February 2018 Classroom News
Prekindergarten – Mrs. Gartman and Mrs. Proctor
In January, we focused on our winter theme. We learned about penguins & polar bears. We discussed hibernation and worked on retelling a story. We also started practicing writing our letters. In February, we will begin with our fun groundhog activities. Will he see his shadow or not?!! Then we will focus on friendship, dental hygiene, and all about me! We will continue working with writing our letters as well as begin journal writing!
Kindergarten – Mrs. Puckett, Mrs. Calton, and Mrs. Collins
January was filled with "SNOW much" fun in Kindergarten learning all about snow and winter animals! We made some fun winter crafts, enjoyed snow-themed learning centers, and participated in science activities to learn about God's amazing design of penguins and polar bears. A highlight of the month was having "snowball fights" (with rolled up socks) during PE! We ended the month with some Groundhog Day fun by exploring the science of shadows and making predictions about whether or not the groundhog will see his shadow. In February, we look forward to enjoying Valentine-themed crafts, games, and learning centers. We will also be learning about Washington and Lincoln in celebration of President's Day, and we will continue to work on our performance for Grandparent's Day!
Primary Art – Mrs. Wright
January has been a busy month while 3 Eagles, 2nd grade, and 1st grade have been learning about the element of space. We used several resources from YouTube to children's books from my own library to examine the way artists use space to illustrate depth in their artwork. We talked about the many ways to create space on a two-dimensional surface by employing different techniques, such as overlapping, linear perspective, size, placement, value, color, and detail. We also got a jump start on Valentine's Day with a positive and negative space project that I can't wait for the parents to see! In February, we will likely focus on the element of shape and revisit line with some projects that will go perfectly with our Grandparent’s Day assembly. Thanks so much for trusting me with your little kiddos. I love to see their creativity blossoming.
Intermediate Art – Mrs. Hudson
In January, each grade level worked with perspective using Cityscapes as the subject for our artwork. Sixth grade Rams worked with 2-point perspective while 4th and 5th graders worked with 1 point. Third grade Wolves also worked with 1-point perspective but from the bird’s eye view. We will be using the last part of January to complete Patriotic-themed artwork. In February, we will move into working with portraits and discussing individual facial features and terms, such as symmetry, shape, size, and proportion.
Computers – Mrs. Selaya
We designed a new seating chart and moved on to new projects. Bison and Rams are working on presentations while Elk, Cougars, & Bears are learning how to work as a team. Teamwork can be both very rewarding and challenging! Wolves are learning how to ask good questions. They are creating forms/questionnaires for their classmates using Google Forms. Those students who really applied themselves to typing are really reaping the rewards as we move into these labor intensive projects. Keep up the good work!
Primary Music – Mrs. Scholes
January was packed with lots of learning about the basics of the musical scale, the treble and bass clefs, and solfège. We played some really fun games to reinforce this learning, and the kids also got to utilize our music staff dry erase boards to practice these. Our focus song for the semester, which we sing at the start of each class, is Rejoice in the Lord Always, taken from Philippians 4:7. In February, we will work to sing this song in a round so that we can begin to hear the different harmonies that are created when we layer our sounds. We will also begin practicing for our spring concert music. The kids have been anxiously awaiting this!! The 2/3 Sharks and 3 Eagles also have the special treat of learning a patriotic song to sing at Grandparent’s Day in March.
Intermediate and EXCEL Music – Mrs. Morkert
We had a productive and fun-filled January! We started off the month filling out response questions to their likes/dislikes about music, what they would like to learn more about, etc. We then spent the next several weeks warming up our voices to Amazing Grace and talked through reading music and ways to use our head and chest voices. We also learned (or re-learned) the names of the notes on both the bass and treble clefs and created fun saying to remember them - learning the term mnemonic devices. We finished off each class period with some fun and friendly class competitions (Family Feud style) with who could remember the name of each note presented on a note card the fastest. February will bring us a time of practicing actually 'reading' different musical pieces, discussing time signatures, counting and rhythms, and beginning to learn our songs for the Spring Concert (and some classes preparing a piece for Grandparent’s Day). Fun times ahead!
Primary and Intermediate PE – Mrs. Morrison, Mrs. Miller, and Mrs. Lewis
Older grades had fun learning to play handball during the month of January. Parents can look up the sport of handball. It is now a Summer Olympic Sport! Younger grades enjoyed various games of tag and a fun day with the parachute. We also played a couple favorites, Battleship and Guard the Castle, as well as a new game, Save the Forest. Halfway into the year, we finally got wise (Mrs. Miller's idea) and changed the direction we do our warm ups. Now our lines are shorter and we complete them in a quicker time, allowing more time for activities. We will be doing jump rope activities in February. February is heart health month so we like to do aerobic activity during this time and there is nothing better than jumping rope to get your heart rate up. In addition to heart health, jumping rope helps to make bones stronger. During the cold weather, we have noticed some students understandably wearing boots. Please remember to send gym shoes to change into for PE. The boots are not suitable for running or active play on the smooth gym floor. With the flu season in full swing, please remember to send a note if your child is returning from being sick or injured and needs to have their activities adjusted. Thank you, again, for the thoughtful gifts. We appreciate your children and we appreciate you!
