4th & 5th Grade

2024-2025

Session 6

Art

 Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can draw a city scene both a foreground and a background.

2. I can use lines to create the look of brick or stone and then add shadows to make them look more three dimensional.

3. I can fill in areas under the light beam with color so that they stand out against the black and white background.


This session students make art at night that allowed them to understand contrast between light and dark and differences between day and night.  This project brought about the creativity in the students' imagination of a cityscape.

Innovation

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can think about what visual elements to use while designing digital art projects.

2. I can use Canva, a digital tool, to create a design and / or logo


This session our 'big kids' worked on using digital tools to create a digital logo for our Innovation Showcase, which is at Monroe Middle School on Thursday, March 20, 2025. They learned about effective logo design and considerations organizations have to make when creating a new design to represent themselves. Most importantly, they learned about Canva, an amazing digital creation tool that they can use to create not only still images, but animated gifs, videos and much more.



Music

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  POG Innovative: I can revise and refine my ideas.

2. I can can use the instruments and tools to create music. 


The goal for cycle 6 was for students to learn how harmony is used in music. Harmony is using a combination of high and low notes and alternate between harmonies to create musical ideas. Students were able to use their prior knowledge of harmonies through playing chords on the ukulele to relate and recreate those onto musical technology. A free music website, Chrome Music Lab, was a space where students can use the combinations of harmony and were able to compose their own songs through it. To encourage the POG of being innovative, students learned that revising and refining their ideas, regardless of playing instruments or composing music, can improve their performance or music writing.

Session 5

Art

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can use clay and tools to add texture to my personal coat of arms.

2. I can solve problems with my classmates.


Clay weeks are the best weeks!  The students are so creative in their interpetation of who they are for their coat of arms.  Some students make family crests while others choose things that remind them of fun.  Some students were at the painting stage of the process and that made the pieces come to life.

Innovation

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can work with my team to solve a problem

2.  I can use the engineering design process to build a controller for Makey-Makey app.


Students worked to create, experiment, and improve their designs for Makey-Makey pinball, piano, or bongo controllers. The controllers they created show a strong understand of electrical circuits, conductors and insulators. Testing out these controller designs is fun because they trigger games or instruments to function. 

Music

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can incorporate sources from multiple perspectives.

2.  I can create musical ideas using rhythm and pitch.


4th and 5th graders continued their work on pitch using the digital audio workstation, Soundtrap. Students got a chance to use midi keyboards to create a melody using different pitches. Then they added different backing tracks using loops and ostinatos. They are also starting to work on music for the AIM Showcase. We will be playing ukulele and singing! 

Session 4

Art

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can use clay and tools to add texture to my personal coat of arms or personal plaque.

2. I can collaborate with other students to come up with ideas to put on my clay piece.


Some students finished their other projects while others started their clay unit. We learned how to add clay objects and clay banners onto their shield shape. They would score, slip, and smoosh the clay together to make a glue like bond. Each student was able to draw on or add clay that represented them. Some even chose to not do a shield but an object that represented them instead. 

Innovation

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can follow directions and work Independently.

2. I can plan, design, and build a controller for an app in Makey-Makey.


Students continued using Makey-Makey invention kits to apply their understanding our circuits, while using the engineering design process. Their knowledge of conductors has played a big role in creating designs that really work! Many of the materials students are using are from our Raft: Makerspace in a Box kits and supports the idea of sustainability.


Music

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can revise and refine my ideas.

2.  I can create musical ideas using rhythm and pitch.


In this cycle, students have been learning about how musical pitches can be high, low, or somewhere in between.  Students also had opportunities to practice the ukulele and make their own songs on the web-based software Soundtrap.

Session 3

Art

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I will add lines and words to create texture to my tree trunk.

2.  I can create an organic shape for the canopy of my tree.


Artists were working on finishing their tree trunk by adding words that describe them in the now. In their branches they wrote words that would describe their futures. Some artists chose to cut their organic canopy for their tree out of colored paper while others worked on a technique of blending oil pastels with baby oil to make a smooth color.



Innovation

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can follow directions and work independently.

