspect of our musical literacy unit: how to read, write and perform complicated rhythmic notations. We are specifically learning to play note for note, the melody line of “Love Somebody.” Using assigned fingerings, steady beat, and a complicated rhythm accompaniment, students are striving to play the notes that they read precisely.

Several methods of note reading combine to give children a pattern and a math-related sense of geography on the keyboard. This renders a very deep understanding of the different aspects of low and high registers, black and white keys, and many other musical concepts.
Ms. Jennifer

Sincerely,

The 3^rd Grade Team
Ms. Mellinger, Miss Chan, and Miss Son

It was great seeing many of you for our Open House this week! We hope that you were as proud as we are everyday of your child’s learning and accomplishments. The children were very excited to show you what we’ve been doing in 3^rd grade! Here is a closer look into our curriculum for the month of April.

Lauren running during the Jog-a-Thon

Writing

Third graders have strong imaginations, big dreams, and tall ambitions- the perfect ingredients for a fictional story! Our fictional unit began this month by looking at the ways writers collect ideas for fictional stories. Writers found that the experiences they’ve had, such as, listening to family stories being told over and over, getting lost in the world of fairy tales and the pages of picture books, or creating worlds for their dolls and stuffed animals, have prepared them to write fiction. They could not be more excited about their work! Students have been learning how to build a main character by giving them life, adding a character pair (friends, enemies, partners in adventures or crimes, competitors, etc.), and how to show not tell what is going on. Third graders are learning how to build stronger fictional stories by re-visioning their introductions, creating a rising action in the body of their story, and adding dialogue to support their narration. Your child’s writing will probably be longer than anything they’ve written this year, and their syntax will probably be more complex. Next month, students will work on building their writing conventions, drafting the heart of their story, and creating a strong conclusion. Stay tuned for their published fictional story.

Guiding Question: How do writers write fictional stories?
Writing Tips: Have your child create a comic strip using their fictional writing strategies. Your child should make “conversation bubbles” when a character speaks, and check to make sure they are using quotation marks correctly!

Reading

During the month of April, students learned about the reading comprehension strategy of synthesis. It’s a big concept for third graders, but they are synthesizing wonderfully! We talked about synthesis being like “putting together pieces of a puzzle” or being like the “colors of a rainbow”, blending together to make a beautiful display in the sky. Synthesis in reading occurs whenall the comprehension strategies (making connections, inferring, sensory imagery, determining importance, and questioning) come together to help a child understand the text. We read Fables by Arnold Lobel and synthesized the author’s message (moral) of the story. We have also started a group project that was on display as a “work in progress” at Open House. Children were divided into groups to read different stories of virtue from a book entitled Love Your Neighbor. Teams have collaborated to read and synthesize the story together and will continue this project into May.  

Guiding Questions: How do I use the comprehension strategy of synthesis?
Reading Tips:

• When reading a story, have your child share with you what they think the author’s message is. Discuss the many possible messages to a story.
• This idea can be transferred to messages in movies, television shows, theater arts performances, songs, works of art, etc.

Word Study

The students beautifully transitioned from studying affixes to studying antonyms and synonyms by looking at their prefixes and suffixes. Antonym is derived from two parts: anti- (but you drop the “i” and have ant- because –onym begins with a vowel) which means “opposite of” and –onym, which in this case means “word.” The children now understand why antonyms are words that mean the opposite of one another, and synonyms are words with similar or nearly the same meaning. The prefix syn- means “together” or “with.” Words that work together or are similar. Eureka! How it made sense to them! We had an enormously joyful time studying antonyms and synonyms. We even generated our own game that you had an opportunity to play at our Open House.

Guiding Questions: How do I add suffixes that begin with vowels to a root word that ends with a vowel (e or i) or vowel sound (y)? How can I improve my vocabulary in reading in writing?
Word Study Tips:

• Your child learned how to play the rhythmic game of “Concentration” with an emphasis on synonyms. Play this with your child at home and you are sure to enjoy learning together.
• Use a thesaurus or the thesaurus on dictionary.com to find antonyms and synonyms for words. You might even learn some new vocabulary!

Math

In April, students used geometry in different ways by using shapes to design their own rocket. For this activity, students were given a budget of $20 and a pricing list of shapes (e.g. all triangles cost $1.25, hexagons cost $1.50). Our young mathematicians first planned their design, worked out their calculations to make sure they stayed within budget, and finally cut out their shapes using construction paper. Their reflections included thoughts on how they used their various math skills and what they learned through the process.

Our study of polygons and shapes was a good segway into our next unit of study in measurement. Students learned that a perimeter of a polygon is the sum of all its sides. Using their feet, yarn, and rulers, students experimented, estimated, and measured the perimeter of different sized shapes. In their reflections, some students even said they appreciated the review of simple addition! We will be moving onto finding the area next.

Guiding Questions: What is geometry? How do I solve a story problem?
Math Tips:

• Identify the different polygons and shapes around your house.
• Find ways to incorporate measurement into real-life situations like how to make furniture fit into a room, gardening jobs, architecture, etc.

Extensions

The third graders are working tirelessly on illustrating their creative stories entitled Diary of a Snail. This month we have worked on the publishing phase of writing. We especially analyzed the style of Harry Bliss’ illustrations in Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Fly, and Diary of a Spider. We noted how his drawings enhanced the story including the following: how he used one page or both pages, how perspective, foreground, middle ground, and background were applied to his work, how he used bright and bold colors, how he filled most of his page, how he used captions and words in illustrations to enhance the story, and even how he incorporated everyday objects into his pictures. This stage of the process is time consuming but so worthwhile because their work is so amazing that our next step will be to bind our masterpieces in May.

Guiding Questions: How can I illustrate a creative fictional story entitled Diary of a Snail?
Extensions Tips:

• When your child reads a picture book, discuss the style and techniques of the illustrator. Discuss how the illustrations impact the story.
• Discussions after animated television shows and movies can be held to discuss the same aspect of art enhancing a storyline.
• Compare illustrations of the same story with different illustrations or even illustrations from two different books.

Science

We continued our look into the Sun by learning about shadows. Students saw that shadows are cast when an object blocks a light source from hitting a surface. On the blacktop, students observed where their shadow was in the morning and predicted where it will be in the afternoon as the Sun’s position in the sky changes. Our scientists have also been learning about the Moon. What is the Moon? What is the Moon made of? Who has been on the Moon? For our study on the different phases of the Moon, students were given a Styrofoam ball and as they walked around a classroom lamp, they saw how the light caused different parts to be illuminated. Students were able to name each of the Moon’s eight phases and participated in an activity where they had to cut out a phase out of a paper plate, and get into the correct order with their group. Can you name them all?

