Children's Garden
Recycle & Reuse
Students have been working hard on their redesign projects. In the coming weeks we will be watching "Wasteland" and discussing the themes in the movie. I am looking forward to seeing the final products of the redesign projects!
Knitting
Intermediate Python
Students are taking on a HUGE project. Using what they learned at the beginning of Python, students are coding their own TEXT ADVENTURE. These adventures will take their audiences on a journey through caves, space ships with aliens, and a ship whose crew faces endless challenges. May friends, family or teachers come aboard and interact in the mysteries of each TEXT ADVENTURE . We have just begun and I can hardly wait to see the results knowing the creativity of our students!
Cooking
The Monday cooking class has had a great start to the trimester. We have enjoyed apple caramel crescents, pumpkin and cinnamon pretzel bites and spritz cookies. They particularly had fun with the cookie press for the spritz cookies. We also cooked up M&M chocolate chip cookies and peppermint brownies to share with the purple room for birthday treats. We are looking forward to mini-cherry pies!
Graphic Design
My class is attempting to design playing cards including all three face cards and one number card. I gave students the option of using any media they would like (drawing or any software). They were very excited to use the Illustrator software on the machines in the computer lab - CS2 version. I suggested that they bring in sketches to class of what they would want to create in class so I could see how to help them learn the tools needed to create what they sketched. We spend all of class in Illustrator learning how to use the programs through working on the cards they have come up with. They have learned quite a bit now. We also spent time looking at different playing card decks and identifying the design elements of the cards that were constrained by function and the ones that could be anything. I also brought in some brochure design examples and we talked about the design elements that the kids liked and disliked as a way to get them thinking of ideas.
Red Roomers love it when Purple Learning Buddies join them on Mondays. They helped the students 1:1 with human body matching puzzles. And they often join them in their center play and extend their use of materials during free play. :)
We've enjoyed planting, weeding, and watering our two plots in the YMCA Greenhouse! We had many volunteer tomato plants and students are learning to stake and prune these.
Board Games
We've been learning how to play a variety of board games, including Tokaido, Flash Point, Kingdom Builder, and Seven Wonders!
Music in Film
This is a very creative, fun group of musicians. We began the trimester by discussing important aspects of music in movies and cartoons including the three main "jobs" of music in film. The group watched various snippets of movies and cartoons and discussed what role the music played in the telling of the story. The students are currently working on composing a short song to match a picture using GarageBand. We have also recorded videos that we will begin writing music for at our next meeting.
Baking
Singing
It has been great fun exploring the singing of duets and holiday songs in Singing Ensemble. We have also started using basic sight-reading skills to analyze short, musical examples. Proper breathing techniques, diction, and posture are strategies that we work on each week and will continue practicing for the rest of the trimester. It's fun to hear the great singing voices.
AV Club
Graphic Design
Students are getting an introduction to Illustrator to learn how to manipulate type and convert their own custom drawings to a graphic image to be able to created a logo.
Purple Curriculum Updates
Pre-Algebra I with Seema:
We had just two days of class this week during which we finished
chapter 7 and took a chapter 7 quiz. I returned the graded quiz on
Friday so they know what they need to
review. In order to be efficient with review on Monday, I have asked
the students to come to class prepared with specific questions/areas of
need that they may have. After the chapter 7 test, we are skipping ahead
to chapter 9 and will cover the first 6 units of that chapter before
moving on to chapter 10. We will return to the skipped material (chapter
8 and the rest of chapter 9) at the end of the year after the year end
assessments are completed-none of the skipped material is on the tests
until PA2. This will allow us to get through the material we need to
cover and get assessments done before Purple Room goes on their
overnight field trip at the start of May. It will also give us the
opportunity to cover the skipped geometry units using a more hands on
approach at the end of the school year. Please let me know if you have
any questions or concerns about this.
Pre-Algebra II with Jared:
In math this week we spent time with percent problems, focusing on how to solve them by using proportions, and how to solve them using equations. Since students did better with the latter, we will be revisiting proportions on Monday for further review.
