4th--Abstract painting inspired by Wassily Kandinsky

This lesson was inspired by Russian artist, Wassily Kandinsky. He is considered as the inventor and theorist of abstract painting in the 20th century.  4th Graders emulated Kandinsky's style.

We talked about the great influence music had on making his creations.We focused on using different types of lines, organic shapes, geometric shapes and the concept of composition.
We also discussed abstract art and how color can change a mood or express a feeling. 
The students had a great time creating colors that express their feeling by mixing primary colors.

"Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, and the soul is the piano with many strings.  The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul."

                                  --Wassily Kandinsky

Music- Listen, Sing, Move!

Students are now off and running with the first song of each musical. It was great seeing students sing and move with such energy. I was proud of each grade, and a lot of potential was shown this week!

PE

Happy Seahawks Friday!  We continued with our volleyball unit this week.  Finally, we set up the net and the poles, as our students really got after it.  Our 3rd-5th grade classes played full games of volleyball, while our K-2nd graders practiced serving and rallying the ball to each other.  Below, we can see some of our 1st grade students in action.  Go Hawks!

3rd- Fused Glass Art

One of my all time favorite art auction project is Fused Glass Project.
We pick a theme as a class. Two students at a time, glue 15 colored glass pieces on a clear glass to create one picture. I can't wait to put this masterpiece in our Kiln.

PE

Even though our PE time was cut in half this week, our students got some fantastic exercise in while up on the mountain skiing and snowboarding!  When we did have class together, volleyball was our area of focus.  Our K-2nd grade students practiced the basic skills of serving and bumping the ball, while the 3rd-5th graders played a few mini games, all leading up to our big volleyball game next week!  Here we can see two of our 2nd grade students perfecting the art of serving.  Enjoy the weekend.

Celebrating Author Robert Munsch

For the past few weeks, the younger students have been enjoying hearing books by Canadian author, Robert Munsch.  Many of the titles shared were illustrated by Michael Martchenko.  Student have especially liked Thomas' Snowsuit and Andrew's Loose Tooth while checking out many others.  The children have enjoyed giggling along to these silly books.  Ask your child which one they thought was the best!

Music- Introducing Musicals

 In music, students were introduced to their Spring musicals. We also had some discussion on famous musicals, such as "Phantom of the Opera," "Wicked," and an old favorite of mine- "Cats." Another great one, that flies under the radar but has some catchy jazz selections is "How to Succeed in Business." Students did a great job, identifying instrument sounds and different genres that the musicals entailed (classical/opera, vs. jazz). What is your favorite musical?

It was a busy week for students and staff as CHA headed to the Mountain!
 It was great to see kids gearing up for the adventure.
"Skiing is a dance, and the Mountain always leads." -unknown

PE

This week in PE we began our volleyball unit, which will continue for the next couple of weeks!  We began with teaching basic skills to our K-1st grade students, learning how to keep the ball in the air.  Our 2nd-5th graders worked on serving and returning the ball.  Some of our classes were even able to play Volleyball Four Square and Volleyball Tennis, which are just as they sound: tweaked versions of the classic games with some added volleyball flavor!  Enjoy the three day weekend CHA.

K-Wassily Kandinsky's Study of Concentric Circles

 This week at art class, Kindergarteners had a great time learning about Wassily Kandinsky and working on the collaborative project inspired by Kandinsky's Study of Concentric Circles.

Wassily Kandinsky was a famous Russian painter and art theorist who is credited with painting of the first purely abstract works. He was born in Moscow in 1866 and later died in 1944.
Wassily Kandinsky often painted circles on canvas as a color theory experiment to show how different colors reacted when placed next to lighter or darker hues. Wassily never thought these studies would be sold, never mind highly regarded in the art world.

Each student is assigned for three squares and paint his/her version of color study on the canvas.
It might take about 2 more weeks to finish and I am THRILLED to see the final piece.