Primary Science – Mrs. Skinner
Hello DHA Families! It has been so nice to see the students again. We began January by exploring snow and discussing what amazing things can happen in colder weather. Then we learned about the importance of hand washing, how germs can attack our body, and how our body can fight back. We ended January by learning about microscopes. We learned the parts of the microscope, explored slides and learned how to properly use the microscope. In February, I hope to begin a unit on birds. There are many events available for students to attend in the community about this subject during this time of the year. In the January 23rd Family Update, Mrs. Hess sent out a list of the upcoming bird events available in our area. I hope the students learn and enjoy our upcoming lessons. I especially hope that we could have a bird house building day sometime in the future as our unit comes to an end. If you have or know of any resources available that might help to make this happen for around 120 students please let me know. Thanks for sharing your kiddos with us!
Intermediate Science – Mrs. Champ
In January, we started learning about food chains. The students played a card game where they had to make a food chain and also made their own food chain out of construction paper. In February, we will continue to learn about food chains, what plants eat, and decomposers. We will also be dissecting owl pellets to see what owls eat and learning about different ecosystems.
Excel Science – Mrs. Ungeheier
In January, we began preparing for dissections. We learned and reviewed some of the main systems of our bodies and the similarities and differences of some animals. We discussed lab safety, dissection tools, and practiced a dissection in the lab beginning with a pickle. Each of the dissections will include sketches, labels of the outside and inside of our specimens, and any interesting facts or findings. Our first specimen will be a fish. Then, we will seek out the similarities and differences between a sheep, cow, and pig's eye.
Social Studies – Mrs. Wagner
We have been having lots of fun learning about the “Happy Days,” the 1950s. From the Hand Jive to Alaska and Hawaii joining the United States, we ended our study with a sock hop. In February, our history will take another turn as we learn about the turbulent 60s.
Primary Spanish – Mrs. Hesman
In January, we combined learning the vocabulary for pets with learning the vocabulary for buying and selling by having a "pet store." The children were able to shop for a pet and supplies for it using play money. They practiced asking "how much does it cost?" and "It costs x dollars". After practicing with this vocabulary for a few weeks, we were ready for the Mexican Market simulation! The kids loved using real money to shop for things they could keep, and were proud to donate to Samaritan's Purse. One young student hugged me and said, "Thank you for donating to Puerto Rico!" In February, we will work with family member vocabulary and the names of rooms in the home.
Intermediate Spanish – Mrs. Delaney
In January, we prepared for our Mexican Market simulation by practicing numbers through songs, videos, board games, and Bingo! Our Mexican Market day was a great success raising $252 for Samaritan's Purse for hurricane relief! Students did an excellent job using Spanish to greet one another, ask about prices, and make purchases. In February, we will learn to talk about our age, birthdays, and what we like and don't like. We will also practice a fun song and dance in Spanish for Grandparent’s Day.
Excel Spanish – Mrs. Rudeen
We had the wonderful opportunity to shift our plans and practice learning numbers and marketplace conversations in preparation for the Mexican Market on January 23rd. Students were introduced to numbers 1-100 through playing Bingo, number board games, shopping practice, writing numbers in shaving cream, one-on-one conversations, and through counting out our exercises. For the Mexican Market, students practiced asking how much something cost, what price it was, whether or not we wanted to buy it, and how much we pay for it (as seen in the photo). For February, we will shift back to games and activities that help us learn and converse about family members and rooms in a house.
EXCEL Writing – Mrs. Ellett
In January, students focused on word choice in their writing. We read a picture book that used very descriptive adjectives and strong verbs as a mentor text. We played Scattegories and other games that encouraged students to explore varied word choices. Students wrote descriptive paragraphs about a setting or character and poems celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In February, we'll transition our focus from word choice to sentence fluency. We'll be practicing various sentence structures, beginnings, and lengths. Your students are doing a fabulous job and really making strides in their writing!
Pre-Kindergarten - Mrs. Davenport & Mrs. Levy
The Pre-K Monkeys and Frogs had an exciting month with our Building, Engineering, and Imagining unit. We read several books that encouraged us to use our mathematical and scientific thinking. One highlight included reading The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale and building structures that had to withstand the wind (hair dryer). We worked to revise the buildings to make them as strong as possible. We also read Sky High and worked to make tall structures with marshmallows and toothpicks. Our centers revolved around this topic with a variety of building blocks and an invention station.
In December, we will be exploring all things Gingerbread People and Christmas while focusing on retelling, comparing and contrasting stories and STEM experiments.
Kindergarten - Mrs. Calton, Mrs. Puckett, & Mrs. Collins
November was filled with fun, fall learning in Kindergarten as we anxiously awaited Thanksgiving Day! We set sail aboard the Mayflower with the Pilgrims and found out what it was like for them to live at sea for months. We learned how God provided for the Pilgrims and how the Native Americans helped them hunt and plant food, like corn. We even watched popcorn pop (and of course tasted the results…yum!) Students made cute Thanksgiving crafts and took part in Thanksgiving-themed science activities like dancing popcorn! We had a blast reciting our poem, I Ate Too Much Turkey. In Bible, we read about David & Goliath and learned that nothing is too big for God. We also sang a fun song about David and loved acting out how the giant came tumbling down!
December brings anticipation of Christmas Day! This month, we will be making fun Christmas crafts, exploring how Christmas is celebrated around the world, and participating in exciting Christmas-related science activities. Most importantly we will learn the Christmas story and focus on the birth of baby Jesus as the true meaning of Christmas. We will continue to work on our songs for the winter concert and are excited to perform for our families!
