Art, Music, PE, and LMC Informational Newsletter

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Malcolm Gardner
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1 Art, Music, PE, and LMC Informational Newsletter

2 Ms.Kochanek & Mrs. Nickel Your Child needs an oversized t-shirt to cover their clothes while painting in Thursday & Friday Art! Tip of the week *Have your child paint their spelling words, numbers shapes or letters with water on newspaper or paper towels. * When looking at a piece of artwork ask your child to describe what they see. What was the artist trying to say? Read the painting like a story by looking for clues. * Play I-spy with colors * Practice cutting by using junk mail, newspapers, or anything you can find! Cool Websites to visit Etch a sketch online Jackson Pollock painting tool Face it! BuiLD YouR WiLD SeLF WACKYKIDS.ORG Mr. Picassohead Artopia

3 What have we discovered in Art so FAR? Monday and Tuesday Art Classes Kindergarten started the year learning and reviewing color. We are currently learning the art element texture (the way something feels) and applying our knowledge by creating texture turtles. First grade recently completed a water color painting of a scarecrow. We talked about perspective, and learned proper painting etiquette. We are currently working on paper weaving, where we will create a pumpkin out of a woven paper mat. Second grade is learning about value. We learned that value is the lightness and darkness of a color. We are showing our knowledge of value through creating a value pumpkin. Third grade started the year reviewing the concept of symmetry through a fall leaf project. They are actually on display right now in the glass case in the art hall way. We are currently looking at the concept of perspective through making a water color painting. Fourth grade has been hard at work learning about line. We learned the term cross contour which is the interior lines of an object that help it look 3D. We created cross contour pumpkins which will be on display shortly. Next, we will learn about the ancient culture of the Egyptians and create some Egyptian-inspired art. Fifth grade started the year learning about the art element of space by making negative space name designs. Currently, we are learning about the art element form by making a 20- sided figure called an icosahedron. If you are interested and available to help put up/take down art work, please me at Patty_Kochanek@ipsd.org. The schedule is extremely flexible, and I could really use the help! Thank you! -Patty Kochanek, Monday & Tuesday ART K-5. Keep reading for Thursday and Friday Art Class information

4 Thursday and Friday Art Classes Kindergartners are learning about the difference between line and shape, as well as the difference between organic shape and geometric shape. We will be using this knowledge in future art projects. First graders are learning about themselves through art. We recently finished the selfportraits paintings and now will begin our study of the face map and create self-portraits of our faces. Second graders are learning a lot about color! The color wheel and how to create new colors will be the theme on the next projects. Oil pastels will be used to create a fall leaf composition. Variety in line will be used to learn about drawing and painting trees. 3 rd grade are learning about Aboriginal art. Aboriginal art dates back to the Ice Age. The students painted dots on the frames to relate to the ground and body work the early Aborigines painted. Next, students chose an animal to draw in the x-ray style of the Aborigines. Finally students added sticks and raffia to their frames to show how nature is so important to that culture. Fourth graders did a wonderful job creating cut-out collages in the style of Matisse. Now, we are learning about Picasso, comparing and contrasting his style with Matisse. Students will be creating a self-portrait in the style of Picasso and writing an essay explaining their color and line choices. Fifth graders are finishing their still life drawing and paintings. They created 5 different values in ebony pencil and in tempera paint to portray an apple or pear.

5 Mrs. Handy Just a reminder from last year: Listen to your student s grade level composer. Any extra exposure to music will help them become better musicians. lets you create a playlist of similar music styles, composer, and performers. Go green and make your own instrument from recycled things around your house. At the end of October we will be making instruments in 5 th grade music classes. From now until October 13, please send in any of the following items: Plastic containers with lids- WASHED: Yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, dip, margarine, pop bottles, etc. Cardboard containers: tissue boxes, shoe boxes, cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, etc. Shaker and filler materials: pony beads, dried beans, rice, etc. Other purchased materials (if you have extras):rubber bands, masking tape, wax paper Kindergarten: We are working on keeping a steady beat and moving to music. We sing with a steady beat on our laps; move around the room to the steady beat; play drums using a steady beat; steady beat is what we work on ALL year! We also discussed our 4 voices- whisper, talk, shout, and sing. In music class we try very hard to use a singing voice during our songs. In October we will continue using our singing voices with 2 Little Black Birds, Circle Round the Zero, and If You re Happy and You Know It. This week we will also use the xylophones for the first time! It is a HUGE deal to use this cool pitched percussion instrument.