Pre-Algebra III with Ann:
We finished chapter 6 focusing on using percents to solve problems including discount, markup, and interest. Snow thwarted plans for a Chapter 6 tests so we rolled it into the midterm. Students will take the midterm next Tuesday and Wednesday.
We finished chapter 6 focusing on using percents to solve problems including discount, markup, and interest. Snow thwarted plans for a Chapter 6 tests so we rolled it into the midterm. Students will take the midterm next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Algebra I with Molly:
This week was spent reviewing and reinforcing linear equation skills.
The students seem quite comfortable with using slope-intercept form and
standard form. I introduced the point-slope form of linear equations by the end
of the week.
Language Arts with Jared:
Students continued to make progress in their class novels, and we have responded to a lot of questions on the story in our journals or on reading response sheets. We wrapped up our vocabulary section, and some students chose to take their quiz on Friday. The rest of the class will take their vocabulary quiz on Monday.
World Studies & U.S. History with Ann:
We wrapped up our study of US intervention/interference in Latin America. Students also had the chance to peer edit NHD essay rough drafts and receive feedback from me.
We wrapped up our study of US intervention/interference in Latin America. Students also had the chance to peer edit NHD essay rough drafts and receive feedback from me.
Earth Science with Molly:
This week students simulated the formation of the solar system using the
pull of a vortex in fluid to simulate gravitational pull. We read a book about
the Big Bang theory, giving us a better understanding of the formation of the
first elements. Students began reading about the Inner and Outer Planets.
Spanish with Corinne:
Sunshine Spanish
HS Spanish I, part II
Sunshine A
This week we continued to work with the new vocabulary in
Chapter 3A. We practiced agreement of noun, article, and adjective, and
reviewed –ar verb conjugation in preparation for learning several new
conjugations next week.
Sunshine B
This week we continued to work with the new vocabulary in
Chapter 7B. We paused to practice numbers 1-1,000 and to review the present
tense verb conjugations in preparation for learning a new tense next week.
HS Spanish I, part II
This week we continued to work with the new vocabulary in
Chapter 7A. We learned three new stem-changing verbs and practiced with their
conjugations and using them in context. We also learned the Spanish
demonstrative adjectives for this, these, that, and those.
HS Spanish II, part I
This week we reviewed direct object pronouns and the verbs
ir and ser (to go and to be), which conjugate the same in the preterite (past)
tense. We also learned 4 new irregular verbs in the preterite that all follow
the same pattern.
HS Spanish II, part II
This week we continued to work with the new vocabulary in
Chapter 6A. We reviewed regular preterite (past) tense verbs and –ir stem-changing
verbs in the present tense. We then learned how to conjugate –ir stem –changing
verbs in the preterite, because they are irregular in this tense.
Art with Patti:
Students
are given engagement grades for each class. As a reminder, students are
informed about their work in different ways. They submit work/create an online
portfolio, assignments and grades are sent home weekly through Google
Classroom, they reflect on their art in both Artsonia and with Google
Classroom. This is a great way to check in with students about grades and
assignments.
Sixth - Torn Paper Collage On a
neutral gray background, students drew an object/animal using simple shapes. Some
students have returned to Art Project: Symbolic Portrait
Think about
portraiture in an abstract way. What are likes, how time is spent, favorite
foods, hobbies, family representation, favorite places to visit, personal
beliefs, how you define yourself. Create an artwork that is a representation of
yourself, combine several visual illustrations to convey a composition of
imagery representing self without the focal point being a self-portrait. Paint,
collage, draw, text and lettering can be used to create this work. Throwing on the wheel
Students are rotating in pairs each art class to practice throwing on the
wheel. They are exploring how to center the clay, open it up, and pull to
create a cylinder. They also will use sculpting tools to finish the piece. Abi
and Grace were on the wheel. Some students have decided to do a self-guided
clay project. Self Guided Clay Project Students
are using the skills and inspiration from the clay warm up trinket box they
have completed. They are exploring other ways to use pinch, slab, coil,
sculpting and joining clay pieces of their own design.
