LS Specialists Newsletter Page

Art

• Happy Women’s History Month! Kindergarteners recently began their first printmaking project at RDS, studying the mesmerizing and joyful paintings of Alma Thomas who is known for her abstract compositions made from many rectangular brushstrokes. Students learned basic printmaking techniques and then used blank blocks to print brick shapes in a variety of colors that they then collaged together to make a large-scale collaborative mural.

Cooking/Garden

• Kindergarten cooks and gardeners have begun an exploration of potatoes! They’ve learned how each potato is its own seed, and how a potato can even become a battery. We’ll begin planting potatoes in our garden in the coming weeks, which should be ready for the class to dig up at the beginning of first grade. Kindergarten gardeners are also enjoying watching their carrots turn into little sprouts!

DBi Lab

• Kindergarten Designers/Builders are making habitats for animals they are studying in Science class. Last session they chose which animal they were going to build a habitat for (snail, worm, or fish). From here, they empathized with that animal to imagine what that animal would need in their “home.” Once they had their initial design, they folded and built cardboard boxes. Next session they will use construction paper to make the habitats, complete with predators. You’ll be able to see their habitats at the STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art Mathematics) Fair!

Library

• Library is excited to welcome back Joëlle Chartier! Students read the humorous story My Teacher is A Monster! as well as California Young Reader Nominated books which they voted on! Ask your student which book they enjoyed the most! 

Mandarin

• Our Mandarin kindergarten students continue to be exposed to the tonal language of Mandarin through arts, songs, movement, and games. Students are given a variety of opportunities to practice speaking with their teacher and classmates in an interactive manner. For our counting unit, we have been making our Mandarin number books and learning to read the numbers 1-10. Make sure to ask them about their Mandarin Number Book, and enjoy reading along with your kindergartener!

Music

• Kindergarteners are expanding their knowledge of rhythm, pitch, and instrumental music with Boomwhackers. During this unit, they will learn about harmony, harmonic changes, triads, and simple composition. 

Physical Education

• Our next unit is designed to challenge your physical and mental limits with a wide range of fun and exciting activities. From relay races to obstacle courses and team-building exercises, there is no shortage of adventure to be had. Here, you will have the chance to test your strength, speed, and agility in a refreshing environment that breaks away from the norm. This is not your grandparents' Track & Field. This is a mix of classic and modern track and field activities with a twist. This is 'Trackless Field,' and THIS is going to be awesome!

Science

• Kindergarten scientists are studying animals! Students will have close and personal interaction with some common land and water animals. Students will be learning about fish, worms, snails, and isopods, oh my! Kindergarten scientists have started to observe, handle and draw goldfish and feeder fish, land and water snails, and isopods.

Art

• Happy Women’s History Month! First graders had a blast working with clay as they were tasked with constructing a coil pot. Students learned how the technique of creating vessels from coils has been used for millennia in much of the world. With their pots finished, we moved on to a project where we explore the history of some everyday objects - we look at examples from different periods and cultures (such as a Song Dynasty porcelain pillow). Then students choose a few of these objects to draw. I was so impressed by their careful observational drawing so far! 

Cooking/Garden

• First Grade gardeners have been weeding up a storm! In an effort to integrate more native plants into our garden, we’re pulling up old, overgrown plants and repurposing them for compost and chicken food. We’ve been exploring plant life cycles and examining root systems. Cooking has been on pause this month as our classroom gets its finishing touches, but first graders are looking forward to beginning a unit on rice around the world!

DBi Lab

• First Grade Designers/Makers built from their insect skills from earlier in the year. To coincide with their work in Science, students will dig deeper into their understanding of insects and their parts by building one!! Last session, they observed their insect pictures by first drawing it, then labeling the parts, THEN drawing it again using the wood parts they’ll be using, THEEENN labeling those parts. In the end they created a plan to build from. The next few they will put the parts together. Some may have a special surprise. You’ll see their insects at the STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art Mathematics) Fair!

Library

• Library is excited to welcome back Joelle Chartier! Students read the humorous story My Teacher is A Monster! as well California Young Reader Nominated books which they voted on! Ask your student which book they enjoyed the most! 

Music

• First graders are continuing their journey with barred instruments. This past week they were introduced to a Filipino folk song, Bahay Kubo (nipa hut). The lyrics name various native and traditional vegetables of the Philippines along with an underlying message of abundance, food culture, and diversity. Moving forward they will learn a simple bordun (chord), to accompany themselves while singing. 

Physical Education

• Our next unit is designed to challenge your physical and mental limits with a wide range of fun and exciting activities. From relay races to obstacle courses and team-building exercises, there is no shortage of adventure to be had. Here, you will have the chance to test your strength, speed, and agility in a refreshing environment that breaks away from the norm. This is not your grandparents' Track & Field. This is a mix of classic and modern track and field activities with a twist. This is 'Trackless Field,' and THIS is going to be awesome!

Science

• First Grade scientists are learning all about Insects and their habitats. They will experience the life science core ideas, which deal with structure and function of living things, growth and development of plants and animals, interactions of organisms with their environment, and biodiversity of organisms on land and in water. First Grade Scientists are observing, handling and drawing mealworms, snails, and isopods. 

Spanish

• First Grade students have been working with the verb “tener” (to have) and have had the opportunity to experience a short mini-skit in Spanish. In order to successfully teach by using student actors, I first clearly established the expectations for my student actors and for my audience. Our first play with student actors was super successful! I look forward to doing more. The mini-skits are a perfect opportunity to focus on using the grammar structures and vocabulary we have learned thus far while weaving in new vocabulary. Both during and after the mini-skits, I ask comprehension questions, in Spanish. As we review more of our Super 7 verbs, students will continue to have the opportunity to either act or be an audience member in one of our mini-skits. Most recently, students have also been enjoying talking about their likes and dislikes. We have been working with “Me encanta,” “Me gusta,” “No me gusta” and “¡Qué asco! Guacala.” Here is a fun video we will be watching, ¿Te gusta el helado de brócoli?. Lastly, we have been working with “quiere” (he/she wants). In order to reinforce “quiere” students helped read the story "El monstruo no tiene una nariz.” This silly short story, written and illustrated by me, is about a monster who wants a nose. It uses all of the Super 7 verbs and is a perfect way to get students reading in Spanish.

Art

• Happy Women’s History Month! With their clay project in the kiln, second graders have been working on creating their own rain stick instruments using cardboard tubes, hammers, nails, and a variety of options for fillings (like rice, popcorn, and lentils). They’ve been doing a fantastic job working together in teams, sharing, and being safe with tools. 

Cooking/Garden

• Second Grade gardeners have been weeding up a storm! In an effort to integrate more native plants into our garden, we’re pulling up old, overgrown plants and repurposing them for compost and chicken food. We’ve been exploring plant life cycles and examining root systems. Cooking has been on pause this month as our classroom gets its finishing touches, but second graders are looking forward to continuing their study of mushrooms in our new space!

DBi Lab

• Second Grade Designer/Builders build from their understanding water filtration prototypes to now design and build mini ocean clean up prototypes. Students worked in design teams, first designing their intentions, and later began building their prototypes. Next class they’ll try out their prototypes and then iterate on them before the STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art Mathematics) Faire!

Library

• Library is excited to welcome back Joëlle Chartier! Students read the humorous story My Teacher is A Monster! as well as California Young Reader Nominated books which they voted on! Ask your student which book they enjoyed the most! 

Mandarin

• Our 2nd Graders continue to practice their tones and pronunciation of Mandarin through singing, and movement. Listening to songs over and over allows students to tune into the rhythm and intonation of natural Mandarin. We have learned about the weather and how to talk about the weather on any given day. It could be sunny, rainy, snowy, windy, or cloudy in one day! And they are able to say them all in Mandarin!

Music

• Second graders are moving forward with a composition project to accompany In My Heart: A Book of Feelings. This explores various feelings and how it may make our hearts feel in the moment. Musicians were broken into small groups and given a heart-feeling word ( happy, brave, scared, shy, silly, etc.) to create a short song along with movement. They will complete their projects this upcoming week by creating an ostinato (repeated pattern) using the C, G, or F pentatonic scale. 

Physical Education

• Our next unit is designed to challenge your physical and mental limits with a wide range of fun and exciting activities. From relay races to obstacle courses and team-building exercises, there is no shortage of adventure to be had. Here, you will have the chance to test your strength, speed, and agility in a refreshing environment that breaks away from the norm. This is not your grandparents' Track & Field. This is a mix of classic and modern track and field activities with a twist. This is 'Trackless Field,' and THIS is going to be awesome!

Science

• 2nd Grade scientists will begin to interact with California’s Environmental Principles and Concepts. Students will examine the interactions and interdependence of humans and natural systems. Second-grade scientists have started learning about the 5 different oceans and what makes each one different. Scientists have also started a unit on Single-use plastics.

Art

• Happy Women’s History Month! With their hojalatas complete, third graders have been working on an exciting project that’s new for this year. First, we looked at examples of artists from around the world who work in miniature. Then students were tasked with creating a mini museum. They’ve been working in groups to plan and construct incredibly imaginative spaces complete with miniature artworks and historical artifacts. I can’t wait to share these at the Spring Art Show!

Cooking/Garden

• Third Grade gardeners have been weeding up a storm! In an effort to integrate more native plants into our garden, we’re pulling up old, overgrown plants and repurposing them for compost and chicken food. We’ve been exploring plant life cycles and examining root systems. Third grade cooks have begun small group micro-units on fruit and smoothies, wok cooking and fried rice, dumplings, and pickles. They’re excited to continue exploring these foods in our new space! Ask your student what they’re looking forward to learning about!

DBi Lab

• Third Grade Designers/Builders started designing their Pizza Box Games! The purpose of this project is to build from their understanding of simple machines from Science class by applying at least two simple machines to make a game of their design work! Some are working alone. Some in teams. All will have a blast troubleshooting the engineering of such a cool project!

Library

• Third graders welcomed an interactive storyteller to class – Muriel Johnson excited and inspired us with her unique and captivating stories and performances! Counselor Tim joined us to read and discuss stories about social-emotional learning skills like making mistakes, maturity, and forgiveness. 

Mandarin

• Our 3rd-grade Mandarin students are learning new vocabulary about the weather and how to ask and respond to the question “how is the weather today? on any given day. We have also learned about colors and how to use expressions to describe things or people. Our 3rd graders have started to read and write sentences in Mandarin. Students will be writing their first book and enjoy a read-aloud out of their own book.

Music

• Third graders continue to grow their recorder skills in music. They have explored playing songs in unison and in canon while getting familiar with music notation. Over the next few weeks we will be taking a dive into note identification. 

Physical Education

• Our next unit is designed to challenge your physical and mental limits with a wide range of fun and exciting activities. From relay races to obstacle courses and team-building exercises, there is no shortage of adventure to be had. Here, you will have the chance to test your strength, speed, and agility in a refreshing environment that breaks away from the norm. This is not your grandparents' Track & Field. This is a mix of classic and modern track and field activities with a twist. This is 'Trackless Field,' and THIS is going to be awesome!

Science

• 3rd Grade scientists have started investigating force and motion! Students will apply their knowledge of magnets and gravity to investigate other pushes and pulls. Students will get up close and in-depth investigations of forces and interactions, matter and its interactions, and engineering design. Scientists have started to investigate 6 simple machines: lever, pulley, screw, wedge, wheel & axle, and inclined plane. Third grade scientists have made catapults to investigate levers. Scientists are compiling a book of simple machines!

Spanish

• The Third Grade has successfully finished reading “Edi el elefante.” Students took a final assessment of their reading and listening comprehension of the material covered in the book. It was exciting to see my students feel so comfortable and confident with their comprehension skills. We have already jumped into reading another short Spanish novel, “El Capibara con Botas.” This Spanish reader contains roughly 55 new vocabulary words and many English cognates. It follows the story of Carlos, who is the only capybara in the Amazon rainforest who can’t swim. This is a perfect next reader to help get our students responding to comprehension questions in writing. Third Grade students have already successfully completed reading and responding to written comprehension questions for Chapter One.

Art

• Happy Women’s History Month! Fourth graders learned about the traditional seals that served as the artist’s signature that were often printed onto finished calligraphy works in East Asia. Students then made their own using linocut carving tools and rubber blocks. The finished pages of calligraphy look great, and this final step in the process served as a segue into our fourth grade printmaking project where students will carve an image into a larger block and print multiples using traditional techniques. 

Cooking/Garden

• Fourth Grade gardeners have been weeding up a storm! In an effort to integrate more native plants into our garden, we’re pulling up old, overgrown plants and repurposing them for compost and chicken food. We’ve been exploring plant life cycles and examining root systems. Fourth graders have also started their long term service learning projects looking at how the school uses water. We started by examining where the school uses water, and asking a BIG question about usage, for example: Who uses the most water, middle or lower school students? We’ll work as small groups to find the answers to these questions. Stay tuned!

