First Graders Try Some Physics Concepts

Using the program, Crayon Physics, first graders have been practicing their mouse skills, problem solving, and helping one another.  One of the benefits of this game is that no one student will solve the puzzles the same way.  We all draw our lines, boxes, and anchors differently using a mouse.  The purpose of the game is to have the ball drop onto a star.  Sometimes you have to make the ball fall the right way, other times you have to think of a solution to make it seemingly travel uphill.  The students have a lot of fun thinking of different solutions!

PE

In PE this week, we turned our attention towards the great game of hockey.  For our Kindergarten and 1st grade students, we played Scooter Hockey, using miniature hand sticks while rolling around on floor scooters.  Grades 2-5 played floor hockey, which really got us running around and active, all in preparation for the fun time to be had at the Fall Festival.  Enjoy the weekend!

2nd--Fall Landscape Painting

Happy Fall!!
This week at Art, 2nd graders had a great time working on their Fall Landscape Paintings. We looked out the window and noticed that the leaves are starting to show some color. We also noticed  that the houses far away from us looked smaller than the houses closer to us. After we looked out the window, we made landscape paintings by using fall colors. We also drew objects closer to us bigger and the objects far away from us smaller to create an illusion of space and depth.We learned that it is called Perspective in Art.

4th Grade Music- Bands starting their "Debut" as we head into Fall Fest!!!

4th grade has been doing a wonderful job, plugging away with their guitars and recorders. Tuesday, our first band RIOT performed their debut single "SUPER BASE." The group, originally a guitar trio, now has a 4th member and has changed their name to AMMJ. Their performance spurred a movement and lead to the formation of other bands, SLM ROCK and the MME BOYZ.

In recorder, several students have "passed off" on their first set of tunes, graduating to the "Recorder Express" book, or the "Race Around the World" adventure. Please keep a lookout for these students to be featured on the blog soon! It's been fun seeing the improvement and creativity of our 4th graders. ROCK ON!

Wish Lists

Students spent the first few days this week creating "wish lists" at the Scholastic Book Fair.  The Book Fair opened Tuesday and will be opened through Fall Festival.  A big thank you to all the volunteers to make this Book Fair be so successful! 
Remember, if you're unable to come to the Book Fair in person, you can always shop on-line: http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=chestnuthillacademy.  The link is also found on the CHA website.

So many books!!

Matamoscas Review Game in 3rd Grade

This week 3rd graders reviewed Bedroom and Location Vocabulary in Spanish. They played the game "Matamoscas" to help review the vocabulary. To review they had to say where Mader was in relation to "la silla"(the chair).

5th grade music- "Acting, Notating, and Drumming"

In music, 5th graders had a brief discussion on mood and expression in music. Then they created skits using expressive elements, with the help of instruments, props, and some great acting! 5th graders have also been working on music theory and playing various rhythms and chants via the 'Drum Circle'. Students have been improving with their use of drum sticks and alternating hand patterns. BOOM BOOM!

PE

The focus of PE this week was centered around developing our kicking skills, with an eye towards soccer.  Our Kindergarten students worked on passing the ball accurately to each other in pairs, while our 1st-5th graders played "Foosball."  Foosball is a modified version of indoor soccer, where students have an assigned area that they can move around in.  Below is a picture from one of our 1st grade games of Foosball.  Have a great weekend!

K---Pasta Skeletons

  This week at Art, Kindergarteners had a great time working on their Pasta Skeleton project. After we talked about Dia de los Muertos, Mexican Holiday, we learned how to draw a skeleton and how to use glue.
They drew skeletons with white oil pastel on black construction paper, and then glued different shapes of pasta carefully.Their Pasta Skeletons turned out so GREAT!!

 

Preparing for the Scholastic Book Fair

This week in Library class, the students watched the promotional Book Fair video based on their reading interests and grade levels.  They were very excited and already have some ideas on what titles they would like to purchase at our Book Fair next week.  If you'd like to preview the titles, you may take a look at the website designed just for the CHA families:

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/chestnuthillacademy

 

On Monday and Tuesday next week, students will have an opportunity to fill out wish lists.  The Book Fair hours are as follows:

Tuesday, October 22: 3:30 - 5:30 pm

Wednesday, October 23: 2:30 - 5:30 pm

Thursday, October 24: 7:45 - 9:15 am AND 2:30 - 5:30

Friday, October 25: 2:30 - 7:30 (during Fall Festival)

 

We hope to see you there!

5th Grade Surfaces in Technology!

Dia de los Muertos!

Dia de los Mertos(day of the dead) is a Mexican celebration honoring loved ones who have passed. This vibrant holiday calls elaborately decorated skeletons, Catrinas.