2.  I can visit two stations and test the functions of the MakeyMakey Circuit.


Our fourth and fifth graders were learning about electrical circuits and conductivity this week with MakeyMakey. They used different controllers to test if their circuits would work and what different types of materials actually conduct electricity.

Music

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can make connections between academic and real-world concepts.  

2.  I can perform an ostinato and understand how it fits in the structure of a song.


4th and 5th grade musicians continued their rhythm work by performing ostinatos. An ostinato is a musical figure that repeats over and over again. We focused on making it more musical by layering ostinatos with a variety of instruments and vocals. Some 4th and 5th graders have also been composing their own ostinatos with a music editing software called Soundtrap.


If your student has been singing a song about ostinatos, here's the video to help get it out of your head! 

Session 2

Art

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  Students learned about  BALANCE to create a SYMMETRICAL tree by drawing and cutting.

2.  Students learned about TEXTURE to add LINES to create the feel of tree bark on a tree.


Our artists learned how to create a symmetrical trunk to a tree. We listened to a story Be a Tree. The students placed their name on the trunk with words and activities that describe themselves right now in the present. In the branches of the tree they started to add things they are hoping to do in the future. Next week we will make a beautiful canopy for their trunk to attach to.



Innovation       

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can use glue gun safety to build a team project. 

2.  I can make my own frame to add to my team name lantern.


Students learned and applied guidelines for using hot glue in the Innovation Lab. Innovators worked individually to create a panel with their name and something that represents them. The panels were combined into team name lanterns or wall hangings. Our names are important: this projects displays innovators names in a collaborative way.

Music

Our learning targets this session are:

1. I can share in a positive way with my partner or team.  

2. I can use rhythms to perform music with others.


Rhythms are short or long notes that are used with a steady beat. To learn and perform rhythms, students clapped along to rhythms and were able to transfer what they learned onto drums or other beat making instruments such as rhythm sticks. Once they have learned to play the rhythms by themselves, they would contribute their sound to the overall group and perform alongside their classmates.

Session 1

Art

Our learning target this session is:

1.  I can create a self portrait using one color from the color wheel.


During art students learned about monochromatic self portraits. They were guided to create a self portrait of themselves using either one color or the values of that color. Students also learned about analogous colors and how they could use the colors next to another on the color wheel.

Innovation

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  We can work together as a team to create a stacked tower. 

2.  We can create a set of innovation lab rules to keep ourselves and our classmates safe.


We started innovation off this year with a chance for the students to demonstrate what they learned last year and create a class contract of expectations to make the innovation labs safe and productive. Then they worked together in teams to build towers (and comradery). 

Music

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  Keeping a steady beat to a variety of songs

2.  Working collaboratively to share in a beat and play different rhythms


Students used a variety of percussion instruments including rhythm sticks, egg shakers, tambourines, scarves, and bean bags to demonstrate a knowledge of the steady beat, or pulse, that most popular music has.  There was also an opportunity to practice different rhythms together in small groups.

2023-2024

May 2024

We celebrated student learning at our first AIM Showcase on May 15th at Monroe Middle School.

March/April 2024

Art

Our Learning Targets this month are:

1.  I can use colors and paper to create a collage of ocean waves./ I can use straws and yarn to create woven recycled art.


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


Students were able to be creative designing an ocean wave or an optical illusion to weave with paper. Other students took straws and weaved a loom while learning about how they can reuse objects to create art. 


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 either paper or yarn.

4th Grade Student Miguel from Castlemont School designed a whimsical jellyfish. His design was cut out using the laser cutter. Students then used paint sticks to add color to the cut shape.

Innovation

Students in the Innovation Lab have spent time this cycle getting familiar with the Glowforge our laser cutter. 4th and 5th graders have been helping prepare components of our puppet theater which will be at our AIM showcase in May. 

We have found some great uses for our Glowforge this year. Reusing the cardboard boxes in abundance around schools and homes makes sense in a time when excess waste clutters our planet. The laser cutter has been put to work to cut out ocean shapes for our puppet theater. Students have also designed their own ocean animal shapes for the laser cutter to cut. 

Learning about the trace feature on the glowforge brings student drawings to life. The Trace Tool in the Glowforge User Interface can be used to scan printed artwork for engraving, and to create cut lines around the artwork or inside the artwork. This is a true example of how art meets innovation. 