6 1 st Grade: We reviewed the 4 voices- whisper, talk, shout, sing- and steady beat. Many of our activities include a song and game. We are beginning to read rhythm patterns using the song Bow, Wow, Wow. In October we will continue reading rhythms through songs we know. We will also learn the Pumpkin Dance and The Pumpkin Eater. Vivaldi s The Four Seasons has been our listening selection so far. 3 rd grade: We started out with a game called The Cup Game. This taught us how to count triplets and 4 music temposandante, moderato, allegro, presto. I bet your students could teach this to you (use plastic cups ). During September we begin playing and singing mi, re, do melodies. 3 Blind Mice is the song we sang, accompanied on the xylophones, and played a game to. Simple Simon is the next mi, re, do song we are singing. It will be in ABAB coda form, with the B section using types of pies (apple, strawberry, etc.) to clap rhythms. Beethoven is our composer from the classical music era. 5 th Grade: We began the year studying music in 6 8 time. I se the B y was the Canadian folk song we focused on. Groups of students created movement/dance to this piece. We are now working on 6 8 partner rhythms show that students have learned how to play in 6 8 time. Down the River is an Ohio folk song we are dancing to in 6 8 time as well. Orchestra instruments families are also taking precedence in our music lessons. At the end of the month we will make recycled music instruments in class. We will also focus on identifying Major (happy sounding) and minor (sad and somber sounding) music in October. Sibelius was the composer we studied. He lived in Finland during the modern music era. Our next composer is Mussorgsky from Russia. 2 nd Grade: We have been learning many play party games. This consists of a song, student performed accompaniment, and game. We started talking about string instruments and read a book called Zin Zin Zin a Violin. We will start picking play party games and songs for our November program (NOV. 18). Towards the end of October we will begin using Boomwhackers. More information on those instruments next month! J.S. Bach has been our composer- we re reviewing Vivaldi in October. 4 th Grade: We learned about 16 th notes through an American folk song- Chicken on a Fencepost, and added the temple blocks to it. This month the temple blocks and early lyric writing will make an appearance in Hector Protector. October will bring band and orchestra instruments and some music from Australia Tie Me Kangaroo Down and Kookaburra. Mozart was our composer from the classical music era. The students recognized Eine Kliene Nachtmusik right away.

7 CURRICULUM Mr. Folley We are finishing up our Track and Field Unit the second week in October. Fourth Grade students will finish the unit with a track meet on Friday, October 15 th. Events covered in the unit are sprints, long jumps, javelin throw, hammer throw, discuss, and relays. The rest of October we will be going over football basics. The students will learn about positions and the responsibilities of positions. They will understand what running a route means and how downs work. Kindergarten and 1 st grades will be introduced to football, but will focus more on throwing and catching. Tid Bits on Folley Mr. Folley is a true Denver Bronco fan as he lived in Colorado for some time. John Elway was his guy and to this day doesn t miss a game. For baseball he is first and foremost a Giants fan and hopefully will be watching them play this October. He attended high school in Modesto, California. Here in Chicago, all Sox. NEWS Owen staff will be competing in a District 204 Elementary Volleyball Tournament on October 15 th. The Owls came in 2 nd last year and hope to bring the trophy home. Club Owen is open on Friday mornings at 8 am. If you would like to see a schedule or need a permission slip, visit the PE webpage at You will also find information on IM s and other PE news.

Students have enjoyed hearing the stories and making connections to their everyday lives and to other books they have read.

8 Mrs. McHale Mrs. Sassano Welcome October! A great month to curl up with a good book on a cool, crisp Autumn Day! In the LMC we have been busy reading books from the Monarch, Bluestem, and Caudill lists. Students have enjoyed hearing the stories and making connections to their everyday lives and to other books they have read. We have also reviewed several basic computer skills such as, how to save documents to a personal folder, and how to change the font style and size. In October we will continue to work on a wide range of tech skills and learn computer terms and definitions from the Computer Word Wall list. Students are doing a great job checking out books and returning them on time! Keep up the good work! In October they will receive a colorful, plastic book bag that they can use to keep their library books in, while transporting them to and from school. Last but NOT least, at the end of October, we will be setting up for the BOOK FAIR which will take place the beginning of November. More information will come soon!

Art, Music, PE, and LMC Informational Newsletter

Art, Music, PE, and LMC Informational Newsletter Ms.Kochanek & Mrs. Nickel What have we discovered in Art so FAR? Monday and Tuesday Art Classes If you are interested and available to help put up/take