4th Grade Tree Design for Winter Program

The fourth grade artists have been hard at work creating three-dimensional trees for the sets of the Lower School Winter Program. In art class, the students were presented with the "design challenge" of creating large free-standing trees using cardboard tubes and other recycled materials.

The young artists were given masking tape, duct tape, staplers and cardboard scissors and some hints about useful ways to attach pieces. They soon got started, working in small groups, to construct their trees. As they were working, they problem-solved, adjusting their technique for attaching materials, the size of materials, how to balance their trees and what type of base to create to help their tree stand up. Some groups began assembly lines of friends stapling branches, with other friends in charge of taping, or standing back and giving direction on placement of branches.

They were constantly assessing and reflecting on their work, sharing strategies and generating new ideas. The art room was abuzz with this important design work and no one wanted to clean up when class was over! These type of design challenges help students to think independently, work collaboratively and problem-solve in a situation that has real-life applications. Stay tuned to see the completed trees on the stage at the Winter Program.

Creando Poesía en tercer (3º) grado / Creating poetry in third (3rd) grade

To complement their culminating Mid-Autumn Moon Festival event, the third graders crafted a “diamante poem” to share at the celebration.

A diamante poem, or diamond poem, is a seven-line poem that includes sustantivos; objetos (nouns; objects), adjetivos (adjectives) and verbos (verbs). The beginning and ending lines are the shortest, while the lines in the middle are longer, giving the text of the poem a form of a diamond, diamante. Here’s a way to visualize this piece of art:

objeto

adjetivo, adjetivo

verbo, verbo, verbo

objeto, objeto, objeto, objeto

verbo, verbo, verbo

adjetivo, adjetivo

objeto

Using the word luna (moon) as the topic, we began by jotting down all the objetos (objects) that came to the students’ mind when asked what does the moon look like. Then, they came up with adjetivos (adjectives) that might describe the moon such as a color or shape. To include -ing verbos (verbs), the question was posed “If you visit the moon, what would you do?” to which many students shared excellent and some even hilarious ideas. All the words gathered were then written on flashcards and categorized by each part of speech, with its Spanish translation. Then, as a group, each student took a turn at contributing a word to craft their collective poem.

Felix’s class Antonym Diamante Poem:

Luna

(Moon)

Corazón roto, Gris polvireda

(Heartbroken, Dusty gray)

Golpeando, Caminando, Flotando

(Bonking, Walking, Floating)

Piedra, Márbol, Fuego, Cristal

(Rock, Marble, Fire, Crystal)

Respirando, Observando, Corriendo

(Breathing, Observing, Running)

Platiada, Alegre

(Silver, Joyful)

Sol

(Sun)

  

Jeanne’s class Synonym Diamante Poem:

Luna

(Moon)

Redonda, Platiada

(Round, Silver)

Recogiendo, Brincando, “Flossing”

(Collecting, Jumping, “Flossing”)

Llanta, Tapa de Botella, Timón, Aros

(Tire, Bottlecap, Steering wheel, Rings)

Bailando, Retrocediendo, “Dabbing”

(Dancing, Backflip, “Dabbing”)

Blanca-negra, Negra grisosa polvoriente

(White-black, Dusty-grayish with black)

Reloj

(Clock)

Once completed, each class practiced learning their group’s poem in Spanish only, individually and with each other.

To help reinforce the learning of new vocabulary, the students played several fun rounds of Pulgar arriba (Thumbs-Up).

And, a most enjoyable game of charadas (charades) was also played.

The result of their hard work was witnessed during their amazing Mid-Autumn Moon Festival celebration. The third graders had so much fun with this study that they have requested for each to create their very own diamante poem. Stay tuned!

Rethinking Stereotypes

As part of our study of Philadelphia history, fourth graders have been learning about the Lenape, Native Americans who lived and thrived in this region. In learning about many different aspects of Lenape life, including clothing, naming rituals, marriage, medicine, hunting, etc., the fourth graders have come to appreciate the richness and beauty of the culture in which they lived. As we move forward in our study of history, we continue to study the Lenape and how their life and culture were impacted by the arrival of European explorers.


As part of our study, the fourth grade class watched a video which discussed the stereotypes of "Indians" that exist today. Before the video, we discussed stereotypes generally: what they are, how they impact people, and examples of stereotypes seen or heard from others or in the media. We then watched the video to inform us of stereotypes that exist for Native American people. The video, told from the perspective of young Native Americans, made explicit the stereotypes that exist for their people and how it makes them feel to see or hear these in their daily lives. For example, they explained that images of Native American people typically depict feather headdresses, when in fact, only some tribes wore them and only some individuals of a certain stature wore them. Additionally, there were many different types of unique headdresses used for different purposes by different tribes.