1st Grade - Mrs. Gartman
In November, we learned a lot about Pilgrims and Indians. In Science, we created homemade butter. We made tepees, headdresses, and totem poles. We also had a guest speaker come in to share Indian memorabilia. In December, we will be traveling around the world as we learn how other cultures celebrate the holidays. We will learn about Germany, Mexico, and the Netherlands. In Spanish, we will continue our work with the days of the week.
Primary Art - Mrs. Wright
November was a busy time in art at DHA. We discussed the element of texture, how it applies to art and why it is important. We learned the difference in actual and implied texture and made projects using both. The 3 Eagles, 2nd, and 1st graders kicked off fall with a woodland creature project. We took advantage of the unusually warm fall weather and collected leaves, grass, and twigs outside to create our very own textured woodland animals. Thanks to your generous donation of leftover candy wrappers, we turned that trash into art with textured candy wrapper Thanksgiving turkeys. The kids picked their favorite candies and made turkeys complete with crazy google eyes. They seemed to have fun but were a little disappointed that the wrappers were empty. The 3 Eagles looked at several examples of paper food sculptures. Drawing names out of a bag to pick a partner, they drew one of several Thanksgiving dishes and created their very own paper sculpture Thanksgiving dish. Two students even made a Thanksgiving tablecloth. Look for our textured Thanksgiving spread at the DHA concert and art show coming up. While 3 Eagles were busy making paper food, 2nd grade spent two weeks making paper totem poles. We talked about implied texture and how we can make shapes to indicate texture. The kids had fun learning about Native Americans and the purpose and history of totem poles. I shared pictures of the Crazy Horse museum from my South Dakota trip that I took in September. We discussed the craftsmanship behind the Indian headdress, why Indians wore them, and how they earned their feathers. Then, we created implied texture feathers by using the Zentangle method. After the students completed their Sharpie drawings they had fun using watercolors to complete their feathers. The results were vibrant and beautiful. Several students said it was their favorite project. The 1st graders learned about Vincent VanGogh. We discussed how his thick painting techniques created actual texture. We read the book Camille and the Sunflowers by Laurence Anholt and studied VanGogh's sunflower painting. Then, we used tempera paint and oil pastels to create our own sunflower. We cut these out and each student’s sunflower will be used in a class version of VanGogh’s Sunflower painting. Look for these at the DHA concert and art show. Lastly, 1st graders made textured fall trees by tearing paper to make the land, tree(s) and leaves. We talked about how paper tearing is its own special art technique and creates texture when we tear the paper as opposed to cutting it with scissors. December's element of art will be space. We'll create winter forests and learn about negative and positive space, foreground, background, and vanishing points. Looking forward to all the upcoming winter art projects and excited for the DHA concert and art show. You all have some incredible kiddos and it's a joy to teach them.
Upper Elementary Art - Mrs. Palmer
The 3rd grade class finished their Paul Klee portraits and started on their Nature Kaleidoscope project learning about the different types of Balance and utilizing radial symmetry. The 4th and 5th graders finished their Reflective Landscapes and are now working on their Abstract Sculptures. We are learning about a lot of Art Elements and Principles with this one and seeing how art can be very in depth in just a simple project, using Elements to make Patterns, working on creating Balance and visual Movement in the final 3-Dimensional work. The 6th grade class is finishing up their Color Op-Art Value project and will be starting a project on contour lines next.
Pre-Kindergarten - Mrs. Davenport
In October, we had a great time learning about leaves and pumpkins. For leaves, we went on a leaf hunt and then made leaf art the first week. We did an I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed some Leaves craft and talked about retelling a story. For pumpkins, we learned about the life cycle, made pumpkin volcanoes, explored the inside and outside of the pumpkins, and did a Five Little Pumpkins poem and activity, In November, we will be focusing on building and creating with different objects, such as sticks and boxes. We will learn about the process and make different types of structures. We will also be focusing on number writing and counting.
Pre-Kindergarten - Mrs. Levy
October's activities in the PreK Frog room focused on leaves and pumpkins. We had a great time using the scientific process with our Pumpkin Explosion experiment and doing pumpkin investigations. We also learned how to retell stories and practiced retelling the stories we read this month. Two of our favorites to retell are There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves and We're Going on a Leaf Hunt.
November is going to be another exciting month as we will become Builders, Engineers, and Architects! We'll be working together on many STEM activities and relating literature to each activity. Another focus will be number formation as we've gotten so great at number recognition!
October was a month full of learning about creepy crawly spiders, crunchy leaves, and gooey pumpkins. Science was fun as students brought in spiders and observed them and even named a few of them. Along with learning about real spiders, we had a blast making spiders with our hand prints and weaving our own spiderwebs! Going on an outdoor adventure and observing leaves and how they change color was a big hit and also a beautiful breath of fresh air after a day full of learning. Pumpkin Observation time was SUCH a hit and students were both grossed out and enthralled with the pumpkin innards as they each had the hands-on experience of touching them. Lots of giggling and exclamations of "eww" filled our rooms as we talked about, touched, and even carved our silly pumpkins. Most importantly, we learned about Noah and the Flood and the beautiful promise God gave to him in the sky and what it means for us.
October is gone and November fills us with anticipation of the Holidays. We will be going back in time to the trip made on the Mayflower and learning about the First Thanksgiving ever!
In October, we learned family and house words in Spanish. We conducted many experiments in Science that explored chlorophyll in leaves. We continued our leaf unit in Art as we discussed lines. In Social Studies, we discussed presidency and the election process. Then we finished our unit with a class election!
