Looking forward to MLK Day

"The time is always right to do right." 

                                            -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

We look forward to celebrating the life and work of Dr. King on January 16 by giving time in service together.  Each year on MLK Day, Abington Friends School hosts a wide range of projects in partnership with community agencies. This year we look forward to making meals, constructing animal habitats, assembling winter care kits, hosting a clothing sale and more!  We hope families, friends and members of the extended community will join us on this wonderful morning. Registration will be posted January 4 and all are welcome to sign up.

In preparation for our service projects, we are collecting the following items:

• Gently used clothing and shoes - all types, all seasons

• Used books, especially children's books and books in Spanish

• Winter Care Kit items: chapstick, white sweat socks, granola bars, individual tissue packs

Please put the word out to friends and family who would love to make space by donating items that are no longer needed!  Donations can be dropped off in the Lower and Upper School lobbies.

Questions? Please reach out to Andrea, aemmons@abingtonfriends.net.

Second Grade Biography Study

Recently, in second grade, we have been exploring people who have made a difference in our world by reading about their stories in their biographies. Through this new journey, we are able to explore, more in depth, the lives and character traits of people who have stood up for others, fought through their own hardships and helped change the world through their inventions or thoughts.

In book groups, we are currently reading the biography of Helen Keller. This book allows the students to look into her life and see the trials and accomplishments that she has made in her lifetime. The students have read with amazement, as they learned about her life story. Here are just a few of the many ideas that have stuck with the second graders.

“ She inspired me when she learned how to speak. She never gave up and even challenged herself to try and speak clearer.”

“She inspired others. She would give speeches to the blind and encourage them to never give up hope!”

“I admire her because she couldn’t see or hear, yet she did so much! She even rode horses!”

In addition to reading about Helen Keller in our book groups, the students have been selecting their own biographies of people who interest them. Through this process, we have been discussing and charting the different character traits that each one of these important figures possess. This in depth study has been a humbling and encouraging adventure, as we learn about the inspirational people who have helped shaped our world and inspired others to do good.

Book Clubs in Fourth Grade

As winter holidays approach, the fourth grade students were wrapping up their fall book clubs.  Book clubs were formed in October with a focus on reading realistic fiction. Each club picked a name and wrote a constitution for their club with goals that would help facilitate great book club discussions.

The clubs were then given a choice of three books to read and chose the one they wanted to begin in their book clubs. The first rounds of books chosen were Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear, A Week in the Woods, Replay and Frindle.  Each group read and discussed a second book as well. The second round included How Tia Lola Came to Visit/Stay being read by two groups, Ruby Holler and Clarice Bean Spells Trouble.

Each reading workshop begins with the students listening to a fiction novel read aloud, chosen to model comprehension strategies and ways to build on discussions that the fourth grade students can then take back to their book clubs. Freedom Crossing by Evelyn Coleman, our visiting author this fall, is the book that has been read aloud.

Book clubs have incorporated strategies that help students to think deeply about character. A few of these strategies are titled and include: Empathize to Understand: Feel What the Character Feels, What's in the Bubble, Building a Character Web and How's the Character Feeling? Students decide on the number of pages and chapters that they will read in between sessions and then prepare for book club discussion by writing their responses to one of the strategies. They know that including page numbers will help them to facilitate discussions. Book club members have been practicing listening carefully to the other members of the group and building on a line of thinking in order to lengthen and deepen their discussion.  An effective technique has been for each student to add a cube and build a tower when they add to the discussion.

Looking ahead, our next book club round will resume in January with a focus on reading historical fiction. 

Los Cardenales y la ropa (The Cardinals and clothes)

Over the course of the last few weeks, los Cardenales have been learning the Spanish vocabulary that defines some of our body parts, including our skin. Having completed a learning study for the physical traits of dinosaurios, which coincided with their homeroom study, the students made the connection that the same characteristics apply to the human body. We both have a cabeza (head), ojos (eyes), orejas (ears), nariz (nose), boca (mouth), cuello (neck), and piernas (legs).

