Our Learning Targets this month are:

1.  I can use colors and paper to create a collage of ocean waves. I can practice weaving using a template.

2.  I can think critically and understand that weaving shows repetition. 

Students were able to be creative designing a loom out of paper. They took inspiration from the ocean to make their looms.

We focused this month on repetition. The students learned about weaving and how there are warps on a loom that go up and down. The wefts are what is woven through the warps going horizontal. These wefts were the paper strips that went over and under.

For this cycle students were singing, dancing, reflecting, and composing.  A variety of genres were played for the students and they could voice their opinions and share their different perspectives on what they liked and didn’t like.  Empathy was emphasized as we listened to the different reactions and opinions.

  The Seven Jumps Dance had us clapping, balancing, and even sprawling on the floor to burn some calories and get our bodies moving.  Songs were sung such as Sail Away, My Friends in the Sea, ‘Opae E, and You’ve Got a Friend in Me.  

Students also had a chance to practice using technology to compose a variation on a familiar melody.   They used iPads to scan QR codes which loaded a melody on Song Maker.  From there they modified it and added drum beats to make it their very own variation.  Many of these compositions can be heard at AIM’s up-can-coming showcase at Monroe Middle School on May 16.

Our Learning Targets this month are:

1.I can learn about another culture to create a work of art.

2.I can learn about another culture to create a work of art.

Students create a Kapa Cloth inspired art piece. Tapa, or Kapa cloth  is made from using the bark of the Mulberry tree.  The cloth features patterns on it that represent animals, and nature found in the Pacific Island countries.

We focused this month on pattern and repetition. 

Students found objects created prints with black ink to make their prints.  As a group students joined their pieces of cloth together to make a Kapa Quilt. 

March was an exciting time for our second and third graders as we began to explore the possibilities of circuits using MakeyMakey. We reviewed the basic principals of electricity and how it can be used to power devices. Of course, for the students, the real excitement began when we took out the MakeyMakeys (a programable circuitboard) and used them to construct piano keyboards using PlayDough. Our little engineers wired and configured their input devices and began to excitedly brainstorm how they could use these principals to build effectively any type of controller or keyboard they like.

Our focus in Cycle 7 was Innovative Compositions. A composition is when someone writes or creates music. Someone who creates music is called a composer. 

We discussed that there are many ways to be a composer. Some people use the traditional method of sheet music, some people use technology, and some people compose and teach songs without ever writing them down. 

We challenged students to be innovative in their approach to composing. Students reviewed the musical elements of pitch, rhythm, and tempo from previous lessons to have a solid foundation for their compositions. We had a wide variety of student compositions that included both technology, written rhythms, and creating music with classroom instruments.

In this cycle the students continued to enhance their "grabber arms" that they built in the previous cycle. Students looked at different animals and their evolutionary adaptations that made them fit to survive in specific environments and drew inspiration from those animals to design "hands" to attach to the end of their arms. The students were amazingly resourceful in coming up with different appendages that could grab, hold or hook different objects from around the lab. Once completed, the students were given an opportunity to decorate their arms for display at the Innovation Showcase in May.

During the sixth cycle in the music classes we focused on  tempo and collaboration.  Students were taught that an tempo is how time and steady beat is measured by defining what is slow (largo), medium (moderato), fast (allegro). The terms that students use to define tempo come from the Italian language.

Students were able to use instruments like the ukuleles, scarves, boomwhackers, and egg shakers to perform various tempos. In some schools, students were also able to compose their own music with the chrome music lab where they were able to apply tempos into their songs.

Another aspect of collaboration was students were able to work together in keeping steady beats with each other regardless of slow or fast tempos. By playing instruments and performing music with their peers, students are developing cognitive listening skills that allow for them to adjust and be in sync with others. 

Our focus this month was the Profile of a Graduate Skill - Collaboration. Using this skill was important in this lesson to be able for help and lend a helping hand. Many students collaborated and shared their ideas with others. 

Our Learning Targets this month are:

1. I can use different found materials (bottle caps, forks, pencils,  clay tools and pasta) to add texture to my sea creature (jellyfish or fish).

2. Texture and how something might look or feel. 

Our Element of Art we focused on this month was, "Texture." The second graders created the jellyfish's bell while the third graders created fish with pectoral fins. They were created with an air dry clay that will dry hard. Everyone enjoyed being able to play with the clay and be creative with their textures. Next week we will paint the fish and jellyfish's bells and add tentacles. 