Guiding Questions: What is the Sun? What can I learn about the Sun? What can I learn about the Moon?
Science Tips:

• Encourage your child to make a shadow puppet play and perform it in front of family and friends! You can create many different silhouettes with your hands!
• Look at the Moon each evening and record what it looks like. Keep track of the Moon’s phases for a month.

D.W.O.K

In April, students have been living in the shoes of their American heroes and heroines! 3rd graders have been working on using their research notes to create a script to present for our upcoming “Living Walk of Fame.” 3rd grade researchers used a checklist to monitor their research notes and scripts. Students are taking their creativity to a whole new level by writing a script that portrays their American Hero and the life they lived. It has been an amazing process, and students are finding the many ways each American Hero/Heroine contributed to our nation. We are looking forward to having families visit our Living Walk of Fame! Presentations will be held in Room 4, dates and times are as follows:

In our next unit, students will be learning about community problem solving, social action, including the ways 3rd graders can help our community’s air, water and garbage system.

Guiding Question: How do we link our community to our nation?
DWOK Tips: Have a conversation with your child about the qualities that make a hero and how they can be a hero too. Brainstorm ways children can get involved with our community and help build a stronger tomorrow. Bring a list of their ideas to class!

Music

The Yamaha Music In Education (MIE) keyboard lab has continued to be a great tool for learning our general music curriculum. The Third and Fourth Grades have been focusing on composition and learning how to record their unique creations on the keyboard.

One of the benefits of using a state of the art computer and keyboard technology, is that the keyboard can be programmed to allow a student to hear only their own playing (split mode) or each other (ensemble mode). Making music quickly becomes an important part of how students interact with each other.

The upcoming weeks will focus on melody and accompaniment. We hope to culminate this unit with a full-song composition from each student.
Ms. Jennifer

Visual Arts

In Visual Arts, our students will be exploring a subject they were introduced to previously in first grade – East Asian brush art. Delving deeper into the history, cultural significance and technical aspects, students will come to understand the layers of knowledge held within each art form. Students will explore ways to express subject matter such as “the four gentlemen” – bamboo, plum, orchid, and chrysanthemum. They will also be using the traditional pairing of brush art with poetry as a way to strengthen both the writing and the images.
Ms. Heather

Dance

Using the writing process and a general reference, the students have honed their skills at creating, editing and polishing choreography during the Tap Dance unit. All the students have used strategies of effective collaboration to eventually arrive at common steps. The teachers, for the most part, have been relegated to supporting members only, making the process a truly constructivist experience. With the deadline looming of open classroom time where parents will be invited, the dancers are putting on the finishing touches to their routines. The rehearsal process the students are currently experiencing is so vital in understanding the discipline of Dance, and in reality, all of the arts.
Ms. Heather

Theatre Arts

On April 28, Third graders presented their plays in front of a large audience. Their hard work, creativity and wild imagination were evident during their showcase. The stories were written by them through a process of collaboration, improvisation, and sharing of ideas. Each student created his or her own character and worked on their own costume. Students also co-wrote chants and songs with Ms. Heneise and Ms. Jennifer, songs that were included in the showcases. Through this creative process students learned the art of collaboration, gained confidence in themselves, and learned how to express themselves and tell their story on the stage.

The following standards were addressed:

2.1  Participate in cooperative scriptwriting or improvisations that incorporate the five Ws.

2.2. Create for classmates simple scripts that demonstrate knowledge of basic blocking and stage areas.

5.1 Use problem-solving and cooperative skills to dramatize a story or a current event from another content area, with emphasis on the five Ws.

5.2 Develop problem-solving and communication skills by participating collaboratively in theatrical experiences.
Ms. Heneise

Sincerely,

The 3^rd Grade Team

Ms. Mellinger, Miss Chan, and Miss Son

We returned from our Spring Break filled with excitement and enthusiasm for reading, writing, and working together. As time moves on, we celebrate each child’s growth and love for learning. We were so pleased to have had such a wonderful gathering to celebrate Writer’s Workshop. Spirit week added to the excitement.

While we have learned to be more observant through a poet’s eyes, we will continue to make observations, notations, and connections to the natural world.

As we begin to close out the year, we will continue to work with high expectations for performance across all content areas.

Fondly,

The First Grade Team

Ms. Gonzales, Ms. Duzinski, and Mr. Dymitriw

Reading

This month we have focused on reading Poetry to explore descriptive language.  Also, we have been learning about rhythm and rhyme.  We started exploring poetry through descriptive language by looking through our DWoK lens as we became naturalists. Focusing on nature and descriptive language, we started studying a variety of poetic styles, starting with the elegant Haiku.  We also started exploring rhythm as we learned about using syllables in Haiku.   We continued to study Cinquain and Acrostic Poetry.

As we have continued to grow as readers, we focused on the rhythm of poetry, exploring through singing, nursery rhymes and body percussion.  To build up our strength as readers we have also been twisting our tongues with tongue twisters.  As our Unit comes to a close, students are learning how to set reading goals to help them grow as readers by recording and assessing their own reading.

Writing

This Unit of Study on writing Poetry has taught the children to explore and savor language, valuing voice and repetition, sounds and onomatopoeia (even if they’ve never heard any of these terms). They have learned to read and write with an ear, appreciating and revising the pace and rhythm of words. They have also learned to care not only about their topics, but also how they write about those topics. Writing Poetry has also encouraged the children to see the world with fresh eyes.  And they have learned to see with their hearts and show feelings by pretending and imagining with language.

The children have enjoyed reading and sharing different types of poetry. There are ideas everywhere just waiting for an open mind, a quick wit and an observant eye. Writing poems has been a delightful experience.

There are many styles and types of poems. The children have sampled and enjoyed writing several styles, including:

Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry.  Haiku poems consist of 3 lines.   “The recipe” for Haiku is:  The first and last lines of Haiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables. The lines rarely rhyme.

Cinquain is a structured five line poem. The topic of the poem is a noun and the poem is written according to a formula: Line 1: A noun that serves as both  the title and subject.  Line 2: Two describing words.  Line 3: Three words associated with the noun.  Line 4:  A four-word verb phrase relating to the noun.  Line 5: A synonym for the noun in line 1.

Acrostic poems are fun to write.  First, the writer chooses a topic for the poem, which them becomes the title.  Each letter of the title is written vertically and a word describing the title is chosen for each letter of the title.

Alliteration is the repetition of an initial consonant sound.  Tongue twisters are examples of poems with alliterations.

Free Verse is an easy style because they can be anyway you please. They do not have to rhyme.  They can be in a shape.  They can be short or long, have little or no punctuation.

Narrative Poems tell a story. Story must have a beginning, middle and an end.  It can be long or short but should have a clear rhythm and beat to it.