DBi Lab

• When 4th graders come to the DBi lab next week, they will be introduced to the codeblocks tool in Tinkercad. Students will choose a basic shape and then write a simple program to alter the shape’s properties and create a rotation loop of the original shape to create a more complex shape. They will learn how to make adjustments to their original variables to see what happens to their programs.
  
  

  Example starting shape	Programmed loop of same shape

Library

• Fourth grade is diving deep into research skills in preparation for their California Water projects. Students discussed the pros and cons of Google and databases for research, learned about Boolean Operators, and generating many awesome search terms. If you need research assistance, your fourth grader can help! 

Mandarin

• Our 4th Graders continue to practice conversation by presenting the colors and names of clothes and attire and ways of describing them. We have also practiced reading and writing sentences in Mandarin. Students will create and write a story about a made-up Monster Family by using the expressions they have learned. It is going to be fun! 

Music

• Fourth graders had a successful close to their blues unit. They learned about the blues scale, wrote short songs in AAB lyrical form, and exposure to instrumental improvisation. Our current unit focuses on strengthening rhythm reading, note reading, and note identification through video game music! This past week they learned a few measures of Lost Forest from the Zelda soundtrack.

Physical Education

• Our next unit is designed to challenge your physical and mental limits with a wide range of fun and exciting activities. From relay races to obstacle courses and team-building exercises, there is no shortage of adventure to be had. Here, you will have the chance to test your strength, speed, and agility in a refreshing environment that breaks away from the norm. This is not your grandparents' Track & Field. This is a mix of classic and modern track and field activities with a twist. This is 'Trackless Field,' and THIS is going to be awesome!

Science

• 4th Grade scientists are learning about Energy and Electricity! Students will apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts every from one form to another. Students will experiment with circuits. Fourth-grade scientists have learned about stored energy in the form of batteries, such as a D cell. Scientists have successfully made a complete circuit to light up a bulb using wires and a D cell. Scientists will be creating series and parallel circuits with bulbs and wires, as well as motors, propellers, and switches. 

Spanish

• Since our last Specialist Newsletter, Las Tormentas Negras have been working on another Movie Talk on the video A Joy Story: Heron & Joy. This video tells the story of a dog and a man who go fishing and encounter a blue heron. We see the dog’s interactions with the heron change from anger to empathy. As with each Movie Talk, I stop the video in order to ask lots of questions and discuss the images. These questions help us collectively tell the story that is unfolding while providing students additional input. Next week, we will be doing a Write & Discuss activity. During this activity, we will work together, through discussion, to write the story in Spanish. Students will collectively work on retelling the story as we all write the story. Students write in the journals while I write on the board. The Write & Discuss activity provides structured writing practice as we recreate the story from memory. 

Art

• Happy Women’s History Month! Fifth graders are still working on the highly-complex process of creating a two-color (or three-color) linocut using traditional techniques. Despite the challenge of this project, I’ve been very impressed with the students’ work and how many have tried out ideas that pose even greater difficulty. I can’t wait to see these on display at the spring art show!

Cooking/Garden

• Fifth Grade gardeners have been weeding up a storm! In an effort to integrate more native plants into our garden, we’re pulling up old, overgrown plants and repurposing them for compost and chicken food. We’ve been exploring plant life cycles and examining root systems. Fifth-grade cooks are beginning a unit on spices! They’re excited to start experimenting with flavor in our new space when they come back from outdoor edu!

DBi Lab

• 5th Graders had fun learning paper and cardboard prototyping techniques. They learned how to score and bend cardboard, use tabs, feet, and flanges to support structures, how to create smooth curves with paper, and how to make slots and cones. We also practiced making a jointed design that we then manipulated with paracord. These prototyping skills will be important for their upcoming STEAM Fair projects.

Library

• In honor of Women’s History Month, 5th-grade students watched some of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s talk “The Danger of A Single Story.” We discussed the importance of reading about diverse perspectives and had a chance to sample books by and about women of various identities. Next, we embark on news literacy and a special opinion research project – stay tuned!

Mandarin

• Our 5th Graders are given a variety of opportunities to continue to practice conversation by presenting the colors and names of clothes and attire and ways of describing them. We have also practiced reading and writing sentences in Mandarin. Students will create and write a story about a made-up Monster Family by using the expressions they have learned. It is going to be fun! 

Music

• Fifth graders are continuing to build their skills on the ukulele. They are progressing in tablature reading, ensemble playing with 2-part music, and composition. Fifth graders are currently working on a composition project where they will be challenged to write a 4-bar ukulele solos using the blues scale and simple notes in tablature notation. Tablature is a musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches. In conclusion of this project, they will transpose these pieces into pitch-based notation.

Physical Education

• Our next unit is designed to challenge your physical and mental limits with a wide range of fun and exciting activities. From relay races to obstacle courses and team-building exercises, there is no shortage of adventure to be had. Here, you will have the chance to test your strength, speed, and agility in a refreshing environment that breaks away from the norm. This is not your grandparents' Track & Field. This is a mix of classic and modern track and field activities with a twist. This is 'Trackless Field,' and THIS is going to be awesome!

Science

•  5th Grade scientists have begun to tackle big questions about body systems and the environmental factors that affect them. What happens when the body is attacked by an invader or an organism's system malfunctions? How do cells get the resources they need to live? How do cells gain access to the energy stored in energy-rich compounds? How do systems support the human organism as it senses and interacts with the environment? Starting with the cardiovascular system, fifth-grade scientists have explored their pulse and how many times their heart beats per minute, and what external factors may impact that heartbeat. 

Spanish

• Since our last Specialist Newsletter, the Almas Chifladas completed the Character Creation project. Students typed and edited their character’s backstory, illustrated their character, and wrote simple sentences in the first-person perspective in order to add speech bubbles to their illustration. Most recently, students viewed their classmates' illustrations and read each other's writings during a gallery walk activity. Next, we will be moving on to a verb conjugation unit.

Art

• Happy Black History Month! Recently, Kindergarteners learned about the beautiful and intricate paper shadow puppets of China, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. They’ve been creating their own with moving parts and putting on shows for their friends using our shadow puppet screen. I’ve been so impressed witnessing their growing fine motor abilities, and their performances have been a blast to watch! 

Cooking/Garden

• Kindergarten gardeners learned all about what seeds need to grow! We planted purple, yellow, and red carrots in our garden and can’t wait to watch them over the next few months. Kindergarten cooks worked on their cutting and spreading skills by making heart toast with strawberries, and cream cheese or sun butter.

DBi Lab

• Kindergarten designers and builders created a shared community with Kappla blocks! So fun. We first brainstormed what goes in a community. Then we brainstormed what keeps a community together. You can see the project and what they shared HERE. In the end, they practiced (and I witnessed) the very things they said hold a community together.

Library

• Kinder is continuing to explore California Young Reader Nominated literature! We read the story Parker Looks Up, discussed the importance of role models, and created a class portrait gallery of people who inspire us. As we practice our reading skills, we read the story Madeline Finn and the Library Dog, about a struggling reader and the importance of making mistakes and being patient when we learn new skills. Your student may ask you about how to attend your public library’s read to a dog program! 

Mandarin

• Our Kindergarteners are continuing exposure to the tonal language, Mandarin Chinese, through chanting, singing, and dancing. Listening to songs over and over allows students to “tune” into the rhythm and intonation of natural Mandarin. Students also practiced conversation by greeting each other, asking each other’s names, and introducing themselves. We will soon learn simple expressions of feelings. Students will be making their very first Mandarin Lego figure book and enjoy a read-aloud out of their own book.

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will continue to focus on Basketball basics including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. Details about this year’s MicroSports basketball session to follow soon.

Science

• Kindergarten scientists are getting ready to embark on an animal journey! Students will have close and personal interaction with some common land and water animals. Students will be learning about fish, worms, snails, and isopods, oh my! 

Art

• Happy Black History Month! As a complement to the penguin study taking place in their homerooms, students have been working to measure and create life-size paintings of the specific penguins they learned about. With these now finished, students worked together to compare the sizes and create a mural-like display for each class. They’re now hanging up in the lower school building. Come check them out when you get a chance! 

Cooking/Garden

• First-grade gardeners are learning all about worms! We’ve read fiction and nonfiction books about worms together, and students are digging and exploring worms in our garden. With the worms they find, they can choose to let the worms grow bigger to help the plants or feed full-size worms to our chickens to help our farm ecosystem. First-grade cooks worked on their cutting and spreading skills by making heart toast with strawberries, and cream cheese or sun butter.

DBi Lab

• In preparation for Valentine's Day, First Graders reflected on someone they love in their life and created a bejeweled box to give to that person. So fun! Each student knew they were successful at the end of class if they did something they didn’t think they could do, had fun designing/making for someone they love, they made a box and they thought about someone they love!

Library

• To celebrate Valentine’s day, First Graders read The Boy Who Loves Everyone, a wonderful book about how we express our affection and the love that surrounds us. We also played musical books, and went on special “blind dates with books.” Happy reading over the break!

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will continue to focus on Basketball basics including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. Details about this year’s MicroSports basketball session to follow soon.

Science

• First Grade scientists are getting ready to learn all about Insects and Plants. They will experience the life science core ideas, which deal with structure and function of living things, growth and development of plants and animals, interactions of organisms with their environment, and biodiversity of organisms on land and in water. We will begin with Mealworms!

Spanish

• Students have continued to practice our classroom routines and student jobs in order to, as much as possible, begin establishing a culture of “Spanish only” in the classroom. I have been so pleased and impressed by their collective teamwork of limiting English use in the classroom. After completing the creation of our invented families, I challenged the first graders with an activity called “Write & Discuss.” Together, the class discussed and collectively wrote about the family members they had created. Hopefully, you have had the opportunity to see the “Write & Discuss” sheets that I sent home. Most recently, in order to continue our work with family vocabulary, students illustrated an invented animal family during a “Listen & Draw” activity. This activity is designed to allow students the opportunity to prove their listening comprehension through art. Students were also exposed to written text and could choose to read what they were being asked to illustrate. While reading and writing are not emphasized in First Grade Spanish, First Grade students have been writing and have been exposed to simple written passages about both of our invented families. 

Art

• Happy Black History Month! Second Graders have been working hard on their big clay project of the year where they’ve been tasked with making an animal (real or imagined) and considering its shapes/forms, pose, and texture. This was a real challenge, and students have had to channel a great deal of focus (and fine motor skills) as they’ve been working to give form to what they imagine. I can’t wait till these are out of the kiln and ready for glazing!  

Cooking/Garden

• Second Grade gardeners are learning all about worms! We’ve read fiction and non-fiction books about worms together, and students are digging and exploring worms in our garden. With the worms they find, they can choose to let the worms grow bigger to help the plants or feed full-size worms to our chickens to help our farm ecosystem. We’ll resume our study of mushrooms after the break!

DBi Lab

• In preparation for their water filtration unit and field trip, 2nd-Grade DBi students designed and prototyped a way to clean water. Working in teams of 2-3, students used what materials they thought would work best to filter out the “poo” (mud, bark, plastic beads, etc). Learning from their prototypes, students could then try different materials in an effort to get the water to look as close to tea (as opposed to coffee or hot cocoa) as possible. 

Library

• Second Grade is continuing to explore California Young Reader Nominated literature! We read the story Parker Looks Up paired with wordless picture book Museum Trip, discussed the importance of role models and representation, the power of art and our personal connections to it, and created a class portrait gallery of people who inspire us. Happy break reading!  

Mandarin

• Our 2nd Grade Mandarin class celebrated the Lunar New Year by learning about Lunar New Year traditions, the Chinese Zodiac, the legend of Nian, making lanterns, and making HongBao (red envelopes). Among all the celebrations, one of the kids’ favorite parts is receiving Hong Bao (Red Envelopes) with lucky money, which symbolizes receiving good luck for the year of the Rabbit! You may hear the stories of Zodiac animals and Nian from your students! 

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will continue to focus on Basketball basics including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. Details about this year’s MicroSports basketball session to follow soon. 

Science

•  2nd Grade scientists will begin to interact with California’s Environmental Principles and Concepts. Students will examine the interactions and interdependence of humans and natural systems. Students will investigate the following principles: PI: Humans depend on natural resources. PII: humans influence natural systems. PIII: natural systems change in ways that humans benefit from and can influence. PIV: There are no Permanent or Impermeable Boundaries that Prevent Matter from Flowing Between Systems. PV: Decisions Affecting Resources and Natural Systems are Complex and Involve Many Factors.

Art

• Happy Black History Month! With their clay dragons (and other creatures) complete, third graders learned about the term folk art (and considered both supportive and critical opinions of this term). Then they studied Hojalata, a Mexican art form where craftspeople emboss tin to create bold and colorful relief images. Students tried the process with a thinner sheet metal and several ways of applying either color or patina to the surface.  

Cooking/Garden

• Third Grade gardeners are keeping our garden clean, our compost turned, and our garden beds weeded! They’re the backbone of our garden team. Third-grade cooks worked on recipe development! They were provided raw ingredients for strawberry toast with either cream cheese or sun butter and then expanded on those ingredients by writing their own recipes. 