Music

We are in our 8th cycle of teaching and our focus was on musical composition with an emphasis on the Portrait of a Graduate (POG) skills of Empathy and Self-Direction

Musical composition takes all the elements of music that we have covered in previous cycles such as rhythm (Cycle 2), musical pitch (Cycle 4-5), and tempo (Cycle 6) to compose a song. In some schools, students composed their own music on paper by working with others and utilizing instruments they used in previous cycles such as ukuleles and rhythm sticks. Other schools utilized the use of chromebooks with online music production programs such as the Chrome Music Lab (click on the link below) or the District paid sound engineering program SoundTrap. Students were able to use their own school accounts to compose their own original music through these programs which will be shown at our AIM Showcase in May (more details to come).

The POG of Empathy and Self-Direction take place in this cycle by way of students giving constructive and affirming responses to their classmates compositions. For empathy, students were given prompts to share their feelings on how a classmates song made them feel with phrases like "This song makes me feel..." For self-direction, students the prompts allowed for students to be first led in starting a conversation to then allow room for them to explain their feelings and reasoning. Music can create a space for students to sort out their feelings and creating a platform through musical composition to have them share their feelings can be a great way for them to process their feelings.

Chrome Music Lab

Lesson 7:  February 2024

Art

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 could pick 2, 4 or 6 panels to create their own Kapa Quilt. Students used objects created prints with black ink to make their prints.  

Innovation

How time has flown this year! Our Innovation Showcase is only two months away on May 15 and with our ‘big kids’ we wanted to start working on a project that was a culmination of many of the exciting topics we have covered this school year. To help animate their little buddies in kindergarten and first grade, we worked to program our Dashbots to execute a specific set of commands with very restrictive parameters… to create a shadow puppet show. The little kids were so excited to see the shadow puppets they made last month dancing and moving as though they were alive through little blue robots their older peers programmed.


Music

Cycle 7 had a focus on innovation and composition.  A review of tempo was also done in the classroom with thanks to Mr. Zoink and his Octopods.  Students used Chrome Music Lab to innovate beats, make rhythms, and even collaborate on a composition using Shared Piano.  Other classes could be heard singing Row Your Boat in rounds and recording their voices in Soundtrap.  Soundtrap is a web-based recording software that every student has access to through Clever.  Students also used ukuleles to create their own strum patterns for the C and Am (minor) chords.  Next cycle will focus on form, song structure, and collaboration.

Lesson 6: January - February 2024

Art

Our focus this month was the Profile of a Graduate Skill - Critical Thinking. The students were taking their works of clay that they made in the last cycle and were able to paint them. Images and video clips were shown and students had to critically think how they would make their art portray what they were imagining. 


Our Learning Targets this month are:



Our Element of Art we focused on this month was, "color." The fourth graders painted their turtles creating either lifelike replicas of color or more abstract creations. The fifth graders were focused on trying to keep together their octopus while painting it. The octopus were very fragile and most needed to be glued. 



Innovation

Students continued their work with Micro:bit. They learned the terms hardware and software. Using Microsoft Makecode, they used block code to continue creating ocean animal animations. They then learned to download their animations on to an actual micro:bit. Students learned that they could really bring their work to life. Using their critical thinking skills, students explored some of the other functions with in Microsoft Makecode. In the future students would like to use Microbit to make music and learn about the A/B buttons. 

Music

Musicians focused on collaborative tempo for this lesson. Tempo is the speed or pace of music. Our goal for being collaborative was positively contributing to the group.  This aligns with tempo because musicians have to work together to all  stay in tempo.

We listened to a variety of songs and analyzed the tempo as largo (slow), moderato (medium), or allegro (fast). Then we discussed the influence that tempo has on a song. Students worked together to change tempo when playing instruments and offered feedback on their peers' performances. Some classes also practiced conducting patterns which allowed students to lead their peers while changing tempos.

Lesson 5: December 2023 - January 2024

Art

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. Some students took a leadership role in teaching others the skills they learned.


Our Learning Targets this month are:


Our Element of Art we focused on this month was, "Texture." The fourth graders made turtles focusing on adding textures and designs on the carapace (shell) of the turtle by adding scutes (sections of the shell). While the fifth graders were focused on creating textures and movement to their octopus.