Lyric Poems are musical.  They sing in rhyming patterns.  They sound like songs, but they use devices like similes, meter, cadence and beat instead of notes.

The children have become familiar with poets and poems and can think and talk well about the poems they read and write. Each writer assumes the identity “I am a poet!”

Word Study

Word Study is an integral part of the Reading/Language Arts Curriculum.

High Frequency Sight Words; Letter Sounds; Blends; Digraphs; Diphthongs; etc, are integrated into the daily Reading/Writing curriculum.

High Frequency Sight Words, Word Sorts, and Word Activities are included in daily Reading/Language Arts activities.

Math

In April, students learned how to Tell Time. First, the children learned how to identify the parts of the clock. Then, students learned time sequentially, starting with telling time by the hour, then progressing to the half hour. They learned to tell time to the hour and the half hour using both analog and digital time. As a way for understanding duration of time (1minute, 30 minutes, or an hour) students created a before and after book to show various activities that show the time listed.

Following that, the class learned to order months and days, and they learned to read a calendar. Although this was something we were doing implicitly all year, the students had a chance to apply what they know about calendar by a creating a collaborative class calendar. Students also played a game to help them identify the months. They worked in pairs and were challenged to think of clues for each month. After they wrote down their clues, they read the clues to the class in order for them to guess the mystery month.

These are only a few examples of some of the lessons on time.  Currently, students are learning to estimate and measure the lengths of objects. Students will learn to use an inch ruler and a centimeter ruler.  Please read the Activity below for a time related game to try at home.

Activity: Write the days of the week on separate slips of paper. Mix them up, and give them to your child to put in order. While your child is not looking, take away one of the days, and have him or her tell which is missing. Repeat the activity using the months of the year.

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skill_builders/telling_time_math_first_1st_grade.htm

DWoK (Different Ways of Knowing)

April was a month for change in and out of the classroom. The class came back from Spring Break eager to start exploring their natural surroundings. The garden beds are a perfect place for making observations in nature and Earth Day reminded everyone how to care for Mother Earth.

Through a series of integrated lessons, students gained an increased environmental awareness. We learned to access what we know and want to know about our ecosystem. Students had opportunities to examine nature, more specifically our neighborhood ecosystem, in a way many students don’t.

The students went outside to gather and collect objects in nature through a scavenger hunt style search. They looked for something “older than them” or something “that changes in spring”.  Their investigations helped them to develop other skills such as working in cooperative groups and critical thinking. To show what they know about nature in Hollywood, students will make a collaborative shoebox diorama.

We will continue to observe our immediate ecosystem in Los Angeles (Hollywood). We will form a concept of interdependence of nature by creating a web of life concept map. We will chart what we have learned about our ecosystem. Math skills, language arts, and social studies are also integrated into our science unit.

Visual Arts

The exploration of ceramics has the students to build up time honored techniques in pottery.  As a functional piece of art, pottery has offered the same challenge to our artists as it has throughout time – to create something that is both aesthetically pleasing and useful in everyday life.  Lessons centered around the techniques for pinch pots, coiled pots, and slab construction, provide students with a base understanding of the strengths and limitations of hand built ceramics.  It also provides them with time to develop dexterity and strength in their hands that is not related to holding a pencil or brush, which will ultimately push them as artists in every field.

Drama

On the 21st of April the First graders got the opportunity to show the world what we have been working on so hard these past few months.  The characters they created were represented in their elaborate homemade costumes.  They were able to memorize their lines and be on the stage telling their story with confidence.  It was a moment for them to shine.  Their stories had playfulness, creativity, and showed great imagination.  Through collaboration, imagination, and sharing of ideas the first graders were able to write a story and tell it through theater arts.

The following standards were addressed:

2.1 Demonstrate skills in pantomime, tableau, and improvisation.

2.2 Dramatize or improvise familiar simple stories from classroom literature or life experiences, incorporating plot (beginning, middle, and end) and using a tableau or a pantomime.

5.2 Demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively in presenting a tableau, an improvisation, or a pantomime.

Dance

Using the writing process and a general reference, the students have honed their skills at creating, editing and polishing choreography during the Tap Dance unit.  All the students have used strategies of effective collaboration to eventually arrive at common steps.  The teachers, for the most part, have been relegated to supporting members only, making the process a truly constructivist experience.  With the deadline looming of open classroom time where parents will be invited, the dancers are putting on the finishing touches to their routines.  The rehearsal process the students are currently experiencing is so vital in understanding the discipline of Dance, and in reality, all of the arts.

Music

The Yamaha Music In Education (MIE) keyboard lab has continued to be a great tool for learning our general music curriculum.  The First and Second Grade has been focused on musical literacy, specializing in reading rhythms with quarter notes and quarter rests.

One of the benefits of using a state of the art computer and keyboard technology is that keyboards can be programmed for nearly 600 instrumental voices.  Students create rhythm patterns with a dazzling array of timbres and tones.  Imagine, our students were playing cowbell solos on the keys while Santana wailed on the guitar!

The upcoming weeks will focus on the continued study of music on the page.  Students will compose, present and even record ostinato patterns.  We keep repeating our mantra: The notes we read are the keys we play!

P.E.

Dear Students, Dear Parents,

The cones are gone.

The music is not playing anymore.

No one is handing out water and fruit.

No one is cheering.

But the track is still there.

The chalk line will eventually wash out in the rain.

What the students have learned will not.

They have learned how to pace themselves.

They have learned how to run for 15 minutes -

Most of them faster than ever before.

They had fun!

The track is still there.

Quietly they run their warm up laps now.

Pacing themselves.

Proud of what they have accomplished on the day of the jog-a-thon.

DWOK In project-based learning, the guiding question is: How do we show we care through food?
During the month of March, students learned how food shows care through many different experiences in all content areas. At the beginning of the month, students learned how to make butter. They saw how a solid (butter) was formed from a liquid (heavy cream). Teachers used this experience to introduce non-fiction instructional writing.To further explore where foods come from and how food is made, students also made peanut butter by first observing and describing a peanut and then predicting what would happen when the peanuts would be put in the food processor. Students enjoyed these hands-on experiences, and most of all they loved tasting the butter and peanut butter they made.  Integrating math into this unit, students made a class math graph of “What is your favorite kind of egg,” so they learned how a graph provides information.  During this unit, students also used different “Thinking Maps” (visual organizers) to categorize, compare and sequence information. For example, students compared a chicken and a cow to see how they were different, yet had certain commonalities using a “double-bubble” thinking map, which is similar to a venn diagram. Students used a “flow map” to sequence the steps in making peanut butter. A large class “tree map” was made to assist students in categorizing food into the different food groups. To learn more about the food groups and how food keeps us healthy, students had the opportunity to work in small groups and become “experts” on a food group. Each group worked together to create a poster of their special food group. On a field trip to Whole Foods on March 30, students learned more about where food comes from and how to stay healthy with food. In addition, to learn about special family foods, students thought of a special family food and contributed their recipe to a class cookbook. Each kindergarten class also celebrated at the end of the unit with a “Family Food Fair” as a culmination to how families show care through food. After spring break, students will begin to explore how families show care through clothing.

