Happy New School Year!

 

 

I am very excited for the 2012-2013 to officially begin on Monday, August 27th!  Since the beginning of August, I have been preparing for the arrival of this year's first grade class.  I have hit many "back to school" sales and desks full of markers, crayons, supply boxes, pencils, erasers, folders and notebooks are waiting to be used! 

 

Are you wondering about the red folder with the bottle of ketchup on it? 

Did you notice that the green folder behind it has a jar of pickles on the front!

Are you curious about what we will use them for?

 

I have been in our classroom for the past two weeks organizing, decorating, planning, and anxiously waiting to be joined by my new students!  I can't wait until Monday! 

 

Links To "How We Express Ourselves" Video Clips

I compiled a variety of You Tube video clips depicting different forms of creative expression. 

These included performances by Stomp, Pilobolus, and The Blue Man Group.  I also shared video clips of splash painting, etch-a-sketch art, hand painting, mime, ballet, etc.  The students have really enjoyed seeing how creative people be!

Here are the links to the video clips we watched:

Stomp Drummers 

Stomp Basketball  

Stomp Kitchen

Splash Painting #1 

 Splash Painting #2

Hand Painting 

Etch-A-Sketch Art 

Pilobolus  

 Marcel Marceau

Blue Man Group

Totem Poles 

The Nutcracker 

Storytelling From India

As a part of our current IB Unit Of Inquiry, "How We Express Ourselves", we are inquiring into the ways stories are told/shared around the world.  On Wednesday, we had the privilege of listening to Aarzu’s parents as they provided us with an overview of India and shared the story of The Wise Mother, a tale that both of them grew up hearing India.  Here is a link to the story:  The Wise Mother

Field Trip To The CMA

On Thursday, our class took a field trip to The Cleveland Museum of Art.  In two groups, docents Lara Mullen & Vicki Bell led our class through the galleries of The CMA.  Our tour included nine different pieces of art which we inquired about, described, and discussed.  Making great connections to our current IB Unit Of Inquiry, “How We Express Ourselves”, the docents shared the stories behind each piece of art. 
Thank you to Amy McConnor, Jenny Eppich, & Todd Wilson for chaperoning our field trip!


Here are the pieces of art that we saw during our visit to the CMA:

The Monkey and the Cat by Abraham Hondius



Coffin of Nesykhonsu



Leopard Caryatid Stool



Saluting Protective Spirit

Maine Coast by Rockwell Kent

The Sleeping Faun by Harriet Hosmer

Interior with and Etruscan Vase by Henri Matisse



The Poplars at St. Remy by Vincent van Gogh

It was a fabulous trip!

St. Peter Repentant by Georges de La Tour

The 3 R's

Did you know that 3 is a magic number?

Check out this link to a YouTube video of our new favorite song - "3 Rs" by Jack Johnson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKdZYYmTT9A

The Lorax Project

As a part of our current IB Unit Of Inquiry ("Sharing The Planet"), we watched the movie version of Dr. Seuss’ book, The Lorax.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5jnJdnQPr8)

In the story, the Lorax speaks for the trees – the truffula trees.  This natural resource provides homes for animals, clean air to breathe, and beautiful surroundings.  Unfortunately, these trees are cut down and built over by the Once-ler and his business.  The students painted their hands to make handprint truffula trees.  The tree trunks are made from paper towel rolls.

The students brainstormed a long list of natural resources.  Then, each student created his/her own creature (similar to the Lorax) to “speak for” a different natural resource.  Their creativity on this project is absolutely amazing!  

 

Our Field Trip To The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (African Elephant Crossing) & Rainforest

On Tuesday, we kicked off our fifth IB Unit Of Inquiry, "Sharing The Planet."  As the provocation for this unit, we took a surprise field trip to the African Elephant Exhibit and The Rainforest at The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.  Thank you to Diyun Currie, Amy McConnor, Marcie Mennes, and Todd Wilson for chaperoning our field trip!

We started our day at the African Elephant Crossing.  We came at a great time because the zookeepers were feeding and training the elephants.  While we were there, we learned a little bit more about elephants.

We also learned about "Leo" the snake.  Some of the students and adults were risk-takers and touched him!

We spent the rest of the day exploring The Rainforest.  We were able to make great connections to our IB Unit Of Inquiry, "Sharing The Planet", as we talked about endangered animals and depleting rainforests around the world.

We had a great time on our field trip!  It really wore some of us out...

More photos coming soon!