Keystone State Boychoir Festival

Please see the information below regarding an upcoming KSB Festival for mature 3rd and 4th Grade Boys.  If you have questions regarding this event or local community children's choirs, 

please feel free to contact Jason Novak at jnovak@abingtonfriends.net.

First Graders Donate to Monarch Watch

First graders were thrilled to make a final decision about where to donate the money raised from the sales of their hero stamps for our post office. They discovered they had raised $96 after sorting and counting the money in piles, (which was great practice in counting by tens)!

We met to discuss donation ideas. All of their choices were thoughtful and most of all, first graders wanted to make a difference with their donation.  They decided to select something that would benefit Monarch butterflies, which they had studied earlier in the year.

They chose Monarch Watch, an educational outreach program that focuses on education, research and conservation. First Grade will also be creating their own Monarch Waystation (monarch habitat) in the science garden, which will provide milkweed plants for Monarchs to lay eggs on and for caterpillars to eat. For more information on how to start your own waystation at home, visit  Monarch Waystations.    

                                                              

First Grade Loves Grace Lin

The books in the Ling and Ting series by Grace Lin totally connected with our first grade this spring. Students made connections to the characters and plot and loved the wonderful pictures as well. In preparation for Grace Lin's visit to our school, each first grade student wrote a detailed letter to Grace Lin. They wrote a first draft, then revised for detail and editing and wrote their good copy. They then made a cover for the letter with illustrations inspired by her books. The letters and illustrations were given to Grace Lin during her visit. Of course we kept copies of their letters. At the first grade visit with Grace Lin, students listened intently as she shared her journey as an author and how she incorporates life events with some changes into her fiction stories such as her book The Year of the Dog. The final treat during the visit with her was when Grace Lin showed everyone how to draw a dog. First grade students will never forget reading Grace Lin's books and are looking forward to reading more of her books in future years. They will also always remember their inspiring visit with Grace Lin.

Fourth Grade Students Prepare for Writer's Night

Fourth grade students have spent the last two months engaged in every aspect of writing a realistic fiction story. These stories all contain descriptive language, a problem and theme that the writers felt a connection to and interest in, fully developed characters and of course, a resolution. They are very excited to be sharing their stories with family members this coming Wednesday evening, May 13th at 6:45 pm. During community time on Friday, students had the opportunity to share their stories in small groups facilitated by a resource teacher. Writers practiced reading their story with fluency, expression and pace.

As listeners in the group, students and teachers listened carefully and recorded their impressions of the story on a form with the acronym TAG.  This stands for:
 T: Tell the writer something you liked
 A: Ask the writer a question
 G: Give the writer a positive suggestion.
Our writers will think about the comments shared and decide if they want to do a final revision or fine-tuning before our upcoming Writer's Night.

Ling and Ting Collaborative Mural in Art Class

The kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade classes have all been learning about the wonderful world of Ling and Ting in the series of books by author and illustrator Grace Lin. In preparation for her visit, these classes worked collaboratively to create a charming paper mural of a scene from Ling and Ting's birthday party.

After viewing images from Ling & Ting Share A Birthday, the kindergarteners noticed that Lin uses lots of patterns, particularly swirls, in her artwork. The kindergarten artists were excited to add to a collaborative mural by painting patterns on paper, which form the border.

The 1st and 2nd grade classes were delighted to compare how Ling and Ting are similar but not exactly the same! In some of the stories, they learned how Ling and Ting share things like birthday shoes, presents and cakes.

The 1st graders chose to work with either triangles or rectangles and brainstormed what things you could find at a birthday party that are those shapes. Our ideas included pizza slices, party hats, red Chinese money bags, presents and cards. They then painted two shapes, making them not exactly the same for Ling and for Ting.

  The 2nd graders worked in teams to create paper collaged items for Ling and Ting. They noticed that Ling and Ting have different personalities and made their creations different for each character. Ling tends to follow the directions and be very neat while Ting is a little sillier. Stop by to enjoy our mural and see if you can tell how Ling and Ting are not exactly the same.

3rd Grade Rice Study

Third grade has been researching the beginnings of Chinese civilization near the Huang River. The ancient Chinese farmed and cultivated rice and millet as staple crops to support the start of their civilization. Using magnifying glasses and microscopes, we examined the physical properties of various grains that the Chinese cultivated. We noticed their texture, size, shape, color, weight, transparency, markings, and striations.  The microscopes allowed us to see the outer hull and the bran and to get a closer look at the texture.  We were amazed by all the varieties of rice - from red rice, to Forbidden Rice, to wild rice.  Partners compared each of these grains and their observations as we charted them to record similarities and differences.

We also had a chance to make our own versions of fried rice.  Third graders are an adventurous bunch and tried many different ingredients and combinations to find the best tasting dish!  

Recitos de oro y los tres osos en el primer grado / Goldilocks and the Three Bears in first grade”

In learning that first graders were listening to fairy tales and comparing different versions of various fables, I thought it would be a good idea to make a connection in Spanish class. I proposed the idea to the children and they ecstatically agreed! After a brief discussion, they suggested I read “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” so that it would connect with their current reading project. Thus, a new study emerged!

We first read Scholastic’s version, Recitos de Oro y los tres osos / Goldilocks and the Three Bears, illustrated by Maria Espluga.

Having heard the English version, the students were able to understand what was happening in the story as they heard it in Spanish. Afterwards, we played various games and participated in different activities to help us learn the repetitive vocabulary in the story; e.g., grande (big), mediano (medium), chiquito (small), muy dura (very hard), muy suave (very soft), muy caliente (very hot), muy frio (very cold), buen bien (very good) and others. A favorite game that was enjoyed by all was one similar to that of  “musical chairs.” Standing in a circle, one students would start by saying grande while standing tall. The next person calls out mediano and bends slightly at the knees. The next in line exclaims chiquito and squats down. If someone forgot their verse or didn’t demonstrate the appropriate command, then they were out and the person next to them would pick up from where they left of. We began slowly but as everyone got the swing of it, it got faster. The children had so much fun! So much so that it was requested over and over again.

The next step of the learning is to retell the story, in Spanish! Each first grader received their own “Goldilocks and the three Bears” story patterns to color and cut out. 

Once they were done, the students were invited to get in a pair or in a group and begin writing a dialogue. They were encouraged to take on the roles of the characters and think of what that personality might say using few words. When done, the words will be translated to Spanish and the students will practice saying their lines. This is a wonderful opportunity for the first graders to exercise their imagination, communicate effectively and build community in a different way. . . in a different language! We are at the very early stages of this step and can’t wait to see and hear the final performances. Please stay tuned! It will be magical.