M A Y N E W S L E T T E R 2 0 1 4 PS 79 Cluster Newsletter Dr. Paula Marron, Principal Ms. Jennifer Yonkers, Assistant Principal LIBRARY Ms. Darling aka Ms. Dougherty In library, we are completing our author studies, part of our Response to Literature Unit. Grades K-1 have been exploring Mo Willems, Grades 2-3 have been studying Kevin Henkes, and Grades 4-5 have been looking closely at Patricia Polacco. Students have been working on book reviews and/ or literary essays for their favorite books by these respective authors. In addition, students are also working on producing book reviews on books from our library. Students are learning about the elements of a great book review, and going through the writing process as they summarize and evaluate a book, and explain and provide evidence for their thinking. Families, our library program is getting ready for our Spring Arts Festival. In library, we will be working on some very special projects for this Fair, and we be displaying a selection of the fabulous creative projects students are working on. MAY NEWSLETTER 2014 Music Program Ms. Tartsinis Music and the Brain keyboard Classes K-2 Music and the Brain keyboard classes are finalizing their practicing for the end of the year performances during the spirit week in May. Students are also working on listening skills by utilizing the drums to copy and imitate various rhythmic patterns. We will also have a couple of drum ensemble pieces to our keyboard program. World Music Drumming 3rd Grade Drum Ensemble is working on fine-tuning their ensemble pieces for the Spring Arts Festival. Besides drumming, we are discussing how to pronounce words when singing in order to differentiate styles. We continue to work on basic drumming rhythms to reinforce feeling the beat, and having the tools to create our own rhythmic patterns. Little Kids Rock Classes Grades 4 & 5 are working on their three final songs for the end of the year playing exam. We are refining our chord building knowledge, as well as our rhythmic feel. We continue to add the drum kit, bass guitar and vocals to form our Modern Band Program or basically, our rock bands. Students have been comparing musical styles across the decades to understand how each style of music is approached in order to play the chords and strumming patterns stylistically correctly. 2 2 1 MAY NEWSLETTER 2014 Art Program Mrs. Auman The kindergarten Art students had a lot of fun learning and handling the plasticene clay. They learned the coil, pinch pot and slab techniques. They enjoyed the experience of creating shapes, pots and original sculptures out of the clay. They are now doing “Button Art,” learning the historical and practical significance of buttons. They are adding a 3-D element to their pictures by using buttons. They sang “The Wheels on the Bus” song in class and then drew pictures of buses with button wheels. They will also be making other creative button pictures. After the clay hardens, they are painting their animal. Those who used Scratch Art had to incorporate many different kinds of lines about which they had learned. The first grade Art students are working on “3D Paper Plate Weaving“ projects. They are making vivid colored marker designs on their plates, cutting lines to weave pieces of yarn and then are adding beads onto their plates. Learning about Franz Marc helped the students to be more creative and imaginative with their projects. Some third grade Art students are working in groups making “Magritte Inspired Country” pictures. Each group was assigned a country and they chose a picture relating to it. They had to add some Magritte imagery to their picture. Other classes are working on “Magritte Inspired Scratch Art” and other related personal pictures in Scratch Art. The second grade Art students are working on projects about endangered animals, using selfhardening clay and Scratch Art paper. The students had to research their animal in order to get a more accurate rendering of their animal. The forth grade Art students are finishing their amazing “Group Yarn” pictures on a relevant topic. Their painted backgrounds and special effects are really wonderful. Check out the googly-eyed endangered animals in the upcoming Arts Festival. The fifth Grade Art students are finishing their “Group Stained Glass Window” projects. Tiffany, look out! I am hoping to be able to display these works of Art in a place that the light will be able to shine through them. We are now beginning a “Henry Moore Artist Study” using clay and charcoal. I am loking forward to seeing you at the upcoming Spring Arts Festival. 3 MAY NEWSLETTER Dance Program 2014 Mr. Jannetti “Nothing happens until something moves” Albert Einstein Surely Einstein had the right idea and we just can’t stop movin’ and groovin’ here in the dance studio at P.S. 79 as we enter our final 8 weeks of the school year. The motto on our door is “Don’t Walk, Dance” and there is a whole lot of dancing going on here from Animal Alphabets to the Water Cycle we are moving to the beat. Kindergarten has mastered their Animal Alphabet warm-up and do it every class to get ‘”moving”. Once we are warmed up we continue on our movement journey by taking a trip on the magic elevator and exploring different movement worlds as we step out onto each floor. 1st grade is hard at work learning group dances that they hope to be performing for everyone sometime before the end of the school year. So it is rehearse, rehearse, rehearse whenever we are together. nd 2 grade’s “Notes in Motion” project is finally at the group dance stage. Over the month of May each group will make a dance, using whole, half, and quarter notes as their notation. Group dances are forthcoming. 3rd grade is moving past their should I say “close dancing” and knowledge and appreciation of all creating their own dances. Can’t “close reading” or applying their newfound kinds of movement into wait to see the results. 