To help with vocabulary retention of body parts, games were played and songs were sung. Afterwards, we decided to learn the words that describe basic items worn to cover our body; ropa (clothes).

To culminate the study, each Cardenal was given the opportunity to dress their own “Wonderfoam Body”, which come in multicultural colors. After picking the one they felt came closest to their skin tone, the students were invited to dress their foam figure with their choice of ropa.  As the students crafted their attire from construction paper, they were encouraged to apply their new vocabulary by stating what piece of garment they were constructing and in what color! (A great opportunity to integrate topics!)

camisa de mangas largas – long sleeves shirt

camisa de mangas corta – short sleeves shirt

camiseta – t-shirt

vestido - dress

falda - skirt

pantalones - pants

pantalones corto - shorts

medias - socks

zapatos - shoes

sandalias - sandals

tenis – tennis shoes / sneakers

Los Cardenales had so much fun using these people figures made from durable foam. Please make sure to stop by the Spanish classroom and admire their magnificent craft.

Cariños,

Alicia

Winter Program, Coffee, Last Day of School Before Winter Break

Our winter program, “The Peaceable Kingdom: Lessons for a Loving Heart,” will be at 10:30 in the Muller Auditorium on Wednesday, December 21.  Doors to the auditorium will open for seating at 10:00. Please be respectful of all and do not save seats.  It is unfair for those who are present and looking for a spot to be kept from unoccupied seats.  We also ask that you be mindful when taking photographs, and do not obstruct others’ view of the stage. The stairs must be kept open for student entrances and exits and also for safety reasons. Thank you for your partnership. We look forward to sharing this wonderful performance with you, and we hope you will join us in singing the closing song. 

You are invited to enjoy coffee and snacks prior to the Winter Program beginning at 9:00 in the Muller Lobby courtesy of our wonderful Home and School Association! 

Please note Lower School has a noon dismissal on Wednesday, December 21. Buses will not run, and there will not be Extended Day care. Please make sure you’ve made arrangements for your child to be picked up by noon. We are looking forward to a wonderful Wednesday!

Winter Program Art

Ruth Chrisman Gannett Illustration

The art room has been busy with preparations for the winter program, "A Peaceable Kingdom: Lessons for a Loving Heart." Inspired by the work of illustrator Ruth Chrisman Gannett, whose work is featured in children's books such as "My Father's Dragon," by Ruth Stiles Gannett, the fourth grade class took the lead in painting sets for the program. 

Using similar leaf and vine motifs, as well as adding their own creative touches, like little ladybugs, wiggling worms and graceful butterflies, the fourth grade artists created large-scale high-contrast scenes of foliage and jungle-like wilderness.

The kindergarten artists created paintings of the animals that they are studying, which will soon come to life to populate the jungle sets. Many students have been creating simple costumes for the winter program. Be on the lookout for hopping bunnies, peaceful frogs, deer and even a flamingo or two, as we bring our tale to life! 

Lower School Science Classes Make New Discoveries

Fourth grade has completed all of their mold observations for the Mold Symposium and now they are working hard to report about what they have found. 

There is one thing that they are sure to all have discovered and that is, although some molds can be very healthy for our bodies, they are all pretty yucky to look at.

To conclude our study of birds in the science classroom, second grade is dissecting owl pellets. They began by completing a virtual dissection of an owl pellet on the tablets and then moved on to dissecting the actual owl pellets.  The second graders are working very meticulously with their tools and making sure they are able to discover and identify all of the skeletal pieces of the regurgitated animals the owls have eaten.

 Kindergarten became junior chemists and discovered how to make polymer worms when they combined sodium alginate and calcium chloride.

They concluded their study of worms in science class by preparing an appropriate home for our classroom worm pets. The students prepared a proper meal by using utensils to cut an array of delectable fruit and vegetable scraps into small pieces to place into our classroom worm composting bins. After preparing the bins, the students then carefully moved the worms into their new homes.