This week at Art, my 1st graders had a great time learning about Dia de los muertos and creating their day of the dead Catrinas.

his vibrant holiday calls the elaborately decorated skeletons, Catrinas. My second grade students loved creating their Day of the Dead Catrinas using paint and paper. - See more at: http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/2009/10/25/day-of-dead-art-project/#sthash.iRn3zIy2.dpuf

The Dead of the Dead is a Mexican celebration honoring loved ones who have passed. This vibrant holiday calls the elaborately decorated skeletons, Catrinas. My second grade students loved creating their Day of the Dead Catrinas using paint and paper. - See more at: http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/2009/10/25/day-of-dead-art-project/#sthash.iRn3zIy2.dpuf

Their Art turned out AMAZING!!!

The Dead of the Dead is a Mexican celebration honoring loved ones who have passed. This vibrant holiday calls the elaborately decorated skeletons, Catrinas. My second grade students loved creating their Day of the Dead Catrinas using paint and paper. - See more at: http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/2009/10/25/day-of-dead-art-project/#sthash.iRn3zIy2.dpuf

PE

We took advantage of the sunshine available to us this week in PE by getting outside for our monthly run!  Each student has the option to either run, jog, or walk their target distance.  For K-2nd graders, that distance is 1/2 of a mile (5 laps around the soccer field), while 3rd-5th graders have a target of 1 mile (10 laps).  We also played "Island Sinker," which is a strategy-based game where two students (Shark, Island Sinker) attempt to collect all of the colored poly-spots on the gym floor so that none remain.  Below is a picture of a 2nd grade class playing Island Sinker.  Have a great Northwest weekend!

K Music- Drum Circles

 It was fun to see many kindergarten students participate in their first drum circle! We've been doing a farm unit, and students have been singing and chanting about different animals. They've also played instruments that go with that animal, such as sticks, maracas, shakers, and castanets. The cow was cowbell, and since my old set of coconut shakers for the horse have finally bit the dust, it seemed time to drag out the drums! BOOM BOOM!

Library Reminders

This week, students who had overdue books from the Library received notices in their Friday folders.  Students are allowed to check out one book a week, however, the older students may check out an additional book if it is for a school project. If students haven't finished their book in a week, they may also request to renew it for an additional week.  Most students have done a fantastic job making sure their books are returned on time.  Thank you!

Next week, we will officially start our Book Fair kick off by watching a promotional video and hearing excerpts from books featured in the Fair.  More information will follow.

3rd Grade Technology History

3rd Grade students had a rare treat this week - when Baxter's dad heard we have been studying computer history he offered to lend us a couple of specimens from his collection of old computers. Students got to play Lode Runner on an Apple II , had a look at a simple program on an old Mac, and typed a message on a 30 year old laptop. They were also fascinated by the rotary phone and the antiquated modem. Students also shared the results of the 'Old(ish) Person Interview' they had conducted for homework; they were appalled to hear how little technology we used to have in the 'old' days!

Fun "Verbos" Review

Fifth graders worked hard on completing their quiz today in Spanish class. Since there was a little extra time we went out to the field to review verbs in Spanish. One student was chosen to say what the others needed to do using "Necesitan ..." and the students needed to complete that action from line to line on the field. They had a lot of fun reviewing the verbs outside today!

PE

This week in PE, all of the students participated in a favorite game of ours called Pin Down.  Every student has their own bowling pin, which they're responsible for guarding, along with trying to throw balls and knock over other students' pins.  It's a game that just never ends, as you can see in this picture of one of our 1st grade classes.  Have a great weekend!

5th grade-Notan

This week at Art, 5th graders learned about Notan. Notan is the term used by Japanese to express the principle of "dark-light" as an element of design. This concept illustrates the interaction of positive space, emphasizing that one can not exist without the other. our students learned about positive and negative space by creating a collage out of a simple square. 

Fifth grade presented their Diamante Poems in Spanish class

Fifth grade students finished up their Diamante poems which described what they are like and what they are not like and they shared their poems in class. Click on the link to view the video of one of the presentations in Spanish.

Read for the Record!

This week, Kindergarten and First Grade students heard the book Otis by Loren Long.  CHA was invited to be part of Jumpstart's "Read for the Record" where schools all over the country share this book and try to break the world's record.  There were 83 students who participated. This book is about a tractor named Otis who makes friends in the most unlikely of places.  There are sequels which will be shared later this month.