DBi Lab

• In preparation for Valentine’s Day (and to learn about electrical current and magnetic fields), 3rd graders made spinning hearts using copper wire, an AA battery, and some rare earth magnets. Success criteria for this activity was surviving self-doubt, using your hands and tools to manipulate materials, follow directions, helping each other out, and…getting your copper wire to spin!! 

Library

• Third Graders became experts on Mars and thought like scientists in their most recent library class! Using non-fiction sources in the library as well as NASA’s website, students fact-checked the fiction book The Lion of Mars that we began reading together. The Lion of Mars is nominated for a California Young Reader Medal, and students will be voting on their favorite picture and chapter books soon! 

Mandarin

• As one of the most important festivals, our 3rd Graders celebrated the Lunar New Year by learning about Lunar New Year traditions, the Chinese Zodiac, and the legend of Nian. Students also learned about the zodiac animals and colors. In addition, we enjoyed expressing our love to our loved ones in Mandarin for Valentine’s Day. 

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will continue to focus on Basketball basics including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. Details about this year’s MicroSports basketball session to follow soon.

Science

• 3rd Grade scientists are gearing up to investigate Motion and Matter! Students will apply their knowledge of magnets and gravity to investigate other pushes and pulls. Students will get up close and in-depth investigations of forces and interactions, matter and its interactions, and engineering design. Students will learn about 6 simple machines: lever, pulley, screw, wedge, wheel & axle, and inclined plane.

Spanish

• The Third Grade has successfully read the first six chapters of “Edi el elefante.” Students have been enjoying all of the pre-reading activities for each chapter of this short Spanish book. We have been having so much fun moving our bodies and being silly while learning so many great new verbs, grammar structures and vocabulary. During a recent class, we made a pretend hole out of a hula hoop and cones, to practice “está atrapado” (is trapped) and “puede salvar”(Is able to save). Students giggled with delight, while telling me in Spanish, that they could save their trapped friend in the hole. It was so fun watching them try to lift their friends and not knock the balanced hula hoop off of the cones. The book includes fun chants in each chapter. Here are two of the ones we use as our classroom password; “¡Mosquito, mosquito no quiero ser! ¡Orejas grandes quiero tener!,” and“¡Rata, rata no quiero ser! ¡Una trompa grande quiero tener!”  We have only two more short chapters to read in order to finish the book! Students have recently been working with “puede escapar” (is able to escape), “puede mover” (is able to move), “quiere salvar” (wants to save), and “quiere mover” (wants to move). 

Art

• Happy Black History Month! Fourth graders have now completed the second part of our color study, drawing seven overlapping objects and then painting them in with the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors (while having only the three primaries in their palettes). We’ve recently moved on to a study of the graceful art of Chinese calligraphy. They started by practicing with water, painting strokes then characters on the blacktop. Then students transitioned to painting on large sheets of paper, all the while using an assortment of traditional tools (“the Four Treasures”). Ask them how they made their own ink! 

Cooking/Garden

• Fourth-grade gardeners are keeping our garden clean, our compost turned, and our garden beds weeded! They’re the backbone of our garden team. This group has been dedicated to making the garden shed their own through careful and considered organization and shovel cleaning. It’s been a joy to see them grow through cooperative work.

DBi Lab

• Fourth Grade students continued their Tinkercad learning by building a model of the Oakland Tribune Tower. This project helped them practice some fundamental Tinkercad skills of grouping and alignment. Once we had the main structure of the building modeled, students added details such as the Tribune sign, windows, the clock on the tower and/or an alternate landscape design of their choosing.

Library

• Fourth Graders became experts on Mars and thought like scientists in their most recent library class! Using non-fiction sources in the library as well as NASA’s website, students fact-checked the fiction book The Lion of Mars that we began reading together. The Lion of Mars is nominated for a California Young Reader Medal, and students will be voting on their favorite picture and chapter books soon! Joy Sherrod gave an amazing presentation on the history and significance of the Black Panther Party, and its connections to our local community. Ask your student about the community programs initiated by the Black Panthers and their thoughts on the group! 

Mandarin

• Our 4th Grade Mandarin class has learned more about Lunar New Year traditions and their cultural connections to the legend of Nian. Students displayed their understanding by retelling the story of the 12 zodiac animals and writing about the legend of Nian. To celebrate Valentine’s day, we learned about the courtesies and taboos of gift-giving in Chinese culture. Students also enjoyed writing a letter expressing their love to their loved ones in Mandarin. 

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will continue to focus on Basketball basics including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. Details about this year’s MicroSports basketball session to follow soon. 

Science

• 4th Grade scientists will start to learn about Energy and Electricity! Students will apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts every from one form to another. Students will experiment with circuits. Students will engage with both 2d and 3d circuits, as well as digital circuits, learning the symbols/ visual representation for all the components of electrical circuits. (E.g., closed switch, open switch, battery, voltmeter, lamp, wire, and motor.)

Spanish

• I have been so proud of Las Tormentas Negras! I am so excited that the majority of the students are regularly responding to my comprehension questions with beautiful full sentence answers! Since our last Specialist Newsletter, the class has completed another Movie Talk on the video, The Present. The video tells the story of a young boy who receives a dog with a physical impairment. We see his reaction to the dog before discovering that the young boy is a person with a similar impairment. As with each Movie Talk, I stop the video in order to ask lots of questions in Spanish. These questions provide additional input for new vocabulary and grammar structures. It really has been incredible to watch the students’ growth and ability to respond to these comprehension questions. Recently, during our Movie Talk, I asked a question with “Por qué” (why) and received six different reasons WHY something had happened. What makes this so exciting to me is that my students are doing higher-level thinking and are trying to express themselves in Spanish! In addition to discussing the video, we also read a version of the story presented in the video. This allows students to deepen both their reading comprehension and their listening comprehension. I then challenged studies to write a Spanish summary of the video in their own words. Most recently, the class read another story, “¿Qué hace el erizo?.” This story provided additional input of the targeted grammar structures and allowed students to experience familiar verbs in both the first-person and third-person conjugations. 

Art

• Happy Black History Month! Fifth Graders have been studying the art of relief printmaking and working to understand the highly complex process of two-color linocut. Several have even taken on the challenge of a three-color design. Some students have begun printing from their blocks, and I’ve been very impressed so far. I can’t wait to see some of these on display at the spring art show! 

Cooking/Garden

• Fifth Grade gardeners are keeping our garden clean, our compost turned, and our garden beds weeded! They’re the backbone of our garden team. This group has been spending a lot of time with our four feisty chicken friends giving them much-needed cuddles and love (as well as replacing food and water). Fifth-grade cooks are looking forward to a spice exploration after break! 

DBi Lab

• On their last visit to the lab, 5th Graders learned about gears and played with this gear generator tool. Once, they understood how to use the generator, they were challenged with making a planetary gear using the gear generator. A planetary gear consists of three (planet) gears that travel around a central gear (sun) all four of which are contained within an outer gear ring. 
  
  

Library

• Fifth graders practiced their catalog and search skills on Valentine’s Day to find the perfect “book match” for various case studies of students who desperately need a book. We learned what kinds of information about books you can discover in the library catalog, and how to use this information to decide on the best books and sources for students’ needs. Happy break reading! 

Mandarin

• As one of the most important festivals, our 5th Grade Mandarin class has learned more about Lunar New Year traditions in depth and their cultural connections to the legend of Nian. Students demonstrated their understanding by retelling the story of the 12 zodiac animals and writing about the legend of Nian. To celebrate Valentine’s day, we learned about the courtesies and taboos of gift-giving in Chinese culture. Students also enjoyed writing a letter expressing their love to their loved ones in Mandarin. 

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will continue to focus on Basketball basics including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. Details about this year’s MicroSports basketball session to follow soon. 

Science

• 5th Grade scientists will b begin to tackle big questions about body systems and the environmental factors that affect them. What happens when the body is attacked by an invader or an organism system malfunctions? How do cells get the resources they need to live? How do cells gain access to the energy stored in energy-rich compounds? How do systems support the human organism as it senses and interacts with the environment? 

Spanish

• Since our last newsletter, Las Almas Chifladas have been individually creating a character through a guided writing activity. Students read and responded, in writing, to a series of questions that guided them in the development of their character. The goal was to quickly develop the physical description of the character and help students dig deeper into the character’s backstory. Our questions included: What does the character like to do? How old is the character? When is their birthday? What are some of their opinions? What is their profession or what do they want to be? What do they like to eat? What do they fear? Where are they? What secrets do they have? What, if any, superpower do they have? What problems do they have? and more. This is an activity that Las Almas Chifladas also experienced last year. This year, the questions have been expanded by using the Sweet 16 verbs to help deepen their character’s backstory. The next steps are for students to edit their writing and to illustrate their character. I can’t wait for students to complete this project and share their work with their classmates. These writings will become our class readings! 

Art

• Happy New Year! Kindergarteners learned about several visual artists who create abstract artwork based on music. Students tried this themselves as we listened to songs from different parts of the world, and they interpreted the music as they painted on large sheets of paper. Students were so serene and focused during this exercise - it was a real joy! Most recently, kindergarteners were excited to learn about our kiln, glaze, and to paint the clay tiles they created in the fall.

Cooking/Garden

• Kindergarten cooks and gardeners have been focusing on stone soup this month! Thank you so much to families who brought in vegetables for our community soup project. I hope your student told you how well it turned out! Cooks practiced their knife skills using train and tunnel and prepared their vegetables, and we all ate the soup together. 

DBi Lab

• Kindergarten designers and builders practiced using lines and planes to understand the parts of objects. While doing so, Kindergarteners also practiced their fine motor skills, focus, and compassion for themselves when they weren’t able to build the Bend, Twist, Tie, Curl! 

Library

• N/A

Mandarin

• We are very excited and look forward to exploring Mandarin together this semester! Our Kindergarteners started off the year by learning Mandarin class routines, reviewing classroom expectations, and saying their greetings and goodbyes in Mandarin. As a new language learning experience, our kindergarteners started to “tune” their ears to Mandarin tones and pronunciation. As the Lunar New Year is now upon us, we are thrilled to start the celebrations for the festival. Our Kindergarten Mandarin class will celebrate Lunar New Year by learning about Lunar New Year traditions, the story of 12 Zodiac Animals, and making HongBao (red envelopes). 

Music

• Kindergarteners are exploring pitch and rhythm through folk dance and storytelling. We are currently learning choreography to Kathrine Ogie, a Scottish folk song and learning a song that goes with the book “Those Darn Squirrels”. 

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will focus on Basketball basics, including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes, and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. I foresee a fantastic February full of fun fitness and fundamentals!

Science

• Students have been learning about leaves. They have gone on leaf hunts and begun identifying what happens to trees and leaves in the Autumn. They also did a citrus fruit investigation. 

Spanish

• ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Kindergarten students will not take Spanish this semester. They are taking Mandarin this term. 

Art

• Happy New Year! First graders had a lot to say when we studied Cree-Métis author and illustrator Julie Flett. They loved repeating aloud the Cree words we read in her book Wild Berries. Students analyzed Flett’s artistic style and the subjects of her beautiful place-based paintings. Then, First Graders were great team players as they collaborated on large-scale whole-class collage murals depicting a jungle, a desert, the ocean, candyland, Squishmallow beach, and a fashion show in the north pole.

Cooking/Garden

• First-grade cooks and gardeners have been exploring our rain-soaked garden this month through scavenger hunts. They’ve collected different kinds of leaves, seeds, and branches to explore similarities and differences. We’ve noticed how the rain affects our garden ecosystem. 

DBi Lab

• First-grade designers and builders examined the parts of insects and arachnids by building them!! Each student first designed (imagined or observed, then drew) the insect/arachnid they wanted to build. Then each chose the materials they felt they needed to manifest this creature…and then they built! Students practiced project management, proportions, patience, focus, fine motor skills and making!

Library

• N/A

Music

• Over the last few weeks, First Graders have learned how to hold mallets and play barred instruments. They have learned how to play the C major scale with the aid of a book titled “Mortimer,” a tale about a young child who struggles with falling asleep at bedtime. 

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will focus on Basketball basics, including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes, and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. I foresee a fantastic February full of fun fitness and fundamentals!

Science

• Students have been learning about air, rain, and wind. They collected rainwater for an investigation. In addition, students began exploring wind direction using bubbles and pinwheels.

Spanish

• ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! I am super excited to get to have the First Grade this semester! Since the beginning of the school year, I had seen the First Grade students in the yard and in the hallways, but it is so WONDERFUL to have them in my classroom finally. We started the term, with students reviewing the classroom expectations, learning and practicing new classroom routines, and discussing the importance of listening and looking in Spanish class. Many students recalled “Mira y Escucha” as their most important “job” in Spanish class. Students also learned that my job is “Muestra y Habla.” We quickly jumped into our family unit. Students have been working together to create an invented animal family. We have collectively decided on each character while speaking only in Spanish. This activity has allowed us to use animal & family vocabulary, colors, and several frequently used verbs. Soon students will be learning about some of our important classroom jobs. Jobs are an important part of shaping our learning community. Class jobs are a way for students to contribute to the class environment and to support our goal of staying in Spanish during class. 

