Educating Our Eagles - Issue 11

Educating
our Eagles
11

CONTENTS
4
Introduction - Curriculum Director, Julie Dolan
6
High School - Small Ensemble Groups – Courtney English
8
High School - Les fables de Jean de La Fontaine – Pierre Léger
10
Eleventh Grade - Progoganda and World War One – Alex Izatt
12
Fourth Grade - Heredity: Where do traits come from? – Ashley Barrett
15
First Grade - Balloons Over Undermountain – Ashley Lotz & Christina Carlson
16
Pre-Kindergarten - Family Cookie Celebration – Kim Bleau and Jen Rossi
Cover: UME student practices numbers, days of the
week, and months in Spanish class.
Right: Culinary student, Alissa works on a recipe.
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INTRODUCTION
From SBRSD’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Julie Dolan
Dear SBRSD School Community –
As our first marking period ends, It reminds me that as administrators, we frequently
have families ask how best they can support their child in school. So, in this
edition, we took the opportunity to share some suggestions on how you can support
your student in school and help them be successful.
When reviewing your student’s report card ask questions
• What did you do to get this grade?
• Which study techniques worked for you and which ones did not?
• What are you going to do differently next time?
• How are you going to use this experience to be better next time?
• What goal can you set for yourself for the upcoming marking period?
Encourage good study habits
• Ensure quiet time in your home- studies show that children need silence or
music without lyrics to focus
• Limit phone use- studies show they are a distraction if they are in the room
even if they are off
Prioritize sleep over other activities
• Sleep is essential to learning and memory consolidation
• Elementary school students need 9-11 hours of sleep every night to be physically
and mentally healthy and teenagers need 8-10 hours
• Catching up on the weekend does not work because it throws off a child’s
sleep rhythm compounding the problem
Thought provoking questions
• What courses interest you the most?
• What are you thinking you would like to do after high school?
• Is there an internship or course you can take at school to explore your interests?
• What experiences could help you discover your passions?
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress, please reach out
and email their teacher and set up a time to talk.
Right: NMC Kindergarten students on a field trip
to Norman Rockwell Museum
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5