Using the Mouse in KidPix 3D

One of the first skills Kindergarteners and First Graders develop in Technology is using the mouse.  Even though we have new touch screens in the Technology Lab, using the mouse helps students develop fine motor skills and understand spatial relationships.  This skill is used in the drawing program, KidPix3D.  The Kindergarteners were asked to create four shapes: a square, a triangle, a circle, and a rectangle, each a different color.  First graders were asked to use the "bucket" tool in which they have to click on a color, then click on a certain part of an outline picture.  They will continue learning how to manipulate the mouse and learn other skills in this program in the upcoming weeks.

PE

Fall is officially upon us!  Our school week was a little short this time around, but that didn't stop us from getting in some quality physical activity using the floor scooters.  Kindergarten and 1st grade students played a few games of "Friends in the Forest," while 2nd-5th graders took part in "Scooter Polo," which is essentially water polo played on scooters.  Here we can see some 1st graders playing "Friends in the Forest."  Enjoy the long weekend CHA!

2nd Grade Music- "Draw Me a Bucket of Water"

During the song, and while in diamond formation across from a partner, students practice swinging arms to the rhythms of half notes. Half notes get 2 beats, or "ta-ah" as students have been practicing. At the end of each verse, 2 students raise their arms, allowing one student to enter the well. By the end of the 4th repetition, all students are in the well.

It was a blast watching them play this one!

3rd and 4th--Art of India

This week at Art, 3rd and 4th graders are learning about Mehndi.

Mehndi--the art of henna painting on the body--has been practiced in parts of India, Africa and the Middle East for centuries. Dried henna plant leaves are made into a paste that produces a temporary dye that lasts up to three weeks.


 
Mehndi has traditionally been used to adorn wearers for wedding ceremonies and other cultural celebrations. Designs can be intricate and include elements like flowers, swirls, dots and teardrops.

We studied pictures of Mehndi design and created our own by using different types of lines and shapes.

Third Grade Tech September 2013

In Tech this week the Third Graders have been finding out what is inside the computers. Armed with screw drivers, and a reminder to 'lefty loosey, righty tighty', they set about removing and replacing the internal components of some old P.C's. We had a lot of fun, and found some enormous dust bunnies!

3rd Grade Music: A Rig-a-Jig-Jig and Away We Go!

 3rd grade had a round of "Rig-a-Jig-Jig" while singing on the move. In music, it was a lot of rhythm and music theory again this week. Students are rollin'!

Sunshine is Just Fine

PE this week consisted of a few riveting games of "Steal the Chicken," as well as Kickball.  "Steal the Chicken" is a glorified version of Capture the Flag, where instead of trying to steal the opposing team's flag, you try to steal their rubber chicken or fish!  Here we have an action shot of a 2nd grade game of "Steal the Chicken."  Have a great weekend CHA!

Colores en Kinder!

Kindergarten students have been learning/reviewing the names of colors in Spanish this week. They have learned a Spanish color song to help them recall the colors in Spanish and they are about to start learning a different color/sign language song in class. Kindergarteners are having a fun time working a Spanish colors Ice cream worksheet!

At-Home Reading Ideas

Hello Parents,
I was sent this article by Scholastic written by author James Patterson.  I wanted to share the ideas with you on how to promote reading at home.  I found it useful not only as a parent, but as a teacher.

http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-child/how-james-patterson-got-his-son-hooked-books?cid=SBC/e/20130912////Newsletter_Sept_P_10341///Z-PNLK/////&ym_MID=1497153&ym_rid=20180729

I have been working with all grades helping them find "just-right" books using suggestions from teachers, students, and other librarians.  All students have had the opportunity to check out books.

What Wonderful Wallpaper!

In Technology 2nd and 3rd Grade students have been designing their own desktop wallpapers. They quickly discovered that it is a lot more fun using a drawing program when you can use your finger rather than a mouse!

Bienvenidos! - Welcome!

 The first and second week of school we have been reviewing vocabulary in Spanish from the previous year and getting our Spanish folders and binders ready for the coming year. Second grade and up had fun picking Spanish names and learning each others' Spanish names through a "Yo me llamo..." bean-bag toss game. Students in multiple grade levels also enjoyed coloring a minion for the "Mi color favorite es..." bulletin board and adding their minion to the board along with the minion's favorite color in Spanish.




First graders reviewed the names of basic animals in Spanish and then they had a blast playing  a "Donde esta.." game to find the animals around the room.








Third grade reviewed the names of foods in Spanish and played a refresher game with their amigos.

PE

This week in PE we were fortunate enough to get outside and take advantage of the sunshine!  Our 3rd-5th graders took part in the first of our monthly runs, where students can choose to run, jog, or walk 1-mile any way they would like.  Later in the week, we played some kickball.  For K-2nd graders, we played a few parachute games, including Sharks & Lifeguards and Popcorn.  Here, we can see a live action shot of a kickball game during our 5th grade class.  Have a fantastic weekend!