Art

• Happy New Year! Second graders put a lot of hard work and soul into their self-portraits, which they just finished. They were working hard to draw difficult facial features, match skin tones, and add unique details - I hope they’re proud of their hard work! This past week, students moved on to our big clay project of the year where they’re tasked with making an animal (real or imagined) and considering its shapes/forms, pose, and texture. I’m excited to see how these turn out.

Cooking/Garden

• Second Grade cooks and gardeners are beginning a mushroom unit! We’ve learned where mushrooms grow, and how their spores make up the forest internet, and we’ve started to grow our own mushrooms. We’ll cook lots of different types of mushrooms in our class. Soon so we can learn by taste!

DBi Lab

• Building from and with 2nd-grade measuring units, designers and builders practiced using rulers, tape measures, scales, and thermometers to measure each other!!! Measuring is critical to designing and building, especially if we want what we make to look great, work well, not waste materials, and last a long time (all acts of eco-design). Students practiced communication skills, measuring, fractions, observing their world, and project management.

Library

• Excitement abounds in library class as we embark on the California Young Reader Medal. We read amazing books and students vote for the book they deem most worthy of recognition. We started with the non-fiction biography of Mary Anning, a marvelous paleontologist who is now being recognized for her influential discoveries. We also got to make fun fossils of our own! We kept up the fun with We Don’t Eat Our Classmates and Dozens of Doughnuts and look forward to more nominees! 

Mandarin

• We are very excited and look forward to exploring Mandarin together this semester! Our second graders started off the year by learning Mandarin class routines, reviewing classroom expectations, and saying their greetings, goodbyes and some basic courtesy expressions in Mandarin. As a new language learning experience, our second graders continued to “tune” their ears to Mandarin tones and pronunciation. As the Lunar New Year is now upon us, we are thrilled to start the celebrations for the festival. Our second-grade Mandarin class will celebrate Lunar New Year by learning about Lunar New Year traditions, the story of 12 Zodiac Animals, and making HongBao (red envelopes).

Music

• 2nd Graders continue to explore pitch and rhythm through games and storytelling. Students are currently learning C and F pentatonic scales on the barred instruments and working on playing together as an ensemble. 

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will be focusing on Basketball basics, including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes, and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. I foresee a fantastic February full of fun fitness and fundamentals!

Science

•  Students have been learning about pebbles, sand, and rocks. They have learned about the three kinds of rocks (metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary) and are learning about the properties of rocks. 

Spanish

• ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Second Grade students will not take Spanish this semester. They are taking Mandarin this term. 

Art

• Happy New Year! After completing their dragon (or other mythical creature) drawings, third graders moved on to making dragon sculptures in clay. I have been impressed by their imagination, sense of humor, and attention to detail as they’ve been working on these intricate sculptures. And I’m looking forward to showing them off at the spring art show!

Cooking/Garden

• Third-grade gardeners have been exploring our rain-soaked garden this month through scavenger hunts. They’ve collected different kinds of leaves, seeds, and branches to explore similarities and differences. Third-grade cooks started a seed exploration by reading seed packets and developing recipes based on their seeds. We look forward to planting those seeds soon!

DBi Lab 

• Third Grade designers and builders practiced observing objects in their world and imagining how they, as ethical and innovative designers, could improve them. Pulling from Harvard’s Agency by Design work, we “Imagined if..” Students practiced fine motor skills, drawing as observation, critical and creative thinking, collaboration, and compromise.

Library

• Third Graders are continuing their author study, diving into author interviews and biographies, and assessing the themes of their work. We are enjoying diving deep into one author’s work and appreciate all that goes into the making of a book! Up next: California Young Reader Medal: lots of amazing books for students to read and decide which is worthy of recognition. 

Mandarin

• It has been so nice to see the students again! Our Third Graders started off the year by being reacquainted with Mandarin class routines, reviewing classroom expectations, and brushing up on some of the Mandarin expressions they learned from last semester. As the Lunar New Year is now upon us, we are thrilled to start the celebrations for the festival. Our third-grade Mandarin class will celebrate Lunar New Year by learning about Lunar New Year traditions, the story of 12 Zodiac Animals, and making HongBao (red envelopes).

Music

• 3rd Graders have begun their journey on the soprano recorders. They have learned how to hold the instrument, hand positions, playing position, and the notes G and E. They are currently working on playing together as an ensemble. 

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will focus on Basketball basics, including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes, and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. I foresee a fantastic February full of fun fitness and fundamentals!

Science

• Students have been learning about the life cycle of plants. They have done a fruit investigation to learn about where seeds come from and the variety of seeds that are found in fruits. Students also planted sunflower seeds, and they will begin tracking the growth of their seeds. 

Spanish

• ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! It was great reconnecting with my third-grade students! Since returning from break, we have jumped right back into working with the short Spanish novel “Edi el Elefante.” To review Chapter 3, which we read before the break, students did a series of reading, drawing, and listening activities. Students did a fun “Who Drew It?” activity. In “Who Drew It?” students first read and translated a set of important sentences from Chapter 3. Students were then secretly given one of the sentences and asked to illustrate the sentence. With all of the illustrations complete, students did a gallery walk and tried to match the student artist to the correct sentence. The sentences were numbered and posted throughout the room for students to reread and try to match them to the illustrations. It was fun to listen to them reread the sentences and discuss the art. 

Art

• Happy New Year! As Fourth Graders have been completing the challenge of collaging twelve-hue color wheels from colors found in magazines, we’ve also been talking about complimentary colors and looking at examples of how artists employ this important color harmony. We’ve now moved on to the second part of our color study, and students are drawing seven overlapping objects of their choice, then painting in the same twelve colors they used on the collages (tertiaries occur at the overlap) with the added challenge of only having the three primary colors in their palettes.

Cooking/Garden

• Fourth Grade gardeners have been exploring our rain-soaked garden this month through scavenger hunts. They collected different kinds of leaves, seeds, and branches to explore similarities and differences. Fourth-grade cooks started a seed exploration by reading seed packets and developing recipes based on their seed. We look forward to planting those seeds soon!

DBi Lab

• 4th graders were introduced to Tinkercad. Tinkercad is a free, web-based 3D modeling software made by Autodesk. We use Tinkercad in the lab for prototyping designs and sometimes for 3D printing or laser cutting. During class, students learned how to navigate the workplane, how to add shapes to the workplane, and how to make compound shapes using solids and holes.

Library

• Fourth Grade had a fun time in library class making Book Spine Poems! Inspired by their poetry studies in core class, students used the materials around them - books! - to make creative, moving, and fun poems in groups and individually. Up next: we are reading California Young Reader nominated books, and students will decide which books they deem worthy of recognition. 

Mandarin

• Our Fourth Graders started off the year by being reacquainted with Mandarin class routines, reviewing classroom expectations, and brushing up on some of the Mandarin expressions they learned from last semester. We also learned Mandarin expressions and vocabulary that we can use to talk about the weather. As the Lunar New Year is now upon us, we are thrilled to start the celebrations for the festival. Our fourth-grade Mandarin class will celebrate Lunar New Year by learning about Lunar New Year traditions, the story of 12 Zodiac Animals, the legend of Nian, writing traditional calligraphy, cooking dumplings, and making HongBao (red envelopes). 

Music

• Over the last few weeks, Fourth Graders have learned about the 12-bar blues and AAB lyrical form on the barred instruments. They are currently working on improvisation and independent playing of multi-section parts. 

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will focus on Basketball basics, including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes, and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. I foresee a fantastic February full of fun fitness and fundamentals!

Science

• Students have been studying rocks and minerals. They have worked to identify the properties of rocks. They also began learning about the layers of earth and the properties for identifying rocks. Students have also begun learning about volcanoes and how the lava forms metamorphic rocks. 

Spanish

• ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Since returning from break, Las Tormentas Negras have been reading a short story titled “El Malvavisco Peculiar.” The silly story, about a pink marshmallow who travels to planet earth, was inspired by a previous RD class. The goal is to get students reading, responding to comprehension questions using Spanish interrogatives, and translating text. The main targeted verbs and grammar structures were: quiere estar, quiere ir, quiere + verb and the Súper 7 verbs. All of these grammar structures were presented in the first-person and third-person. Most recently, we started another Movie Talk activity. Our current password is “Cada día puedo ser mejor.” (Each day, I can be better!).

Art

• Happy New Year! Nearly all the fifth graders have now finished their Coast Salish sculptures, and we have a growing collection of cups, bowls, and tiny vases as students take turns on our new pottery wheel. We will continue to work on the wheel as time allows, but we’ve now turned our attention to the fifth-grade printmaking project. Students have been given a real challenge this year, as they will use linocut techniques again, but this time must make a two-color print using two uniquely carved blocks. I’ve only seen enthusiasm so far despite the complexity and difficulty of this task!

Cooking/Garden

• Fifth-grade gardeners have been exploring our rain-soaked garden this month through scavenger hunts. They collected different kinds of leaves, seeds, and branches to explore similarities and differences. Fifth-grade cooks started a seed exploration by reading seed packets and developing recipes based on their seed. We look forward to planting those seeds soon!

DBi Lab

• 5th-grade students completed their generator build. The objective was to use a crank to turn a pulley, engage the motor and generate enough current to light a red LED. They learned how to use a multimeter to measure or check the voltage of a battery. We discovered what happens to an LED hooked up to a battery with too much voltage for that LED. We will play with the generators during one more class and then jump into Tinkercad to design some gears.

Library

• N/A

Mandarin

• Our Fifth Graders started off the year by being reacquainted with Mandarin class routines, reviewing classroom expectations, and brushing up on some of the Mandarin expressions they learned from last semester. We also learned Mandarin expressions and vocabulary that we can use to talk about the weather. As the Lunar New Year is now upon us, we are thrilled to start the celebrations for the festival. Our fifth-grade Mandarin class will celebrate Lunar New Year by learning about Lunar New Year traditions, the story of 12 Zodiac Animals, the legend of Nian, writing traditional calligraphy, cooking dumplings, and making HongBao (red envelopes). 

Music

• Over the last few weeks, 5th graders have learned about the history of the ukulele and its importance to Hawaiian culture. They are currently learning how to read tablature – a visual representation of notes on a stringed instrument – and simple chords.

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks, we will focus on Basketball basics, including dribbling, passing, and shooting. We will discuss the rules of Basketball and play skill-building games to cultivate competence and confidence. Students will play recreation-style games during their regularly scheduled PE classes, and grades 3-5 will have a chance to play scrimmage games during MicroSports. I foresee a fantastic February full of fun fitness and fundamentals!

Science

• Students have been learning about mixing solid matter, including salt, silt, water, and baking soda. In addition, they have learned how to separate mixtures. They are now studying salt, including where it comes from and how it is made.

Spanish

• ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! It was so great to reconnect with the Fifth Grade classes! Since returning from break, students jumped right back into working with the Sweet 16 verbs by reading and illustrating a sentence for each of the Sweet 16 verbs. The verbs are da (gives), dice (says), está (is), hace (makes/does), puede (is able/can), pone (puts), quiere (wants), sabe (knows), va (goes), ve (sees), oye (hears), viene (comes), sale (leaves), es (is), tiene (has) and trae (brings). Students are currently experiencing these verbs in the third person present tense conjugation. In addition, students have been working with vocabulary to make comparisons. They have been using “mejor que” (better than), “peor que” (worse than), parecido a (similar to) and others. Recently students read and translated the story, “Las comparaciones de Tilly.” This story weaves in the topic of stereotypes, which the Fifth Grade has been discussing in their Equity and Inclusion groups. Tilly is a very opinionated girl who compares everything and makes biased remarks and generalizations about people until she meets a girl very different from herself. Our current password is “Cada día puedo ser mejor.” (Each day, I can be better!).

Art

• Kindergarteners explored how art doesn’t have to be perfect and experimented with wax-resist as they created Ish paintings, based on the book by Peter H. Reynolds. Then, they studied the artwork of contemporary Lakota artist, Dyani White Hawk and traced objects as they created colorful, shape-based abstract paintings. Finally, students tried their hand at basic origami techniques and folded imaginative animal finger puppets. Happy holidays!

Cooking/Garden

• Kindergarten cooks and gardeners have been experimenting with natural materials. In partnership with the library they read “Leaf Man” By Lois Ehlert and designed their own ephemeral leaf creatures in the garden. They also designed fairy houses using found objects and the natural signs of winter such as dead leaves and dried acorns.