Math In math, the guiding question is: What is my job as a mathematician?The month of March has been focused on many aspects of number sense, graphs, and measurement.  Students began to think about how to recognize, represent, name and order numbers up to 20.  In addition,  students began to demonstrate understanding of place value–that the number 12 has one ten and two ones or that the number 20 has two tens and zero ones.  They continued to develop number sense by identifying which numbers are more than, less than and equal to other numbers. Students began to gather and read information from graphs made in class. One way to help support your child at home with graphs is by asking them to categorize their toys, blocks, favorite colors of all their family’s members, etc. then have them represent the information they collected on a graph.  In math, this month, students began to study measurement–of weight, height, length and capacity by making comparisons of objects in the classroom and in their environment. Some questions to  ask your child about measurement are to ask them to compare objects and ask,  Which one is heavier or lighter?  Which one is taller or shorter?  Which one is longer? We wrapped up March by beginning to act out addition and subtraction story problems. At home, begin to create story problems together.  For example, “there are three rubber ducks in the bathtub.  Dad brings you two more rubber ducks.  How many rubber ducks do you have all together?”  In April, students will continue learning about simple addition and subtraction.

Visual Arts In Visual Art, the students are about to complete a unit of study devoted to collage.  Crucial skills related to the form, such as more advanced use of scissors and glue, have challenged each student to hone his or her fine motor skills. The development of their technical skills to enhance the overall aesthetics of their work supported the artists during each project. The students created collages that linked into concepts of collecting and sorting that have been a part of other subject areas.  They also made connections to Language Arts as they created “Collage Stories”.  The students’ final collage asked them to become more conscious of the element of space, filling up an entire page with a specific movement or idea.
DanceHaving already been introduced to Ballet and Circle Dancing, the Kindergarten dancers took on a very different dance style recently: Hip Hop. This cultural phenomenon presented the students with an opportunity to use their bodies in new and interesting ways. With b-boying or break dancing, they practiced supporting themselves with their upper bodies.  “Dime-stopping” helped them to increase their muscle control by quickly stopping and starting motion while “liquid dancing” emphasize fluidity of muscle movement.  Ultimately, the dancers were able to use the hip hop styles to inspire new ways to perform everyday activities and loco motor movements.

Theater Arts (Drama) In Kindergarten,  students have been working toward the final showcase on April 14.  Students have learned stage directions and have used them in the blocking of their play.  After weeks of improvisation, storytelling and games, students are ready to show what they have learned through the showcase.  Kindergarteners have been working on the Performing Arts standard 5.2: Demonstrate the ability to participate cooperatively in performing a pantomime or dramatizing a story.
P.E Our big theme for March and April is running, as preparation for the “Jog-a-thon.”  Instead of our usual relay runs in the beginning of class to warm up, we have been running the original jog-a-thon laps.  We have been running 7.5 minutes – not the full 15 minutes like we will be on Friday, April 23rd.  This gives the children an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the course, to learn how to breathe properly and to pace themselves. Besides running, they have practiced soccer passes and are building more upper body strength by hanging on the monkey bars. Students also practice balancing forward and backward on the “Stegel” – our school’s gymnastic apparatus. As always, the most important thing in P.E. is that students all do their best, that they have a lot of fun, and that they get and stay in good shape.

Can you believe it’s Spring already? As you plan for a fun-filled break next week, we hope that you enjoy reading about all the learning that took place in March. Below each curriculum section, you will find this month’s guiding questions and some tips on how you to continue your child’s learning at home. We are also including updates from our P.E./arts teachers starting this month!

Writing

March has been a busy month for our writers. Students continued to learn how to structure their essays by organizing their ideas. Through this organizational process, writers learned how to form a strong introduction by stating their subject and supporting their subject with two to three ideas, adding topic sentences followed by supporting sentences, creating a concluding sentence, and building a conclusion paragraph. Before publishing their essays, students also used peer-editing checklists as a strategy to edit each other’s writing process, provide suggestions to each writer, and more importantly learn from each other. After publishing, students self-reflected upon this essay unit and discovered that they valued the idea of organizing their thoughts, helping each other edit their work, and the fact that they were able to publish another essay!

In our next unit, students will look into fictional writing elements while applying their knowledge on structured paragraphs.

Guiding Question: How do we raise the quality of our essays?
Writing Tips:

-    Have your child keep a journal at home where they are outlining their writing ideas following this structure.
-    Challenge them to write a persuasive essay about an important issue!

Reading

What an exciting month it has been in the area of reading! Students worked collaboratively in each reader’s theater groups to create original props and costumes to use when acting out their play. Students worked with the teacher to project, act, block, rehearse, and (finally) dress rehearse their reader’s theater performance. Children enjoyed both performing and watching classmates in their debuts including the following tales: John Henry, Johnny Appleseed, Slue-Foot Sue, Paul Bunyan, and Davy Crockett. Thank you to the many parents who were able to join us for our grand finale performances that ended our study on story elements. Students LOVED having such magnificent audiences.

Mid-month, we turned our attention to the reading comprehension strategy of questioning. Good readers ask questions before, during, and after reading. We learned that a reader might learn the answer to a question by reading on in the text. Sometimes, when the answer is NOT in the text, a reader may infer. Another solution to an unanswered question may be researching to find the answer. Using the strategy of questioning during reading is an excellent way to better comprehend the text. In April, students will learn how to utilize the comprehension strategy of synthesis to have greater understanding of text.

(Ethan, Hannah, Ava, and Daniel present Paul Bunyan and Babe, the Blue Ox)

Guiding Questions: How can I comprehend what I am reading? What is the comprehension strategy of questioning?

Reading Tips:

-    When reading at home with your child, ask questions before, during, and after reading the text.
-    Talk about whether the answers to each questions is in the text, can be inferred, or you need more information.

-    Discuss the answers to the questions that can be found in the text and the inferences you make for questions that cannot be answered in the text.
-    Any questions that arise where more information is needed are GREAT research topics for your child to enrich his/her learning. You can even find the answer together! With the Internet, the answer may be right at your fingertips.