4th grade is deep into the “Water Cycle” and awash with creating individual dances (solos) to “evaporation”, “condensation”, and “precipitation”. During May we will be using our knowledge of “pathways” and our explorations about the different aspects of the water cycle to create our own group dances about the ‘Water Cycle” 5th grade has also moved on from careful observation and description of dance phrases to creating their own group dances. Their final dances will be videotaped and graded according to a rubric that we will design together. PS 79 Dance Company is hard at work finishing up their choreography and preparing for our year-end performance on Wednesday May 28 at 6pm. In addition they will be performing at a number of morning assemblies throughout Spirit Week as part of our Spring Arts Festival, May 27 - June 2. Our K-3 dance co-op companies are also adding the finishing touches to their group choreography, which will be showcased on Monday, June 2nd. Keep your eyes out for any info or updates on all of these performances. Peace Out! Mr. J 4 MAY NEWSLETTER 2014 Graphic Design and Publishing with Ms. Brownstein Although it doesn’t always feel like it, spring is underway and so are our artists! Graphic Design Kindergarteners went on a Shape Safari to see how many shapes they could find in their classroom, recording their findings like true scientists. Using their notes, students are experimenting combining and altering shapes in order to build a Geometric Robot. First Graders did an incredible job painting cityscapes in one point perspective and are now able to identify if an image is a “worm’s eye view” or “bird’s eye view”. Students are now immersed in a class critique, discussing their classmate’s techniques, possible intentions, strengths and weaknesses. First graders finding examples of shapes and forms around the classroom Fifth Graders completed their surrealism juxtapositions and are in for a treat because it’s time for clay! Students will learn how to score and slip as they create clay sculptures. Publishing Second Graders are building off of their number sentence origami project in order to create a cubism composition. Using Microsoft Word, students will combine, scale, and rotate shapes in order to build an image. Origami display Third Graders are exploring how you can use the “Elements of Art” to discuss and describe artwork. Based on an artist of their choice, students are creating a gallery report that they will present to the class in a power point. Fourth Graders are using the “Elements of Art” to discuss and critique each others completed work. Based on this discussion, students will pick their favorite completed project to publish and compile in a class wide book. Fifth Graders are paired off and are conducting an art research project. Using a presentation mode of their choice (Word, PowerPoint, Prezi, other), each group will have to teach a lesson on their artist. Art Co-op creating the background for their tree looms I look forward to sharing our student’s amazing artwork at our Spring Arts Festival, hope to see everyone there!! 5 MAY NEWSLETTER 2014 Theater Program Ms. McAdams May is here, and the 4th/5th Grade Theatre Troupe is eagerly preparing for our show. Costumes are arriving, sets are being designed, characters are being developed, and we are gearing up for a great sharing of Blanca Flor, a folktale adapted by the troupe for the stage. We are very excited that this sharing will occur during our upcoming Spirit Week. K/1st and 2nd/3rdTroupes are also preparing a variety of works, including adaptations of Tacky the Penguin, Wacky Monologue Writing, and an Exploration of Dinosaurs. Kindergarten students are busy working on a play version of Who Ate All the Cookie Dough. They have taken on individual animal characters, and they have just completed a costume rendering of their characters. Our next step is to begin to make some of our own costume pieces for our animals and bring those into our playmaking and sharing process. 1st grade students have been studying the story of The Little Red Hen. They have been working in small casts to develop characters and act out portions of the script. We are currently focusing on body language and expressing our characters’ feelings through movement. 2nd grade is still very busy working away on the commercial making process. All students are pitching in to film, direct, and to make sound effects for each commercial group. We are excited to share these during Spirit Week. 3rd grade worked very hard in small groups to direct and perform scenes from Why Bear Sleeps All Winter Long. I am very proud of the great progress they made in vocal and body expression throughout the unit. They are now using their knowledge of scene work to write their own scenes. 4th grade is busy finishing up their screenplays, compiling shot lists, and making storyboards for their movie adaptations of Macbeth. We will begin the filming process very soon. I can’t wait for us to share these closer to the end of the year. 5th grade is continuing to build their understanding of plot structure, and they are now working in small groups to outline and write their own one-act plays. I look forward to sharing these soon. MAY NEWSLETTER 2014 Gym Program Ms. Torres The merry merry month of May has arrived! We're waiting for the flowers to bloom and the birds to return from their winter habitats! I've seen a few brave robins announcing the Spring season! We can only hope for Spring weather! Let's brainstorm about what we plan to do for the next 4 weeks in terms of goals and high expectations. First of all the Kindergarten students, first grade students and second grade students are learning how to play in small groups and visiting different activity stations with their teams. Our focus has three components. We are focusing on using our time wisely, paying attention and listening to directions. Then the third grade students, fourth grade students and fifth grade students will learn how to cooperate with each other and play soccer, basketball, scoop ball and badminton on teams of 4 or 5 students. They will also choose three exercises that they will practice 3 to 5 times a week and keep track of how many laps, times or repetitions they were able to complete. All the students will continue to integrate the health-related components of each and every activity that they learned in gym and maintain an active lifestyle at home and in the community! Anybody want to go to the park or playground for a walk! As usual, on Gym days remember your sneakers! With love always, Ms. Torres HAVE A WONDERFUL MONTH OF MAY!