DBi Lab

• Kindergarteners built bugs with household items! They first started with a simple plan (design), then chose the materials often found in the home to build insects or spiders. The goal is for them to practice imagining, designing, choosing just the materials they need to manifest their design, then build. This practice maintains creativity inherent in children while reducing waste and increasing efficiency of process….while having a ton of fun along the way.

Library

• Kindergarteners are continuing to be curious learners by expanding their skills in asking questions. We’ve been working on the 5 W’s and being curious about specific topics. They learned about the rainforest and Wangar Maathai and will try to answer our questions after the break.

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks we will transition from playing chasing, fleeing, health and fitness games to searching for rhythm and jumping rope. Grades K-2 will partake in activities designed to teach the basics while grades 3-5 learn more advanced skills before teaming up to create a team routine. Throughout the unit we will continue discussing health and fitness and how to get a jump (pun intended) on the things that make us sick.
  
  Shout out to sleep, diet and exercise!

Science

• Kindergarten scientists have continued the journey into the fascinating world of trees. Students have practiced identifying different parts of a tree (leaves, trunk, branches, fruits, roots) and together we have started to dive into the function of each different part of the tree. They have practiced making observations by focusing on the redwood trees that grace our campus. Students have learned about similarities and differences of leaves, and have considered why trees are so important for people. 

Spanish

• During this last month together in Spanish class, Kindergarten students continued to experience new activities. Our “Listen & Draw” activity was a favorite. Students listened attentively as I described monsters in houses and pizza orders for a family. As I spoke, students illustrated. Each monster had to have the correct number of eyes, size and color and each pizza had to include the correct ingredients. “Listen & Draw” allows students to be creative while also providing opportunities for them to prove their comprehension. We practiced colors, body parts and size while also using the Super 7 verbs. For example: Hay un monstruo. El monstruo es rojo. El monstruo es grande. El monstruo tiene dos ojos. El monstruo está enojado. (There is a monster. The monster is red. The monster is big. The monster has two eyes. The monster is angry.The pizza orders helped reinforce the verb “querer” (to want). During our last Spanish class, students viewed and listened to a story I created and illustrated. Our kindergarten students helped translate as I read, “Finn quiere un árbol de Navidad.” It has been such a joy getting to know all of the Kindergarten students. How exciting that they get to go to Mandarin class in January! They are on such a great language journey.

Art

• Recently, first graders made collages based on sugar skulls in celebration of Dia de los Muertos. They enjoyed creating fun, festive designs and using sequins and other embellishments. Following this, students explored techniques with watercolor and learned how to paint a wash as they added color to their identity icebergs from their Equity and Inclusion activity. Happy holidays!

Cooking/Garden

• First Grade cooks and gardeners have been experimenting with natural materials. In partnership with the library they read “Leaf Man” By Lois Ehlert and designed their own ephemeral leaf creatures in the garden. They also designed fairy houses using found objects and the natural signs of winter such as dead leaves and dried acorns.

DBi Lab

• While David was at the People of Color Conference sharing Liberatory Design, first graders continued with their design/build/innovate skill building. First, each student reflected on a super power they'd like to have to solve a really important problem to them. Then they designed (planned) and built super heroine/hero glasses to match that power! The purpose of this assignment was to practice self-awareness and your relationship to what you care about; then, design a way to solve that problem. 

Library

• First Graders are continuing to be curious learners by expanding their skills in asking questions. We’ve been expanding our knowledge about the 5 W’s and honing our curiosity skills around specific topics. They learned about the rainforest and Wangar Maathai and will try to answer our questions after the break. 

Mandarin

• We can't believe that we’ve already wrapped up the first semester! Our 1st graders have done a lot of learning during this month! We have learned how to express and respond to thanks and apologies. We had a lot of fun making our Mandarin dialogue projects. As we turned to the festive season, we also learned about some festive activities and food, and how to say holiday greetings in Mandarin. It has been wonderful to see our 1st graders continue to enjoy learning and have so much fun in Mandarin class. Keep up the great work, 1st graders!

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks we will transition from playing chasing, fleeing, health and fitness games to searching for rhythm and jumping rope. Grades K-2 will partake in activities designed to teach the basics while grades 3-5 learn more advanced skills before teaming up to create a team routine. Throughout the unit we will continue discussing health and fitness and how to get a jump (pun intended) on the things that make us sick.
  
  Shout out to sleep, diet and exercise!

Science

• First grade scientists have delved deeper into their learning focused on weather. We have described the daily weather patterns on our science days, and students have practiced describing clouds. We have learned about different types of clouds, and gained experience identifying clouds by looking up in the sky! Students created a model thermometer in their science notebooks and considered what information thermometers tell us about the weather.

Art

• Following their fashion show, second graders moved on to their second grade self-portraits, and I’ve been very impressed with their work so far. For inspiration, we looked at self-portraits by a number of contemporary Asian-American artists. I will save their artwork, and in third grade it will become a bit of a time capsule as they compare it to the self-portrait they create in third grade. I’m sure they will see a lot of growth! Happy holidays! 

Cooking/Garden

• Second Grade cooks and gardeners have been experimenting with natural materials. In partnership with the library they read “Leaf Man” By Lois Ehlert and designed their own ephemeral leaf creatures in the garden. They also designed fairy houses using found objects and the natural signs of winter such as dead leaves and dried acorns.

DBi Lab

• Second graders built bugs with household items! This opportunity was built from their study of body parts of insects and spiders from first grade. Students followed the design/build process rooting in their intrinsic ability to innovate. They first started with a simple plan (design), then chose the materials often found in the home to build insects or spiders. The goal is for them to practice imagining, designing, choosing just the materials they need to manifest their design, then build. This practice maintains creativity inherent in children while reducing waste and increasing efficiency of process….while having a ton of fun along the way.

Library

• Second grade has been having a lot of fun in library class! We read Nikki Giovanni’s The Library which led into a fabulous discussion of our favorite books and why reading is so magical, special and important. The following class, second graders collaborated to create a map of the library. With each class we are more knowledgeable and independent library users!

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks we will transition from playing chasing, fleeing, health and fitness games to searching for rhythm and jumping rope. Grades K-2 will partake in activities designed to teach the basics while grades 3-5 learn more advanced skills before teaming up to create a team routine. Throughout the unit we will continue discussing health and fitness and how to get a jump (pun intended) on the things that make us sick.
  
  Shout out to sleep, diet and exercise!

Science

•  Second grade geologists continue their journey into the world of rocks. Students have studied different particle-sized earth materials, including pebbles, gravel, sand, and clay, and what makes each particle size unique. Our young scientists used science tools to separate mixtures of earth materials, and together we have observed how different sized particles interact with water. 

Spanish

• During this past month we continued working on our second “Story Creation” unit. Second grade students created another round of incredible stories. Using the Super 7 verbs as our guide, students wrote simple sentences describing their character’s color, location, feelings, desires and more. Again, students had the opportunity to volunteer to tell their story, in Spanish, while their artwork was projected for everyone to see. I was so pleased with their writing and speaking. The student volunteers did an incredible job of sharing their short stories. They also really seemed to really enjoy it! Lastly, to finish off our time together, we played a fun Costa Rican game that had them dancing and laughing. I have really enjoyed watching their growth in Spanish class. In January, they will be moving onto Mandarin class. They are so fortunate to experience two languages!!

Art

• Upon completion of their solar system drawings, third graders became creators of the world of dragons (a third grade theme) as they drew complex and detailed drawings of dragons and other fantasy animals. They could choose to finish these in graphite, pen, or paint, and I was so impressed with the level of detail they were able to convey. Happy holidays! 

Cooking/Garden

• Third Grade cooks and gardeners have been experimenting with natural materials. In partnership with the library they read “Leaf Man” By Lois Ehlert and designed their own ephemeral leaf creatures in the garden. They also designed fairy houses using found objects and the natural signs of winter such as dead leaves and dried acorns. Third graders have spent lots of time with our chickens and chick, making sure all creatures are well cared for and have plenty of cuddles. 

DBi Lab

• While David was at the People of Color Conference sharing Liberatory Design, first graders continued with their design/build/innovate skill building. First, each student reflected on a super power they'd like to have to solve a really important problem to them. Then they designed (planned) and built super heroine/hero glasses to match that power! The purpose of this assignment was to practice self-awareness and your relationship to what you care about; then, design a way to solve that problem. Believe it or not these skills tie in beautifully with what 8th graders are doing: Social Justice Superheroes–design and build something (object, process, space, system) for an organization who’s addressing an issue they care deeply about.

Library

• Third graders have their Big Project hats on in library class! After learning about how a book is made, from ideas to editors to the printing press, we are now embarking on an author study. Students are diving deep into one picture book author’s life and stories. Look forward to learning about Jacqueline Woodson, Oliver Jeffers, Andrea Beaty, Mac Barnett, and more after the break! 

Mandarin

• We can't believe that the first semester has already ended! Our 3rd graders have done a lot of learning during this month! We have learned how to ask for permission and how to ask for commonly used objects. As we turned to the festive season, we also wrapped up this semester learning about festive activities and food and how to say holiday greetings in Mandarin. We are so proud of the students for all their progress!

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks we will transition from playing chasing, fleeing, health and fitness games to searching for rhythm and jumping rope. Grades K-2 will partake in activities designed to teach the basics while grades 3-5 learn more advanced skills before teaming up to create a team routine. Throughout the unit we will continue discussing health and fitness and how to get a jump (pun intended) on the things that make us sick.
  
  Shout out to sleep, diet and exercise!

Science

• Third grade scientists are wrapping up their study of water. We set up an experiment to see how condensation occurs in a covered plastic chamber after water evaporates, and students created a water wheel that is capable of lifting a paper clip from the ground to the level of the table. Third graders created a model of the water cycle in a bag to deepen their understanding of how water is perpetually moving through different phases of the water cycle and how its state of matter is regularly changing. Our unit is coming to a close with a simple chromatography experiment where we use the science of water to make beautiful flowers out of coffee filters, pipe cleaners, and washable markers!

Spanish

• Most recently, Third Grade Spanish students worked with a new set of vocabulary words in order to prepare for reading another chapter of “Edi el Elefante.” We had fun discussing things we thought we could lift and we even tried lifting each other! Students read and translated Chapter 3 together. We chanted Edi’s mantra, “Rata Rata no quiero ser. Una trompa grande quiero tener,” as we read about Edi lifting rocks in order to have a big trunk. As a class celebration, for following the classroom expectations, students listened to a story I learned in my time in the Peace Corps and played a fun Costa Rican game before heading off for winter break. We will continue reading when we return to school in January.

Art

• Upon completion of their Victoria Villasana-inspired embroidery collages, fourth graders began learning about the color wheel and tertiary colors. They also learned a little about the geographical and material origin of the primary colors. Ask them what they were made of - it’s pretty interesting. They’re currently taking on the challenge of collaging twelve-hue color wheels from colors found in magazines that are cut out and glued in place. I’m excited to see how these look when they’re finished. Happy holidays! 

Cooking/Garden

• Fourth Grade cooks and gardeners have been learning about change theory in preparation for a larger service learning project this winter. We’ve been using food waste and water shortage as models for how to solve problems at the personal, community, and global levels. Fourth grade gardeners have also been experimenting with natural materials by designing fairy houses using found objects and the natural signs of winter such as dead leaves and dried acorns. 

Library

• Fourth graders have been continuing to examine primary source documents and explore the importance of research for social change and making convincing arguments. Most recently, students practiced using research to support their arguments and opinions, and learned how to paraphrase in order not to plagiarize. Ask them about what they would change about school and what research supports their demands!

Mandarin

• We can't believe that it's the last month of 2022 already! It has been wonderful to see our 4th graders continue to enjoy learning Mandarin. During this month, we have learned how to ask for permission by using the sentence “Can I…?”, as well as how to have a conversation about some commonly used objects by asking and answering the question “Do you have…?” We wrapped up this semester learning about festive activities and food, and how to say holiday greetings in Mandarin. Remember to check in with your student on how to say “Happy Hanukkah!”, “Merry Christmas!”, and “Happy New Year!”...Yes, all in Mandarin! 

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks we will transition from playing chasing, fleeing, health and fitness games to searching for rhythm and jumping rope. Grades K-2 will partake in activities designed to teach the basics while grades 3-5 learn more advanced skills before teaming up to create a team routine. Throughout the unit we will continue discussing health and fitness and how to get a jump (pun intended) on the things that make us sick.
  
  Shout out to sleep, diet and exercise!

Science

• Fourth grade scientists are finishing up their investigation of weathering, erosion, and deposition. Through hands-on experimentation we have investigated how water breaks down and builds up landforms using stream tables as a model. Fourth graders conducted a field study to observe erosion and deposition occurring at our school. We chose two sites to pour water on, and then students recorded observations and evidence of erosion and deposition in their science notebooks. Up next we will shift our focus to rocks and observe their unique properties.

