The 5th year Looking at Google Earth in French!

Posted on by Francoise Cutrone

 

The fifth year class was looking at Google Earth as part of French Class. We are exploring the geography and regions of France.  In addition, we had a small lesson about the different countries that make up Europe and the rest of the world. The class even completed a little quiz at the end of that lesson! Google Earth is a great learning tool; everybody in class passed the quiz! We will now be able to continue our story which takes place in Annecy, in the Alps region of France where we are following a little girl who lives in a big house with her pet cat Anatole. This simple story gives us the opportunity to review a lot of French vocabulary along with learning new expressions as well!

Upper Elementary: Consistency

Posted on by Brian Comstock

Lately we have done our best to maintain consistency in the classroom with all of the weather related closings.  Maintaining a consistent classroom routine gives students reassurance and predictability while in our school setting. Practicing consistent routines at home and school also makes them feel safe. But there are times when we have to go with the flow which we have done recently and the students are rising to the occasion.

We have had several reading responses shared over the past couple weeks. We introduced some new and fresh reading response activities that are available to the students and they are eager to try them.  Once again the goal for each student is to complete six total responses.

Many students from outside Fraser Woods have visited our classroom since the new year started. During a visit we partner the student with a peer of the same grade level. They help answer questions, give a tour and make the visitor feel welcome. This is natural for these Montessori students and they are excellent hosts. We anticipate welcoming these positive additions to our school in the fall of 2018.

Linda, our play director for James and The Giant Peach visited the students on Monday to introduce herself. On Wednesday, she invited students to audition for the roles in the play. They had a lot of fun and are excited to find out their roles in the play. The enthusiasm was evident as many students spent dismissal time reading lines together.

 

Fitness Boxing

Posted on by Pam Pascarella

This month the Upper Elementary students participated in Fitness Boxing. Fitness Boxing provides a positive outlet where stress can be relieved while promoting positive energy. It does not create aggressive behavior. It is a high-intensity workout so students actually feel more calm post workout. Fitness Boxing improves athletic performance. It will improve a person’s agility, strength, conditioning, and endurance. Fitness Boxing can help hone hand-eye coordination. Students practiced with a partner. One partner punched as the other held up padded mitts. Students were taught and then practiced jabs, hooks, and crosses. After so many punches, students completed a fitness activity such as running, squats, push-ups, and planks before punching his or her partner’s mitts again. By the end of the unit, you could see the students had improved their confidence and self-esteem. Students were asked to respond to a self and peer assessment.

Upper Elementary: Teamwork

Posted on by Brian Comstock

 

Lately, we have taken some much needed breaks from our routine to play group games. Some of the favorites include four corners, seven-up and Native American chief. These breaks help the students come together as a community and reset their brains for focused learning.

We are nearing the end of the basketball season and we had the largest turnout ever with the entire class participating.  As a result we divided the group into two teams of nine and both teams won their first game vs The Mead School. Thank you Jayne for the tasty oranges! Our final two games are vs Unquowa; one home and one away.

On Wednesday we resumed our outreach to the St. Vincent DePaul Mission in Waterbury through our monthly sandwich making project.  The students worked in teams of six to make, wrap and label sandwiches. This project would not be possible without the support of the families that donate supplies and come in the classroom to assist with the preparation. Thanks again to Mrs. Nieminen for all you do to coordinate the activity!

 

Upper Elementary: Presentations

Posted on by Brian Comstock

Our class got to experience the annual presentation of the Periodic Table of Cupcakes by the 7th Year students.  This is always a fun presentation that excites and engages the younger students. As teachers, we also love to see the growth and maturity of the 7th Years when they share what they learned.  The short, catchy videos they provide help to make the concepts of the periodic table and names of the elements resonate with all of us. At the end of the presentation, each student chose an element cupcake to enjoy with their lunch.

In our classroom, the students spent much of their time sharpening their oral presentations. They used their initial reports and chose the information that most interested them to incorporate into their presentation for research night. Through this experience, they learned some interesting and insightful facts about their ancestry that we hope they will remember for a long time.

 

Elementary Basketball Skills and Fun Games

Posted on by Gina Tryforos

This month the Lower and Upper Elementary practiced and participated in the team sport of Basketball. The objectives are designed to develop hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. We practiced dribbling a ball with either hand while changing pathways, direction, and speed. We worked on passing a ball to a stationary and moving target using both a bounce and chest pass. In addition, students had to catch a passed ball while they were stationary and in motion. We demonstrated the proper technique of pivoting while holding a ball and identified markings on the court. In the Upper Elementary level, we learned to differentiate roles of offensive and defensive players and understand and use simple basketball rules. We especially enjoy the games. Games we play are: Dribble Knockout, Knockout, Spot Takeaway, and Steal the Bacon.

This month, I also started incorporating Plickers Magnets. Plickers magnet assessment is a relatively new to in the Physical Education community. Plickers magnets help students gain autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  Each student now has more control over  his or her individual road to mastery of various skills. It is a tool that allows the assessment of students’ knowledge through multiple choice questions or assessing how they felt they did in class. Plickers allows students to take ownership of their learning and creates a respectful class culture around individual differences. Every student is given a number so that they remain anonymous from one another.

 

Reading Musical Notes with Recorders

Posted on by Yun-Kyung Kim

For the past couple of months, Upper Elementary students have been working on learning how to read musical notes. We used Solfege syllables and rhythmic cards when we were working with various pitched instruments. By learning to play recorders, students become better at reading sheet music and understanding the sound of different notes. 5th years began to work with Alto Recorders in addition to the Soprano Recorders. 

The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument in a group known as internal duct flutes—flutes with a whistle mouthpiece. A recorder can be distinguished from other duct flutes by the presence of a thumb-hole for the upper hand and seven finger-holes (three for the upper hand and four for the lower). The recorder was well known in Europe in the Middle Ages. The instrument, with its eight finger holes, is recognizable in numerous Medieval and Renaissance paintings. Many historical recorders have survived, showing broad variation. Soprano, sopranino, alto, tenor, and bass recorders were crafted from natural materials as diverse as pearwood, boxwood, and even narwhal tusk. The earliest were carved from one or two pieces. By the baroque era, recorders were typically made from three separate pieces, which allowed for more accurate tone. The recorder’s expressiveness earned it a significant place in baroque era ensembles.

2018 Winter Olympic Games!

Posted on by Pam Pascarella

 

The Extended Day, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary participated in Winter Olympic Games stations in class. The students were questioned on their knowledge as to why there are only five rings and what the colors represented. They were also asked where they Olympics were taking place and what continent that country  was located in. The students participated in the following winter Olympic Game stations: Curling, Biathlon, Speed Skating, Ice Hockey, Skeleton/Luge, Ski Jump, and Bobsled. At the end of class the students assessed which station they liked the most. The stations they most enjoyed was the bobsled and ski jump!