Word Study

Third graders are becoming experts at reading and writing words with affixes. This month, our attention was turned to affixes that are added to the beginning of a word- prefixes! Children learned fourteen common prefixes and their meanings. Students were engaged in a variety of activities to apply their knowledge of words with prefixes. They wrote sentences with words having any of the prefixes we learned. We even learned about math words with prefixes: polygons (poly- means many, and “gon” means figures having angles), trigon, tetragon, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, enneagon, and decagon. A perfect extension to our learning! Teachers are assessing students’ learning of affixes to determine what area of word study will best support our learners next.

Here are the prefixes we studied this month:

Guiding Questions: How can I read and write words with a prefix? How can I read and write words with prefixes, suffixes, or multiple affixes?
Word Study Tips:
-    Point out words you see that have affixes. Discuss with your child the prefix, suffix, and root/base word.
-    An “old-fashioned” dictionary can be an at-home field trip in and of itself. Select a prefix, look it up in the dictionary, and… PRESTO! You will find many words that have the prefix your child is studying.
-    In addition to the ABC travel game, why not play a version of I Spy Affixes? See how many you see between rest stops during your next car trip. Fun for the whole family!

Math

In Math this month, we concluded our unit on functional relationships with a unit cost simulation. Students worked in groups to create, market, and sell their own products. We transformed our classrooms into a marketplace where students business owners went around and purchased the items on sale at the different stores! They had to look at the advertisements and determine the unit cost for the item they wanted to buy. Students also had to keep track of their spending and learn how to budget their money. Our 3^rd graders were highly motivated and applied their math skills in a fun and creative way. Students also were given an assessment of all the concepts taught since January.

Angles, triangles, and polygons, oh my! We began our geometry study this month and our 3^rd graders are having so much fun learning about the different angles, triangles, and polygons. We began with a look at different angles and explored our classroom for acute, right, and obtuse angles, using pipe cleaners to form the angles. Next, we looked at our first polygon, the triangle, and learned to recognize or measure the sides and angles of a triangle to determine if it’s a right, equilateral, isosceles, or scalene triangle. One student discovered a triangle in her lunch (a Dorito chip) and was excited to learn that it was an isosceles triangle with two equal sides!

Students also experimented with triangles cut from squares to make 3, 4, 5, and 6-sided polygons. Working in pairs, students found ways to group like polygons together and created their own “polygon party” based on one or two like attributes. For example, a party of quadrilaterals; even number of sides party; right angle party. Finally, our mathematicians designed their own robots using a criteria chart, as a creative way to show their understanding of geometry concepts taught so far.

Guiding Questions: How can I determine the functional relationship between two numbers? How can I show what I’m learning in math this trimester? How can I solve a story problem? What is geometry?
Math Tips:
-    Geometry is all around us! Explore your home for objects that have different shapes and angles.
-    Purchase or check out an origami book and have students make fun shapes or animals with paper! Great for building fine motor skills too!

Extensions

Unbelievably amazing creativity is flowing from the minds of the 3^rd graders into their stories entitled Diary of a Snail. Over the course of the month, students have enjoyed all three books in the series written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Harry Bliss: Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Fly, and Diary of a Spider.

Students analyzed the author’s style of writing and the illustrator’s creative way to continue to expand on the story with pictures. Then, students began working with a partner to apply their background knowledge of snails (from science class) and write their own diary entries from the snail character’s perspective. The humorous twists and turns that happen in each story are delightful! Students even applied their vast knowledge of American symbols, heroes/heroines to interface with the snail character in an event. All this writing has been accomplished by using our school’s new laptops! The next big step after Spring Break will be for each child to illustrate and bind their masterpieces for publishing.

(Naia, Maccabee, Sophie, and Cole pondering the lives of snails)

Guiding Questions: How can I write a creative fictional story titled Diary of a Snail?
Extensions Tips:
-    Your child may want to continue the adventures of our beloved snail character by writing additional diary entries and calling it Diary of a Snail 2 (or something else that is clever)?
-    Why stop at snails? Maybe your child wants to write a diary for other insects or creatures.
-    Any fictional writing where personification occurs would be fun for a child. Your child has learned story elements (characters, setting, events, problem, and solution), so encourage him/her to include these in fictional writing.
-    Your child may want to use the computer at home to draft. The children were introduced to simple word processing skills including: saving to a folder, renaming a document, opening & closing documents, minimizing, using text cues (font size, bold, italics, & underline). Certainly you could add to their list of skills as well. Your child may want his/her own writing folder somewhere in your files to keep documents organized.
-    Invite your child to create illustrations to go with the writing. Your child might even model illustrations after another illustrator.
-    Share the joy of writing with your child. Writing a piece together would be an exciting adventure!

Science

In March, we started a new unit called Sun, Moon, and Stars. Students learned the cardinal directions, north, east, south, west, and learned the mnemonic “Never eat soggy waffles”. Students saw how compasses are instruments that indicate the Earth’s magnetic north. We started our study of the Sun by going out to the blacktop with a partner to observe the Sun’s position at two different times during the day. While we use the language that the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west, we know that it really isn’t the Su moving but the rotation of Earth on its axis that makes it appear that the stationary Sun is moving across the sky.

Our study of the Sun continued with learning about the difference between the Earth’s rotation and its revolution. Using a lamp as the Sun and a globe, students learned that the Earth is tilted 23.5 degrees on its axis and rotates once a day. They also saw that while the Earth rotates, it is simultaneously orbiting the Sun, and that a full revolution takes one year. When we return from the break, we will see how and why the Sun creates shadows before we move onto the Moon and stars.

Guiding Questions: What is the Sun?
Science Tips: Make your own sundial. (Please see Home/School Connection that was sent home with students)

D.W.O.K

What makes an American hero/heroine? Students are learning that there are many strong qualities that make an American hero/heroine. Many students agree that it takes strong leadership skills, courage, and a voice to make a hero. This month, students started the process of researching and learning about the lives of men and women who contributed to America’s history. Some of these include: George Washington, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Benjamin Franklin, Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, and Abraham Lincoln.

Students are gathering resources in order to create a “Living Walk of Fame”. Our 3^rd graders are eager to share their findings and step into the shoes of a significant figure who helped shape our nation. Our event will be held in April, details to follow!

In addition, we are thrilled to announce that the Los Angeles National History Museum will be hosting the “Earth Mobile” on April 13-15 on our campus. This is a free hands-on program funded by the Maxwell H. Gluck Foundation for 3^rd-5^th graders. Students will participate in activities that focus on the natural

history of the Chumash Native Americans. These activities will include laboratory archaeology and excavation. Each 3^rd grade class will have an assigned time during school hours, however parents and family members are welcome to join us for the Earth Mobile Open House on Wednesday, April 14 from 3:00-4:00. For more details please visit their website at:

http://www.nhm.org/site/for-teachers/mobile-museum/earthmobile

Guiding Question: How do we link our community to our nation?
DWOK Tips: Brainstorm costume ideas with your child that represent their American Hero/Heroine!