2nd grade Learning Face Vocabulary

Second graders finished up their restaurant skits last week and began learning the names of parts of the face this week. We learned the song "Cabeza, hombros, rodillas, pies" (Head, shoulders, knees, and toes) in Spanish and played the review game "Donde esta la pegatina?" (Where is the sticker?) - picture to the right -->

Music: MLK songs and "Can You Hear It?" - classical music appreciation

 Grades 2 and 3 sang songs to honor Martin Luther King Jr. The songs involved a game and some various rhythms and forms, such as ABA or ABACABA (rondo) form. All grades reviewed the 4 instrument families and did some classical listening with the book "Can You Hear It?" It pairs works of art from the MET with well known classical pieces. Some familiar pieces to students were "Flight of the Bumblebee, The Nutcracker, and Spring." Some new favorites were "Fossils and Billy the Kid." 2 pieces that help with the study for younger students are "Carnival of the Animals" and Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," which are found throughout the book. We also discussed that many of today's popular artists have been influenced in some way by classical music. Pictured here, we changed pace with some impromptu performances by 3rd and 4th grade. A variety of instruments, and no practice needed!

Farm Animals and Snowmen in First grade!

 Last week first grade students began learning "La granja" (The Farm) Vocabulary and the names of animals on the farm. They also began learning the Spanish song "El granjero tiene una granja" (The farmer has a farm).

First graders began creating their own farms and labeling the pictures with the Spanish vocabulary.



First graders also reviewed the song "Mi hombre de nieve" (My snowman) and created their own snowmen our of shaving cream and glue. They had a blast creating their "Hombres de nieve"!!

"Grand Old Duke of York" has Buckets-O-Fun in Music.

This week grades 2-4 played the singing game the "Grand Old Duke of York." It's a high energy "alley" style game where partners take turns doing various moves down the alley, then through the arches. Friday was a great time to start a drum band as the SEAHAWKS headed into the playoffs. Students did some exploration and call and response rhythms. Older students worked on their alternating stick technique and created some of their own rhythms. Buckets are cheap, easy to store and transport, but they are also fun to play. They sound pretty good too! Boom Boom!

In Technology this week...

This week students said farewell to Type to Learn 3, next week everyone will be migrated to Type to Learn 4 as part of our campaign to make the new server happy! In Second Grade students also discussed different types of Simple Machines (technology without engines!) and played the EdHeads Simple Minds game which you can find on http://www.mrsmorlidge.com/Technology.htm

Third Grade students practiced their keyboarding and embarked on the Zoombinis Mountain Rescue Adventure - After the foundation of Zoombiniville, the Zoombinis live in peace until a small group of them get trapped inside a cave seeking shelter from a storm. They meet up with strange creatures called Boolies who occupy a city known as Booliewood. The students challenge is save the Zoombinis by overcoming various obstacles using their logic and problem solving skills.

Fourth Grade students have embarked on an adventure of a different sort - using Excel! This week we discussed the structure of a worksheet and how to navigate around one. One of our very well informed students just happened to know that the maximum column header is xfd - I set the students a little challenge to see if they could find the furthest extent of the rows! Students also decoded a mysterious  message from Harry the Hamster who has been on his travels.

Finally, Fifth Grade students started wrapping up their Guatemala web pages. They have been using Expression Web to generate the code required, although most of them would prefer to play with html! All will be revealed this time next week.

P.E.

Back in the swing of things here at CHA!  For PE this week, our students took part in a ski season preparation activity, in which we simulated the art of settling yourself into the chairlift.  The excitement building with ski season on the horizon is simply unmistakable.  In addition, our students either took part in the monthly run if the weather was good enough OR they participated in bean bag relay races.  The purpose of these relay races was to build up our sense of coordination and balance.  Have a fantastic weekend and Go Hawks!

Art Auction projects

Happy New Year!!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!
It is that time of year!!
Art auction is quickly approaching and CHA art room has been very busy with our wonderful parent volunteers. 

Thank you for introducing different artists to our students and working with them.

Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster

In the upcoming week in Library, students will be hearing and discussing Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier.  This book, written by the author of On the Day You Were Born, follows Sage, a fifth grader who has misheard and misunderstood her teacher's weekly vocabulary homework.  This "disaster" eventually turns into a triumph as it inspires a vocabulary parade.  CHA will be participating in a Top Hat Parade on Friday, January 31 and this book helps them prepare for the project.  Focused around Science vocabulary, the Top Hat Parade allows each child to create a top hat using a Science word that is grade appropriate.  More information about the project will be sent home soon by your child's science teacher.