In November, we will be learning body parts in Spanish. In Science, we will focus our attention on force/motion as we create push/pull experiments. Our Social Studies and Art will be combined as we explore Pilgrims and Indians.
In October, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3 Eagles learned about the element of line and how we can find lines in everyday objects. We read several great books including, A Line Can Be by Laura Ljungkvist and Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman. Another great book to read with your child would be Harold and the Purple Crayon. We did many fun projects including 3D paper "sculptures" where we cut and glued different colored strips of paper of different lengths and widths to white card stock. This encouraged us to sharpen our cutting skills and taught us that lines can be thick, thin, curly, straight, etc. We also did a yarn and contact paper art project. The kids really enjoyed making their own yarn "paintings." Finally, we finished up by reading the book, If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most and made our own illustrations which further emphasized our line making ability. We identified ways that Bernard Most used lines to make shadows instead of large blocks of color to emphasis shadows. Also, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3 Eagles worked on a collaborative top secret string art project that will be revealed at the Christmas program. November is a wonderful time to introduce texture. I have many wonderful projects that feature Mother Nature in all her splendor. Looking forward to seeing what your little artist creates.
Landscapes were our focus in October for grades 3-5 and the Art Element Value for 6th.
In November, the 3rd graders will learn about the artist Paul Klee and the Elements of texture, shape, and color and the principles of balance and emphasis. We will create a portrait in the style of his work with some special touches. If we have time left in the month, we will begin our Symmetrical Kaleidoscopes.
The 4th and 5th grade classes will finish up their reflection landscapes and begin their Patterned Sculpture. We will learn about 3-Dimensional art and look at works of sculpture and the thought process that goes into designing a 3-D work versus a 2-D work. We will discuss the elements of line, shape, color, form, space and the principles of balance, proportion, variety, movement, and rhythm.
The 6th grade class will continue their value project, but we have decided to change it from our previous project. Instead of shading forms, we will create an abstract illusion using color and value to create the illusion of depth in our project. We will discuss the elements line, color, form, space, and value and the principles of balance, movement, rhythm, and harmony. If we have time in the month, we will begin one-point perspective so get those ruler skills ready!
I will also be collecting bottles of clear nail polish for a later 6th grade project. New, old, half empty, or thickened bottles will work fine. I'll have a box by the DHA desk for anyone to drop them off or your student can bring them to class.
Computers - Mrs. Selaya
Hopefully, everyone enjoyed sharing their Google Forms! I enjoyed getting to know the 3Eagles class this month.
This month, in addition to finishing up forms, we moved to new seats, quizzed over forms, and started our stock portfolio. This next month, we are going to learn more in spreadsheets and databases, plus the really fun part -- seeing the values of our portfolios change. We also learned the login and passwords for the 'Typing Races' typing app through Google Chrome. All work done shows on my teacher portal, so they can work on that at home if they have access to a computer.
Upper Elementary Music - Mrs. Scholes
We started working on our Christmas program music in October. Each week, we also discovered fun ways to learn and reinforce our musical knowledge with games of basketball, creating original compositions using Boomwackers, and doing silly breathing exercises, and we even enjoyed the beautiful autumn weather with a game outside!
In November, we will concentrate on our Christmas program and implement the solos and speaking parts chosen. Kids will learn the importance of these wonderful songs, the biblical history surrounding the Christmas story, and how to bring our best offering of worship before our King.
Primary PE - Mrs. Morrison and Mrs. Lewis
We took advantage of the nice October weather and played kickball and worked on soccer skills outside. We had so much fun with soccer games we did not get to stations, so we will incorporate them in November. We will also play handball which is similar to basketball. You may have seen handball played in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Thank you for notes letting us know when your child should not participate. We are thankful to the Lord for the privilege of teaching in an environment that celebrates our Christian view. Happy Thanksgiving!
Upper Elementary PE - Mrs. Miller
October was such a great month! We were blessed with such awesome weather every Tuesday which provided us opportunities to move outside! Our outside activities included soccer drills, kickball, and tag games.
In the gym, we played a couple of new fun games! One was a lead-up soccer game called Pin Soccer. In Pin Soccer, students get the chance to dribble with the ball and aim for a bowling pin in the goal. The other new game we played was called Tap Ball. Tap Ball is a mixture of soccer, basketball, and football all in one game!
Because of our good fortune with the weather in October, we ran out of time for Fitness Stations, so we plan on moving them into November. Fitness Stations allow students to try a multitude of activities in one class period.
We will also begin a Team Handball Unit in November. Team Handball is an Olympic sport where seven players pass a ball aiming at the goal of the opposing team. It is similar to soccer, but players use their hands rather than feet. It is also a great lead up to basketball (which we will do in December) because it includes dribbling, passing, and teamwork. November will be a productive month! As always thank you for sharing your children with us!
Primary Science - Mrs. Skinner
Hi, everyone! We have had some fun filled Tuesdays in science! Thanks for sharing your kiddos with me! Our animal unit is coming to an end. Your kiddos have learned about food chains, habitats, classification, special traits God gave animals, and animal tracks. Students took a break one week to learn through candy experiments! It was a 'sweet' day! We are very excited about our animal day on November 8th! Thank you so much for signing up to share your animals and for helping me keep those with allergies safe.
November 15th, we will begin our forces and motion unit. We will explore this unit using many things the kids have shared about and enjoy. I hope to incorporate Legos, sports, Pokémon, cars, balloons, and art!