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Physical Education

The first and perhaps most important aspect of physical education is the direct bearing it has on children’s physical, mental, and social well being. The child who is well educated physically is likely to become a healthy adult who is motivated to remain healthy. The healthy, physically active child is also more likely to be academically motivated, alert, and successful.

A common mistake is to emphasize competition while children are still quite young. Children are able to create their own competition in normal play.  Only at about the age of ten or eleven are they ready physiologically, socially, and emotionally to participate in competitive activities. The goal of the physical educator should not be to identify winners, but to make winners of ordinary students. Every student is a winner. Students should be helped to discover what they can do, and to appreciate their own uniqueness and that of others.  Therefore at LFCSA, the motto in P.E. is: “It is not about being the best, it is about doing your best!” It is not about winning, it is about having fun together,

improving our skills, and staying in shape. The students hear me say this over and over again – “Every student is a winner!”

That said, “How is a P.E. lesson structured?” We always start with running a few laps to warm up, mostly followed by stretches. At the end of each lesson we cool down by sitting in a circle, taking a few deep breaths, and by going through our cheer ritual. The mid section is reserved for learning and practicing the skills as described in the California standards.

Our big theme for March and April is the school wide “Jog-a-thon.” Instead of our usual warm-up runs in the beginning of class, we have been running the original Jog-a-Thon course. We started with 7.5 minutes, increased to 10 minutes and will eventually run the full 15 minutes – like we will be on Friday, April 23rd. I also introduced interval training to the students. These different ways of training give the children an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the course, learn how to breathe properly, how to pace themselves in order to last for the full time, and how to get really fast. Come April, your child will look like a seasoned marathon runner out there on the course!

Another theme in March is soccer. We practice passing the ball, dribbling with the ball, heading the ball to each other and kicking penalties. We have scrimmage games to demonstrate what we learn.

Every third week of each month, we practice one of the students’ favorite activities: “Medicine ball hot potato.” Huh? Okay, we sit in a circle and pass seven medicine balls around. The children cannot drop them, nor can anyone have two at a time in their possession. The record (at the time this article was written) is held by the “Texan Eyeballs” with 48 laps, followed by the “Awkward Octopi” tied with the “Badgers” for 27 laps, followed by the “Cool Cats” with 23 laps.

The very last week of each month is free choice. I tallied up all their past choices and found out that their favorite activity is field hockey (picked 22 times), followed by rolling on the scooter boards (21), followed by soccer (16).

- Mr. Wenger

Visual Arts

Students have tackled a tough guiding question during the most recent Visual Arts unit: “How does an artist express human experience and characteristics through animal sculpture?” To dig into the question, the artists of third grade compared examples of zoomorphic sculpture throughout various cultures and times. Coming to understand that each culture or each person relates recognizable human qualities in each animal, the artists picked a Native American Totem Animal that they related to on a personal level. After taking time to research the animal and create preparatory drawings, students created clay sculptures. From stylized to rather realistic, the final products reflect a personal artistic process that is rooted in tradition, research and the exploration of the medium of clay.

Dance

In dance, the students have taken an extended period of time to develop a broad overview of tap dancing. Considered a truly American art form, students were able to recognize the influences of various cultures that brought traditional rhythmic dances to this country and how these influences converged in a new style. The dancers explored the concept of tap as an expression of dance and music, concentrating on the rhythm and the different sounds created by the shoes. Bojangles Robinson, Shirley Temple, and Gregory Hines served as examples of how tap can effectively create interest visually and musically. Later they turned their attention to another great tap dancer who was famous for a Broadway style that combined tap, ballet and modern dancing: Gene Kelly.  Using his performance in the film, “Singing in the Rain,” as inspiration, students embarked on a journey into choreography and rehearsal. Students have learned a large class routine as well as choreographed their own smaller group routines. They will be performing these final products shortly after we return from Spring break.

- Ms. Heather

Theatre Arts

The unit has been focusing on collaboration and cooperation. This month students got a chance to collaborate in small groups and block out scenes of their play. They will then get the opportunity to direct each other in small scenes.  Students are learning the differences between directing and acting and more importantly, the principles of collaboration and how they apply as a director or as an actor. As we get ready for the showcase, students will get a chance to paint part of their set as well as choose costumes pieces that might fit the characters they created. Final showcase is April 28 at 6 PM. Third graders have been working on Performing Art standards 5.1- Use problem-solving and cooperative skills to dramatize a story or a current event from another content area, with emphasis on the five Ws and 5.2- Develop problem-solving and communication skills by participating collaboratively in theatrical experiences. During the break, please have your child rehearse and memorize their lines for the play.

- Ms. Heneise

Sincerely,

The 3^rd Grade Team

Ms. Mellinger, Miss Chan, and Miss Son

Another trimester is behind us and spring is just around the corner. This is the perfect time of year to go outdoors and explore nature, write poems, or read a book outdoors.

If you are traveling during the break, don’t forget to pack a few books to read on the road.  If you decide to stay close to home, an adventure awaits you in your own backyard.

Take your child out into nature and go on a scavenger hunt to look for different types of weeds or leaves and draw a detailed sketch in your journals. Although we won’t be in class during the week, learning will surely take place wherever you may be!

Thank you all for sharing the opportunity for sitting down to talk about your child’s progress during parent teacher conferences.

As always, we appreciate your support and dedication to your child’s success.

Fondly,

The First Grade Team

Ms. Gonzales, Ms. Duzinski, and Mr. Dymitriw

Readers

The first graders just finished a unit on Tricky Words.   Students learned different strategies to identify and read tricky words and learned how to use their peers as resources.  Students learned how to use context clues, like illustrations to help them figure out tricky words.  Students learned to read tricky words by using the beginning of the word, the ending of the word and reading through the whole word.

Students have just begun a unit in Poetry where they are learning about how to experience poetry with all the five senses. They will continue to explore poetry when we return from Spring Break.

Writing

Students have been developing, and practicing, Non-fiction Style Writing — which they now understand and can add to their Writer’s Repertoire.

They have learned to do “procedural” writing to teach others about something.  They understand, and can use, very specific language to clarify their thinking as they write.

Informational writing did present some new challenges.  The students were encouraged to write about subjects which they already may have expertise, while many chose to research a new topic of interest.  They learned to scaffold their work by explicitly dividing their topic into sub-topics, each of which becomes a separate chapter.  The students could see that each sub-topic has an organizational structure.  Students learned how to organize their informational writing.  They can now share, and teach a reader, many things  — as an author can.

Classmates, and family, will share and enjoy, the How-To do something, and/or the All-About something “published” writings that the students have produced.

