Happy Belated Teacher Appreciation Week to all of my friends, my family members, and Avoca parents that are Teachers!

This week in ART, we will be finishing up the painting of our ceramic handprints.  These will require three coats of glaze before we can put them in the kiln.  Next week, they will be brought down to the 1-5 art room to be fired.  We will also be creating water-colored butterflies.

This week in SPANISH, we will be reviewing Animales.  We will also be dancing to Jungle Safari and looking for monos=monkeys, liones=lions, jirafas=giraffes, elefantes=elephants, and serpientes=snakes.

This week in MUSIC, we will be practicing The May Song, Thank You, and I Can't Wait.  On Tuesday morning, the Kindergarten classes will be performing for the Avoca West Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast!  They have worked very hard on their songs, I cannot wait to see them perform!

This week in TECH, we will be creating Tux Paint drawings of Our Favorite Kindergarten Memories. These will be sent back to the classroom teachers to display or send home.

This week in 3rd Grade Encore Lit, we will be playing each of the classroom Biome Games. We used the BIG 6 research method to create these fun and educational games.

This week in ART, we will be decorating Spring Flower Pots.  These will be sent back to the classroom teachers once they are dried.  If they come home empty, please fill with a plastic bag or cup prior to planting inside them.  This will ensure that water does not damage the pot.

This week in SPANISH, we will be dancing to Hip Hop Cocina again.  This song teaches us the words la cocina=kitchen, la casa=house, mesa=table, silla=chair, servilleta = napkin, plato = plate, tenedor = fork, cuchillo = knife, cuchara = spoon, and vaso = glass.  We will also be introduced to foods in the kitchen:  leche=milk, agua=water, naranja=orange, pastel=cake, and mantequilla=butter.

This week in TECH, we will be discussing Qualities of a Leader. We will also be using Tux Paint to draw ways that We Are Leaders!  These will be printed out within the next few weeks, because the Computer Lab is closed for MAP testing.

This week in MUSIC, we will review The April Song, Thank You, and I Can't Wait.  We will also practice some songs from our Listen & Learn program.

This week in 3rd Grade Encore Tech, we will finish our Biome Game Boards!  So far, these are all amazing.  I am so proud of all the 3rd graders for their dedication to this project!

Here are some photos from our classroom:

Be Kind to the Earth ... Earth Day and EVERY Day!

This week in ART, we will be painting Earth Day Creations!  We will be using green, blue, and red tempera paint for these.  I will be sending these back to the classroom teachers to send home or display in their classrooms.  Please be on the lookout for them.

This week in MUSIC, we will be reviewing The April Song, Thank You, and I Can't Wait.  We will also be moving to some fun songs in our Music & Movement series.

This week in TECH, we will be using Tux Paint to create drawings of What We Can Do To Protect The Earth.  These will be sent back to the classroom teachers to send home or display in their classrooms. We will also be visiting EEKO World to help us learn ways that we can protect the Earth.  If you would like to check out this site, please click here.

This week in SPANISH, we will be learning some fun words to use in The Kitchen.  Through the song Hip Hop Cocina, we will learn: la cocina=kitchen, la casa=house, mesa=table, silla=chair, servilleta = napkin, plato = plate, tenedor = fork, cuchillo = knife, cuchara = spoon, and vaso = glass.

This week in 3rd Grade Encore Lit, we will continue our BIG 6 research projects by beginning to create our Board Games!  We will need to come up with interesting names, creative boards, and a purposeful and fun plan for our games this week!

Please enjoy our photos:

This week in ART, we will be creating fun water-colored flowers and sponge painting butcher block paper to create flowers.  All of our Van Gogh inspired Self-Portraits are on display!  Please stop by and see them ... they are FABULOUS!

This week in MUSIC, we will be moving and grooving to B-A-N-A-N-A-S.  This is a fun song with a good lesson about listening to directions.  We will also be introduced to The April Song.  Last week, we spent our Music time in the ITC reading with our 3rd Grade Buddies. This was a great opportunity for our 3rd Grade students to be LEADERS.  I know both grades really enjoyed this.  Please check below for some photos of this activity.

This week in SPANISH, we will continue with Mi Familia.  We will create matching cards with pictures and Spanish words.  Last week, we drew pictures of our families, and discussed how all of our families are different.

This week in TECH, we will visit our Spring and Earth Day sites.  If you would like to visit these at home, please click here.  Scroll down to Seasonal, and then continue down to Spring & Earth Day.  Last week, we created Picasso inspired Self-Portraits in Tux Paint.  The classroom teachers may have displayed them in the classroom, or sent them home already.  These came out fantastic, I hope you enjoy them!

This week in 3rd Grade Encore Tech, we will continue our Big 6 Research on Biomes.  Last week we split into our teams, and began our library research.  This week, we will be using the Internet for research.

Here are some photos from the KIDS Classroom:

This week in ART, we will continue to work on our Van Gogh inspired Self Portraits.  After detailed sketching and careful outlining, we will be coloring them in with oil pastels this week.  So far, the sketches look amazing!  I cannot wait to share them.  Tuesday is Art in Action Day @ Avoca ... Be sure to ask your child about it!