Upper Elementary Science - Mrs. Spoolstra
We had fun this month finishing up the Scientific Method and moving on to Geology! We explored the difference between rocks and minerals and broke open geodes. Next we learned the 3 types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic) and created our own 'rocks' with starbursts. It was definitely a memorable experiment! We will continue our rock unit into November. We'll learn about the rock cycle, extracting minerals, and the layers of the earth.
Social Studies - Mrs. Wagner
We have been having fun learning about our country and how it works. We began by making a United States Flag using our footprints and handprints. Everyone learned to recite the "Pledge of Allegiance." We have also been studying about our Constitution. Everyone illustrated the "three branches" of government when they created a tree with the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches. We also made a Branches flipbook. The "3 Branches" dice game has been popular also. The next two weeks, we will register to vote and think about what it would be like to be the President. Finally, there will be a "Mock Election Day" on November 8th. We will vote for our favorite way to eat corn and tally the ballots. We will end our unit with reading "God Bless Our Country" and thanking God for our country. The last three weeks of November, we will be having fun experiencing our county the way the pioneer children did. We will compare life today with the life of pioneer children. Some of our activities will include making a classroom quilt, having a quilting bee, making corn husk dolls, and log cabins. If there are any parents or grandparents that enjoy quilting, I'd like to invite you to come and share with our classes. Just let me know. I'd like to begin the study on November 15th with a demonstration of quilts and how they are made.
Primary Spanish - Mrs. Hesman
We worked a lot on body parts this month through several different learning games! We also learned how to ask "Where is..." by playing a game where we had to find the calabaza (pumpkin). As well as continuing to review and practice past learning (counting, days of week, months, greetings), we will be learning names of foods and family members in November. Be sure to ask your student to share some of their newly acquired vocabulary around the dinner table this Thanksgiving!
Upper Elementary Spanish - Mrs. Patton
¡Hola estudiantes y familias de DHA!
We have had so much fun this month finishing up animals and colors, introducing seasons and months of the year, and learning all about Mexico's "Day of the Dead" tradition, their food, music, and family gatherings that make this Mexican celebration special. We also took the last few weeks of October to learn about parts of the body (with a paper skeleton).
In November, we're going to spend some time focusing on thankfulness. We'll learn new vocabulary to help us talk about family members and friends. We'll learn adjectives as well as the difference between masculine and feminine words. I'm looking forward to more Spanish fun with your kiddos in the coming months!
EXCEL Art - Mr. Voyles
In October, the kids finished their Zentangle portraits. We learned to create visual rhythms by exploring different shape patterns. We added color to our portraits and complementary color patterns to enhance our compositions. Bringing value, shape, line, and color together, we were very pleased with the outcome of our work. In November, we plan on moving on to still-life drawings. We will begin our still-life drawings by learning to create an image from a dark piece of paper while building up lighter colors as we create more three-dimensional images. This will be a mixed media project, using pencils, colored pencils, chalk pastels, and oil pastels as well as markers and pens.
EXCEL Music/Drama - Mrs. James
There is so much going on in our Music and Drama class! After we had auditions, I cast everyone in our musical showcase that we will perform in December. Each student has at least one spoken line, and there are several who have solos as well. We have learned about different voice types, how to practice good diction, what it means to "block" a show, and how to create interesting pictures on stage. We have staged two songs for our showcase, and in November, we will continue blocking, singing, and rehearsing for our showcase as well as learning important voice and theater techniques.
EXCEL Science - Mrs. Snyder
We were able to explore motion with our models of Newton's Cradle, an egg car, a Hero's Engine, and a hover craft. Students learned that it is difficult to separate the motion into one of Newton's Three Laws. It was very interesting to watch students work together to create a car that would carry an egg down a ramp without breaking it. The best part was that no two cars were the same, and each group had their own unique design.
November will see a big change in our weather as we enter into mid-fall. Students will explore the orbital eccentricity of our solar system while we examine the "why" of seasonal changes. Along with the concept of seasons, students will explore why we have day and night and why we measure a year as three hundred and sixty-five days.
In September, we talked about starting school and what that looks like in our classroom. We worked on shapes and read several books, including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We did some alphabet activities to go with the book, a craft, and had a special snack. In science, we predicted and discovered whether particular items would sink or float, learned about our five senses and coconuts, and tested an apple volcano. We talked about how God made us special and how He gave us our five senses.
In October, we will spend two weeks focusing on leaves. We will be going on a leaf hunt and sorting leaves. We will also be making leaf art and leaf prints. Our centers will be about leaves and Fall as well. We will then spend the last two weeks talking about pumpkins, exploring pumpkins inside and out while investigating them and talking about their life cycle. Our activities involving math, science, literacy, and Bible will be so much fun!
September was a busy month in the Frog room! In math, we learned to identify shapes and played several games to help us with this skill. Our favorites included Shape Bean Bag Toss and making shapes with play dough.
The preschool scientists learned all about color mixing. We explored this concept by mixing liquid watercolors, vinegar, and baking soda. Not only did the colors mix, but it was amazing to watch the vinegar and baking soda reactions. Of course, we recorded this information in scientific journals.
We also studied the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We played math games related to the book and used our five senses to explore a real coconut. We are working very hard to recognize and write our names.
In October, we will be exploring all things leaves and pumpkins! The big concepts that we'll work on during this month are retelling stories, and the science behind leaves and pumpkins.
