Benton Specialist Monthly Recap

May is a busy and exciting time in the art room as we bring together all the skills we’ve learned throughout the year. Our kindergarten and first grade artists will continue exploring multi-step projects, following more directions while also gaining greater independence and creative freedom.

Second and third graders will keep experimenting with multimedia art, combining different materials to express their ideas in unique ways.

Finally, our fourth and fifth grade artists will continue exploring how artists tell visual stories, using their work to communicate ideas, experiences, and imagination.

Camping day was a great success!  We had a tent station, campfire and s'mores station, outdoor art station, and a campfire song station.  Our whole specialist team worked hard to pull this off!

We are in the middle of our archery unit in all grade levels.  Their concentration and discipline in this unit is really impressive!

Get ready for field day!  If you want to volunteer to runa  station, please let me know.  We will have pizza for volunteers who sign up for the whole day!

It has been a symphony of activity here in the music room! From digital beats to ancient instruments, our students are exploring the vast world of sound. Here is a look at what each grade level is tuning into this month:

• 5th Grade: Our oldest students have turned into Video Game Composers. After designing their own game concepts, they are now scoring the soundtracks! They are learning how music sets the mood for adventure, suspense, and victory.

• 4th Grade: We are diving deep into Hip Hop History. Students are exploring the roots of the genre and getting hands-on experience with digital production by learning how to loop tracks to build their very own original beats.

• 3rd Grade: It’s time for a new instrument! Third graders are beginning their journey with the six-hole ocarina. We are focusing on breath control, finger placement, and reading simple notation to bring this unique instrument to life.

• 2nd Grade: Pack your bags! Second grade is taking a Musical Trip Around the World. Each week, we "land" in a new country to discover its traditional instruments, unique rhythms, and cultural songs.

• Kindergarten & 1st Grade: Our youngest musicians are mastering the building blocks of music. We are exploring musical opposites (loud vs. soft, high vs. low, fast vs. slow) and practicing basic rhythms through interactive songs and classroom instruments.

To celebrate a fantastic year of growth, we will spend the final week of school hosting our annual Music Class Karaoke! It’s a wonderful time for students to showcase their confidence and share their favorite songs with their peers.

Happy almost Summer Break! In Counseling, we just finished our last unit: Summer Safety and Transition. Students reviewed the 8 Never, Never Rules, and Ways to Stay Safe: Recognize, Refuse, Report, as a reminder on how to have a safe and fun Summer. Students also share feedback on rules they have when staying home alone, being online, or playing outside with friends. Please ask your child what rules they know that keep them safe. Have a healthy and happy Summer!

In the library, May looks like a lot of organizing.  Our last checkouts are the week of May 4-8, and after that we'll be tracking down missing books before the year ends.

We also back-up and erase our iPads.  Students going to summer school will erase theirs at the end of summer school.

In terms of fun stuff, I'm excited about the specialist collaboration projects mentioned in Art, Music, and Media (Mr. Twellman mentions them in his post ->).  Helping students code, make music, build circuits, and share creative work is what I live for!  Hopefully you'll get to explore these projects at STEAM Night on May 7!

In May, Media will be reviewing all the digital tools we learned this year, finishing final projects, and doing some online safety lessons to prepare for summer break. 

5th Grade has been working on their game coding project in Scratch, making a chase game or a catch game. It's cool to see all the creative ways they change things up!

4th Grade has been designing their Hip Hop concert posters. Each of them has a very different style!

3rd Grade has been learning GarageBand to practice digital rhythm making, and Code.org and Scratch to code their Electric Guitar.