This week in MUSIC, we will be recording The March Song.  Limited space on our BLOG is slowing the sharing process, but we are getting it worked out!  We will also be learning our directions with the song Go Left! Go Right!

This week in SPANISH, we will be learning the names of Family Members with a fun song called Mi Familia.  It will also be reinforced that all families are different; they look different, they act different ~ but all families are important!

This week in TECH, we will be visiting Color With Leo again.  If you did not yet check out this fun site, please click here.  The students enjoy the Art Studio and the Games section!

This week in 3rd Grade Encore Literature, we will be completing our Big 6 Audio/Visual Research with Tundra.  After Spring Break, we will be getting into the ITC to use our resource books and computers!

Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful weather.  Happy ALMOST Spring Break!  Here are some photos from our class:

This week in ART, we will continue to work on our Van Gogh inspired Portraits.  This week, we will create our final face sketches, and then outline them in black to help our details POP!  Each week, we will be using different forms of media to make these masterpieces beautiful!  I cannot wait to share them.

This week in MUSIC, we will be practicing The March Song, I Can't Wait, and Thank You.  We will also be singing and moving to What Colors, Body Talk, Bean Bag Boogie, and Shaping Up with Shapes from our Music & Movement series.

This week in SPANISH, we will be creating Our Feeling Charts.  Please do not forget to send in cutout faces from magazines.  We are looking for Contenta (happy/content), Triste (sad), Boba (silly), and Enojado (angry).  Some parents sent in pictures of their children making those faces ... GREAT IDEA!

This week in TECH, we will be visiting Color with Leo.  Color with Leo is a great website for art exposure.  While the students love the Mayan Quest on it, there are also many valuable games and activities to help enhance our art curriculum.  If you would like to check it out at home, please click here.

This week in 3rd Grade Encore Lit, we will be finishing up the audio visual part of our BIG 6 Research with Tundra.  We will be soon be moving into the ITC to begin research with our reference books and computers.

This week in ART, we will begin our Van Gogh inspired Self Portraits.  This lesson will take the next few weeks, as we learn to strengthen our sketching techniques.  This week, we will focus on head, eye, nose, and mouth shape.  We will also learn the correct spatial placement of these objects.

This week in MUSIC, we will continue with our Music & Movement Instruction.  This week, we will move to Skip to My Lou, A Hunting We Will Go, and The Shape Song.  We will also practice The March Song, Thank You, and I Can't Wait.

This week in SPANISH, we will begin Emotions.  If you have not, please send in faces cut out from magazines that show HAPPY, SAD, ANGRY, or SILLY faces.

This week in TECH, we will be using Tux Paint to create St. Patrick's Day inspired Rainbows!  If you would like to visit our St. Patrick's Day sites, please click here.  Scroll down below Seasonal, down to St. Patrick's Day.

In 3rd Grade Encore Lit, we will continue our BIG 6 Research with the study of Desert and Grasslands Biomes.

We did YOGA on Leap Day last week!  Here are some photos from our classroom:

This week in ART, we will be creating some fun Seasonal Art for March!  The students will be sponge-painting with different shades of green, creating shamrock rubbings, and using their handprints to create clovers. Our Andy Warhol inspired artwork is on display in our hallway and inside the KIDS class.  Please stop by and see them!

This week in TECH, we will be using Tux Type and Dance Mat Typing to strengthen our typing skills. We will also be visiting our St. Patrick's Day Sites. If you would like to practice typing or visit our St. Patrick's Day Sites at home ... please visit KIDS Class Favorite Links by clicking here.

This week in MUSIC, we will be recording The February Song, and be introduced to The March Song.  We will also be practicing how to keep a steady beat with instrument playing.  If time permits, we will be doing some fun activities from our Music & Movement series!  February videos will be posted as soon as possible!

This week in SPANISH, we will be reviewing Shapes and completing a fun activity page on circulos.  Please do not forget to send in cut out faces from magazines of people that look Happy, Sad, Angry, and Silly for our activity next week.

This week in 3rd Grade Encore Lit, we will begin our BIG 6 Research Projects. Using the BIG 6 research method, we will be researching The World's Biomes, and then creating our own Q&A Board Games.   This week, we will begin by studying the Deciduous Forest and The Tropical Rain Forest Biomes. Here are the AMAZING Dewey Decimal Videos, as promised:

• erf1
• erf2
• erf3
• rick1
• rick2
• rick3
• stefan1
• stefan2
• stefan3
• stump1
• stump2
• stump3

Here are some photos from last week's activities:

This week in ART, we will be inspired by Andy Warhol.  Warhol was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was the leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art.  We will be creating self portraits with gel markers this week.

This week in MUSIC, we will be practicing The February Song and completing some Music & Movement activities.  We will also be practicing our favorite songs I Can't Wait and Thank You.

This week in SPANISH, we will be movin' and groovin' to the song Formas Formas to help us with our shapes.  We will also be completing a fun activity sheet on shapes.

This week in TECH, we will be practicing our typing skills on Tux Type.  If you would like to practice typing at home, please check out this site: Dance Mat Typing.

Parent Teacher conferences are this week!  I will be here both nights from 3-7pm, if you would like to meet with me.  Please be sure to check out our Jim Dine inspired artwork and watercolored hearts in and outside the KIDS Classroom!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day and LONG weekend ahead!