Spanish

• Fourth Grade students continued working with the “Movie Talk” vocabulary that they encountered in the Rollin’ Safari videos. Students participated in various activities to help reinforce both vocabulary and the grammar structures. Students participated in our “Write & Discuss” activity to help reconstruct the stories in written form, which we then used as class writings. One fun activity was that each student had to illustrate a sentence and then match each sentence to the student artist. It was fun watching students run around the classroom looking at art and trying to guess the Spanish sentence that best represented the art. As a class celebration, for following the classroom expectations, students listened to a story I learned and experienced during my time in the Peace Corps in an Indigenous community in Costa Rica.

Art

• Fifth grade students studied the striking artwork of the Coast Salish people of the Pacific Northwest. They made observations about the thematic and stylistic aspects of the tradition then sketched ideas for how they could interpret the work in clay. Students ended the semester by creating sculptural figures, tiles, or totem poles based on observation or that represented themselves. Happy holidays! 

Cooking/Garden

• Fifth grade gardeners have also been experimenting with natural materials by designing fairy houses using found objects and the natural signs of winter such as dead leaves and dried acorns. Fifth graders have also been the primary caretakers of our chickens and chick, making sure all creatures are well cared for and have plenty of cuddles.

Library

• Fifth graders have been enhancing their research skills through asking questions around topics they are interested in. We’ve dived deeper into primary sources and how it fits in our research topics. We’ve also explored the best practices around key search words. Fifth graders were also introduced to the different research resources offered for them. We will continue our research and learning good note taking skills after the break.

Mandarin

• We can't believe that it's the last month of 2022 already! It has been wonderful to see our 5th graders continue to enjoy learning Mandarin. During this month, we have learned how to ask for permission by using the sentence “Can I…?”, as well as how to have a conversation about some commonly used objects by asking and answering the question “Do you have…?” We wrapped up this semester learning about festive activities and food, and how to say holiday greetings in Mandarin. Remember to check in with your student on how to say “Happy Hanukkah!”, “Merry Christmas!”, and “Happy New Year!”...Yes, all in Mandarin!

Physical Education

• In the coming weeks we will transition from playing chasing, fleeing, health and fitness games to searching for rhythm and jumping rope. Grades K-2 will partake in activities designed to teach the basics while grades 3-5 learn more advanced skills before teaming up to create a team routine. Throughout the unit we will continue discussing health and fitness and how to get a jump (pun intended) on the things that make us sick.
  
  Shout out to sleep, diet and exercise!

Science

•  Fifth grade scientists have begun their unit focusing on mixtures and solutions. Together we made a salad and salad dressing to show how mixtures are made up of component parts, and how some mixtures separate more easily than others. Fifth graders set up and experiment to separate a salt solution (salt and water) back into its parts. Students observed how salt crystals form once the water was evaporated away. Then our young scientists created a particularly interesting mixture, slime! Up next we will dive deeper into the world of mixtures and solutions.

Spanish

• Most recently, students have been enjoying several classes of “Picture Talk” intermittently interrupted by World Cup soccer viewing. While acquiring Spanish is the ultimate goal of class, we couldn’t help but watch the Costa Rican team play against Germany and a bit of the France and Morocco game! Afterall, the World Cup is only once every four years. The goal of using “Picture Talk” is to get students talking and lead them into creating a story based on the picture they are viewing. The process starts by first talking about what is visible in the photograph, but as our conversation progresses, we collectively begin creating a story about the image. After discussing the photograph, students participate in a “Write & Discuss” activity. The first few times doing “Picture Talk” can feel challenging to students. It requires more than just responding to comprehension questions. It pushes students to produce language and share original ideas using limited vocabulary.

Art

• Kindergarten has been up to a lot lately! We celebrated the season with two recent projects. First, students collected leaves from the yard and made leaf rubbings that they could then turn into a crown, necklace, or other adornments. Then, students practiced primary color mixing and a basic printmaking technique as we painted large pumpkins to decorate the windows of the kindergarten classrooms. More recently, students practiced cutting skills by making a fun collage with a paper door that opens to reveal a monster or other figure behind it! 

Cooking/Garden

• It’s been a heavy month for Kindergarten gardeners– our beloved chick Lightening was eaten by a cat, and our other beloved chick Buckets escaped her coop and went missing. We’ve been mourning appropriately by doing drawings of our pets and hanging them up in the classroom. Kindergarten cooks learned all about spices like cardamom and cinnamon and practiced their knife skills by making apple sauce!

DBi Lab

• Kindergarten in the DBi Lab has been abuzz with Buddies! Your students designed and built “buddy bracelets (or rings)” for their 8th-grade buddies. The primary material used was pipe cleaners. As Kindergarten students were busily making, a few 8th graders came in to measure the circumference of their favorite finger so that the 8th-grade buddies could make your student’s copper rings with each student’s name and favorite word stamped into it. Some favorite words were “Spaghetti,” “Love,” “Unicorn,” "Cheese,” "Bunnies,” and “Triangle.”

Library

• Kindergarteners continue to learn how to ask questions about different topics. We are exploring the 5 W’s and how we can use questions to learn more about something they love. We’ve already learned about rainforests and will explore Wangari Maathai's life. We will end with a fun project that involves looking up information and organizing it into a graphic organizer. 

Music

• Kindergarteners have worked really hard on their Generations Day performance piece! If you can make it, we hope you enjoy their hard work! 

Physical Education

• Students will spend the next few weeks exploring their physical limits. Classes will include activities, challenges, and games designed to develop spatial awareness and fitness levels through play. We will also discuss the role(s) nutrition and sleep play in performance and recovery and how healthy habits can help us live healthy and happy lives. I can’t think of a better way to close out the first semester and ring in the new year. Cheers!

Science

• Kindergarten scientists have completed their unit focusing on the five senses. Together we have deepened our understanding of how our senses help us learn about the world around us. Now we are beginning our unit focused on trees. Kindergarten scientists practiced making scientific drawings and observations about trees, and we will learn about the different parts of trees and the biological needs of trees. We will ponder why trees are important and how we can take care of trees to foster a sense of environmental stewardship.

Spanish

• Students were super excited to meet another puppet friend, Edi el Elefante. All of our puppet friends have been helping the Kindergarten students with transitioning from using “se llama” to speak about someone else’s name to talking about themselves. Students have been using “yo me llamo _______” when responding to “¿Cómo te llamas?”  Many students volunteered to get up in front of the class to talk, in Spanish, about a photograph of their family. Students responded to teacher-generated questions designed to help guide the conversation. Students have also been enjoying talking about their likes and dislikes. We have been working with “Me gusta” and “No me gusta.” Here is a fun video you can watch with your child. ¿Te gusta el helado de brócoli? Most recently, students have been experiencing the magical word  Hay (there is, is there? there are, are there?). You can ask your child why I call it the magical word and about La caja de Maestra Pica. 
  
  

Art

• The Art Studio is alive with creativity! First graders were very excited about making Mix-Up Books, books where pages are split into thirds and can be flipped to make silly mix-ups of all the characters inside. Next, they learned about Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama in the library and the garden and created fun painted polka dots and pumpkin sculptures in the art studio modeled after Kusama’s unique approach. Students then used their creations to decorate the garden for the second-grade Kusama-inspired fashion show! Most recently, first graders made collages based on sugar skulls in (belated) celebration of Dia de los Muertos.

Cooking/Garden

• It’s been a heavy month for first-grade gardeners– our beloved chick, Lightening, was eaten by a cat, and our other beloved chick, Buckets, escaped her coop and went missing. We’ve been mourning appropriately by doing drawings of our pets and hanging them up in the classroom. First-grade cooks learned all about spices like cardamom and cinnamon and practiced their knife skills by making apple sauce!

DBi Lab

• First-graders designed and built a tool to communicate our feelings!! First, each reflected on and shared feelings they have at school. Emotions they shared were excited, happy, anxious, overwhelmed, creative, restless, bored, angry, missing my mom, and confused. We then modeled what each of those emotions looked like on our faces. I then drew them on the board for reference. Each student received two paper cups and proceeded to draw what emotions they wanted to communicate with their peers and adults. 

Library

• 1st graders continue to learn how to ask questions about different topics. We are exploring what the 5 W’s are and how we can use questions to learn more about something they love. We’ve already learned about rainforests and will be exploring the life of Wangari Maathai. We will end with a fun project that involves looking up information and organizing it into a graphic organizer.

Mandarin

• Our 1st Graders continue to practice their tones and pronunciation of Mandarin through singing, and movement. Listening to songs over and over allows students to tune into the rhythm and intonation of natural Mandarin. We learned about family members by introducing Baby Shark’s family. Students are learning new vocabulary about body parts. We had so much fun singing, dancing, and learning about Baby Shark’s family and body parts! Don’t be surprised if you hear your kids singing Baby Shark or “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” in Mandarin! Well done, 1st Graders!! 

Music

• 1st grade has worked really hard on their Generations Day performance piece! If you’re able to make it, we hope you enjoy their hard work! 

Physical Education

• Students will spend the next few weeks exploring their physical limits. Classes will consist of activities, challenges and games designed to develop spatial awareness and fitness levels through play. We will also discuss the role(s) nutrition and sleep play in performance and recovery and how healthy habits can help us live healthy and happy lives. I can’t think of a better way to close out the first semester and ring in the new year. Cheers! 

Science

• First-grade scientists have deepened their understanding of the properties of air. Together we have investigated properties of air (air takes up space, air can be compressed, air can move objects). Up next, we will start to consider weather. First-grade scientists will apply their knowledge of air and what it can do to the environment around them. We will track the weather over time and make scientific observations about the daily weather.

Art

• As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, second graders have been working hard creating their own garments based loosely on the work of Yayoi Kusama. This is their second year studying the artist, and the focus this year was on fashion design. Everything was finally ready, and the show took place this past Thursday. The outfits students created were beautiful and inventive, and the show was a complete success. The entire production was joyous and supportive and ended with a dance party. Go second grade!

Cooking/Garden

• It’s been a heavy month for second-grade gardeners– our beloved chick, Lightening, was eaten by a cat, and our other beloved chick, Buckets, escaped her coop and went missing. We’ve been mourning appropriately by doing drawings of our pets and hanging them up in the classroom. Second-grade cooks have enjoyed some extra time in the garden getting ready for the Yayoi Kusama fashion show in conjunction with art.

DBi Lab

• Second-graders practiced EMPATHY!! Each student had the opportunity to listen to the future their peers imagined. From here, they then designed and built a way for their partner to see the future they imagined. This could be a fun exercise for the whole family! 

Library

• Second graders embarked on an exciting joint project with Art and Garden to learn about Yayoi Kusama and bring her legacy to life with fashion. In the library, students practiced their observation and notetaking skills, writing down the textures, shapes, and qualities of various fashion designs to prepare to make their own. Students also began the art of formulating questions about something they find beautiful after reading The Mermaid and the Shoe and learned a little bit of history regarding Native American residential schools with the book Shi-shi-etko.

Music

• 2nd graders have worked really hard on their Generations Day performance piece! If you can make it, we hope you enjoy their hard work! 

Physical Education

• Students will spend the next few weeks exploring their physical limits. Classes will include activities, challenges, and games designed to develop spatial awareness and fitness levels through play. We will also discuss the role(s) nutrition and sleep play in performance and recovery and how healthy habits can help us live healthy and happy lives. I can’t think of a better way to close out the first semester and ring in the new year. Cheers!

Science

• Second-grade scientists are continuing to be immersed in their study of rocks. Our young geologists have identified many properties of rocks, including texture, color, shape, weight, and size. We have practiced categorizing rocks by shared properties, as well as identifying similarities and differences through verbal and written observations. Coming up, second-grade scientists will continue their journey into the intriguing world of geology!

Spanish

• Most recently, students have been working on a “Story Creation” activity. This activity guides students through a series of questions which ends in students independently creating stories. For Second Grade students, these stories emphasize the Super 7 verbs. While students create their own individual final story, the students collectively view and listen to a series of questions. Students create a story by making choices. The questions are projected so that students may view and read the questions, but I also read and repeat the questions while students work silently. Students choose from a series of possible answers that are represented visually and in writing. Students use art and simple sentences to answer each question. Here are some sample questions: ¿Qué tipo de animal hay?, ¿De qué color es el animal?, ¿Dónde está el animal?, ¿Cómo está el animal?, ¿Qué quiere el animal?, ¿Qué tiene el animal?, ¿Adónde va el animal?  and more! For this first round of story creation, we have not been doing our “Write & Discuss” activity. Instead, students have been volunteering to tell their story, in Spanish, while their artwork is projected for everyone to see. The student volunteers have done an incredible job speaking in Spanish and sharing their short stories.

Art

• The Art Studio is alive with creativity! Third graders recently created scratch art designs based on Dia de los Muertos, but this scratch art is see-through so that students could back the drawings with colored paper, a collage, or a painting. Most recently, we’ve been studying the solar system, and students are using various mixed-media techniques to depict stars and planets with the challenge of making the planets look spherical (with shadows and highlights) rendered by tinting and shading with pastel. I’ve been impressed with their work so far!

