"From Caves To Canvas"
Central Idea: People record and express their feelings, beliefs and values through visual art.
Lines of Inquiry:
The diverse ways in which artists express themselves
Inspiration for the creation of art
The purpose of art
Presentation and Presentation of Art
We started our new unit by sharing art from home and coming up with a class definition for Art. Our class definition for ART is --Art is a form of expression that communicates information through skillful creation using materials. Then Ms. Franzmeier took us on a magical journey where we learned about the caves of Lascaux, France and what these cave artists might have been expressing through their art. We traveled back in time to create our own cave art. Check out the video http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/. to see the amazing cave art. Next, we took a close look at aboriginal art and Ms. Barina, our class expert on this Australian art form, taught us about the design elements and stories behind the art. Today we used what we learned about aboriginal art and painted designs on rocks. In the upcoming weeks we will learn about Leonardo DaVinci, Piet Mondrian, Kandinsky, Picasso, Monet, Warhol and many more artists. Please ask your child to share about the artists he/she is learning about in class. After viewing images of art, students have many inquiries. They wondered about the artist, where they lived, what inspired them, what the message was behind the art and why they created their art. We will be trying to answer our inquiries throughout the unit. The summative assessment for this unit is for each child to reflect on their favorite artist and artistic style and express a message through their own masterpiece. You are invited to celebrate with us at the Grade 2 "From Caves to Canvas" Art Gallery on the morning of November 8th where all the masterpieces will be on display. More information will be sent home about this event. Upcoming CurriculumLanguage ArtsReading -Monday with a Mad Genius & Caldecott Books, focusing on sequence of events and making mental images Writing- Writing Workshop & Blogging, focusing on different ways to begin our writing and adding details Word Study- Beginning our Word Check Up AssessmentsLong vowels- example, a- ai, ayMathGeometry and Strategies for Addition and SubtractionScience & Social StudiesColor and LightThe importance of presenting and preserving art
Upcoming DatesYou can check the calendar section of our class website and see upcoming events. Discoverer's Day No School October October 8thTeacher Work Day No School October 15th
Field Trip to Honolulu Art Academy October 18thHalloween Parade 9:00 October 31st
From Caves to Canvas Art Gallery Nov. 8th
We now have a set day for Media Center-If you would like to volunteer our Media Day is N Day from 12-1:00. Let me know if you are available to help out! We need help checking books in and out and helping with computer skills. You can come on a regular basis or whenever you are available. We spent Friday afternoon learning about worms and getting everything ready to make our own worm bins next week.
| Students having fun shredding paper with Ms. Dayna! | Learning how to shred paper to make bedding for our worm bins! |
We are working on our summative assessments. Students first reflected on how our character and attitude can affect relationships and chose a learner profile/attitude that is important to a relationship. They created an image either by drawing,painting or taking a photograph that showed the attitude. Some students used the pic collage app on our iPads to design their image. Students also wrote about their image. They are putting this all together to create a poster that will be displayed on campus. Students are looking forward to sharing their posters with each other and Ms. Shigehara and Mr. Allan on Monday. Look for your child's poster around campus .
*This post was composed on the iPad - if you download the weebly app your child can blog at home using an iPad. Photos are easy to insert. Just take a photo or video on the iPad and then upload it to the blogpost.
Super easy and fun!
Classroom Updates-
Unit News-
We are working on our summative assessments for this unit. Students are creating posters that teach friendship tips. Students must use an image, photograph, drawing, painting,... that shows the importance of a character trait or attitude and how it affects relationships. This image must have a sentence that gives a complete explanation of what is happening and how it affects friendships. These posters will be laminated and put up around our school campus. Check out the rubric that is below.
| better_together_rubric.docx |
| File Size: | 50 kb |
| File Type: | docx |
Download File
Painting Stones with a Message of Peace for International Peace Day
Language Arts Update-
We are focusing on how to write an organized paragraph. Topic sentences, details and a closing are all parts of a paragraph.
Students are also finishing up their first blog post. All parts of the blog posts are completed by students. They are applying what they have learned about writing and paragraphing, typing skills and working with a blogging template (adding titles, pictures, etc...) The blog is an authentic way for all of us to see the progression of learning. Please be patient and encourage your blogger!
Some students are excited and want to blog from home. This is wonderful, just make sure to have your child include Home Entry in the title of the blog post.
Reminders-
Please update the reading log portion of the student planner. If your child reads 400 minutes in one month they will be invited to a special Reading Rocks Lunch in the classroom.
Please have your child study math facts at least 4 times a week. On Thursday the math game that is sent home is meant to be a fun way to practice facts so please record it on the fact chart in the homework folder. I am assessing students on a regular basis and many are making outstanding progress!
THANK YOU!
It was great to see so many of you at Parent Night! It was a fun night and I hope you found it informative. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you to Ms. White and Ms. Scherman for volunteering to be our room parents. I appreciate your continued support as we learn the routines and get back into school mode.
BLOG NEWS
You can now subscribe to this newsletter and get news of updates emailed. Just put your email in the subscribe block on the right side of my blog. By subscribing you will automatically be notified of any updates. A calendar and picture page are on their way!
We enjoyed several sessions in our new media center last week. First we learned that a blog comes from weblog, which is a log of ideas and writing that can be shared.
Students then looked at sample blogs on paper and made comments to practice appropriate netiquette.
Students were thrilled to be the first LJA class to get their hands on our new Mac laptops. We worked hard to get our blogs up and running. Students named their blog and picked the design for their blog page. Please click on the Student Blog/Portfolio tab and then look for your child's blog. Click on their blog name put in the password and check out their blog design! Next week we will put in our first blog entry.
Buddy Bookmarking Fun
On Friday we met our 5th Grade Buddies and worked on bookmarks. Next up, we will interview our buddies on the topic of friendship. Students will come up with their interview questions and then meet again for an interview session.
Picture Day is Wednesday. Enjoy the 3 day weekend!
Pictures of Bloggers at Work!
We have been busy learning the routines of second grade and getting to know each other. Students enjoyed playing People Bingo, All My Friends Have..., Guess Who, Me and My Bag, Agree/Disagree and many other class building activities. I learned that this year's group of tigers love to surf, knit, travel, play soccer, swim, play wii, golf, show dogs, learn about different countries and much more. It is going to be an exciting year!
Meeting our 5th Grade Buddies was one of the highlights of the first week! It was fun to see students jump right in and work collaboratively and enthusiastically to complete a fun filled obstacle course. We are looking forward to our next Buddy Day!
Upcoming Curriculum and Dates to Remember
Unit of Inquiry
Transdisciplinary Theme: Who We Are
Title: Better Together
Central Idea: A person's character can affect relationships.
Lines of Inquiry: Similarities and Differences, Maintaining and Building Relationships and Conflict Resolution
Language Arts
Word Study- High Frequency Word Assessments and Creating Individual Word Lists
Writing Workshop- Types of Sentences and Writing a Paragraph
Learning about Blogging
Reading Workshop- Reading books with a friendship theme, Mental images and making connections while reading, character traits
Math
Unit 1- Building Number Sense
Math Fact Fluency- Adding 0 & 1, Double Facts and Making 10
Dates to Remember
Parent Night August 27th 6 to 8 PM Parent Night
Holiday- No School September 3rd
I am looking forward to seeing all of you at Parent Night!
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