Let's Build Forts and Read!

End of the First Quarter

Believe it or not, the first quarter of our school year is coming to a close.  The past 9 weeks have been full of new friendships, new routines and learning the expectations of 3rd grade. Students have gained the skills needed to work independently and communicate what they need to others for better understanding. We are going to continue to build a community of care, trust and teamwork with our classmates as we begin the Second Quarter. 

I thank you all for your continued support at home and for taking time to meet with me during the first quarter conferences.  If you discover that you have more questions or concerns, please contact me right away.  I am always happy to talk on the phone or email with you all!

Art Appreciation

Chaos vs. Order

Our class will enjoy several art print lessons with a "twist" this year.  We are going to compare and contrast several different pieces of art.  We started today with 2 paintings that give you different feelings.  One student summarized the lesson well by saying that one painting made her feel calm and the other one made her feel uncomfortable.  

We started by looking at The Meet at Blagdon by JW Snow.

 

How do you FEEL when you look at this painting? 

  

What do you notice about the setting of the painting? 

What do you notice about the subjects?

Then we thought about Horse Fair by  Rosa Bonheur.

 

  How is this painting different than The Meet at Blagdon? 

How does this painting make you FEEL?  

Which painting would you rather hang in your bedroom and why did you choose that one?

The students worked together to create scenarios and poses for photos that give the same feelings to the audience.  The teams brainstormed ways to give a feeling of calm and order.  They created these poses....

 Next, the teams created ways to show chaos in a pose for a photograph.  (Remember photographs, like paintings, don't show motion or sound!)  The students came up with these photos...  Believe it or not, these are still poses.  :-)  Enjoy!

I think we're all looking forward to our next lesson to build an appreciation for art!

 

Teamwork

Look closely and you'll see teamwork all around!  The students are preparing for their first team projects.  We have introduced our "team greeting" for morning meetings.  We work together in new teams each week to make sure everyone is cared for and learning.  Parents and teachers will conference soon to show the children that we also work as a team.  Be sure to ask your child how they participate in teamwork each day at school!