Our learning target for this session is:

1.  I will be able to creatively decorate a bookmark that has qualities of a father.

In AIM, we learned about what qualities are.  We learned that qualities are what make us super excellent people.  One of the people in our lives that is super excellent is our dads or someone who acts like a dad would.  We make bookmarks that show how our dads have excellent qualities like a superhero, but better because these are our dads!

Our learning targets for this session are:

1.  I can use information to solve problems.

2.  I can explore balance, ramps and rollers to gain an understanding of the world around me.

Students enjoyed collaborating and problem solving to build and test their ramps. So much inquiry can from finding out how different items rolled down the ramp. Students described the different way items rolled based on how steep the ramp was. They also worked to discover 3 ways to balance weights. 

Our learning targets for this session are:

1.  I can recognize different instruments.

2.  I can keep rhythms in a drum circle and control dynamics.

In our final cycle students practiced their knowledge of different instruments with a spirited round of four corners.  With various percussion instruments - tone blocks, guiros, shakers, and drums - we practiced our Tas, Titis, and even Tikatikas.  Then we played together as a class and practiced our starts and stops, as well as dynamics (the volume of sound).  Some classes even had a chance to experiment controlling dynamics with the use of a bouncing ball, or playing the game Hot or Cold.

Our learning targets for this session are:

1.  I can trace and outline a stencil.

2. I can add highlights and shadows.

3.  I can piece together a balloon dog in a city.

During this cycle we learned about artist Jeff Koons, who creates amazing balloon animal sculptures. We took what we learned and started to create a city scene with our balloon dogs. While the students traced we went over highlights and shadows and added them to our balloon parts. Next session the students will be able to put together the whole scene.

Our learning targets for this session are:

1.  I can work in stations to show my understanding of push and pull.

2. I can think critically to create a maze with different materials. 

In this cycle we explored the science of motion by learning about push and pull forces. Using this knowledge, they design and build their own creative marble mazes to test how force affects movement. 

Our learning targets for this session are:

1.  I can play music in many different ways.

2.  I can explore different learning strategies.

In our 10th cycle, students were encouraged to play music in many different ways through music stations throughout the classroom. These stations are areas where students get to practice or explore activities that we have done this past year such as using boomwhackers, playing MIDI keyboards, and iPads that have the Chrome Music Lab. Students were given a set amount of time for each activity so that they can participate in all the stations.

Our learning targets for this session are:

1.  I can use repetition to create a pattern.

2. I can use balance to even out my rays, and use contrast to design my blackbird and background.

This lesson celebrates the art of American author and illustrator Ashley Bryan and has been inspired by his picture book Beautiful Blackbird. Students will focus on cutting, pasting, repetition, balance and contrast, along with the importance of self-acceptance and pride.

Our learning targets for this session are:

1.  I can be inspired by living things to create new inventions.

2. I can use different materials to explore bugs 

Students had an opportunity to get hands on with lots of different types of materials. They also learned that insects have 3 body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. Some students think bugs are scary or yucky, but we emphasized that learning about insects can be very interesting.  There was also conversation around the difference between spiders (arachnids) and insects.  Students used this curiosity to think critically about insects and other living things. 

Our learning targets for this session are:

1.  I can work towards a common goal while exchanging ideas.

2.  I can recognize changes in different sections of music.

Kindergarten and first grade students learned about AB form in music. Our profile of a graduate competency was collaboration. We worked together to analyze the form of different songs. Some classes did this with a stretchy band to give a tactile experience while indicating changes in the music. We all had to move at the same time for the activity to be successful! Other classes created compositions using SongMaker on Chrome Music Lab. 

Our learning targets for this session are:

1.  I can add color to my textured wand.

2. I can decorate my wand with pipe cleaners, string, beads, and gems.

Our artists this week finished their wands. The students were really engaged in painting the wands and making sure that the textures they made last week were still showing by using multiple colors. They were also excited to make their wands unique by adding a lot of decorations. After the students were done decorating they tried to use the wands and put spells on us "turn into a frog"! Some students just started making their wands this week, so they will be able to decorate and embellish next week. 

Our learning targets for this session are:

1. I can apply what I know to create new structures.

2. I can use  what I learned about animals in science to build an animal or an animal's 'house.'

This cycle, our youngest scientists reflected on what they learned in their science classes about how animals communicate and how they build 'houses' to protect themselves. They then took that knowledge and used it to construct animals and animal homes that show how the animals communicate and how they shelter themselves from the elements.

Our learning targets for this session are:

1.  I can work towards a common goal while exchanging ideas.

2. I can tell slow and fast tempos in music/I can make musical harmony.

In some of our schools, the focus for this cycle was on Tempo, songs can have fast (presto) or slow (largo) speeds. In other schools, Harmony was the main focus where students are able to take combinations of high and low notes to create musical ideas. Both of these musical concepts were practiced through using various instruments such as egg shakers, scarves, boomwhackers, and iPads (Chrome Music Lab). Collaboration was the common theme for this cycle as cooperation and group effort were important for students to perform the same tempos and harmonies.

Our learning targets for this session are:

1. I can create a wishing wand or a modern sculpture.

2. I can add texture to my clay piece using tools.

This week some kinders finished up their winter scene. Making sure they had trees and a cabin. They then added snow and glitter to make it look like real glistening snow.

Other kinders started to create a wand or modern sculpture out of clay. Some made a handle and others made a stand. Then they added beads to their wooden dowel. They were able to use tools and wooden rollers that had imprints on them to create some fun textures. 

Our learning targets for this session are:

1. I can listen with my eyes, ears, and my heart.

2.   I can use empathy as I visit the innovation stations.

Kinder and 1st grade students worked in Innovation Stations. Each station allows students to focus on activities that cater to their individual interests. The Building with Cardboard Station helped students hone their engineering skills as students imagined innovative objects they could build with RAFT materials and other found objects. 