We have already started the process of learning all about poetry and will continue to do so in April. The students will explore, and savor language. They will be encouraged to see the world with fresh eyes.  As students learn to experience, and “see with a Poet’s eyes” they will come to understand how poets see the world in fresh ways. (Ex: the pencil sharpener, and/or the ceiling, and/or a tree.)

They will learn to see with their hearts, and to show their feelings by pretending and imagining — with language.

They will learn to have fun with words… valuing voice and repetition; sound and onomatopoeia; and, the children can learn to read and to write with an eye and an ear, appreciating and revising the pace and rhythm of words, as they will learn how to craft their language.

The class will listen to Poetry…every day, during this Unit. Many kinds of poetry will be shared, and practiced. And finally, the students will write Poetry.

Word Study

Word Study is an integral part of the Reading/Language Arts Curriculum.

High Frequency Sight Words; Letter Sounds; Blends; Digraphs; Diphthongs; etc, are integrated into the daily Reading/Writing curriculum.

High Frequency Sight Words, Word Sorts, and Word Activities are included in daily Reading/Language Arts activities.

Math

In Math, students learned how to compare numbers (less, more, greater than and less than.) Lessons included playing games where the children were exploring the value of digits and practicing estimation. Around mid-March, the children took a Quarterly assessment to demonstrate their understanding of concepts taught over the past several months.

Students also learned about inverse relationships and fact families to understand the relationship between addition and subtraction.  To that end, students used objects and games and were challenged to think creatively about numbers. They were asked, “How many ways can we make 6?” and together, we came up with 2 and 4, 3 and 3, 1 and 5, and 6 and 0.

We learned “fact families,” which is a term for using the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction to solve problems. For example, 5, 4 and 9 is a fact family. If 5 plus 4 equals 9, then 9 take away 5 must equal 4. After, students developed word problems and number sentences to match.

The first graders will continue to write word problems and think about the methods used to solve their problem. When we return, we will learn how to tell time to the hour and practice describing objects according to their position in space (in front of, behind, above, etc.)

DWoK (Different Ways of Knowing)

Students explored what they already know about plants and animals that share their neighborhood and they examined their own roles in creating and sustaining neighborhoods where plants, animals, and humans peacefully coexist.

Students learned the ways of a naturalist—careful observations and investigation, drawing techniques, field notes, and nature journals. They began to view their neighborhood environment with a greater sensitivity and awareness.

Currently, students are investigating plants. Students will focus on the variety of plant life that grows in the neighborhood and investigate the ways in which plants adapt to environmental conditions created by neighborhood development.

When we return from the break, students will begin to learn about plant life by nurturing and caring for their own garden box. We will use our resources in the garden to explore insects and the various webs of life that exist in the neighborhood.

Visual Arts

Finishing up a unit on color, students have looked into the creative and more scientific aspects of this element of art.  After coming to understand color in terms of light waves, students used a scientific mindset to mix secondary colors from the primary colors.  Later, they worked as conscientious artists in appropriately using brushes and paint to create fluid strokes.  Instead of using a brush as a crayon to “color” with, students shifted their thinking and came to recognize the differences in various mediums.  By experimenting with both tempura and watercolor paints, the students were also able to contrast different mediums within the family of paint.  As a culminating project, students were given the opportunity to paint a still life employing their understanding of appropriate brush work and watercolors.

Music

Students have continued to learn about the layout of the keyboard through our wonderful keyboard program.  Students are learning about long versus short notes and continue to learn about rests.

Drama

First graders have been rehearsing their play these past few weeks.  This month we reviewed stage directions and blocking and have been blocking the scenes together for the showcase.  Students are looking forward to showing what they have been working so hard on these past couple of months.  Their final showcase is April 21 at 6 PM.  First graders have been working on Performing Arts standard 5.2: Demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively in presenting a tableau, an improvisation, or a pantomime.

Dance

Our students have been “singing and dancing in the rain” during our tap dancing unit.  The unit has provided students with a broad overview of tapping history, style and technique.  At the start, the dancers explored the concept of tap as an expression of dance and music.  Through work on rhythm and multiple sounds created by tap shoes, students learned to combine steps into combinations.  Eventually those combinations developed into a fully choreographed routine that referenced a Broadway style made famous by dancers such as Gene Kelly.  The “Singing in the Rain” routine has provided a basis for students to recognize the process of choreography and the dancers employed the process during a period of group choreography.  The students will soon perform their class and smaller group routines, showing how all of the arts can melt together in the genre of the American Musical.

Math

In March, Fourth Grade completed a study of data sets in math.  We analyzed different types of data sets and learned to find the median, mode, range, and outliers.  We also learned about using parenthesis in mathematical expressions and embarked on a two week study of two digit by two digit multiplication.  In this study, students slowly built their conceptual understanding of multiplication before learning to use the traditional algorithm.  In April, our mathematicians will be focused on building a conceptual understanding of division and then learning the traditional algorithm.  We will also be learning about the relationship between division and multiplication.

Reader’s Workshop

Fourth Grade wrapped up our Mystery Genre study last month.  Students also learned to synthesize what they have read and deepened their understanding of the four main reading strategies used in book clubs– predicting, questioning, clarifying, and finding the main idea.  We launched our author study in book clubs.  Just a few days ago students joined new book club groups. In the month of April, students will read two books by the same author in their book club.  Students are reading books by Maurice Sendak, Lois Lowry, or Roald Dahl.

Writer’s Workshop

For the two months the Fourth Grade has worked diligently on our Fiction writing unit.  In March we worked on fleshing out characters, revising our endings, and rereading with different “lenses” as a writer.  The students revised and edited, and edited and revised.  Both Fourth Grades finished the unit with a celebration of the hard work they put into developing their stories.  As we roll into April, we have begun a unit called Literary Essays: Writing About Reading.  The students will take on the roll of a literary critic by noticing new things about texts and writing to support their ideas.

DWoK/A.P.C.S.

During the month of March, the students of Fourth Grade applied their knowledge of creating an experiment to design salt tolerance experiments.  They were faced with the task to help “Farmer Brown,” who is experiencing a drought in California this year.  The students tested a variety of salty environments on barley, corn, radish, and pea plants.  After 11 days of observation, they uprooted their plants, took final notes, and wrote recommendations to Farmer Brown.  We are now transitioning to a new unit on California History.  It will start with a visit from the National History Museum’s Earthmobile.  Each class will have 2 hours to spend in a 50-foot truck and take on the role of archeologists searching for artifacts of the first settlers in California.