It's hard to believe that we have already had 5 fun weeks of school together! In September we focused on Johnny Appleseed. We compared the true facts to tall tales! True or False? Butternut Squash was a main part of John Chapman’s winter diet? We learned a fun poem about apples and a cute song about the Appleman, made some amazing art and crafts. We studied the life cycle of the apple tree and experimented with our tastebuds during our Apple Science lessons (YUM). We are already working hard on new songs for our winter concert. We love Mrs. Calton's guitar! Show and Tell is always a highlight in our month and helps us learn to respect others. In October we will be focusing on fall leaves, pumpkins and spiders! It sounds like a tangled web of fun to me!
In September, we began learning our numbers and colors in Spanish. We will continue to review these as we add on family and house vocabulary.
In Art, we have worked with primary and secondary colors. As we move forward, we will begin discussing lines as part of the seven elements of art.
Apples have been our main focus for Science. We've discussed oxidation, built structures, and experimented with sink and float. In October, we will be working with leaves and begin our stem activities.
In Social Studies, we have worked on building classroom community as well as discussing parts of our community and community helpers. We will move forward with learning about the three branches of government and the election process.
September was a busy and fun month in Art. Third grade played an art beach ball game and refreshed our art knowledge. Second grade learned about the painting techniques of Jackson Pollock and then created their own "drip painting" by spray painting their own work of art. First graders learned about our primary colors and made our secondary colors with icing. Pretzel sticks were our paintbrushes, and the students got to eat their icing "paint." We also learned about color values. Third graders made paint chip cities. Second grade made monochromatic shape paintings and first grade did value ice cream cones. First grade parents, please be looking for the parts to this painting to come home for kids to finish at home if they'd like. We also read a great book by Herve Tullet called Mix It Up. It's an interactive book that teaches colors and their values. The kids LOVED It. Other great books that you could read at home are Ish by Peter H Reynolds and Dot by Peter H Reynolds. In October, we will begin working on the element of line. You all have some incredibly artistic kids, and I'm looking forward to more great projects in October.
In September, 3rd graders created Impressionist Sunflowers inspired by the works of van Gogh and Georgia O'Keeffe. We used color to create value and texture using oil pastels with a loose coloring and blending technique.
The 4th and 5th graders' project was a Fall Aspen Tree. We learned the different parts of a landscape and about using a horizon line to divide the page which can be moved to change the view of the picture. We used a variety of painting techniques to create our paintings. We discussed warm and cool colors and created contrast using them next to and over each other.
In 6th grade, we are studying value and learning how to create value scales using pencil and sharpie pens to create value with a smooth and textured appearance.
For October, the 3rd graders will create a landscape inspired by The Impressionists. We will be learning the different parts of a landscape. We are going to learn how to use value to help create emphasis in our painting and create tints and shades. We will use a combination of tempera and watercolor paint.
The 4th and 5th graders will be reinforcing their knowledge of the different parts of landscape and creating a reflection of our landscape on water. (Which we are drawing upside down!) We are learning that size, color, and placement of objects in our landscape help to create visual depth and create the illusion of distance on a flat surface. We will use oil pastels to color in our landscape.
The 6th graders will continue their work on value. We are working on creating the illusion of a 3-dimensional object on a flat surface using value. We will create a simple still life using geometric objects and shading in their value.
What a fantastic start to the year! I enjoyed meeting all our new students and getting to see our returning students. We jumped right into Google Forms and covered all the parts, pieces, and the purposes behind it. In October, after a thorough review of proper typing technique, we will dive into Google Fusion Tables, exploring database and the relationships between data or bits of information.
Primary Music - Mrs. Sapp
What fun we have had in September's music classes! :-) Students learned our music class expectations and they already impress me with their words and motions for two of our December music concert songs. Wow! :-) Specifically, we learned what number we are each assigned for our seats and backpacks, how our class can earn 3 smiley faces so Chelsea the puppet can come out to help teach our music class, and finally, we learned our first and last concert songs, "Create In Me" which is available for parents to listen to at this link: http://wordmusic.com/kidz/non-seasonal/psalms-psongs.html and "O Come Let Us Adore Him."
In October, we'll continue infusing our bodies, voices, and minds with God's pure Word through more movement and music, adding "Praise The Lord, My Soul" (with a boy's rapper crew and a rapper solo) and "How Majestic is Your Name," both of which are available to listen to and order for your own practice at home through this link: http://wordmusic.com/kidz/non-seasonal/psalms-psongs.html
What fun it is to move, make music, use our voices in healthy, beautiful ways to glorify God, and to make new friends in DHA Primary Music! :-)
We started off the year learning the basics of music. The kids showed their knowledge of note values through Legos, raced to the correct notes on giant music staffs, and walked up a giant keyboard singing the notes. We also made music with boom whackers and enjoyed rewarding ourselves with a sweet treat by playing a musical note name challenge using candy corn.
In October, we will begin working on our Christmas program music and hold auditions during class for speaking parts and solos.
September was a month of getting used to routines and playing games. We learned our warm-up routine and safety rules for the gym. We enjoyed playing kickball outside and playing Guard the Castle, a favorite game.
October will be fun learning (large motor) kicking skills with drills for soccer. We will institute fitness stations which utilize a variety of activities to improve both fine and gross motor skills as well as cardiovascular.
Thank you for remembering to send your children in tennis shoes. Also, as we head into the cold and flu season, please send a note for the PE teacher if your child is recovering from illness and may need to adapt their activity level.