Cooking/Garden

• It’s been a heavy month for third-grade gardeners– our beloved chick, Lightening, was eaten by a cat, and our other beloved chick, Buckets, escaped her coop and went missing. We’ve been mourning appropriately by doing drawings of our pets and hanging them up in the classroom. Third-grade cooks learned about the Gullah Geechee people and the history of American music and soul food. They’re looking forward to cooking red rice after the Thanksgiving break. 

DBi Lab

• Third-graders measured, layed-out and built a way to practice telling time. Each student built from their skills by building a monster last class. They used tools to measure (rulers and compasses) and mark (bisecting, horizontals, perpendiculars) their pieces of pine. My favorite part was watching them help each other out when (not if) they faced difficulty during the process.

Library

• Third-grade students connected their social studies learning and field trip to Coyote Hills to the story The Fate of Fausto, a fable that makes us think about ownership more deeply. They also made a map of the library, an important step in becoming independent library users. When students return from break, they can look forward to more learning connected to Native history and gaining more knowledge of the library! Hope your break is full of reading! 

Mandarin

• Our 3rd graders continue to practice their tones and pronunciation of Mandarin through singing, and movement. Listening to songs over and over allows students to tune into the rhythm and intonation of natural Mandarin. We are learning new vocabulary about family members and body parts through singing and movement. We had so much fun singing, dancing, and learning about the family and body parts! Our third graders have also started to read and write sentences in Mandarin. They will create their own monsters and perform a “Show-And-Tell” about their monsters using the Mandarin learned so far. 

Music

• 3rd graders have worked really hard on their Generations Day performance piece! If you can make it, we hope you enjoy their hard work! 

Physical Education

• Students will spend the next few weeks exploring their physical limits. Classes will include activities, challenges, and games designed to develop spatial awareness and fitness levels through play. We will also discuss the role(s) nutrition and sleep play in performance and recovery and how healthy habits can help us live healthy and happy lives. I can’t think of a better way to close out the first semester and ring in the new year. Cheers!

Science

• Third-grade scientists are continuing to explore the fascinating world of water. Through experimentation we have investigated different physical properties of water and what effects they have, including temperature, density, and volume. Together we have begun to observe the effects that freezing water has on water volume and how surface area affects the rate of evaporation. Up next, we will continue to investigate the effects of changing states of matter. There are many more exciting moments of discovery to come!

Spanish

• In alignment with my goal to get students reading in Spanish, I am super excited to announce that the Third Grade will be reading their first short Spanish novel, “Edi el Elefante” This fictitious novel, written by Emily Ibrahim, is based on 55 high-frequency words in Spanish. It contains a manageable amount of vocabulary and numerous cognates, making it an ideal first read for beginning language learners. As the back cover states, “Edi is a talented elephant, but he is very small. Edi does not want to be talented and small; he wants to be big. One day, Edi discovers that a small animal can solve a big problem and that being small is not so horrible after all.” The novel is accompanied by a Teacher’s Manual that, aside from providing discussion questions and pre-reading activities for each chapter, includes exercises and quizzes based on each chapter for students to further practice their Spanish reading and writing skills. Before jumping into reading, students worked with using “puede” (He/she is able to/can), “puedes” (You are able/can) and “puedo” (I am able to/can). They just finished reading the first two chapters of the book. We will be working with this book for the next couple of months. Inspired by Indigenous Peoples’ Month, Third Grade Spanish Students received their new “secret password” to enter the classroom. Our current password is “Estoy en tierra ancestral de los Ohlone” (I am on the ancestral land of the Ohlone). Pictures are of students pretending to play instruments after being asked, “¿Puedes tocar …?” (Are you able to play …?)
  
  

Art

• The Art Studio is alive with creativity! Fourth graders recently created 3D salt dough topographic maps of California based on their study of the state taking place in their homerooms. What a fun process! Following this, students have been captivated by the work of contemporary Mexican artist Victoria Villasana. Now they’re trying their hand at her striking signature technique, embroidering on black-and-white photos with bright, colorful thread. Hand embroidery is a serious challenge, but they’re working hard at it. 

Cooking/Garden

• It’s been a heavy month for fourth-grade gardeners– our beloved chick Lightening was eaten by a cat, and our other beloved chick Buckets escaped her coop and went missing. We’ve been mourning appropriately by doing drawings of our pets and hanging them up in the classroom. Fourth-grade cooks are focusing on activism and cooking vocabulary. We’ve been addressing the issue of food waste and discussing change theory– how to address the issue from personal, local, and national/global levels. Fourth graders also watched this New York Times video and learned about braising, layering flavors, and more. 

DBi Lab

• During their 10/20 visit to the DBi Lab, 4th graders reviewed what they learned during our levee-making lab, and we discussed how pumping plants and power plants are two other key systems in the California State Water Project. This conversation was our jumping-off point for discussing electricity. We talked about the variety of types of electrical power production. 4th graders explored what happens when you put the positive or negative poles of a battery and an LED together. Then they learned what a simple circuit is and made their own with copper tape, a coin cell battery, and an LED.
• This week, we learned about line-following robots and played with the lab’s Ozobots. Students practiced the codes required to program the Ozobots to follow particular commands. 4th graders will be using the Ozobots to illustrate and bring to life their own story about the adventures of Roz from their core classroom reading of The Wild Robot.

Library

• Fourth graders have become library pros by creating a map of the library, an important step in being an independent library user. They also practiced their observational and inference skills by examining primary sources that introduced them to the history of Native American residential schools, paired with the story Shi-shi-etko and poem “Remember” by Joy Harjo. We discussed the power of memory and history and its connection to the library. Hope your break is full of reading! 

Mandarin

• Fourth graders are reviewing vocabulary about Halloween, family members, and body parts through arts, singing, and movement. We also learned to express “May I go to the bathroom?” in Mandarin, as well as how to respond and ask for someone’s permission. Students are given a variety of opportunities to practice speaking in real-life conversations with their teacher and classmates in an engaging, interactive manner. They also continued learning to read and write in Mandarin, as well as how to use the expressions they have learned to describe things or people in more length. We have had so much fun learning to listen, speak, read and write in Mandarin! 

Music

• 4th graders have worked really hard on their Generations Day performance piece! If you’re able to make it, we hope you enjoy their hard work!

Physical Education

• Students will spend the next few weeks exploring their physical limits. Classes will consist of activities, challenges, and games designed to develop spatial awareness and fitness levels through play. We will also discuss the role(s) nutrition and sleep play in performance and recovery and how healthy habits can help us live healthy and happy lives. I can’t think of a better way to close out the first semester and ring in the new year. Cheers!

Science

• Fourth-grade scientists have been hard at work investigating soil science. Together we identified different components of soil and how they form, and what similarities and differences soils from different locations have. Now we are taking our knowledge and applying it to better understand the processes of erosion and deposition, which will lead to an understanding of how landforms are made.

Spanish

• Most recently, students have been enjoying several classes of “Movie Talk.” The goal of using “Movie Talk” is to improve my students’ listening comprehension and get them reading and writing without them realizing they are doing it! We started by viewing and discussing the video clip “Rollin’ Safari, What if Animals were Round?”  The main targeted verbs were “tries to ____,” “is able to _____,” and “wants to _______.” The discussion also allows us to discuss the animals’ physical description, location and emotions. Students will be doing a “Write & Discuss” activity about each short video. These written pieces will be used as class readings. Students received their new “secret password” to enter the classroom. Our current password is “Soy perfecto como soy” (I am perfect how I am.)

Art

• The Art Studio is alive with creativity! Fifth graders have been busy with their most recent project: creating illustrations of the hero or heroine they’ve been studying in their homerooms. We looked at examples of contemporary illustration with special attention paid to illustrators' approach to portraiture. We enjoyed looking at the beautiful work of LA-based illustrator Loveis Wise. I have been very impressed to watch students approach this project with immense care, patience, attention to detail, and creativity. Many of these will likely be on display at the spring art show - they’re stunning!

Cooking/Garden

• It’s been a heavy month for fifth-grade gardeners– our beloved chick, Lightening, was eaten by a cat, and our other beloved chick, Buckets, escaped her coop and went missing. We’ve been mourning appropriately by doing drawings of our pets and hanging them up in the classroom. Fifth-grade cooks are focusing on food sovereignty. This month they learned about the Gullah Geechee people their contributions to American music and soul food. They’re looking forward to cooking red rice after the Thanksgiving break. 

DBi Lab

• 5th graders are continuing to build a repertoire of prototyping skills. We reviewed what is required to make a motor and looked at some motors from inside the 6th-grade Things Come Apart projects. 5th graders have completed part one of a two-lesson build. Students will construct a prototype generator that includes a DC motor. Students will work in teams to complete this build and will have the opportunity to use their motors to spin a pulley on a frame their team built. During part two of the build, they will use a crank to turn the pulley, engage the motor and generate enough current to light a red led. They will use multimeters to discover how much current they are able to generate by hand-cranking their pulley vs. the amount of current put out by the motor alone.

Library

• 5th graders are continuing our Wonder unit. They have started asking questions around a topic they are interested in and soon we will be starting to research the answers to these questions. We will be exploring how to research our catalog, but also learn how to safely and efficiently research online. In the next few weeks we will be analyzing Internet sources, learning on how to take good notes, and how to do a presentation. 

Music

• 5th graders have worked really hard on their Generations Day performance piece! If you’re able to make it, we hope you enjoy their hard work!

Mandarin

• Our 5th graders are reviewing vocabulary about Halloween, family members, and body parts through arts, singing, and movement. We also learned to express “May I go to the bathroom?” in Mandarin, as well as how to respond and ask for someone’s permission. Students are given a variety of opportunities to practice speaking in real-life conversations with their teacher and classmates in an engaging, interactive manner. They also continued learning to read and write in Mandarin, as well as how to use the expressions they have learned to describe things or people in more length. We have had so much fun learning to listen, speak, read and write in Mandarin!

Physical Education

• Students will spend the next few weeks exploring their physical limits. Classes will consist of activities, challenges and games designed to develop spatial awareness and fitness levels through play. We will also discuss the role(s) nutrition and sleep play in performance and recovery and how healthy habits can help us live healthy and happy lives. I can’t think of a better way to close out the first semester and ring in the new year. Cheers!

Science

•  5th grade scientists recently completed their unit on atoms and elements. The unit culminated in a grade-wide periodic table. Each student chose an element, and then researched their element’s properties and found some fun facts to share. Each scientist created an “emoji” to visually represent their element, and included a fun fact. We will put all of these together to create our periodic table and celebrate our learning! Up next we will begin our unit focusing on mixtures and solutions.

Spanish

• Most recently, students have been enjoying several classes of “Movie Talk.” The goal of using “Movie Talk” is to improve my students’ listening comprehension and get them reading and writing without them realizing they are doing it! We started by viewing and discussing the video clip, “Wildebeest”. The main targeted verbs were “thinks that ____” and “wants to know _____.” The video discussion also allowed us to use 14 other verbs as well as discuss the animals’ physical description, location, emotions and thoughts. After viewing the video, students did our collective “Write & Discuss” activity. Lastly, students did an activity that we call “Fluency Write.” During this activity, students individually wrote for a set amount of time about the short video. At the end of the writing period, students collected data on how many words they wrote during the timed period. Their writing was then reviewed for comprehension. Student writing tends to be mostly comprehensible with small grammatical errors. Recently, students received their new “secret password” to enter the classroom. Our current password, which is just a silly saying that rhymes, is “Una ballena siempre va llena ” (A whale always goes full.)

Art

• Since completing their Eric Carle study, Kindergarten has been working on an important project, creating beautiful, dynamic mobiles to decorate the classroom and designate table colors! They made observational drawings from photos of birds, starting with sketching the major shapes they saw in the bird. Then they cut out the drawings to assemble them into hanging sculptures. Come stop by and check them out if you get a chance! 

Cooking/Garden

• Kindergarten gardeners have been talking about senses by going on scavenger hunts and doing guided tasting. We’ve also been preparing for the arrival of our brand new baby chicks. Kindergarten cooks have been working on their knife skills! They learned the train and tunnel technique and practiced by cutting apples. Ask them to demonstrate at home! 

DBi Lab

• Kindergarteners will be in the DBi Lab for the second time today, Friday, October 14. We will build from the skills they practiced Day 1 with the Marshmallow Challenge. These skills are designing (planning) objects and patterns using Kappla Blocks to build (putting things together to form something). We are doing both innovatively (in the DBi, this means challenging status quo practices) by ensuring we are acknowledging our emotions when we build together and working together with kindness and curiosity.

Library

• Kindergarten is having a great time in the Library! We just explored the different stories Latinx cultures have about hummingbirds and colored our own hummingbirds to decorate the Library in honor of Latinx Heritage Month. In the next few months, we will begin our Wonder Unit, in which students will be able to start asking questions about a topic they are interested in learning more about. Then they will dive into how to find their answers using books in the Library.