Our learning targets for this session are:

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

2. I can identify fast and slow tempos.

Some kindergarten and first grade students focused on tempo for this session. Tempo is the pace or speed of music. Students were challenged to match a variety of tempos using movement and instruments. In the pictures you'll see students working with a partner to match each other's movements with scarves.

Other kindergarten and first grade students were introduced to harmony using Chrome Music Lab. Harmony is when multiple notes are performed at the same time that sound good together. 

Our learning targets for this session are:

1. I can create a background with trees that overlap to create a sense of depth.

2. I can use a variety of lines to create symmetrical trees for my forest.

This lesson emphasizes key artistic concepts such as foreground, background, texture, space, and balance. Students began by designing a background and layering trees to convey a sense of depth and space. They incorporated diverse lines to draw and symmetrically cut out their trees, achieving a harmonious balance in their compositions. To complete their artwork, students added glitter and white paint, capturing the essence of a snowy winter storm.

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can work independently and focus on my tasks.

2.  I can visit 2-3 stations to develop my skills as an innovator.  

During Innovation students visited familiar stations such as, brainflakes, legos, and magnatiles, beebots, and Ipads. Students continued to expand on their knowledge of beebots by coding their robot to collect snowflakes and winter trees. With the ipads students had the option to explore the Beebot app or Scratch Jr.  Scratch Jr allows students to code creating stories, games, and animations. We will be continuing to explore Scratch Jr in the following lessons. 

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can recognize different pitches

2. I can work collaboratively to play along with a song

During this cycle students were continuing their focus on different pitches in music.  Students used boomwhackers, marimbas, keyboards, and tech to play with the concept of high and low pitch.  They learned that big things make low pitches and small things make high pitches. They applied their new knowledge by playing songs on their instruments!

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can create a background with trees that overlap and create a sense of depth.

2.  I can use information from images and texts on winter to create my own winter landscape.

The artists listened to the book Once Upon a Northern Night in order to gather information and ideas that they could apply to their own winter scene. Then we used tempera paint, paper, and glitter to create a snowy base line for their winter scene. Next we cut symmetrical trees of different shapes and sizes that will be added to create depth.

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can work independently and focus on my tasks.

2.   I can work independently and focus on my tasks.

This month we introduced to 2 new stations to our kinder and first grade friend!  The first addition is the Beebot ipad station, students learned to code on the ipad in addition to the Beebot robots they learned to code with last session. The second station is our cardboard building station. Here students used cardboard and clips to build different structures! 

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can select resources to support my learning goal.

2.   I can use the instruments in class to learn musical pitch.

Our 4th cycle focused on pitch. Musical note pitch uses high and low notes to create melodies or harmonies. Students were able to use instruments (boomwhackers) and resources (iPads) to practice and play with pitch. The Portrait of a Graduate (POG) for this cycle was on innovation and self-direction. Students were self directed by producing sounds either individually or in groups. Using tech tools like iPads brought an innovative focus.

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can add repeated lines, shapes and colors to make patterns.

2.  I can decorate my dog's hat with those patterns.

During art students learned about patterns and symmetry.  They colored their dogs with their imaginations and made a unique dog. It was their odd dog out. Last AIM we listened to the story Odd Dog Out (here is the link if you would like to listen to it again with your child).  The students were very proud of their work and excited to see how their dogs turned out.

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can work independently and focus on my tasks.

2.  I can visit 2 stations to develop my skills as an innovator.

This month our friends in kindergarten and first grade explored 'spooky' stations of Lego Bricks, Brain Flakes, Magnatiles, Keva Tiles and BeeBot. They explored different ways to build structures while working with their classmates and building their engineering toolkit.

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can make related connections.

2.  I can read rhythms and perform them.

The focus of this cycle is to make connections between what students are learning in music to what they already know. Rhythms and repeated patterns (ostinatos) were used to show students how to keep a steady beat that we practiced in our first cycle. This is our 2nd cycle for rhythms and all classes reviewed the use of rhythms by way of repeated patterns called 'ostinatos.' Students were able to use various instruments and resources to identify, create, and perform rhythms and patterns.

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I will learn about line so I can draw my dog's face.

2. I will learn about balance to make a symmetrical face and hat. 

During art students learned about lines and shapes to make a dogs face. they listened to a story called Odd Dog Out. As they learned about organic shapes and used their knowledge to start to draw a unique hat for their dog. Next cycle we will be continuing with patterns and color to make our dogs truly unique. 

Our learning targets this session are:

1.  I can be innovative and make a toy.

2. I can be innovative and make a toy for others to use.

This cycle our friends in Kindergarten and First Grade used their imagination and innovation to create toys from given materials. Some made popcicle stick puzzles for their friends to try to assemble. Others made little dolls from repurposed cardboard and other craft materials. Yet more made small noise makers from plastic beads and cups. This activity gave us an opportunity to talk about sustainability and how using creativity we could upcycle materials that would've otherwise been thrown away to make something fun for our friends.

Kindergarten and First grade students worked to develop their skills as innovators through working in Innovation Stations. Stations give students choice in their learning. Two iPad stations allowed students to build critical thinking skills to solve a Bee-Bot puzzle in the Bee-Bot App or  use a triggering block and motion blocks to code a sprite using the Scratch Jr. App. 

Other stations encouraged student's building skills; working with challenge cards to create models with Lego. All these different hands on experiences keep the students engaged and help them understand what innovators do.

Through doing, students begin to understand innovators look for creative solutions, brainstorm, and blend ideas to create something new.

Students really enjoy the stations because they offer opportunities to move around the room, interact with other students and let learners choose something that fits their learning style or mood.