HDES News letter
November 22nd, 2024
2nd graders went on a field trip to the Capitol Center for the Arts to see the Don't Let Pigeon Drive the Bus. The play was hysterical! We DID NOT LET THE PIGEON DRIVE OUR BUS!!!! The second grade team is very grateful to the Duncan-Jenkins Trust as they provided the funding for the tickets to the play and books for all of the students.
They learned how to cooperate and play jeopardy to review for our unit 2 math test. The students were also tasked with creating an insect with structures that could help it successfully survive in a particular environment. They learned how to build structures out of toothpicks and cranberries with 3 focus areas: tallest, longest and strongest. They tried to “drive cars” (matchbox cars) and measured to see who’s won in each category!
1st Grade
Nessie &Champ
The children were asked to depict their visualization of the monster character and the setting using details from the legend of the Loch Ness Monster (and her cousin in Lake Champlain!) as told to them by Mrs. Brett. They were expected to apply their prior knowledge of line to define shape, show movement, and imply texture. Color was then added to enhance the mood of their visual narrative.
Dotty Gardens
In celebration of International Dot Day, the 1st Grade classes created ‘Dotty Gardens’.
The process began with a ‘Color Dot Mixing Challenge’ where each partner or team member challenged their partners to create a specific color mix. This involved using both prior knowledge of color families and experimentation!
The final step was to transform the colored dots into a magical dotty garden using black paint and a variety of art making tools.
Circus Collage
Inspired by the book Circus by Lois Ehlert the 1st Grade Enrichment classes will make ‘simple shape’ collages using their own, self-made, wax/tempera resist papers.
Grade 2 - ‘Fictional Landscapes’
The 2nd-grade students were asked to visualize and create a ‘textural’ landscape using black crayons. They began by looking at drawings by Vincent Van Gogh and noting how he used line to imply texture. The students then chose to use either expressive or realistic colors (or a mixture of both) to enhance the mood of their landscape.
Grade 3 - ‘Klimt Forests’
After viewing and discussing forest landscapes painted by the artist, Gustav Klimt, the 3rd grade students created their own forest landscapes using a painting/printing technique. The goal of the assignment was to create ‘the illusion of depth’ using the strategies of scale and overlapping. After adding a horizon line, the second step was to add color, using oil pastels, that would enhance the desired mood of the landscape and illusion of depth’.
Grade 5 - Repousse
Inspired by Illuminated Manuscripts such as 'The Book of Days' the 5th-grade students created their own illuminated letters using the technique of Repousse. The Repousse process begins with drawing on the reverse side of the metal sheet thereby pushing out and creating lines in relief on the front. Since the students were asked to create letters there was the challenge of reversing direction and order of those letters as necessary.
When the drawing stage was completed the students then added color to the front of their image using colored permanent markers allowing the bright colors to contrast with the gleaming silver color of the metal.
Students enjoyed singing along to The Twelve Days of Winter (A Wildlife Celebration) by Sherri Maret. It's a great picture book that reads to the tune of "The 12 Days of Christmas", but a moose munching in the meadow is a favorite verse. Mrs. Haley brought a small moose antler for the students to see, hold and explore.
Some classes played "Roll-A-Measure" and created musical patterns by rolling dice and writing the corresponding note(s) or rest to create an accurate measure. They will soon be playing these compositions of music using unpitched classroom instruments such as drums, tambourines and maracas.
4th & 5th grade students worked on reading simple musical melodies using 2, 3, 4 or 5 different notes, and playing them on xylophones. They demonstrated playing these melodies independently, as well as simultaneously, with a partner.
Please remember that all students should bring the following everyday for recess: coat, snow pants, boots, hat and mittens/gloves. Students who do not have the appropriate snow gear, in grades PreK-3, will not be able to play in the snow covered areas. If you need assistance with purchasing these items, please reach out to us.