It is a joy teaching your child.
I had such a great time in September getting to meet our new DHA students and catching up with former DHA students! We spent some of our time going over rules and procedures to ensure a smooth, successful school year! We also had time to learn our Physical Education warm-up and play a couple of fan favorite games like Guard the Castle and Two Base Kickball.
Next month, we plan to have fun with some Fitness Stations! Fitness stations provide a great avenue for students to improve overall physical fitness and health, stay active the entire class period, and increase exposure to a wide variety of different activities! We offer fitness stations such as scooter activities, basketball, volleyball, jump rope, and more!
In October, we will also begin a soccer unit. In our soccer unit, we will learn skills such as dribbling, passing, and trapping. At the end of the unit, we will engage in game-like situations with lead-up games.
As the weather is getting more Fall like, please send students with a jacket. As weather permits, I love to get the students outside to practice skills! As always, thank you for sharing your blessings with me!
Hello DHA families! Primary science has been such a fun class for me as a teacher! I hope your children are enjoying it as well. All through September, we learned about God’s creation starting with atoms. We moved on to rocks and minerals and opened our own geodes. The later part of the month, we explored trees. We learned the importance of trees, the parts of a tree, how to care for a tree, and the process of photosynthesis. Trees are great habitats and so the children also learned what a habitat is and what an animal must have in order to survive.
Next month, we will be exploring animals from their food chains to foot prints. I hope to have a day that the children are able to, with your help, bring in their animals from home to share with the class. I would love to be notified of any special allergies before this happens. If your child has any allergy to any type of animal, please e-mail me at mrslindseyskinner@gmail.com by October 15 so I can plan accordingly. Please include your child’s name and class, as well as if they can be around the animal with no contact or other helpful things I would need to know in order for this to be safe and fun. I will create a SignUpGenius for the classes after I have the info needed. A note will come home after October 15th with the sign-up information.
Thanks for your partnership and for sharing your amazing children!
We've kicked off the year by learning about the Scientific Method. Ask your child what 6 steps this includes. We've been asking a question each week, making hypotheses, and testing them out. Some of our questions so far have included: Will the material of a paper airplane affect the distance it travels? and Can you pour water from one cup to another without placing the cup directly above it? We learned about cohesion and adhesion in the "traveling water" experiment. It made some classes wonder if this would work with other liquids such as milk, juice, or soda.
In October, we'll continue doing some fun, hands-on experiments focusing on using the steps of the Scientific Method. This will include: Does the temperature of the water affect how fast the color coating dissolves from an M&M? and What factors make an Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolve the fastest? We'll keep you posted on the results!
Building a Community was the theme for our first month together. Students made objects from Play-Doh to introduce themselves. We learned all about communities: what is a community, citizens, and types of communities (urban, suburban, and rural). After reading “City Mouse and Country Mouse,” we focused on how they are alike and different. Students made houses and buildings to create a community. They had committees to work on street construction and beautification, and the building inspectors helped to make sure the buildings would pass code. Groups in third grade decided to either make an urban, suburban, or rural community. After our big community project, students created maps to represent their own community.
Since it is a big election year, the month of October will be spent learning how our country's government works and how a democracy operates. We will conduct our own “Mock Election” on Election Day.
Hola! We have covered so much in Spanish in just five classes! We have worked on our ABC's and 123's, asking for one's name, and then answering them back. We have practiced using morning, afternoon, and evening greetings, recited calendar vocabulary, such as days of the week and months of the year, expressed feelings, and started learning colors. We have played group games and practiced intentional listening skills by listening for newly learned vocabulary in Spanish cartoons! It's been one action packed month!!!
In October, we will continue reviewing what we have been learning and add body parts to the list! We will celebrate the beauty of Autumn by learning weather and fall-themed vocabulary and learning some important phrases, such as how to ask, "Where is the ...?" Sounds like lots more fun is on the way!
We have had so much fun starting out the year in Spanish class! We've learned how to share our names and how we're feeling. We also learned numbers one through ten, colors, and several animals. In my class, your students have been playing lots of games, making projects, and engaging with new vocabulary in a scavenger hunt around the building.
In October, we're focusing on calendar vocabulary and Mexico's Day of the Dead celebration. I'm looking forward to sharing some neat Mexican culture and connecting our calendar conversation with holidays and celebrations in the States and in Spanish-speaking countries. Thanks for practicing at home, and I hope your students continue to learn a lot and have loads of fun!
In September, the EXCEL Art Class began its exploration into the elements of art. A commonly used list of the main elements include: form, shape, line, color, value, space, and texture. One of the ways we are exploring the elements of art is with the use of the Zentangle method. The Zentangle method is focused on creating pattern designs. It requires focused attention with a formulaic use of composition method and pattern. Just as we learn that there are colors that complement one another, we also learn that shapes can complement one another as well. I use the analogy of composing a piece of music with the kids. With the right composition of spaces between the notes and the intensity of the notes, you create a wonderful composition. The same could be true in regards to the visual arts when viewing an artwork. The use of the Zentangle method increases focus and creativity and provides artistic satisfaction to the artist. Many times the Zentangle designs are unplanned; however, the method of Zentangle patterns and relationships can be applied to other aspects of designed art concepts. This aspect of learning a Zentangle makes it definitively different than just a doodle. We plan to continue the Zentangle method in exploring the elements of art throughout the school year. I have been very pleased with the results of our students' work, and I think you will be as well when we display them later in the year.