Upcoming Dates

4/5-4/9: Spring Break

4/13-4/15: Earthmobile “In House Field Trip”

4/19-4/23: Spirit Week

4/23: Jog-A-Thon

4/23- 4/24: Night at the Museum Overnight

4/28: 4^th Grade Showcase

Important Announcements:

• There will be an Open House for family members to come and view the Earthmobile.  The Open House will be held on April 14, from 3 to 4 pm.  The truck will be located on the yard

Looking Back…
Guiding Questions
from the last month

Reader’s Workshop

How do readers use comprehension strategies to understand what they are reading?

Math

How do we solve multi-digit multiplication problems?

How can we use data to help us understand, interpret, and predict?

How can we interpret and evaluate mathematical expressions?

Writing

What is the relationship between true, real-life stories and fiction writing?

How do writers really pay attention to what they are reading?

DWoK/A.P.C.S

How do scientists use range of tolerance to inform decisions?

How does our state’s history influence our lives?

Tips for Parents

Math
Ask your child to show you the different ways to solve a 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication problem.  Encourage them to demonstrate how they could draw a representation of the base ten blocks or use the ‘apartment building’ strategy.

Reading
Ask your child to tell you about the strategies that we use in book clubs. Read a book with your child and ask them to apply the comprehension strategies that they have learned.

Writing

Ask your child to give their opinion on a book he or she is reading.  Ask your child to show you where in the book they got ideas for their opinion.

DWoK/A.P.C.S

Look on the internet for primary or secondary sources to learn about the first settlers of California.

“Two hours of writing fiction leaves this writer completely drained. For those two hours he has been in a different place with totally different people.” ~ Roald Dahl

The Arts and P.E. in Fourth Grade

Fourth Grade Visual Art:

In Visual Art, students tackled the complex subject of Media Literacy.  With constant exposure to visual images developed to send messages, it is crucial that the students begin the process of academic analysis and reflection that is applied throughout our curriculum in other subject areas.  So, during the unit, students took the time to ask themselves these probing questions about advertisements they viewed:

1. Who sent me this visual message?

2. What was this visual message sent?

3. How does it get my attention?

4. Where did I see it and what does that say about me?

5. What does it mean to me and what might it mean to others?

These questions led the students through a process of exploration that was reflected in their final projects.  Working in teams, students were asked to create a photograph that would best reflect the needs of a given product.  In order to create the final image, teams worked through a process that included speculation on the demographics that would purchase their product.   The final pictures from all the teams are truly reflections of hours of thought and work, just as it would be in the world of the advertiser.

Fourth Grade Dance:

In dance, the students have taken an extended period of time to develop a broad overview of tap dancing.  Considered a truly American art form, students were able to recognize the influences of various cultures that brought traditional rhythmic dances to this country and how these influences converged in a new style.  The dancers explored the concept of tap as an expression of dance and music, concentrating on the rhythm and the different sounds created by the shoes.  Bojangles Robinson, Shirley Temple and Gregory Hines served as examples of how tap can effectively create interest visually and musically.  Later they turned their attention to another great tap dancer who was famous for a Broadway style that combined tap, ballet and modern dancing: Gene Kelly.  Using his performance in the film, “Singing in the Rain,” as inspiration, students embarked on a journey into choreography and rehearsal.  The students have learned a large class routine as well as choreographing their own smaller group routines, and they will be performing these final products shortly after we return from Spring break.

Fourth Grade Theater Arts

The unit has been focusing on collaboration and cooperation.  This month students got a chance to collaborate in small groups and block out scenes of their play.  They will then get the opportunity to direct each other in small scenes.  Students are learning the differences between directing and acting and more importantly, the principles of collaboration and how they apply as a director or as an actor.  As we get ready for the showcase, students will get a chance to paint part of their set as well as choose costumes pieces that might fit the characters they created.  Fourth graders have also gotten a chance to work on some choreography for different scenes in their plays.  Ms. Howe and Ms. Trubo have been collaborating with Ms. Heneise on teaching the kids how to choreograph a dance and a slow motion scene.

Final showcase is on April 28 at 6 PM.  Fourth graders have been working on Performing Arts standards 5.1 Dramatize events in California history. 5.2 Use improvisation and dramatization to explore concepts in other content areas.

5.3 Exhibit team identity and commitment to purpose when participating in theatrical experiences.

P.E.

Dear Students, Dear Parents,

The first and perhaps most important aspect of physical education is the direct bearing it has on children’s physical, mental, and social well being.  The child who is well educated physically is likely to become a healthy adult who is motivated to remain healthy.  The healthy, physically active child is also more likely to be academically motivated, alert, and successful.

A common mistake is to emphasize competition while children are still quite young.  Children are able to create their own competition in normal play.  Only at about the age of ten or eleven are they ready physiologically, socially, and emotionally to participate in competitive activities.  The goal of the physical educator should not be to identify winners, but to make winners of ordinary students.  Every Student is a Winner.  Students should be helped to discover what they can do, and to appreciate their own uniqueness and that of others.  Therefore at LFCSA  the motto in P.E. is:  “It is not about being the best, it is about doing your best!”  It is not about winning, it is about having fun together, improving our skills, and staying in shape.  The students hear me say this over and over again – “Every student is a winner!”

That said, “How is a P.E. lesson structured?”  We always start with running a few laps to warm up, mostly followed by stretches.  At the end of each lesson we cool down by sitting in a circle, taking a few deep breaths, and by going through our cheer ritual.  The mid section is reserved for learning and practicing the skills as described in the California standards.

Our big theme for March and April is the school wide “Jog-a-thon.”  Instead of our usual warm up runs in the beginning of class, we have been running the original jog-a-thon course.  We started with 7.5 minutes, increased to 10 minutes and will eventually run the full 15 minutes – like we will be on Friday, April 23rd.  I also introduced interval training to the students.  These different ways of training give the children an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the course, to learn how to breathe properly, how to pace themselves in order to last for the full time, and how to get really fast.  Come April your child will look like a seasoned marathon runner out there on the course

Another theme in March is soccer.  We practice passing the ball, dribbling with the ball, heading the ball to each other and kicking penalties.  We have scrimmage games to demonstrate what we learn.

Every third week of each month, we practice one of the students’ favorite activities:  “Medicine ball hot potato.”  Huh?  Okay, we sit in a circle and pass seven medicine balls around.  The children can not drop them, nor can anyone have two at a time in their possession.  The record (at the time this article was written) is held by the “Texan Eyeballs” with 48 laps, followed by the “Awkward Octopi” tied with the “Badgers” for 27 laps, followed by the “Cool Cats” with 23 laps.

The very last week of each month is free choice.  I tallied up all their past choices and found out that their favorite activity is field hockey (picked 22 times), followed by rolling on the scooter boards (21), followed by soccer (16).

Sincerely,

Mr. Wenger