Benton Specialist Monthly Recap

The art room is buzzing with learning and creativity! Our third through fifth grade artists will be diving into Art in STEM, exploring STEM-based careers, and discovering the important role art plays in fields like engineering, design, and technology. First and second grade students will build on the skills they developed this fall as they take on more complex, multi-step art projects. Meanwhile, our kindergarten artists will continue strengthening their understanding of lines, shapes, and colors through playful, hands-on exploration.

January is a great month to check in on rules and procedures in P.E.

As we get settled in again January will be fill with the pounding sounds of basketball.

We will work primarily with our dribbling skills, but some shooting is always fun.

K-5 will progress in the skills and have a great time as well. 

Coach B can’t wait to see you after Christmas.  

Please be safe and have a great time with family and friends.

November brings lots of fall fun to the music room!

Kindergarten will continue to explore pulse, beat vs. rhythm, and loud vs. quiet sounds through songs and play.

1st grade learned two new rhythms in October, Ta and Ti Ti.  They will continue to practice, singing, playing, and composing using those rhythms in November, as well as identifying the notes Sol and Mi.

2nd grade will expand upon their rhythm knowledge, adding half note and half rest to their repertoire.

3rd grade will spend time in November learning about the different instrument families, in preparation for their upcoming field trip to the symphony!

4th grade will start Recorder Bootcamp, learning all about recorder basics, as well as their first few notes.

5th grade will start their intro to Keyboard unit, learning piano basics, and playing known rhythms using a keyboard.

As we return to school in January, it is a time for remembering school routines and getting back into learning. In Counseling, students will focus on identifying their interests and talents, which links them to possible career choices when they enter the working world. Through class discussions, students learn why people work, discovering that it takes money to buy food, shelter, and other basics. Most students from K-5 will be able to name the 6 Career Paths and jobs that go with them. By playing games like Career Headbands, Career Tic-Tac-Toes, and Career Bingo, students learn about jobs, while also having a lot of fun!

Happy New Year!

Mrs. Kelty

Every class had the opportunity to build and code robots with our Lego WeDo kits in the makerspace this month.  Seeing a robot you built do what you actually coded to do is such an affirming experience!

In January, 3-5 will start looking at designing some things to print with our 3D printers!

3-5 will also start thinking about and practicing for the MAP test, which is in early April.  Getting used to the testing software is a learning curve we hope to eliminate by the time the real test comes around.

In January, Media class will be doing visual design work. Kindergarten and 1st grade will be learning to make and edit videos in Clips, while 2nd through 5th grade will use Canva to create posters and other visual designs. We’re learning to use these tools better and exploring tips for how to make things look clear and coordinated.