Music

• Over the last few weeks, musicians have explored several movement activities to internalize rhythm and musical patterns—their favorite being The Shoemaker (Danish) folk dance, supporting their hand-eye coordination, concentration, balance, and cognitive skills. They have continued to progress in group singing and take pride in using the "Power of the Group" - when every classmate sings together. 

Physical Education

• Students spent the last few weeks practicing their throwing mechanics and participating in games designed to improve their hand-eye coordination. In the coming weeks, we will shift our focus to foot-eye coordination and kicking mechanics as we prepare for our first MicroSports offering of the year (grades 3-5 only). We will discuss the rules and general strategies of Soccer, and students will participate in activities and games designed to teach/reinforce the basics and enhance their skills. I think they're going to get a kick out of this PE unit ;).

Science

• Kindergarten scientists are off to a great start! We are exploring the five senses and how they help us learn information about the world around us. We have learned some “animal superpowers” to help us walk slowly and silently, listen for sounds in front and behind us, and to hone in visually on movements and details. Up next we will explore our senses of touch and taste, and then we will dive into our unit-focused trees and weather! 

Spanish

• Students were super excited to meet our puppet friends, Coco el Cocodrilo and Chanchito el chancho. These two new friends have been helping the Kindergarten students with transitioning from using “se llama” to speak about someone else’s name, to talking about themselves. Students have been using “yo me llamo _______” when responding to “¿Cómo te llamas?” Students also experienced their first short Spanish story, “Sally salta y Cooper Corre.”

Art

• Since completing their Eric Carle study, first-grade students tried the technique of monoprinting with acrylic paint. For this process, they paint quickly (before it dries!) on panels of plexiglass, then press their paper onto the painted surface, transferring the marks to their page. They can do this repeatedly, adding layers of lines and shapes to their image. The process also creates some interesting and unexpected textures and patterning. 

Cooking/Garden

• First Grade gardeners have been preparing for the arrival of our brand new baby chicks by submitting names and spending time with our existing year-old chickens. First-grade cooks have been working on their knife skills! They learned the train and tunnel technique and practiced by cutting apples. Ask them to demonstrate at home! 

DBi Lab

Art

• After completing their Keith Haring drawings, second graders attempted a foundational yarn weaving technique as they created colorful God’s Eyes (Ojos de Dios) - an indigenous craft from what is now Mexico, as well as other parts of Latin America. We’ve been discussing the best way to display all of their gorgeous work together.

Cooking/Garden

• Second Grade gardeners have been preparing for the arrival of our brand new baby chicks by submitting names and spending time with our existing year-old chickens. Second-grade cooks have been working on their knife skills! They learned the train and tunnel technique and practiced by cutting apples. Ask them to demonstrate at home! 

DBi Lab

• Second Graders will be in the DBi Lab for the second time today Friday, October 14. We will build from the skills they practiced Day 1 with the Marshmallow Challenge. Second Grade designers will design (imagine and plan) a way to see into the future using pipe cleaners to build (putting things together to form something). We are doing both innovatively (in the DBi, this means challenging status quo practices) by ensuring we are paying attention to our emotions when we build together and working together with kindness and curiosity. 

Library

• Library has been a wonderful time! Most recently, students used their creativity and observation to create names and origin stories for various hummingbirds in conjunction with a lesson on hummingbird legends in South America. For LGBTQ+ history month, students learned about the significance of rainbows as a symbol in the LGBTQ+ community. Next up: a unit on questions! 

Music

• Over the last few weeks, Second Graders have explored rhythm reading through word syllables, note identification, and musical opposites like quiet and loud, long and short, and hard and soft. In addition, they have progressed in pitch recognition, solfege hand signs, and have begun simple two-part singing. 

Physical Education

• Students spent the last few weeks practicing their throwing mechanics and participating in games designed to improve their hand-eye coordination. In the coming weeks, we will shift our focus to foot-eye coordination and kicking mechanics as we prepare for our first MicroSports offering of the year (grades 3-5 only). We will discuss the rules and general strategies of Soccer, and students will participate in activities and games designed to teach/reinforce the basics and enhance their skills. I think they're going to get a kick out of this PE unit ;).

Science

•  Second Grade scientists are off to a great start! Now that our science notebooks are set up, and we have acquired some common scientific language, we have started our earth science unit focused on pebbles, sand, and silt. Up next, we will continue our exploration of earth science by focusing on identifying properties and categories of rocks. This is a great time to ask our young geologists about all things rocks!

Spanish

• Students have continued to practice our classroom routines and student jobs in order to establish a culture of “Spanish only” in the classroom. We have continued to work on our Character Creation Unit. Each class co-created another colorful and fun character out of inanimate objects. Students discussed the character’s physical description and personality. With each additional character, students are exposed to additional vocabulary. During this past month, students had the opportunity to do some reading and writing in Spanish. Together, students completed their first guided writing activity. The class discussed the drawing and collectively wrote about the character. This activity is called “Write & Discuss.” I will be sending home an example of this writing activity soon. Next week students will be completing their second “Write & Discuss” activity. 

Art

• Third Grade has nearly finished their third-grade self-portraits, influenced this year by the mesmerizing work of contemporary painter Kehinde Wiley. Wiley typically presents Black and Brown people in poses that reference classical European portrait painting, rendered in meticulous detail, often with saturated floral patterned backgrounds. Students have been working hard, and I can’t wait until they compare these to their self-portraits from last year.

Cooking/Garden

• Third Grade gardeners have been preparing for the arrival of our brand new baby chicks by submitting names and spending time with our existing year-old chickens. Third-grade cooks have been learning about indigenous Ohlone cuisine and working on their knife skills! They learned the train and tunnel technique and practiced by cutting apples. Ask them to demonstrate at home! 

DBi Lab

• Third Grade designers explored ways to fasten materials (wood) together using screws and nails to form a monster. Each designer got the same materials, yet no monster emerged the same. This is a testament to the unique creativity of each human. In building, students practiced fine motor skills, adherence to safety protocols, care of self and others, and stewardship of the DBi Lab. Further, we drew connections between fasteners (glue, tape, nails, screws, etc) and conjunctions that connect words in a sentence (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so, because, if, when, either/or, neither/nor….). So fun!

Library

• Third Graders have been enjoying a combination of read-alouds and lessons that cover fairy tales, Latinx heritage, and LGBTQ+ history coming up next. We are looking forward to familiarizing ourselves with the library’s organization with a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt during the next cycle. Happy reading! 

Mandarin

• Our Third Graders continue their exposure to the tonal Mandarin language through fun songs, rhyming raps, body movements, and interactive activities. To prepare students for reading and writing in Chinese, we focused on learning the eight basic strokes of Chinese characters and their stroke order rules, which is the basic training for writing characters later. 

Music

• Over the last few weeks, Third Graders have explored rhythm reading through notation and identifying note and rest values. In addition, they have progressed in pitch recognition, solfege hand signs, and have begun simple two-part singing. Third Graders are working on understanding musical meter and tempo through games and play. 

Physical Education

• Students spent the last few weeks practicing their throwing mechanics and participating in games designed to improve their hand-eye coordination. In the coming weeks, we will shift our focus to foot-eye coordination and kicking mechanics as we prepare for our first MicroSports offering of the year (grades 3-5 only). We will discuss the rules and general strategies of Soccer, and students will participate in activities and games designed to teach/reinforce the basics and enhance their skills. I think they're going to get a kick out of this PE unit ;).

Science

• Third-grade scientists are off to a great start! Now that our science notebooks are set up, and we have acquired some common scientific language, we have started our earth science unit focused on water. So far, we have investigated some properties of water, including surface tension, cohesion, and adhesion. In the coming weeks, we will dive deeper into the world of water, focusing on temperature and phase changes.

Spanish

• Students have continued to practice our classroom routines and student jobs in order to establish a culture of “Spanish only” in the classroom. We have continued to work on our Character Creation Unit. Each class co-created another colorful and fun character out of inanimate objects. Students discussed the character’s physical description and personality. With each additional character, students are exposed to additional vocabulary while experiencing verbs in the 3rd-person and 1st-person perspectives. Students also had the opportunity to do some reading and writing in Spanish. Together, students completed their first guided writing activity. The class discussed the drawing and collectively we wrote about the character. This activity was completed in their Spanish journals. Next week students will be completing their second “Write & Discuss” activity.

Art

• Fourth Graders started their first clay sculpture project of the year, creating an ocarina (clay whistle). Ocarinas are traditional to many cultures around the world, but we focused on those made in China and Costa Rica and dating back as far as 7,000 years ago. When the students’ ocarinas are finally glazed and out of the kiln, we will have a celebration where we all play our ocarinas together in the yard. I can’t wait! 

Cooking/Garden

• Fourth Grade gardeners have been preparing for the arrival of our brand new baby chicks by submitting names and spending time with our existing year-old chickens. Fourth Grade cooks have been working on their knife skills! They learned the train and tunnel technique and practiced by cutting apples. Ask them to demonstrate at home! 

DBi Lab

• During their last DBi engagement, Fourth Graders worked in teams of two to design and build prototype levees. We discussed how the Bay Model was originally built so that the Army Corps of Engineers could prototype & study how water moves through California and why we as designers might need to use prototypes to understand the problems we are trying to solve. Students were introduced to the main elements of the water system that moves water through California. Natural storage, man-made storage, the aqueduct, pumping stations, and power plants. Students were then tasked with “saving Sacramento from flooding by designing and building a new levee.”

Library

• To supplement the Fourth Grade curriculum around water this year, our current library unit focuses on the ways class and water intersect in the Bay Area. Fourth Graders are engaging with the pre-research stages of gathering what they know, brainstorming, and asking questions about class and socioeconomic status. We’re also - as always - selecting pleasure reading to enjoy. Happy reading!

Mandarin

• Our Fourth Graders are having a great time learning Mandarin pronunciation (pinyin)–tones, initial and final sounds with catchy melodies, rhyming raps, fun beats, body movement, and interactive activities. We have been diving deep into the phonetic system (pinyin) that allows students to sound out Mandarin words. We have practiced four major Mandarin tones (āáǎà/ēéěè/ōóǒò/īíǐì/ūúǔù/ǖǘǚǜ), some “tricky” Mandarin sounds such as vowels e/ü, and initial consonants zh/ch/sh/r. To lay a good foundation for students to be able to read and write in Chinese, we will also focus on learning the 8 basic strokes of Chinese characters and their stroke order rules, which is the basic training for writing characters later on. 

Music

• Over the last few weeks, Fourth Graders have explored rhythm reading through notation and identifying note and rest values. They have progressed in pitch recognition, solfege hand signs and have begun advanced two-part singing with harmony. Fourth Graders are working on understanding musical meter, tempo, and multiple-part singing through games and play. 

Physical Education

• Students spent the last few weeks practicing their throwing mechanics and participating in games designed to improve their hand-eye coordination. In the coming weeks, we will shift our focus to foot-eye coordination and kicking mechanics as we prepare for our first MicroSports offering of the year (grades 3-5 only). We will discuss the rules and general strategies of Soccer, and students will participate in activities and games designed to teach/reinforce the basics and enhance their skills. I think they're going to get a kick out of this PE unit ;).

Science

• Fourth-grade scientists are off to a great start! Now that our science notebooks are set up, and we have acquired some common scientific language, we have started our earth science unit focused on soil, rocks, and landforms. So far, we have delved into the fascinating world of soil. Fourth-grade scientists have identified soil components and investigated how organic matter is made. Up next will be focusing on erosion, weathering, and how landforms are made.

Spanish

• Students have continued to practice our classroom routines and student jobs in order to establish a culture of “Spanish only” in the classroom. Students experienced their first round of “quiz week.” Since our “quiz week” was interrupted by a class field trip, students only completed the listening comprehension section of the quiz. Students will complete the reading comprehension section in the near future. Students were assessed on their at-home vocabulary words and on familiar vocabulary used in class. In addition, students have been excited to be working on an OWI (One Word Image) character. The Character Creation activity is a fabulous way to review previous covered material since students are able to be creative and playful with the vocabulary.

Art

• Fifth Graders have been enthralled by the project of repainting the classroom stools, a fifth-grade right of passage. They worked with a friend to create their own unique design and paint it onto the seat of a stool. They’re now nearly complete, and the classroom is looking great!

Cooking/Garden

• Fifth Grade gardeners have been preparing for the arrival of our brand new baby chicks by submitting names and spending time with our existing year-old chickens. Fifth Grade cooks have been learning about descriptive recipe writing and working on their knife skills! They learned the train and tunnel technique and practiced by cutting apples. Ask them to demonstrate at home!

DBi Lab

• During DBi class, Fifth Graders were introduced to their theme for the year: Universal Design. We watched a short video about Universal Design at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley and discussed products that students might know about that fall into the category of Universal Design. The class will build towards students designing and making their own prototypes of a Universal Design project. We will spend the first part of the year developing our prototyping skills. The first Fifth Grade lab consisted of learning about motors and building a basic motor prototype. It was great fun to hear the exclamations of delight as students successfully got their motors to spin.