Inspired by the likes of the cartoon, Inspector Gadget, our second and third graders have been building their own "Go Go Gadget Arms" using parts they designed and cut on our Glowforge laser cutters. This lesson provided an excellent opportunity to review the safety standards for working with sharp tools to make things with cardboard. It also afforded us the chance to discuss what a laser cutter is and how it is able to "cut" and etch different typles of materials.

The students had a lot of fun assembling the pieces that they had seen the laser cut out of scrap cardboard and upcycle into a potential tool. We started work designing attachments for the arms that we will continue to explore next cycle to accomplish a variety of different tasks.

For Cycle 5 we spent time learning about pitch.  Students used boomwhackers, ukuleles, voices, xylophones, and various computer software to hear, and see!, their pitch.  It was great fun to incorporate some holiday songs into our lessons and have the students joyously whack away to play-along videos.  We rode along on some pitch roller coasters, also known as pitch paths, with our voices and nobody got sick!  Chrome Music Lab continues to be a valuable tool with much to teach the students about music and sound with its various modules with engaging activities.  We highly encourage students to spend time playing with Chrome Music Lab at home (just Google it).  Also in the classroom the occasional conga line would break out, as well as various body movements to emulate high and low pitches. 

Our focus this month was the Profile of a Graduate Skill - Critical Thinking. We thought a lot about drawing the Santa Cruz Mountain range or the Arctic Ocean landscape and how colors can feel warm or cool. 

Our Learning Targets this month are:

1. I can use warm colors  in the sky to show the heat!

2. I can use cool colors in the mountains/ocean to show coldness!

Our Element of Art we focused on this month was, "Colors."  We made different paintings of the Santa Cruz Mountain range or the Arctic Ocean using watercolors. For the sky, we used warm colors, and for the mountains or ocean, we used cool colors. It was fun to see how colors can make us feel different things!

In December students continued developing their programming skills working to code Bee-Bot, Dash, and Scratch.

In Scratch students used keyboard controls to progam characters to travel up, down, left and right. With Bee-Bot and Dash, students maneuvered the robots around obstacles further developing their critical thinking skills. 

Students also worked using digital media with Stop Motion to create a story. Students became storytellers creating quick movies. They chose a background, characters and decided what would happen in the story. Using the Stop Motion app and plexiglass platforms we were able to mimic the multiplane camera, a motion-picture camera that was used in the traditional animation process that moves a number of pieces of artwork past the camera at various speeds and at various distances from one another. 

This month we focused on the Profile of a Graduate competency of Innovation in music class by exploring pitch. 

This cycle was approached like an experiment. Students were able to test out high pitch and low pitch on a variety of instruments. We also introduced Chrome Music Lab (https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/). 

After having time to explore, we used our imaginations to create new musical patterns and ideas. Melody Maker and Song Maker on Chrome Music Lab automatically turn the students' songs into ostinatos. Students were excited to notice the connection between this lesson and our previous learning.

Our focus this month was the Profile of a Graduate Skill - Critical Thinking. Critical Thinking means being able to ask questions and think about how to solve problems and learn about things that we have questions about.  Students had to think critically about mixing a color with black and white to make tints and shades of a color. 

Our Learning Targets this month are:

1. I can learn about colors and how there can be different shades of one color. 

2. I can take my shape artwork and use different shades of one color I like. 

3. I can use different art tools to create a work of art.

Our Element of Art we focused on this month was, "Value."  We created different values of colors and painted shape houses that we made last sessions. Students painted one house at a time using different values. Our inspiration for our buildings and houses were the colorful houses in Capitola and the "Painted Ladies" houses in San Francisco.

November 2023 is a month of new explorations for our second and third graders participating in the Innovation Program, a blend of art and engineering. Students are building early technical skills as well as cultivating a strong sense of responsibility in the digital landscape. Throughout the month, they are delving into the world of programming, mastering the art of planning and executing commands for Dash and Bee Bot robots. While students are learning about robotics; they also are actively engaged in the creative process of giving life to their ideas through programming, enhancing their problem-solving abilities and critical thinking skills.