EXCEL English & History - Mrs. Rose
This month in 7th and 8th/9th English, we have focused on the foundations of English: parts of speech. Students broke apart sentences and identified each word and how it functioned. In October, we will be covering grammar rules and starting our first essay.
This month in 7th & 8th/9th History/Literature, we focused on Ancient Civilizations. The students created their own language, learned about hero stories, created their own hero, researched Ancient Egypt, and presented their research to class. In October, we will cover the Roman Empire.
Music and Drama class has been very busy this first month of the school year! We have explored the basics of theater blocking and the fundamentals of good singing, including posture and breath support. We have learned several "warm ups" that we sing each class before we begin working on our music for the Christmas showcase. For our showcase, we will be performing songs and skits from the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In order for me to cast our showcase, each student performed a song and monologue from this musical for their audition. Next month, we will continue exploring theater and voice fundamentals as well as rehearsing the script for our showcase.
We started September by learning the Inquiry Process in science. We followed the procedure while we evaluated which bubblegum produced the best bubbles. Hubba Bubba is usually the winner. Next we used the inquiry process to see how many drops of water would fit on a penny. I think students were surprised by the number of water droplets that actually fit on the penny. They discovered the "cohesion" of water molecules was stronger than they first hypothesized (46 was the highest count). I enjoyed their conversations about how to increase the number of drops after each trial. October will be busy with Newton's Three Laws of Motion with the building of a Newton's Cradle, An Egg Car, a Disc Hovercraft, and a Hero's Engine. (P.S. We could use some caps from pop up reusable sports bottles.) I am having a blast working with students again and enjoy their sense of humor and thirst for knowledge.
EXCEL Spanish - Mrs. Mitchell
¡Hola! ¿Cómo están? ¡Bienvenidos! Mi casa es su casa. These are just a few examples of the things that we have been learning this month in EXCEL Spanish! We started this school year by going back to the basics of Spanish. In order to allow any children who have not studied Spanish in the past a chance to catch up, we have spent the month of September working on the Spanish alphabet, colors, days of the week, months of the year, basic phrases, and the basics of verb conjugating. We have had so much fun playing games each week to help retain the information that we have learned in class, and as a teacher, I am happy to note the progress each week! This upcoming month, we will be taking a more in depth look at Spanish verbs and working on more vocabulary and how to conjugate them as well as studying the culture of Peru! Until next month, ¡Saludos! Señora Mitchell
April was filled with learning about the Fruit of the Spirit, fine-tuning our handwriting, learning how to form words, watching our tiny caterpillars grow and transform into gorgeous butterflies, learning about lots of different bugs, and lots of practicing for our upcoming graduation!
May is upon us and we are looking forward to learning about plants and insects. We will be finishing up our handwriting activities, and fine tuning a few things as we prepare for graduation and the close of the year. Our little Kindergartners will graduate on to become next year’s first graders and summer will be upon us soon!
Primary Art students have enjoyed painting and working with lots of color this April! We had a great time blowing paint designs and creating our own custom papers for hot air balloons. Nearly everyone has completed their 3D fish, which were swimming for us at the art show and concert in May. As we closed April, we learned about Pop Art and duplicating some of Andy Warhol’s repeating portraits with fun designs, colors, and the unexpected. In May, we will wrap up our Nature Notebooks that we’ve been working on all year. Each student will hand pick their favorite drawings of nature items, create a cover, and assemble their notebook. If we have time on the last day of school, we’ll make use of surplus art supplies and create a free style collage.
We wrapped up our Lego self-portraits, which were on display during the concert on May 3rd. Students worked on agamographs as they wrapped up their self-portraits. Those that finished their agamographs began working on soda flavors and designing the soda cans for that flavor. Student will finish up the year by assembling their agamographs.
I have had such an enjoyable year with all my classes! I hope everyone has a wonderful and educational summer. Most classes finished or are finishing up their collaborative projects – story videos. In May, we will watch our class designed videos and have some typing races! Thank you again for sharing your kids.
Wow, what an exciting month for Music class! After an unexpected early delivery, my sweet little baby Georgiana made her debut. Thankfully, the very capable and qualified Mrs. Scholes has stepped up to fill my place and put the polishing touches on the music program for May 3rd! I have heard very good reports from her, that the kids are all ready and sounding awesome
I’m so excited that I got to sit in the audience and just ENJOY the program and hear the beautiful truth that life, joy, and freedom is found in Jesus! I loved seeing everyone and introducing Georgie :).
In April, we played fitness games and engaged in fitness stations. Fitness stations allow students to be active for the full PE class and to do many different activities! In May, we will do kickball and Guard the Castle! Two fan favorites!
Field Day is May 10th and we can use your help. We have 17 stations that will run from 9:30 to 2:15. Your kids will be outside for much of the day, so they will need to have sun protection. Also, please send water bottles with your child’s name boldly marked on it. We have some water activities, and they may get wet. Students may wear solid-colored shirts or DHA shirts, denim or cotton shorts, and tennis shoes are a must. The students will get wet and may get dirty, so please keep this in mind. Please no white shirts as they become transparent when wet. If your child wears a hat, they may wish to have their name in it in case it gets left behind at a station.
Thank you so much for sharing your kids with us this year. They are a blessing and a fine reflection of dedicated parents. Have a fun and active summer!
Discovery Homeschool Academy * 913.636.8290 * DiscoveryHomeschool@gmail.com