Third Grade Celebrates The Moon

Third Graders gave a marvelous performance last month in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival!  As the leaves started falling and the air grew cooler, we studied this important cultural celebration through research, presentations, interactive lessons.  Rasheeda led us in many fun and interesting activities in science class including creating models of the moon phases, making moon journals, and even playing Moon Phase Twister!  Amanda and Maria taught us many new things about Chinese art - we made lanterns, beautiful wall vases, and some intricate geometric designs.    The Black Box was wonderfully transformed through the art that we had created with Shana for our movies.

We opened the performance with an original composition.  Students wrote the lyrics for the verses of the song and Keisha guided the third grade in creating an accompaniment on instruments for our singing.  The voices of our students  brought the sounds and feelings and the autumn to life.  

We also showed our linguistic talents by reading poems in Chinese, as well as writing and reciting poems that we wrote in Spanish class with Alicia.  We learned a lot of vocabulary creating our poems by thinking about how the moon moves and what objects it reminded us of. 

 

Each student presented information about the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival  that they thought was important for learning about the holiday and we also re-told the classic folktale of Chang-Er and Hou-Yi as an animated movie!

Finally, our entire class shared each of their magnificent poems that they had written with Shana last month.  Each poem was creative, thoughtfully worded, and evocative of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.    It was wonderful to be together with all of our families to share in this holiday!

Kindergarten Gingerbread Houses

Gingerbread house making has been a kindergarten tradition for many years at Abington Friends School. Milk cartons are gathered, house plans are made, gingerbread men books are read, supplies are donated, and friends and families gather to build. The excitement for this activity begins weeks earlier when the children hear stories from older lower school students reminiscing about when "they were young and in kindergarten." Older students talk about gingerbread house making as a favorite memory and the anticipation begins to build in our current kindergarten friends.

One Master Plan

Gingerbread House Possibility

Teamwork

On the morning of gingerbread house making, the studets began to make plans about possibilities for their structures. Questions arise and the children begin to imagine. Will it be one floor or two stories? What will I use for a door and windows? What kind of candy will we use? How will it all stick together- glue? Maybe tape? Can I eat the candy?"

Using their imaginations and fine motor skills, the students begin their morning work creating representational drawings of their imagined house design. The budding architects add colorful details such as flags, window trim and decorative roof tops. This beginning work helps the children to stay centered on the afternoon gingerbread project while at the same time channeling some of that abundant excitement to support their designs.

                              

After lunch, the hands-on work begins as adults and children work together to make a creation that sticks - literally! Experimentation and teamwork seemed to be the biggest keys to success as the building moved forward. A wonderful, special house "frosting" put together by our fabulous family and Home and School volunteers was the secret ingredient that kept the graham crackers attached to the foundation of recycled milk cartons.

Building Houses

The array of candy to adorn the houses was astonishing and a bit overwhelming when it came to making choices!  M and M's, licorice string, Necco wafers, gum drops, sprinkles, gummi bears and elves, ice cream cones, candy canes, and marshmallows were delicious to taste test as well as to build with.

                           
A quiet hum spread across the room as the kindergartners worked with family and friends to make their own unique gingerbread house. Friends compared houses and  asked questions of their fellow builders. This project offered many opportunities for developing and strengthening problem solving, cooperation through teamwork, and experimentation.
   

A simple yet time honored kindergarten tradition lends itself to an emergent approach that incorporates social skills, creativity, fine motor work and even math and literacy skills!

Different Versions of the
Gingerbread Man

  Over the past week, we have been reading a variety of gingerbread man books in anticipation of our project. This was also a perfect opportunity to add literacy to our work as we began to compare and contrast the different versions verbally through discussion as well as visually with Venn diagrams. The students were quickly able to draw pictures in the venn diagram to help us share information about the similarities and differences of the books we had read in class and in the library. Yes, kindergartners can use and understand the purpose of Venn diagrams!                                                                                                                                       
A huge thank you to all who helped make this wonderful project such a success: our Home and School volunteers, friends and family members that sent in donations, made frosting, set up candy stations and cleaned up.  We are very curious to see how our current kindergartners remember their gingerbread house making experience and how they will recount their memories next year as first graders!