Fourth grade is an age where students grow tremendously in terms of self-awareness, identity and their understanding of others. Our discussion leading up to the video and afterward was very thoughtful. We will continue our conversations about stereotypes and their impact as the year progresses.

Kindergarten Visits Chef Chris in the AFS Cafeteria

The kindergarten classes were so excited to visit Chef Chris in our very own AFS cafeteria as part of our study on nutrition and food. To prepare for our in-school field trip, the students brainstormed a variety of questions that they were ready to pose. Some of them included:

Where is the refrigerator?

How do you make all the food?

Where does the food come from?

Do you make vegan food?

Did you make the food for our fall picnic?

How do you keep track off all the orders?

How do you decide what to make each day?

Do you make cookies and pretzels?

Do you know the five food groups? We do!

How did you get to be a chef?

                                              
Some of the different food groups we saw: protein (chicken), dairy (cheese), vegetables (salad) and fruits (apples, bananas and strawberries)

 We saw all the food groups in the cafeteria: protein, fruits, vegetables. grains and dairy. Chef Chris was even preparing chicken cordon bleu as we watched and he talked with us. The children were fascinated by all that was happening in the kitchen during our trip and remembered all of the questions they had previously thought of and more. They had many questions about foods that some  students could and could not eat, (vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free)  and they were so happy that Chef Chris and all the friends in the cafeteria could make foods that each child in kindergarten could eat and enjoy!

The children were in awe that the cafeteria serves 300 to 400 people per day and that Chef Chris often uses his very own recipes to cook new items. We learned that Chef Chris can not do it alone and that each person in the kitchen has two or three jobs so that all the prep, cooking and clean-up can happen each day. One person may do all of the baking and work the register, and another may be in charge of the salad bar and also make deli sandwiches during lunch.

        We ended our visit with a special "sometimes" snack from the grain food group, cookies

Chef Chris and his staff were impressed that our students knew all of the five food groups that make up a healthy meal and the class even shared what they know about "sometimes" foods and "a lot" foods! The depth of the questions our students asked easily displayed the developing critical thinkers that the kindergartners are quickly becoming! The thoughtful and engaged manner in which they expressed their thoughts and ideas to Chef Chris was delightful to witness! And just importantly, the students were active listeners focusing their attention on Chef Chris in a very busy kitchen!
The kindergartners learned so much from this in-house field trip and we were thankful to be able to use the resources available to us on campus to support our study of nutrition and food.

Getting Personal in Fourth Grade Writing

Memoir writing is a special kind of writing. In fourth grade, students have the opportunity to reflect on personal stories that happened in their lives and write about them. Not only does it build students' creative muscles but also their analytical skills as they go back and think about what themes they see emerging as they write their pieces.

We started by reading different examples of personal stories.

Then we brainstormed our own personal stories.

Students watched as the process of writing was modeled by teachers.

Students then began writing. They are working to incorporate details that give the reader a strong sense of the action and setting surrounding the memory.

Excerpt from on student's memoir in progress:

I was walking down the blinding white stairs. It was chilly outside and I was grateful that the church was warm. I got into the cavernous church basement of Saint Timothy’s. It was warm and welcoming. The scent of hot garlic and spices filled my nose. Oregano, basil, and thyme were cooking with the meat and onions in large pans. My grandpa was moving like lightning around the stove. I wriggled just outside the kitchen window wanting to get a peek at the lovely food. All of a sudden my grandpa’s big hands pulled me into the kitchen and sat me in front of the ordering station.

Keep on the look out for some examples of the finished works from these exceptional writers!

Lower School Book Club's January Selection: Exit West

Join us for our next Lower School Book Club for adults led by Ann Botel-Barnard, our Language Arts Specialist. We are excited to come together to share a love for a great story!

Exit West by Moshin Hamid

Location: Lower School Library from 8-9am

Date: January 11, 2019

Enjoy a light breakfast and great conversation as we discuss what we loved about the book, what we had questions about and what we could connect to. Feel free to join us even if you have not read the entire book. You will still have a lot to contribute and the discussion will enhance your reading of the book. You are welcome to bring adult friends and relatives that are also interested in discussing this book.

RSVP: Ann Botel-Barnard  abotelbarnard@abingtonfriends.net