Through the innovative use of Lego Stop Motion Studio, students are crafting stop-motion animations, weaving stories that highlight the importance of being responsible digital citizens. In the Innovation Program this month, our second and third graders are not just learning about art and engineering; they are becoming thoughtful, responsible innovators, ready to make a positive impact on the world around them.

During the third cycle in the music classes we focused on rhythmic ostinatos and critical thinking.  Students were taught that an ostinato is a musical figure that repeat over and over again which allows for building a song on top of the rhythm. This technique has been used by musicians for hundreds of years where music artists like Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran still use ostinatos.  

Students were able to use instruments like the ukuleles, rhythm sticks, and egg shakers to perform ostinatos and were taught, using critical thinking, to identify where an ostinato is within music that they listened to.

Another aspect of critical thinking was students were able to connect what they learned in their academic subjects to real-world concepts. Learning rhythms relates to what students are learning in math since rhythms are mathematically divided to show how many beats are within a note. Another connection is that students can relate to music as if they are learning another language. Just as every language has number and letter system, music has its own system.

Our focus this month was the Profile of a Graduate Skill of being Collaboration.

Collaboration means working and talking with other students in the classroom to complete a task. Students can work together to solve problems.  

Our Learning Targets this month are:

1. I can use lines to create geometric and freeform shapes.

2. I can use shapes to create a collaborative mural.

Our Element of Art we focused on this month was, "Shape."  We used our knowledge of lines to from various shapes, ultimately creating a cityscape inspired by the works of Ton Schulten. Students also began working together to build a cityscape mural. In our next lesson, we will enhance this artwork by adding different values (shades and tints) of colors to each building.

In the Innovation classrooms, October marks an exciting time for second and third grade students as they embark on a journey into the realm of computer programming.  Before we begin with digital and internet connected tools, we start with lessons and activities that focus our students on their responsibilities as digital citizens. Students learn to "pause for people" setting devices aside when we need to be present to each other.

Through playful experimentation, students work with problem solving in Minecraft Education Edition which includes Microsoft's block code platform. Students made it rain chickens in their first coding experiment and then set off to choose their own mod tutorial to create their second "mod" (code that changes the gameplay in MC).

As October unfolds, these young innovators not only develop technical proficiency but also cultivate teamwork, communication, and problem-solving abilities. The innovation class in October is not merely about learning to code; it's a transformative journey that empowers students to become confident, creative thinkers, ready to navigate the digital landscape with curiosity and competence.

Our learning targets include continuing to develop safe habits in the classroom, opportunities to practice collaboration and developing the critical skills for sequencing and problem solving through code.

During the second cycle in the music classes we focused on different beats and collaboration.  The students practiced keeping beats - such as quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, and rests - using instruments and vocal sounds to articulate the duration of the beat.  Tas, titis and to-es were all vocalized in conjunction with shakers, rhythm sticks, drums, and even ukuleles.  An introduction to ukulele was taught beginning with posture, simple strumming techniques, and beginner chords.  Classes could also be seen playing rhythm tic-tac-toe and collaboratively creating and sharing rhythms and beats.  We look forward to adding more language and rhythmic structure to the students’ skills in future classes.

Our focus this month was the Profile of a Graduate Skill of being Self-Directed.

Self-direction means that students can get started with their work and keep working, even if students get stuck with their work.  A  student's goal is that they can try and solve their own problems.

Our Learning Targets this month are:

1. I can learn about different types of lines.

2. I can use my imagination, and art tools to create a picture using lines and details to make a work of art.

Our Element of Art we focused on this month was, "Line".  Students learned about different types of lines and created a rocket ship blasting into space.  Students also learned about creating movement with their lines by rolling and folding their paper strips.

This September, Innovation was focused on building empathy among our students. We 'walked a mile in each other's shoes' as we worked collaboratively to get to know one another and build relationships. Students told their own stories by building small figures from their lives to share with their classmates. We closed by working as a team to build a tower of cups without using our hands. In whole, we had a lot of fun and got a chance to get to know one another while we built.

Our focus in September was self-directed steady beat. 

We discussed that a lot of music has a beat (similar to a heartbeat or pulse) that stays the same throughout the entire song. Students were music detectives when they listened to a variety of songs and identified the steady beat. They were self-directed by demonstrating steady beat with singing, percussion instruments, and movement.