HIGH SCHOOL:
Small Ensemble Groups
The high school band is preparing for their upcoming winter
performances. During one of their performances, the Senior
Citizen Luncheon, the band will break out into smaller groups
to play winter pieces. They are working on balance, starting and
stopping together as an ensemble, and what parts of the music
are important to bring out.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• perform in a small ensemble setting. Students will be able to start a piece of
music on their own, play together musically, with a balanced ensemble listening
and hearing all lines in the music, staying together and using self direction to
end the piece together.
Observations:
Students enjoyed working together in smaller groups. Working in the smaller groups
really allowed them to develop their listening skills. Listening is an essential skill in
music ensembles.
MA Standards:
Novice Solo and Ensemble Standards
Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation. Identify basic strategies
musicians use to practice and employ them in readying a musical work for performance.
(N.M.P.04)
Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation. Perform with accuracy
and expression works from the vocal or instrumental literature with a level of difficulty
of 2, on a scale of 1 to 6; or a comparable scale. (N.M.P.05)
Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work. Match a musical performance
with expressed intent (e.g., wanting the audience to identify with an emotion).
(N.M.P.06)
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HIGH SCHOOL:
Les fables de Jean de La Fontaine
(1621-1695)
Students studied the French fable “ La cigale
et la fourmi” by Jean de La Fontaine. Based
on the fable, as well as our class discussions,
students engaged in conversations about the
importance of money in our lives. Should
saving be a priority (la fourmi), or should we
be spending our money doing the things we
enjoy without thinking of tomorrow (la cigale)?
In an effort to learn and recite the fable,
students put on a puppet show for their peers.
They created decor and puppets to act out the
fable. Students then recited the fable to the class.
At the conclusion of this unit, the decor,
puppets, fable and some pictures are on display
on a bulletin board in the hallway. QR codes
are available for people to listen to the fable
recited by students.
As a result of instruction,
students will be able to:
• understand the main idea and some
supporting details.
• make comparisons of basic language forms.
• memorize and recite a fable in French.
MA Standards:
(IM.1.b) (IM.6.b.2)
Les fables de Jean de La F
ontaine (1621-1695)
La cigale et la fourmi
La cigale, ayant chanté
Tout l’été,
Se trouva fort dépourvue
Quand la bise fut venue.
Pas un seul petit morceau
De mouche ou de vermisseau
Elle alla crier famine
Chez la fourmi sa voisine,
La priant de lui prêter
Quelque grain pour subsister
Jusqu’à la saison nouvelle
« Je vous paierai, lui dit-elle,
Avant l’oût, foi d’animal,
Intérêt et principal. »
La fourmi n’est pas prêteuse ;
C’est là son moindre défaut.
« Que faisiez-vous au temps chaud ?
Dit-elle à cette emprunteuse.
Nuit et jour à tout venant
Je chantais, ne vous déplaise.
Vous chantiez ? J’en suis fort aise.
Eh bien : dansez maintenant.
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Flashez-moi !
Flashez-moi !
Moi aussi !
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HIGH SCHOOL:
Propaganda and WWI
In this lesson we will learn about propaganda and how it was used during WWI
We start off with using an "Answer Garden" with the question "What does propaganda mean
to you" just to get the ball rolling, this works as our Do Now for the day. I'll discuss our classes
answers and then lecture a little bit (maybe 10 minutes) on propaganda, how you would define
it, specific examples of it, and how it played a role during WWI. I'll show specific examples of
WWI propaganda from the Smithsonian and some current day ones too. Then we will read a
short article together on the history of propaganda and how it relates to WWI. We will then have
some discussion questions related to the content we've discussed so far and have them turn &
talk with a partner about them. After we've sufficiently discussed propaganda I will assign our
project that will sort of work like a multiple day Exit Ticket. The students will be making their
own propaganda, whether that's in the form of a political cartoon, poster, radio ad, Tik Tok or
commercial. This propaganda will be based around WWI.
Enrichment*: I gave the students a link to a podcast on propaganda if they wanted to learn more
about it.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• define propaganda in their own words.
• recognize examples of propaganda.
• recognize different strategies of propaganda.
• recognize the uses of propaganda (both positive & negative).
• understand the specific uses of propaganda in WWI and how/why it was used.
• create their own form of propaganda.
Observations:
This lesson kept the students engaged for the most part. They really liked the specific examples of
WWI propaganda and they enjoyed creating their own. The article lost their interest a bit, but it was
fairly short so it didn't derail the lesson. They seemed to enjoy the Answer Garden and how they
could see everyones answers up on the screen.
MA Standards:
c. the impact of war on the home front in Europe, including the conscription, war
propaganda, rationing, and government control of wartime industries
b. censorship of the press and propaganda
d. use of art as propaganda, promoting classicism and disparaging
modernism as degenerate
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The Woman's Land Army of America--Training school, University of Virginia--Apply Woman's Land Army, U.S.
Employment Service, Richmond, Va. / Herbert Paus.
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Heredity: Where do traits come from?
Students learn where traits come from in humans, plants, and animals. They will learn about
Acquired Traits, as well as Inherited Traits. At the end of the lesson, students will use Google
Docs to divide up the given traits into the correct type of trait. Then they will complete the
monster maker activity to explore how genes work.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• provide evidence, including through the analysis of data, that plants and animals have traits
inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exist in a group of similar organisms.
Observations:
The students really enjoyed the Google Doc activity as well as the monster maker. They were really excited to
see what the monster would look like based on the clues they had to solve.
MA Standards:
3-LS3-1

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Family Cookie Celebration
During the month of November our classes have been learning about family,
friendships and being thankful. As a part of the unit we learn about family
recipes, traditions and ways we all celebrate, The two classes made cookies
at school using a recipe, and created invitations that were sent to the families
inviting them to come and enjoy each other and celebrate together. It was a great
turn out and we had a lot of fun making and especially eating the cookies.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• learn about families and friendships.
• work together as a team to organize the day.
• follow a recipe and use the cooking utensils.
• learn about and meet people from our community.
Observations:
The classes did great working together
MA Standards:
RL. PK1-7.10, RL. PK 1.6 and 7, SL.PK 1-4.6, I.PK.1d,5a,c, 6,W.PK -2, PK.CC1 and 2
SI.PK1.3, PK.MD.1.3
PK.MD.1, PK.G1,2, RI.PK.7
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Balloons over UME
The first grade students learned about the Macys Parade and how the
tradition began with immigrants missing their cultures and customs
from their home country. We read "Balloons over Broadway" and
"Milly and the Macy's Parade" to learn about the history of the
parade, how the balloons have changed over time and how traditions are
formed. Students choose a balloon to create and wrote a opinion writing piece
persuading the audience as to why their balloon would be a good choice to
be in the parade. The first grade celebrated this unit by creating a "balloon" at
home with their families and paraded around the school.
As a result of instruction, students will be able to:
• learn about opinion writing, traditions and the meaning of "immigrant".
Observations:
The students were highly engaged in this unit. They demonstrated their
understanding of immigrants and traditions, as well as opinion writing and the
writing process of a rough and final draft.
MA Standards:
ELA, SS
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