Seventh - Cut Paper/Collage Students
set up a paper loom. They drew stop lines half an inch from the top and bottom
of the paper, then they folded the paper to cut "warp" lines. Throwing on the wheel Students
are rotating in pairs each art class to practice throwing on the wheel. They
are exploring how to center the clay, open it up, and pull to create a
cylinder. They also will use sculpting tools to finish the piece. Eleanor and
McKenna were on the wheel. Some students have decided to do a self-guided clay
project. Self Guided Clay Project Students
are using the skills and inspiration from the clay warm up trinket box they
have completed. They are exploring other ways to use pinch, slab, coil,
sculpting and joining clay pieces of their own design. Some students have
returned to Project: Chalk Drawing Using Grid
First PROJECT assignment. You will create a drawing using white chalk on black
paper. LIGHTLY draw a 2" grid on your black 12 X 18" paper. Choose an
image to print out in black and white that has a range of values and shows
contrast. Draw a 1" grid (or adjust if necessary) on top of your image.
Using pencil, LIGHTLY draw major shapes you see in each square from your image
onto your black paper. Move square by square, checking where the shapes meet
the edges of the squares to scale correctly. Using white chalk, start filling
in various values you see in each square, reference the value scale you created
in your art journal. Use a view finder (a card cut with a hole that matches
your image grid square) to help you focus on small pieces of information.
Eighth - Throwing on the wheel
Students are rotating in pairs each art class to practice throwing on the
wheel. They are exploring how to center the clay, open it up, and pull to
create a cylinder. They also will use sculpting tools to finish the piece.
Julion and Joey were on the wheel. Some students have decided to do a
self-guided clay project. Self Guided Clay Project Students
are using the skills and inspiration from the clay warm up trinket box they
have completed. They are exploring other ways to use pinch, slab, coil,
sculpting and joining clay pieces of their own design. Some students are
returning to their Project: Charcoal Drawing First
PROJECT assignment. You will create a drawing using charcoal on white or
neutral paper. LIGHTLY draw a 2" grid on your 12 X 18" project paper.
Choose an image to print out in black and white that has a range of values and
shows contrast. Draw a 1" grid (or adjust if necessary) on top of your
image. Using pencil, LIGHTLY draw major shapes you see in each square from your
image onto your black paper. Move square by square, checking where the shapes
meet the edges of the squares to scale correctly. Using vine charcoal,, start
filling in shapes you see in each square. Use charcoal pencils and compressed
charcoal to build a range of values in each square. Reference the value sphere
you created in your art journal. Use a view finder (a card cut with a hole that
matches your image grid square) to help you focus on small pieces of
information. Art Project: "My World"
For this project students created an artwork based on the theme "My
World". They are to use any medium that best fits the project, thinking
about composition and creating a focal point. Please answer the reflection
prompts below.
Check out the art blog at http://bnsartstudio.weebly.com/
Computer Lab with Lorraine:
The Purple Room students continued to work on their puzzles about Puerto Rico. I must say the students really captured the historical events, places and the culture of the Puerto Rican people in their Google Drawings. Next adding an awe inspiring quote from Martin Luther King Jr. to the drawings, reflected students creativity and sensitivity. Also students were required to add a positive message to the Puerto Rican to the Drawings. After creating their Drawings, the students uploaded their Drawings into Jigsaw Planet,In this assignment, students were able to learn more about the country of Puerto Rico as part of our service day project. Also, learning another Google Application i.e. Google Drawing, learning how to save a file as a JPEG., how to download a file ,and how to upload a file to from one program to another program. . I will share some on the drawings in the Middle School building i.e. hallway. P.E. and Health with Matt:
Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:
This week we did not have Monday classes for Life Skills and Friday, we
had a speaker come tell us about Puerto Rico.
Thank you from,
The Purple Team
The Purple Team
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