December

It has been a whirlwind since Veterans Day! We have been up to many different things in our classroom. We have made the color green, learned about Holidays from around the world, and we are learning about to very brave people, Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges.

We also have reviewed the different comprehension strategies such as, text to self connections, text to text connections, making inferences and features of fiction (characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, problem and solution).

As for math, we are working on making sure we can identify and understand the differences between numbers. For example, 13 and 31. Also we have worked on math facts for addition and subtraction, identifying shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle, parallelogram, trapezoid, hexagon, rhombus). As well as counting, mixed coins like pennies and dimes, and pennies and nickels. The link for Math Games on the side is a good way for your students to continue to practice math over this long winter break.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Miss W.

The Rose Period

Picasso entered the Rose period when he met someone he loved. His experiences introduced him back into all the different light/warm colors. He began painting people in the circus and other things that made him happy. Your child drew using oil pastels something that makes them happy or made them happy using appropriate colors to help share their mood.

The Blue Period

As we continue to learn about Pablo Picasso. We learned that he had two periods, the Blue Period and the Rose Period. He started painting in blue to help convey his sadness over his friend passing away. Your child made a picture using dark/cool colors to help them draw a time when they were sad. They used oil pastels!

Picasso inspired Self-Portraits

This week in art your child learned about self-portraits. After making a realistic torn paper self-portrait collage your child made a torn paper abstract self-portrait collage. We are learning about Pablo Picasso and how he explored with different mediums and explored with many different styles of art.

Making Orange!

Today we made the secondary color, orange! We learned that the way you can make orange is by using red and yellow. Check it out!

Seasons!

Tis the season to learn about trees and the different seasons! Have your child look at the slide show and tell you about the season they see:)

Shapes in Art!

On Wednesday we worked on making a collage with the four basic shapes; circle, square, rectangle and triangle. Can you find the shapes?

The Starry Night!

We have been discussing the life and artwork of Vincent Van Gogh. On Tuesday, we used crayons to make lines and then watercolors to add the color of the sky. Sweet Dreams!

Our Bedrooms!

After learning about Vincent van Gogh, we looked at the painting of his bedroom. We looked at and identified the physical features in van Gogh's bedroom. Your child then pictured their bedrooms and the physical features in their room and drew what they saw. 

Using Lines

On Friday, our class learned about the American artist, Alexander Calder. Alexander Clader is a famous sculptor and painter who used many different lines in his artwork. Your child has been learning about different geometric and organic lines and they used their knowledge of lines to help them create their own artwork. I hope you enjoy!!!

America is...

      Today was an important day in the history of our country. As a class we talked about Patriot's Day and what happened 8 years ago. We also talked about why we love our country and what America is to us. I hope you have had a chance to share with your child what America is to you, and what it means to you and your family that you live in the USA. I was impressed with your child's insightfulness and thoughtfulness. Here are the illustrations each student made to express what America means to them. 

Playing with Color

       As artists we use color to help add detail and contrast in our work. We read the story Harold's Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. We created a picture using only purple, then later we created a similar picture using different colors. Which artwork would you rather look like? 

I am very proud of our young artists!

The Many Shades of Purple

Exploring the different shades of purple!

       After learning about primary and secondary colors by reading the story Mouse Paints and mixing model magic. We explored making the secondary color, purple. Ask your child how they made purple and how they made their purple lighter or darker. We also read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes, which inspired us to make purple. The projects we made were made by a group of 4 to 5 students. They worked on "team talk" by sharing in the decision making process as well as the creation of their artwork.

The Dot!!!

The Dot!

      We read The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. We learned that we can be an artist and art is in the eye of the one who is looking. I can be an artist! 

Check out the artwork that was inspired by this story!

I hope everyone had a nice weekend! Today was our first day in Library and Movement class. Make sure your child remembers to bring their library book back so they will have an opportunity to check out another book. Their library book is not due until the 14th of September due to Labor Day! 

If a Germ Had A Face...

What if a germ had a face? After talking about germs and washing our hands this week, I asked your child to create a picture with crayons with this in mind. A child's imagination is a wonderful thing. I couldn't resist the project so I threw my picture in as well:) I hope you enjoy. Happy Hand Washing!!!

Can You Guess My Mood?

Can you guess my mood? On Thursday, we discussed how Kevin Henkes uses the weather to help us understand Chrysanthemum's mood during the story of Chrysanthemum. Henkes' illustrations change depending on how the main character is feeling. Your child was put to the test by illustrating a mood by using the weather. 

Be the first to see what we did in class today! We have been talking about germs and the importance of washing hands and covering our sneezes:) Please continue to talk to your child about why it is important to cover our sneezes and to wash our hands. 

COVER YOUR SNEEZE, PLEASE!!!

The Many Ways We Are Kind

We illustrated how we are kind and how we can show kindness to others. Check out our slideshow and see how your child has shown kindness and how their classmates have shown kindness. Some of the pictures are best viewed when you click on view all images:)

Back to School Night!

I had a lot of fun meeting you and your child. I know we are going to have an amazing school year already!!! We already have seen lots of enthusiasm and many smiles. I am very excited about our first day of school!  

Hello First Grade Families,

Welcome to Syracuse Arts Academy!!! I am hoping that by using a blog this year, it will increase our communication and allow me one more way to show what your amazing child can do and is doing in class. Also look for educational links that will be appropriate for you child to use at home. They will be found as a link on the side of this page.

I am thrilled to be starting my third year of teaching. I look forward to working with you and your child this school year.

Sincerely,
Miss W.