IMG_4129.MOV

Innovation

In January 4th and 5th grade students have been developing their computer science skills learning to code with Micro:bit. The micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer that introduces students to how software and hardware work together. It has an LED light display, buttons, sensors and many input/output features that you can program and physically interact with. Students first learned to make a flashing heart annimation. Next they were presented with a problem: how might we use the 5x5 led display to show ocean creatures for a future ocean aquarium display? Students used their critical thinking skills to ask questions and began creating innovative solutions. Swimming turtles, schools of fish, sea horses, and more appeared and their chromebook transformed into ocean habitats. Many students were naturally skilled at pixel art and others became ocean explorers as they looked more closely at ocean animals to bring their creations to life. 


Also in line with the ocean theme other students began working in Scratch on ocean theme video game design. The criteria for their games are games should be ocean themed, the main character is controlled by arrow keys, has NPC (non-player character) that can be collected by the player and the score that adds up as NPCs are collected. Students continue to innovate while problem solving. 


Both Projects will be on display at our District AIM Showcase on May 15th at Monroe Middle School. 

Music

The focus for our 5th cycle was the Profile of a Graduate (POG) skill of Critical Thinking with the focus on musical pitch. The 4th-5th grade students were introduced to musical pitch in the previous cycle and this was expanded into learning what musical notation looks like. Students were able to start reading a musical staff where they were able to identify note names.

Through the use of ukuleles, boomwhackers, and chromebooks, the students were taught various ways in reading and performing the music that they were reading on a music staff. The skill of reading music can be connected to reading another language which was the learning goal of the POG.

Lesson 4: November - December 2023

Art

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:


Our Element of Art we focused on this month was, "Value." Students were able to create deep sea paintings using value to show the depths of the ocean. They then added images of endangered marine life embellished with zen tangles. Some other students continued to use crayon resist to finish their castles.


Innovation

For our fourth and fifth graders this month marked the conclusion of our Common Sense Media lessons. We discussed how to strike a healthy balance between our students’ media consumption and their other interests. The students agreed that there was an appropriate time and place for different types of media and knowing when to view them was important. We finished up these lessons with different types of programming, e.g. Minecraft, Dash Bot, and Scratch.

Music

During the 4th cycle of the AIM program students expanded their knowledge of song structure.  Previously we had focused on beats and rhythms and during this cycle we started looking at pitch and melody.  Students could be heard banging on boomwhackers, tapping on tambourines, and hitting mallets on marimbas.  The usual egg shakers, rhythm sticks, and snapping and clapping were also integrated into the lessons.  


Additional ukulele lessons were also given with emphasis on basic chords such as C, A minor, and F.  Introduction to tablature helped students learn that each fret has a number and we can use those to learn melodies.  Strumming with our thumbs or fingernails was also practiced.


In preparation for AIM’s showcase several classes became recording artists!   Experimental recordings were made, by various means, to the tunes of It’s Raining Tacos, The Whopper Song, and Spongebob Squarepants’ FUN song.  Other classes experimented with the various sound and song-writing activities in Google’s Chrome Music Lab.

Lesson 3: October - November 2023

Art

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:


Our Element of Art we focused on this month was, "Value."  We used a new technique called "water color resist" with crayons. All of the castles that were made last month we transformed into a Mary Blair style art piece. First the students colored sections of a castle with crayons then watercolored over with different values of that color. 

Rings of Responsibilty

Innovation 

Students in Innovation Lab continued their conversations on digital citizenship with a mini lesson on the Rings of Responsibility. This Common Sense Education lesson emphasizes the responsibilty students have to themself,  their community and the world when connecting online. 

Students also practiced critical thinking and collaboration. Dash is a programmable floor robot, which supports students in learning to code using the Blockly app. As a first lesson students participate in Dash Driving School. Learning to drive Dash prepares students for future lessons with Dash. Coding with Dash develops students' programming skills along with key 21st century skills such as creativity and problem solving . They put their innovative minds to work to code a dance and build a Lego hat for Dash. 

Music

The focus in music for this cycle was Critical Thinking Rhythmic Patterns. Our goal was to connect an academic concept to a real world concept. 

4th and 5th grade musicians took their knowledge of rhythms and steady beat to perform patterns called ostinatos. An ostinato is a musical figure that repeats over and over again. These patterns can be rhythmic, vocal, or instrumental and have been used in music for centuries. 

After learning about ostinatos and performing them, students were challenged to identify ostinatos in popular music. This is how we connected our academic concept to something they experience in the real world. You can ask your students to identify ostinatos in the music you enjoy, too!

Lesson 2: September - October 2023

Art

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:




Our Element of Art we focused on this month was, "Shape."  We used our knowledge of lines, shapes, and patterns to crafter a captivating castle inspired by Disney Artist, Mary Blair.  Students also began working together to build a castle mural. We will use this art piece in an upcoming activity, focusing on the art element of value (tints and shades) of a color and the design principle of unity.

Students work together to create a poster that tells 5 strategies for pausing for people when using devices.

Innovation

October becomes a month of hands-on exploration and experimentation in the real world as well as virtual space. Fourth and fifth grade students are eager to dive into the basics of programming, discovering the logic behind loops, algorithms and problem-solving. However, 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 Scratch, students practice the art of storytelling by animating characters and designing interactive games, fostering creativity and logical thinking simultaneously. Scratch can also connect to our hardware programming tools! As we progress through solving problems with code, we will be able to bring our code into real world situations.

Simultaneously, in the pixelated universe of Minecraft, young learners are transformed into architects and engineers, constructing virtual wonders while mastering essential coding concepts. The classroom echoes with laughter and collaboration as students share their Minecraft creations, celebrating both individual achievements and collective creativity.

Music

The focus of this month was the Profile of a Graduate Skill of Collaboration where students would be encouraged to work together to accomplish a goal.

The main goal was to use rhythms to perform with others. Rhythms are used in music to determine how long or short notes are.

At some of our school sites, we were able to use ukuleles and bucket drums for the entire class to learn how to play a new instrument alongside performing rhythms with one another. 

Lesson 1: September 2023

Art

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:




Our Element of Art we focused on this month was, "Line" and the Principle of Design focus was, "pattern."  Students learned about different types of lines, as well as unique patterns. Students created name art and created patterns using repeated lines.

Our 4th and 5th-grade students not only had a blast but also gained valuable insights into the world of engineering. By emphasizing safety, teamwork, and hands-on experiences with LEGOs, we've laid a strong foundation for future innovators. 

Innovation

In September 2023, our 4th and 5th-grade students embarked on this year's journey to explore the foundational skills that engineers use. Just like last year, we're continuing our tradition of fostering creativity, teamwork, and safety in a dynamic learning environment.
During our first lessons, we took on the challenge of using LEGOs to create collaborative building experiences that not only ignite our students' imaginations but also instill important engineering principles. Let's dive into the details of this exciting month!

As always, our top priority in the Innovation Lab is safety. We started the month by revisiting lab safety rules to ensure that every student understands the importance of responsible and secure experimentation. From handling materials carefully to wearing protective gear when necessary, our students learned how engineers prioritize safety in their work. These lessons served as the cornerstone of our exploration.

At many schools this  month LEGO engineering. LEGOs, with their endless creative possibilities, provided an ideal platform for our students to learn about structural engineering, teamwork, and problem-solving. Students explored generating eletricity by using lego motors as generators to power their creations. Divided into teams, our young engineers embarked on a series of exciting challenges.

At the end of each session, our students engaged in a thoughtful reflection process. They considered what went well during the activity, what challenges they encountered, and who they'd like to thank for their contributions to the team. This practice encourages them to appreciate the value of collaboration, resilience in the face of difficulties, and gratitude for their peers.

Music

During this cycle of the music AIM program, we focused on steady beats.  Having a steady beat is often the foundation of a song and what inspires us to dance, tap our foot, nod our head, and move our bodies.  We practiced beats through the use of a variety of music ranging from Baby Shark to B.B. King.  Bean bags, rhythm sticks, egg shakers, foot tambourines, scarves, buckets, wood blocks and finger cymbals were all used to help us engage in the rhythm.  Songs were performed on piano, guitar, ukulele and voice with enthusiastic participating from the students.